Background Despite numerous educational reform efforts aimed at aggressively addressing achievement disparities, Latinos continue to underperform in school. In sharp contrast to the belief that the inordinate achievement disparities among Latino students stem from deficiencies, some researchers assert that culturally responsive teaching (CRT) improves academic achievement because it views students' culture and language as strengths. The body of literature on CRT provides detailed depictions of classroom experiences for traditionally marginalized students, but is faulted as lacking an explicit link to student outcomes that prevents its consideration among policymakers. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study To contribute to the body of work establishing an explicit link between CRT and student outcomes, the present study examines the extent to which dimensions of teacher-reported CRT beliefs and behaviors are associated with Latino students' identity and achievement outcomes in reading across grades three through five in Arizona. Research Design Sources of data in this study consist of teacher (N = 16) questionnaires reflecting CRT dimensions and student (N = 244) questionnaires for ethnic identity, perceived discrimination, and scholastic competence, as well as reading achievement. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to address the research questions. Findings/Results Consistent with the assertions in extant literature that CRT is related to students' outcomes, the study found that teachers' beliefs about the role of Spanish in instruction, funds of knowledge, and critical awareness were all positively related to students' reading outcomes. For teachers reporting the highest level of each of the aforementioned dimensions, students' reading scores were associated with approximately .85 SD (Spanish), .60 SD (funds of knowledge), and 1.70 SD (critical awareness) higher reading outcomes at the end of the school year after controlling for prior achievement. Teachers' reported CRT behaviors in terms of Spanish and cultural knowledge (formative assessment) were both also significantly and positively related to students' reading outcomes after controlling for prior achievement. For teachers reporting the highest level of each of the aforementioned dimensions, students' reading scores were associated with approximately 1 SD higher reading outcomes. Behaviors reflecting the use of Spanish in instruction was also significant, albeit very small (about a .03 SD increase). Conclusions/Recommendations Although the present study is not without its limitations, the findings support the extant work focused on CRT, suggesting that teachers who use instruction that considers students' culture an asset can reduce educational disparities. As such, the findings also suggest that CRT merits serious consideration by policymakers and those who train teachers of Latino youth. Notably, most teachers in the present study held a bilingual endorsement, which requires coursework focused not only on bilingual methodology and linguistics, but also on culture and experiences with funds of knowledge practices. Teachers who have said training appear to have high levels of knowledge about critical awareness, and put into practice asset-based pedagogies that are related to student outcomes. This is particularly salient given that the setting for the present study is arguably one of the most restrictive states for Latino youth. Thus, even though teacher-reported beliefs and behaviors regarding the role of Spanish in instruction were related to students' outcomes, future studies are needed that examine the extent to which bilingual endorsement, which exceeds most programmatic requirements regarding diversity, might provide teachers with the necessary knowledge (i.e., critical awareness) that enables them to behave in ways consistent with CRT.


Looking into the translation, publication, circulation and use of the Mandarin Bible, this book examines the relationship between Protestant Bible translation and the development of Mandarin into the national language of China during the late Qing and Republican era.


ABSTRACT Background: Evidence supporting optimal treatment sequencing in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) patients requiring multiple therapy lines is lacking. Methods: Using retrospective chart data, this study describes real-world RRMM treatment patterns and related progression-free survival (PFS) in US community oncology clinics. Results: Bortezomib ± a non-immunomodulatory drug (IMiD), lenalidomide ± a non-proteasome inhibitor (PI), bortezomib + an IMiD were the most commonly used regimens in early lines of therapy. Median PFS was similar in 1st (11.1 months) and 2nd line (10.5) and decreased in lines 3 through 5 (3rd: 7.9; 4th: 7.2, 5th: 5.4). Longest PFS (12.5 months) in first line was with bortezomib + ImiD; longest PFS in second line was with lenalidomide ± a non-PI was (13.2 months). Conclusions: Re-treatment with bortezomib was common; novel agents were reserved for later therapy lines. Overall, the observed PFS associated with real-world treatment sequences were shorter than those reported in clinical trials.


The availability of computer network data is critically important for network operations, the development of next-generation systems, and creation of the evidence-based policies that drive them. Collection and sharing of this network data, which may range from detailed packet traces to aggregated security alerts, is effectively the only way to concretely understand the complex structure and function of real-world networks. The information gleaned from such data sharing efforts is key to enabling innovation and resolving formidable issues in electronic crime forensics, infrastructure security, Internet governance, and intellectual property protection. The data provider's decision to share network data is ultimately anchored in trust. The nature and extent of that trust is a confluence of the capacity to satisfy relevant legal requirements, the value placed on potential benefits, and confidence that the data recipient will not increase the provider's risk of disclosing sensitive information. What is most notable about the current state of practice is that most would-be data providers have a relatively weak understanding of these individual issues and their interplay, particularly in the context of computer network data. Risk is fueled by uncertainty about the application and interpretation of legal restrictions and obligations (e.g., regulations and privacy laws) related to network data disclosure, and exacerbated by unfamiliarity with disclosure control methods. At present, most efforts related to network data sharing focus on defining common data formats and exchange procedures for information interoperability. However, little work has been done to address the need for generalizable and scalable guidance that helps data providers understand and reason about these data sharing issues, thereby enabling risk-sensitive data disclosures that consider both legal constraints and utility needs. We propose a reference risk assessment framework comprised of three phases that are designed to be generalizable across a wide range of data sharing scenarios. The first phase establishes a disclosure control continuum along two primary axes: the intended utility objectives and the disclosure restrictions imposed by legal, contractual, and ethical concerns. In the second phase, we describe operational, technical, and policy-oriented disclosure control methods, along with how they may be applied to adjust the balance between utility and risk mitigation. Finally, the third phase assesses the chosen controls with respect to the stated utility objectives and disclosure restrictions in the context of a qualitatively defined threat model. Significantly, our approach is unique among similar data sharing efforts (e.g., health data) because there is no generally accepted quantitative approach for assessing the risks associated with network data sharing, nor a practicable framework for addressing the growing number of related threats. Instead, we focus on educating data providers toward more effective, balanced, and pragmatic decisions that build a level trust and understanding necessary for productive network data sharing.


The main objective of the present work was to develop liposomal nano-formulation for 9-cis-retinoic acid using di-stearoylphosphocholin/cholesterol mixture, to characterise and to evaluate its anticancer effect on A549 human lung cancer cell lines. The liposomes were prepared using thin film formulation method and characterization of particle size and shape were carried out employing dynamic light scattering and scanning electron microscopy techniques, respectively. The level of drug entrapment into the liposomes and liposomal stability were analysed using spectrophotometry and expressed in terms of percent entrapment. The level of 9-cis-retinoic acid in treated cells also was assayed using spectrophotometry. In vitro drug release level evaluated using a dialysis bag. The anticancer effect was studied using MTT and trypsin blue assays in human lung cancer cell line. The drug entrapment level achieved was 83.33 %. Viability of cancer cells was significantly reduced after liposomal 9-cis-retinoic acid treatment. From these results it could be concluded that the liposomal 9-cis-retinoic acid was easily taken up by the A549 cells compared to free 9-cis-retinoic acid, which might have enhanced the anticancer activity observed in this study.


Normalizing flows are generative models that provide tractable density estimation via an invertible transformation from a simple base distribution to a complex target distribution. However, this technique cannot directly model data supported on an unknown low-dimensional manifold, a common occurrence in real-world domains such as image data. Recent attempts to remedy this limitation have introduced geometric complications that defeat a central benefit of normalizing flows: exact density estimation. We recover this benefit with Conformal Embedding Flows, a framework for designing flows that learn manifolds with tractable densities. We argue that composing a standard flow with a trainable conformal embedding is the most natural way to model manifold-supported data. To this end, we present a series of conformal building blocks and apply them in experiments with synthetic and real-world data to demonstrate that flows can model manifold-supported distributions without sacrificing tractable likelihoods.


This paper presents a novel reconfigurable powerconscious core test wrapper and discusses its application to optimal power-constrained SOC (system-on-chip) test scheduling. The advantage with the proposed wrapper is that at each core it allows (1) a exible TAM (test access mechanism) bandwidths, and (2) a possibility to select the appropriate test power consumption. Our scheduling technique, an extension of a preemptive scheduling approach,produces optimal solutions in respect to test time, and selects wrapper configurations in a systematic way that implicitly minimizes the TAM routing and the wrapper logic. Experimental results show the efficiency of our approach.


Each day in workplaces around the world Christians have an opportunity to be salt and light through the way they accomplish their tasks and interact with those around them. But work is not just a place where we can show our devotion to Christ; it is often part of the world of business, which, when done well, is something that both glorifies God and benefits everyone" Posting about how Christians should engage in business activities from In All Things an online hub committed to the claim that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ has implications for the entire world. http://inallthings.org/be-salt-and-light/


Various genetic map functions have been proposed to infer the unobservable genetic distance between two loci from the observable recombination fraction between them. Some map functions were found to fit data better than others. When there are more than three markers, multilocus recombination probabilities cannot be uniquely determined by the defining property of map functions, and different methods have been proposed to permit the use of map functions to analyze multilocus data. If for a given map function, there is a probability model for recombination that can give rise to it, then joint recombination probabilities can be deduced from this model. This provides another way to use map functions in multilocus analysis. In this paper we show that stationary renewal processes give rise to most of the map functions in the literature. Furthermore, we show that the interevent distributions of these renewal processes can all be approximated quite well by gamma distributions.


Academic governance is at the core of an educational institution's business. Its value lies in its ability for the institution to delivery a quality curriculum. As such, it needs to be fully understood and implemented by managers, administrators and academics alike. The need for evaluation of academic governance is clear, although there are many ways in which this may be done. This paper assumes that evaluation of academic governance needs to span the scales of policy, process and practice, and proposes an approach to do so. Shapiro's ethical dilemmas approach to examine institution staff practices allows a critical engagement with tensions that arise in any practical setting between the ethics of justice, care, critique and the profession, and thus opens opportunity for an evaluative engagement with governance that not only allows for an assessment of the governance system, but builds the capacity of the institution and its staff to develop, change and implement the body of academic governance that reflects and articulates the institution's core values and vision. The paper illustrates this suggestion with an initial discussion of a critical dilemmas evaluation of academic integrity governance.


Unsupervised learning of probabilistic models is a central yet challenging problem in machine learning. Specifically, designing models with tractable learning, sampling, inference and evaluation is crucial in solving this task. We extend the space of such models using real-valued non-volume preserving (real NVP) transformations, a set of powerful invertible and learnable transformations, resulting in an unsupervised learning algorithm with exact log-likelihood computation, exact sampling, exact inference of latent variables, and an interpretable latent space. We demonstrate its ability to model natural images on four datasets through sampling, log-likelihood evaluation and latent variable manipulations.


© 2022 S. Karger AG, Basel Karger Publishers and the editors of Brain, Behavior and Evolution would like to thank the reviewers for the ongoing support in reviewing manuscripts for our Journal in 2021. This year we have chosen not to disclose the names of our reviewers to preserve the principle of anonymity inherent to the single-blind peer-review we follow. Even so, this should not be in our way to sincerely thank all contributing reviewers who have volunteered their time, effort, and expertise in benefit of the quality of the manuscripts we received and published in 2021. Individual reviewers can still claim their personal "Certificate of Review" via the Journal's manuscript submission system.


Despite recent advances in targeted therapeutics, administration of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) remains a common clinical strategy for post-surgical treatment of solid tumors. Although it has been proposed that RNA metabolism is disturbed by 5-FU treatment, the key cytotoxic response is believed to be enzymatic inhibition of thymidylate synthase resulting in nucleotide pool disproportions. An operating p53 tumor suppressor signaling network is in many cases essential for the efficiency of chemotherapy, and malfunctions within this system remain a clinical obstacle. Since the fate of chemotherapy-insensitive tumor cells is rarely described, we performed a comparative analysis of 5-FU toxicity in p53-deficient cells and conclude that p53 acts as a facilitator rather than a gatekeeper of cell death. Although p53 can act as a regulator of several cellular stress responses, no rerouting of cell death mode was observed in absence of the tumor suppressor. Thus, the final death outcome of 5-FU-treated p53−/− cells is demonstrated to be caspase-dependent, but due to a slow pace, accumulation of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species contributes to necrotic characteristics. The oligomerization status of the p53 target gene DR5 is determined as a significant limiting factor for the initiation of caspase activity in an intracellular TRAIL-dependent manner. Using several experimental approaches, we further conclude that RNA- rather than DNA-related stress follows by caspase activation irrespectively of p53 status. A distinct 5-FU-induced stress mechanism is thereby functionally connected to a successive and discrete cell death signaling pathway. Finally, we provide evidence that silencing of PARP-1 function may be an approach to specifically target p53-deficient cells in 5-FU combinatorial treatment strategies. Together, our results disclose details of impaired cell death signaling engaged as a consequence of 5-FU chemotherapy. Obtained data will contribute to the comprehension of factors restraining 5-FU efficiency, and by excluding DNA as the main stress target in some cell types they propose alternatives to currently used and suggested synergistic treatment regimens.


In the current study, 1200 l/mm gratings are replicated at elevated temperatures onto the cross sections of two delaminated plastic packages: a thin quad flatpack plastic package (TQFPP) and a power small outline plastic package (PSOPP). The specimens are measured at room temperature for thermal deformation induced by cooling process. The finite element models are used to simulate the cooling process and the results are compared with the Moire interferometry results. The finite element models with different delaminations between die and die attach are used to simulate the fringe patterns obtained from Moire interferometry. It was found that the delamination size can be estimated by the combination of Moire technique and finite element method. The finite element model, once verified, can then be used in making cost effective decisions in plastic packaging design and processing.


The characteristics of diode end-pumped Tm,Ho:LuLiF for continuous wave (CW)
 running and high pulse repetition frequency (PRF) Q-switched operation are
 illustrated. In the CW mode, 950-mW output power with a slope efficiency of 24% is
 obtained. In the Q-switched mode, output energy of 78 ?J under 10 kHz with a slope
 efficiency of 23% is achieved. The pulse stability, pulse width as a function of
 pump intensity, and spectral characteristics are also analyzed.


CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALITY AND MARITAL HEALTH: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF LONG-TERM MARRIAGES David Caldwell Dixon Center for Counseling and Family Studies Liberty University, Lynchburg, Virginia Doctor of Philosophy in Counseling This is a phenomenological study examining the shared experiences expressed by 10 couples who have been married one time for more than thirty years and have been described as practicing Christian spirituality within their marital relationship. The data was collected by one source, the researcher, as the couple"s participated in a joint interview. Two major Christian spirituality themes emerged from the couple"s interviews. The first major Christian spirituality theme was being and doing. The being and doing theme interplayed throughout the interview with the emerging process factors of affectionate expression, bonding, and commitment. The second major Christian spirituality theme which emerged was marriage and growing. As couples told their stories a Marital Growth Model emerged from the study which included the outcome variable of hope which existed within the vernacular of many of the participants interviewed. This study has implications for enrichment programs for churches as well as aiding premarital and young couples in understanding the developmental processes of marriage from a Christian spirituality perspective. Suggestions for future study include qualitative research to other faith religions, mixed populations, and cultures.


The impact of ethnic diversity on the provision of local public goods and collective action in Africa remains largely unexplored. To address this gap, this paper explores the relationship between ethnic diversity and local primary school funding in rural western Kenya. The econometric identification strategy relies on the stable, historically determined patterns of ethnic land settlement in western Kenya. The main empirical result is that higher levels of local ethnic diversity is associated with sharply lower primary school funding and worse school facilities in western Kenya. The theory examines school choice and funding decisions when pupil mobility among schools is limited by land market imperfections and ethnic divisions, the relevant case for rural Africa, and predicts that local pupil transfers may lead to upward bias in OLS estimates of the impact of ethnic diversity. This theoretical prediction is confirmed in the data.


We present a discretely entropy stable discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method for the resistive magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) equations on three-dimensional curvilinear un- structured hexahedral meshes. Compared to other fluid dynamics systems such as the shallow water equations or the compressible Navier-Stokes equations, the resistive MHD equations need special considerations because of the divergence-free constraint on the magnetic field. For instance, it is well known that for the symmetrization of the ideal MHD system as well as the continuous entropy analysis a non-conservative term propor- tional to the divergence of the magnetic field, typically referred to as the Powell term, must be included. As a consequence, the mimicry of the continuous entropy analysis in the discrete sense demands a suitable DG approximation of the non-conservative terms in addition to the ideal MHD terms.
We focus on the resistive MHD equations. Subsequently, our first result is a proof that the resistive terms are symmetric and positive-definite when formulated in entropy space as gradients of the entropy variables. This enables us to show that the entropy inequality holds for the resistive MHD equations. The continuous analysis is the key for our DG discretization and guides the path for the construction of an approximation that discretely mimics the entropy inequality, typically termed entropy stability. The discrete analysis relies on the summation-by-parts (SBP) property, which is satisfied by the DG spectral element method (DGSEM) with Legendre-Gauss-Lobatto (LGL) nodes. With the help of a resulting split form approximation and by incorporating specific dicretiza- tions of the non-conservative terms, we obtain an overall entropy conservative DG scheme for the ideal MHD equations. We extend the scheme to an entropy stable approximation by adding appropriate dissipation terms. Further, we provide a detailed derivation and analysis of the entropy stable discretization on three-dimensional curvilinear meshes.
Although the divergence-free constraint is included in the non-conservative terms, the resulting method has no particular treatment to control the magnetic field divergence errors, which pollute the solution quality. Hence, we also extend the standard resistive MHD equations and the according DG approximation with a divergence cleaning mech- anism that is based on a generalized Lagrange multiplier (GLM). Moreover, we equip the resulting scheme with certain shock capturing methods in order to regularize the approximation in oscillatory regions close to discontinuities.
We provide numerical examples that verify the theoretical properties of the entropy stable method. Also, we demonstrate the increased robustness of the entropy stable method with a series of challenging numerical results, before we finally apply it to a real space physics model describing atmospheric plasma interactions.


We demonstrate the subsurface imaging of an articular cartilage using Fourier-domain common-path optical coherence tomography. The bare fiber probe integrated with a hypodermic needle provides the rigidness required to perform lateral scanning with less microscale bending. By submerging both the probe and the specimen into saline solution, we not only reduce the beam divergence, but also increase the signal-to-noise ratio compared with the measurement in free space. Our system can dierentiate the characteristic cartilage zones and identity various micro-structured defects in an ex vivo chicken knee cartilage, thus demonstrating that it could be used to conduct early arthritis diagnosis and intraoperative endo-microscopy.


In this paper we present our vision for a two-level, distributed resource allocator that preserves fairness and satisfies deadlines of low latency workloads in a multi-cloudlet environment with offloading support. We analyze the opportunities and challenges that offloading and the multi-cloud environment impose and we suggest the changes required to a fair-preserving and deadline-driven resource allocator originally designed for resource-constrained environments.


Every new technology transforms the world around it. A century ago, in a gentle preface to his novel Under the Greenwood Tree Thomas Hardy wrote of the transformation of little church orchestras in village England. Humble and amateur community instrumentalists were being displaced by an "isolated organist" employing a newly manufactured and more cheaply distributed technology, the harmonium or barrel organ. The new device presented certain advantages in control and accomplishment, but, he suggested, the change caused the stultification of the clergy's aims and resulted in loss of interest among parishioners. In these tiny hamlets the technology of musical development had consequences for participation, organization of the institution, the nature of the music that was played, and, Hardy seemed to be saying, for country life as well. Of these multiple and small transformations major changes in society take place. Comments NOTE: At the time of publication, author Monroe Price was affiliated with the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University. Currently(February, 2008), he is an Adjunct Full Professor at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. This journal article is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/asc_papers/56


In legal education, the word "doctrinal" is most often used to refer to courses such as Contracts, Torts, Property, and Criminal Procedure. Doctrinal has long been used as a descriptive adjective, but also as a word of exclusion. We often hear that legal writing courses are not substantive and not as significant as doctrinal courses. Linda Edwards's new book, Readings in Persuasion: Briefs that Changed the World, persuasively challenges this view.This paper evaluates what we mean when we use the term doctrinal in a legal education context and considers six powerful descriptors for the doctrine of legal writing, all extrapolated from Edwards's book: (1) legal writing is founded upon a collective body of robust scholarship; (2) it relies upon principles of science to create legal meaning; (3) it embraces an artistic craft model for the production of legal meanings, emphasizing the creativity, autonomy, and discretion that form the core of a lawyer's professional identity; (4) it involves critical introspection, opening up areas of thought traditionally obscured in legal education and ensuring that law students appreciate the power they will eventually wield in law practice; (5) it is substantive because legal writing is law making - we cannot separate the substance of the law from the words we use to forge legal meanings; and finally, (6) because it relies on real cases and context to teach students how to engage with the legal process, the doctrine of legal writing builds and improves upon law school's classic case-method pedagogy.


This paper provides reflections on the progress to date and current status of research in kinesiology. The accompanying overview articles in this special issue of Kinesiology Review show that the contemporary disciplinary/professional foci of kinesiology remain, by and large, the same as the initial research and teaching structures of 50 years ago, as outlined in the inaugural overviews. Nevertheless, within this prevailing disciplinary/professional structure, there have been many new developments in movement-related research, including the juxtaposition of novel alignments and integrations of certain specializations of kinesiology. There is general consensus that the quality and quantity of research in kinesiology have advanced substantially, albeit unevenly, on multiple fronts, both within and between the areas of specialization. The research agenda in kinesiology has benefitted from the growing realization of the centrality of human movement and physical activity in contributing to a healthy lifestyle for individuals and societies.


The 18Ni maraging steel is prepared by powder injection molding (PIM) process using a mixture of elemental powders with much attention to the effects of the amount of Ti addition on the flexure strength. Titanium, one of the components of the maraging steel makes it possible to precipitate the Ni3Ti particles and to accelerate the precipitation of Ni3Mo in a martensitic matrix of the steel on aging. X-ray diffraction confirms that the homogeneous alloying of all elements was completed at a relatively low temperature of 1473K, nevertheless sintering temperatures over 1563K were needed to obtain the PIM compacts with more than 95% for the relative density. The high density and strength in the PIM maraging steel is obtained at the Ti addition of 1.0 mass%.


The growing field of sport and exercise psychology offers an abundance of opportunities for clinical practice. For instance, a sport and exercise psychologist might work with elite or professional athletes, use exercise therapeutically with clients, conduct workshops for parents and youth sport coaches, or implement a community-based physical activity intervention. This volume provides a comprehensive overview of the field of sport and exercise psychology. Several chapters review common performance enhancement interventions, including goal setting, imagery, cognitive strategies, intensity regulation, and modelling. Additional chapters review interventions for health and well-being. Recommendations are provided for assessing, treating, and referring clients with psychopathology, and considerations pertaining to special populations are also detailed, including work with youth sport participants, college student-athletes, elite athletes, and culturally diverse groups. The book concludes with a discussion of professional issues in sport and exercise psychology, including education, certification, how to integrate this specialty into existing clinical practice, and the unique ethical challenges of working in this area. With its comprehensive scope and emphasis on both research and application, this book is a rich resource for both practitioners and students interested in learning more about applying psychology in sport and exercise settings.


Active simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) is the problem of planning and controlling the motion of a robot to build the most accurate and complete model of the surrounding environment. Since the first foundational work in active perception appeared, more than three decades ago, this field has received increasing attention across different scientific communities. This has brought about many different approaches and formulations, and makes a review of the current trends necessary and extremely valuable for both new and experienced researchers. In this article, we survey the state of the art in active SLAM and take an in-depth look at the open challenges that still require attention to meet the needs of modern applications. After providing a historical perspective, we present a unified problem formulation and review the well-established modular solution scheme, which decouples the problem into three stages that identify, select, and execute potential navigation actions. We then analyze alternative approaches, including belief-space planning and deep reinforcement learning techniques, and review related work on multirobot coordination. This article concludes with a discussion of new research directions, addressing reproducible research, active spatial perception, and practical applications, among other topics.


Background and Aims Celiac sprue is a life-long disease characterized by an intestinal inflammatory response to dietary gluten. A gluten-free diet is an effective treatment for most patients, but accidental ingestion of gluten is common, leading to incomplete recovery or relapse. Food-grade proteases capable of detoxifying moderate quantities of dietary gluten could mitigate this problem. Methods We evaluated the gluten detoxification properties of two food-grade enzymes, aspergillopepsin (ASP) from Aspergillus niger and dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPPIV) from Aspergillus oryzae. The ability of each enzyme to hydrolyze gluten was tested against synthetic gluten peptides, a recombinant gluten protein, and simulated gastric digests of whole gluten and whole-wheat bread. Reaction products were analyzed by mass spectrometry, HPLC, ELISA with a monoclonal antibody that recognizes an immunodominant gluten epitope, and a T cell proliferation assay. Results ASP markedly enhanced gluten digestion relative to pepsin, and cleaved recombinant α2-gliadin at multiple sites in a non-specific manner. When used alone, neither ASP nor DPPIV efficiently cleaved synthetic immunotoxic gluten peptides. This lack of specificity for gluten was especially evident in the presence of casein, a competing dietary protein. However, supplementation of ASP with DPPIV enabled detoxification of moderate amounts of gluten in the presence of excess casein and in whole-wheat bread. ASP was also effective at enhancing the gluten-detoxifying efficacy of cysteine endoprotease EP-B2 under simulated gastric conditions. Conclusions Clinical studies are warranted to evaluate whether a fixed dose ratio combination of ASP and DPPIV can provide near-term relief for celiac patients suffering from inadvertent gluten exposure. Due to its markedly greater hydrolytic activity against gluten than endogenous pepsin, food-grade ASP may also augment the activity of therapeutically relevant doses of glutenases such as EP-B2 and certain prolyl endopeptidases.


In this study, solid state dye-sensitized solar cells (ss-DSSCs) were fabricated with g-C3N4 and Ag co-modified TiO2 nanoparticles as photoanode materials. Devices with spiro-OMeTAD as hole transport materials (HTMs) showed a high power conversion efficiency (PCEs) of 6.22%. For the heterostructured g-C3N4/Ag/TiO2 nanocomposites, Ag nanoparticles were deposited as an electron-conduction bridge between the TiO2 surface and the g-C3N4 layer to increase absorption in the visible-light region via surface plasmon resonance, whilst the interface between Ag/TiO2 and g-C3N4 stimulated the direct migration of photo-induced electrons from g-C3N4 to Ag/TiO2, which was conducive to suppressing the recombination of electron–hole pairs. These results show that the performance of ss-DSSCs was significantly enhanced after modification with g-C3N4 and Ag, suggesting that heterostructured g-C3N4/ Ag/TiO2 composites can provide high photoelectric conversion through an effective electron transfer process.


A fundamental computation for statistical inference and accurate decision-making is to estimate the marginal probabilities or most probable states of task-relevant variables. Probabilistic graphical models can efficiently represent the structure of such complex data, but performing these inferences is generally difficult. Message-passing algorithms, such as belief propagation, are a natural way to disseminate evidence amongst correlated variables while exploiting the graph structure, but these algorithms can struggle when the conditional dependency graphs contain loops. Here we use Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) to learn a message-passing algorithm that solves these inference tasks. We first show that the architecture of GNNs is well-matched to inference tasks. We then demonstrate the efficacy of this inference approach by training GNNs on a collection of graphical models and showing that they substantially outperform belief propagation on loopy graphs. Our message-passing algorithms generalize out of the training set to larger graphs and graphs with different structure.


The diffractive field distributions of the dark edge on the negative, the edge of the knife and the single edge of the wire were investigated using photo-multiplier system. The results show that the new diffractive formula with the parameters describing the property of the edge of the diffractive object should be established and that the property of the object may be realized by the investigation of the weak diffractive field distribution of the object.


Several years of brainstorming, planning, meetings, writing, and hearings have culminated with this working guide for managers and line staff of government libraries. Guidelines are just that—advice, examples, and models of behaviours, services and best practices to be followed when they suit the situation. As indicated throughout the text, there is no universal solution or style, yet we hope that those presented here will foster creativity and promulgate ideas for adaptation in local settings.


Should the Fed raise interest rates? Some believe that ultra-low interest rates are good for investors because they drive up the prices of stocks and real estate, fattening household balance sheets. Others counter that zero rates are an insidious tax, transferring wealth from borrowers to lenders, distorting incentives and misallocating capital for individuals and government and making the American investor poorer over time.


KAYAN, Nihal, 2008. Variation for yield components in two winter sown lentil cultivars (Lens culinaris Medic.). Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 14: 460-465 This study was carried out at the experimental field of Agricultural Faculty of Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Eskisehir, Turkey in 2006-2007. Variation in yield components of two lentil cultivars (Kayi-91 and Sazak-91) were investigated. The mean values recorded for Kayi 91 were better than Sazak 91. Positive and highly significant correlations determined for the characteristics.The regressions for harvest index, the grain yield per plant and biological yield per plant with root dry weight were possitive.


The Socratic Learning Method (SLM) is a constructivist learning approach consisting of four key steps: eliciting relevant preconceptions, clarifying preconceptions, testing one's own hypotheses or encountered propositions, and deciding whether to accept the hypotheses or propositions. The Socratic Learning Method is particularly useful when one has to evaluate a proposition contradictory to one originally held belief, or when one has to generate and evaluate one's own hypothesis in the face of new information. Connecting the steps of the Socratic Learning Method and studies in cognitive science, developmental psychology, and education, this thesis argues that the Socratic Learning Method enhances students' learning as it reduces the impact of misconception, aids students in organizing knowledge, cultivates higher order thinking skills, and helps students to monitor their own learning. While the Socratic Learning Method functions as a teaching method when teachers first introduce it to students in the classroom, the thesis emphasizes its use as an approach to learning that individuals must cultivate, with practice, into a vigorous thinking habit.


Here, we describe the bacterial diversity and physicochemical properties in freshwater samples from the surface and bottom layers of the Billings Reservoir, the largest open-air storage ecosystem in the São Paulo (Brazil) metropolitan area. Forty-four samples (22 from the surface and 22 from the bottom layers) were characterized based on 16S rRNA gene analysis using Illumina MiSeq. Taxonomical composition revealed an abundance of the Cyanobacteria phylum, followed by Proteobacteria, which were grouped into 1903 and 2689 different genera in the surface and the deep-water layers, respectively. Chroobacteria, Actinobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, and Alphaproteobacteria were the most dominant classes. The Shannon diversity index was in the range of 2.3–5.39 and 4.04–6.86 in the surface and bottom layers, respectively. Flavobacterium was the most predominant pathogenic genus. Temperature and phosphorus concentrations were among the most influential factors in shaping the microbial communities of both layers. Predictive functional analysis suggests that the reservoir is enriched in motility genes involved in flagellar assembly. The overall results provide new information on the diversity composition, ecological function, and health risks of the bacterial community detected in the Billings freshwater reservoir. The broad bacterial diversity indicates that the bacterioplankton communities in the reservoir were involved in multiple essential environmental processes.


Changes in severity of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) are assessed in clinical trials by a variety of physical examination instruments. At the 2010 annual meeting of the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA), members were updated on the development and availability of modules that teach these instruments. Web-based interactive multimedia presentations for psoriasis assessments have been completed, including modules for Psoriasis Area and Severity Index and Body Surface Area, 5-point and 6-point Physician Global Assessment, the original and modified Nail Psoriasis Severity Index, the Palmar-Plantar Pustular Psoriasis Area and Severity Index, and the Psoriasis Scalp Severity Index. Rheumatology modules will include assessment of tender and swollen joints, and evaluations of enthesitis, dactylitis, and axial disease. Each module will include the background and rationale for each tool, demonstration video of each examination, diagrams and photographs to emphasize teaching points, and an optional examination at the end. The rheumatology modules have been recorded but were not yet available for review at the meeting. The dermatology modules are currently in use by pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies engaged in research on treatments for psoriasis and PsA. The next phase of this project includes analysis of interobserver reliability, translation into languages other than English for international users, and other proposed studies.


In data-parallel optimization of machine learning models, workers collaborate to improve their estimates of the model: more accurate gradients allow them to use larger learning rates and optimize faster. We consider the setting in which all workers sample from the same dataset, and communicate over a sparse graph (decentralized). In this setting, current theory fails to capture important aspects of real-world behavior. First, the 'spectral gap' of the communication graph is not predictive of its empirical performance in (deep) learning. Second, current theory does not explain that collaboration enables larger learning rates than training alone. In fact, it prescribes smaller learning rates, which further decrease as graphs become larger, failing to explain convergence in infinite graphs. This paper aims to paint an accurate picture of sparsely-connected distributed optimization when workers share the same data distribution. We quantify how the graph topology influences convergence in a quadratic toy problem and provide theoretical results for general smooth and (strongly) convex objectives. Our theory matches empirical observations in deep learning, and accurately describes the relative merits of different graph topologies.


Background Alcohol consumption is influenced by a complex causal system of interconnected psychological, behavioural, social, economic, legal and environmental factors. These factors are shaped by governments (eg, licensing laws and taxation), by consumers (eg, patterns of alcohol consumption drive demand) and by alcohol industry practices, such as advertising. The marketing and advertising of alcoholic products contributes to an 'alcogenic environment' and is a modifiable influence on alcohol consumption and harm. The public health perspective is that there is sufficient evidence that alcohol advertising influences consumption. The alcohol industry disputes this, asserting that advertising only aims to help consumers choose between brands. Methods We review the evidence from recent systematic reviews, including their theoretical and methodological assumptions, to help understand what conclusions can be drawn about the relationships between alcohol advertising, advertising restrictions and alcohol consumption. Conclusions A wide evidence base needs to be drawn on to provide a system-level overview of the relationship between alcohol advertising, advertising restrictions and consumption. Advertising aims to influence not just consumption, but also to influence awareness, attitudes and social norms; this is because advertising is a system-level intervention with multiple objectives. Given this, assessments of the effects of advertising restrictions which focus only on sales or consumption are insufficient and may be misleading. For this reason, previous systematic reviews, such as the 2014 Cochrane review on advertising restrictions (Siegfried et al) contribute important, but incomplete representations of 'the evidence' needed to inform the public health case for policy decisions on alcohol advertising. We conclude that an unintended consequence of narrow, linear framings of complex system-level issues is that they can produce misleading answers. Systems problems require systems perspectives.


ABSTRACT This article investigates the construction and transmission of charisma through online channels and its role in the formation of religious identities. Mindful of Max Weber's observation that charisma inhabits the relationship between a leader and his/her followers, I argue for a critical reappraisal of the theoretical model in the light of the ubiquity in the twenty-first century of new, virtual forms of social encounter. I focus my analysis on the Christian creationist movement in the United States and particularly on an influential leader called Ken Ham. Using digital ethnographic methods, I show how Ham constructs charisma online and how a virtual community forms itself around his charismatic claims. I illustrate how this virtual community intersects with offline worlds and suggest that the theme park attractions that Ham's organisation runs (Creation Museum, Ark Encounter) are imbued with deflected charisma by virtue of their association with his online avatar.


Writing as Material Practice grapples with the issue of writing as a form of material culture in its ancient and more recent manifestations, and in the contexts of production and consumption. Fifteen case studies explore the artefactual nature of writing — the ways in which materials, techniques, colour, scale, orientation and visibility inform the creation of inscribed objects and spaces, as well as structure subsequent engagement, perception and meaning making. Covering a temporal span of some 5000 years, from c.3200 BCE to the present day, and ranging in spatial context from the Americas to the Near East, the chapters in this volume bring a variety of perspectives which contribute to both specific and broader questions of writing materialities. The authors also aim to place past graphical systems in their social contexts so they can be understood in relation to the people who created and attributed meaning to writing and associated symbolic modes through a diverse array of individual and wider social practices.


For more than a decade, with the rise in numbers of users, the internet has become an extremely fraught site that has been frequently used in India for the perpetration of a range of 'cyber crimes' from extortion to defamation to financial fraud. Law enforcement authorities in India have not exactly lagged behind in bringing these new age cyber criminals to book, and have installed special 'Cybercrime cells' in different cities to combat crimes on the internet. These cells were particularly adapted at using IP Addresses information to trace individuals who are responsible for crimes. Briefly, an Internet Protocol address (IP address) is a numeric label which is a set of four numbers like 220.127.116.11 which is assigned to every device like computer, printers and all that are participating on the internet. Each website operators and ISPs typically maintain data logs that track the online activity of each IP address that are accessing their services. Although IP Addresses refer to particular computers, not necessarily individual users, it is possible to trace these addresses backwards so that we can expose the individual behind the computer. Even a casual Google search would reveal police authorities in different cities in India that have been quite successful in employing this technology to trace culprits. Along with its utility in the detection of crime, the tracking of persons by their IP addresses is potentially invasive of individual's privacy. Here we will be reviewing the statutory mechanism regulating the retention and disclosure of IP addresses by internet companies in India. In order to provide context, we study with a compilation of anecdotes on how various law enforcement authorities in India have used IP address information to trace individuals responsible for particular crimes.


We present an approach for automatically generating provably correct abstractions from C source code that are useful for practical implementation verification. The abstractions are easier for a human verification engineer to reason about than the implementation and increase the productivity of interactive code proof. We guarantee soundness by automatically generating proofs that the abstractions are correct. In particular, we show two key abstractions that are critical for verifying systems-level C code: automatically turning potentially overflowing machine-word arithmetic into ideal integers, and transforming low-level C pointer reasoning into separate abstract heaps. Previous work carrying out such transformations has either done so using unverified translations, or required significant proof engineering effort. We implement these abstractions in an existing proof-producing specification transformation framework named AutoCorres, developed in Isabelle/HOL, and demonstrate its effectiveness in a number of case studies. We show scalability on multiple OS microkernels, and we show how our changes to AutoCorres improve productivity for total correctness by porting an existing high-level verification of the Schorr-Waite algorithm to a low-level C implementation with minimal effort.


This book is a study of Dutch mosque designs, objects of heated public debate. Until now, studies of diaspora mosque designs have largely consisted of normative architectural critiques that reject the ubiquitous 'domes and minarets' as hampering further Islamic-architectural evolution. The Architectural Representation of Islam: Muslim-Commissioned Mosque Design in The Netherlands represents a clear break with the architectural critical narrative, and meticulously analyzes twelve design processes for Dutch mosques. It shows that patrons, by consciously selecting, steering and replacing their architects, have much more influence on their mosques than has been generally assumed. Through the careful transformation of specific building elements from Islamic architectural history to a new context, they literally aim to 'construct' the ultimate Islam. Their designs thus evolve not in opposition to Dutch society, but to those versions of Islam that they hold to be false.


The Crime Prevention Portfolio of ACT Policing introduced the Suburban crime prevention team (SCPT), a community policing initiative, into the Canberra suburb of Narrabundah in late August 2002. This team of two uniformed officers was deployed to Narrabundah for a six-month period and given the task of operating as community policing officers exclusively within the suburb boundary. This report is the final evaluation of that initiative. The evaluation was based on multiple methodologies, involving qualitative and quantitative data and both process- and outcome-based measures, and each of the eight objectives of the initiative is individually addressed. The report finds, overall, that while the development of the SCPT was limited in many ways, it was still a project that had a positive impact on the Narrabundah community and thus demonstrates both the potential and the need for community policing in the ACT. The report concludes by making a number of key recommendations and identifying issues for the development of future SCPTs.


Growth theory has traditionally assumed the existence of an aggregate production function, whose existence and properties are closely tied to the assumption of optimal resource allocation within each economy. We show extensive evidence, culled from the micro-development literature, demonstrating that the assumption of optimal resource allocation fails radically. The key fact is the enormous heterogeneity of rates of return to the same factor within a single economy, a heterogeneity that dwarfs the cross-country heterogeneity in the economy-wide average return. Prima facie, we argue, this evidence poses problems for old and new growth theories alike. We then review the literature on various causes of this misallocation. We go on to calibrate a simple model which explicitly introduces the possibility of misallocation into an otherwise standard growth model. We show that, in order to match the data, it is enough to have misallocated factors: there also needs to be important fixed costs in production. We conclude by outlining the contour of a possible non-aggregate growth theory, and review the existing attempts to take such a model to the data.


[Excerpt] Technology has shifted the dynamics of guest interactions in the hospitality industry. Two key elements of this shift are that service providers now have fewer opportunities for direct interaction with guests, and interactions may often be the result of service failures. In these face-to-face encounters, employees' ability to effectively manage the emotional components of the guest interaction can make a major contribution to a guest's satisfaction with the outcome. Intrinsic employee behaviors, namely, employee engagement, communication, and attitude (that is, the "how" in the delivery of service) influence guest's perceptions of service outcomes. In a preliminary study, relatively intense training of hotel front-desk employees, using a blend of online and face-to-face training, changed employee behaviors in a way that guests reported an improvement in staff helpfulness. This study employed modules of the Cornell University Service Excellence OnDemand Training as a tool for improving the work of front-line service providers. Such training can foster improved handling of guest interactions, thereby offering a substantial opportunity for improved guest satisfaction.


Blood glucose was measured with a portable glucose meter in 907 rabbits, including 238 clinically healthy ones. Blood glucose concentrations ranged from 1.2 to 30.1 mmol/l. Diabetes mellitus was not encountered. No significant effect of sex or sedation was found. Hypoglycaemia was seen in 16 rabbits including one with an insulinoma. There was a significant relationship between blood glucose, food intake, signs of stress and severity of clinical disease. Rabbits showing signs of stress had higher blood glucose than rabbits with no signs and rabbits that were totally anorexic had higher blood glucose values than those that were eating normally or those with reduced food intake. Severe hyperglycaemia (>20 mmol/l) was associated with conditions with a poor prognosis. Rabbits with confirmed intestinal obstruction had a mean blood glucose of 24.7 mmol/l (n = 18). This was significantly higher than the rabbits with confirmed gut stasis, which had a mean value of 8.5 mmol/l (n = 51). The conclusion of the study was that blood glucose is a measurable parameter that can be used to assess the severity of a rabbit's condition and help to differentiate between gut stasis and intestinal obstruction in rabbits that are anorexic.


Inherent safety is that which is intrinsic to a chemical plant. Chemical plants should be
designed to be acceptably safe and it is better if this can be achieved through inherent
safety, which cannot be compromised, rather than added-on engineered safety. The earlier
that inherent safety is considered, the greater are the benefits.
The aim of this project is to develop a method which can be used to assess the inherent
safety of a chemical plant, by estimating the potential number of fatalities in the event of a
catastrophic accident. This method is intended for use in the early phases of design when
the major decisions on the chemical process are made. In the early stages, only limited
information about equipment and plant layout exist as well as the reaction chemistry and
the physical, chemical and toxicity properties of the chemicals involved. [Continues.]


Basal stem rot (BSR) which affects many oil palm plantations in Malaysia is a destructive disease caused by the wood decaying fungi Ganoderma boninense. Information on response of oil palm to BSR is scarce, particularly concerning changes in the level of plant metabolites as the ultimate consequence of biological systems to genetic or environmental changes. A previous study on root inoculation technique was conducted by MPOB to identify oil palm progenies partially tolerant and susceptible to G. boninense infection that causes BSR. Therefore, in this study, parental palms of these progenies were identified and root tissues of both partially tolerant and susceptible parental palms of different BSR susceptibility were used to analyse metabolites by using a metabolomic-based approach. In this report, we examine the application of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based metabolomics to study aqueous methanolic extracts of root tissues of selected parental palms that are partially tolerant and susceptible to G. boninense. Collectively, 39 peaks were observed from LC-MS analysis operated in negative mode and of these, nine distinctive peaks were further characterised using accurate mass, isotopic pattern, database match and MS/MS experiment for compound identification. Together with several other metabolites, MS/ MS spectrum of procyanidin B was presented and all the major fragments were assigned with predicted sub-structures. The nine metabolites which were also successfully identified revealed a range of plant sugar and phenolics derivatives in parental palms root extracts. The novelty of the technique relies on the use of mass signals and the analytical strategy that are applicable to a wide range of analysis in oil palm root metabolomics. These findings provide information on the relationship between phenolic compounds as marker metabolites for disease detection and oil palm preventive mechanism against BSR.


Robert Adams, one of America's foremost living photographers, has spent decades considering and documenting the landscape of the American West and how it has been altered, disturbed, or destroyed by the hand of man. A professor of English before turning to photography, Adams is also a skilled writer and acute thinker on aesthetic questions. Aperture's previous collections, "Beauty in Photography" and "Why People Photograph", gathered together Adam's essays on a host of subjects: writing, teaching, photography's place in the arts, and reflections on the work of an array of photographers. With its focus on the voice of the artist, "Along Some Rivers" follows in the tradition of these publications, but provides another point of entry into Robert Adam's careful consideration of photography and beyond. A collection of conversations (some previously unpublished) with writers and curators - William McEwan, Rebecca Solnit, Constance Sullivan, and Thomas Weski, among others (including a group of his students) - this publication offers the artist's thoughts on a number of his now legendary projects, including "Cottonwoods" and "What We Bought". A discussion of his recent series chronicling the destruction of Oregon's great forests, "Turning Back", takes us to the present moment. Through these exchanges we learn which filmmakers and painters have influenced his work; why, in Adams's view, Marcel Duchamp has not been a helpful guide for art; how he decides upon titles for his books; and what the term documentary means to him; as well as basic technical questions - which cameras he prefers, how he approaches printing his pictures. Additionally, this publication includes a selection of twenty-eight unpublished landscapes. Together these photographs and conversations provide valuable insight into how this master photographer approaches the medium with an expert level of craft, great intelligence, modesty, and above all, a distinct sense of purpose. "Along Some Rivers" will be a valuable addition to literature on photography.


Background The Sami in Norway have a legal right to receive health services adapted to Sami language and culture. This calls for a study of the significance of language choice and cultural norms in Sami patients' encounters with mental health services. Objectives To explore the significance of language and cultural norms in communication about mental health topics experienced by Sami patients receiving mental health treatment to enhance our understanding of linguistic and cultural adaptation of health services. Methods Data were collected through individual interviews with 4 Sami patients receiving mental health treatment in Northern Norway. A systematic text reduction and a thematic analysis were employed. Findings Two themes were identified: (I) Language choice is influenced by language competence, with whom one talks and what one talks about. Bilingualism was a resource and natural part of the participants' lives, but there were limited possibilities to speak Sami in encounters with health services. A professional working relationship was placed on an equal footing with the possibility to speak Sami. (II) Cultural norms influence what one talks about, in what way and to whom. However, norms could be bypassed, by talking about norm-regulated topics in Norwegian with health providers. Conclusion Sami patients' language choice in different communication situations is influenced by a complexity of social and cultural factors. Sami patients have varying opinions about and preferences for what they can talk about, in which language, in what way and with whom. Bilingualism and knowledge about both Sami and Norwegian culture provide latitude and enhanced possibilities for both patients and the health services. The challenge for the health services is to allow for and safeguard such individual variations within the cultural framework of the patients.


This Article argues in favor of regulating online anonymity, not from the standpoint that doing so will prevent harmful abuses or improve security, but instead that refusing to do so will ultimately harm other liberty interests. One principle that has emerged from cyberlaw scholarship is that we should safeguard the Internet's "generativity" — a key attribute representing the latitude and plasticity with which a technology (like the Internet) can be adapted to perform new, unanticipated uses — because generativity is the root source of the Internet's unique vitality. Yet, if we want regulators to leave generativity alone, we must offer them another point of leverage with which to regulate abusive behavior. It is not enough to recommend simply that regulators should exercise restraint to minimize loss to generative potential.The descriptive claim here is that the desire to regulate the Internet can manifest itself either as restrictions on anonymity or as restrictions on generativity, and that one can be traded for the other. The normative claim that follows is that we should favor the generative Internet over the anonymous Internet for at least two reasons. First, generativity is the engine that ignites the Internet's most essential and electrifying function, as a platform that perpetuates technological innovation and output. Second, restrictions on generativity impose restraints further upstream and are therefore more troubling than restrictions on anonymity. Third, anonymity is a value held in only modest esteem — the so-called constitutional "right to anonymity" is a narrow protection that does not contemplate the unbridled use of anonymizing technologies. Thus, where regulatory goals are being pursued, we should encourage Internet regulators to look to limitations on anonymity as a means of averting more onerous limitations on generativity.


Energy management and reduction is one of the major challenges in the Cloud industry's data centres. The Uptime Institute's 2012 report, the industry's leading authority, highlighted the crisis in data centre energy management. 30% of data centres will run out of power, space and cooling in 2012. On average there's a 90% energy overhead in data centre operations, yet 55% of servers use less than 10% of their capacity. The 500,000 data centres worldwide have a server electricity consumption of 400 Billion kWh/year (approx $40 Billion ) which is growing at 12% CAGR, yet only 11% of the centres monitor their consumption. The global CO2 emissions of these centres, is equivalent to the airline industry, 2% of global emissions. It is expected that by 2020 20% of Europe's electrical energy will be data centre related. Data centre cooling requirements also have an enormous hydro footprint. A 1 MW data centre in a U.S-type climate has an annual hydro footprint of 99 million litres/annum Yet studies have shown that operational energy savings of 40% and substantial reductions in physical space, cooling requirements and water consumption can be achieved, where comprehensive and effective energy monitoring and management systems are employed. These can deliver a ROI within months, and further savings which extend over the centre's lifetime. The technologies which have the potential to deliver these benefits, DCIM (Data Centre Infrastructure Management) systems have only emerged in the last 3 to 4 years and are still in their infancy. Not surprisingly, a new global industry providing innovative, green, sustainable data centre technologies will be worth €45 Billion by 2016. The main barriers to effective monitoring/management is instrumentation and training. Vast volumes of data are gathered and must be competently analysed. Most monitoring systems, involve some form of physical metering and cabling and downtime, a major challenge when 10's thousands of servers are involved. Furthermore, all approaches physical and hybrid approaches limit the level of monitoring visibility to the server, individual processes cannot be monitored. A spin-out company from University College Dublin Ireland, Stratergia, has developed a unique data centre energy management system PAPILLON. It is totally software-based, measuring every server's energy consumption in real-time. It is intuitive to use, operates on any platform and can be installed in hours without any downtime or retrofitting. It uses a client-server type architecture. Software agents on servers communicate periodically, to a master server which has power models for each server type. Using the power models, the master computes in real-time and saves in a data base, all relevant energy information of the centre. In operation, Papillon identifies and quantifies energy saving actions that can be implemented, and coupled with electricity network data, more sustainable energy sources can be introduced into the power input of the centre. Papillon has been trialled at Swedish Compare Testlab and is one of the core tools being installed at state-of-the-art data centres at Kajaani, Finland and Cenit, Spain for a new international EU-funded Masters programme in green, sustainable data centre management.


The rate at which parasites (mainly gnathiid isopod larvae) were removed from fish by the cleaner wrasse Labroides dimidiatus was investigated. To examine the effect of this parasite removal on the parasites of fish, the number of parasites removed per individual host fish Hemigymnus melapterus per day was estimated and compared to the infection rate and abundance of gnathiids on H. melapterus. The study was conducted at Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia, using a combination of observations of the feeding rates of cleaners, estimates of how much time individual hosts spend being cleaned, cleaner fish stomach content analyses, and a gnathiid manipulation experiment. The frequency and duration of inspection by L. dimidiatus were measured to provide an estimate of the feeding rate. Individual L. dimidiatus spent on average 256 +/- 11 (SE) min d(-1) inspecting 2297 +/- 83 fish. L. dimidiatus consumed a large number of parasites (1218 +/- 118, mainly gnathiid isopods) each day. The estimated predation rate by L. dimidiatus was 4.8 +/- 0.4 parasites per minute of inspection or 0.5 +/- 0.05 parasites per inspection. The infection rate of gnathiids onto fish was high, with reduced gnathiid loads (by about 50%) on fish returning to levels similar to control fish within 1 to 6 d. These high infection rates suggest that a significant proportion of gnathiids removed by cleaner fish are quickly replaced. The high predation rate relative to the number of gnathiids on fish and their infection rate shows that cleaner fish have an effect on the abundance of gnathiids on fish.


Based on the increasing need of energy for the future and the related risks to the environments due to burning of fossils fuels, hydrogen is seen as an efficient and application related clean energy carrier that may be derived from renewable energy sources. A variety of applications connected with production and use of hydrogen and the related risks have been identified, and a survey has been conducted among a number of experts as an internet exercise for unveiling the potential lack of necessary knowledge in order to handle hydrogen in a safe way concerning the various applications. The main results concern hazardous situations related to release and explosions of hydrogen in confined and semi-confined areas, tunnels and garages, and mitigation of hazardous situations, i.e. preventions of accidents and reduction of consequences from accidents happening anyway.


We analyze the results of scanning near-field infrared spectroscopy performed on thin films of a-SiO2 on Si substrate. The measured near-field signal exhibits surface-phonon resonances whose strength has a strong thickness dependence in the range from 2 to 300 {nm}. These observations are compared with calculations in which the tip of the near-field infrared spectrometer is modeled either as a point dipole or an elongated spheroid. The latter model accounts for the antenna effect of the tip and gives a better agreement with the experiment. Possible applications of the near-field technique for depth profiling of layered nanostructures are discussed.


Family farms are central to both contemporary changes and contradictions in agriculture. They have been, and are still, the crucible for a whole host of agricultural innovations and major revolutions. They form the social basis of most Southern countries and contribute to supplying their local, national and international markets. Paradoxically, however, they constitute the vast majority of poor rural households which are also in a situation of food insecurity worldwide. They sometimes operate using specialised, and highly artificialised, intensified models (agrochemicals and mechanisation). In this respect, they do not escape the questions and criticism directed to agriculture and its capacity to meet the contemporary and widely globalised challenges of climate change, food security, the increasing scarcity of fossil fuels, and the prevention of emerging diseases. But family farms also provide alternative production models to conventional intensification – sustainable agriculture models or new energy sources – which differentiates them from corporate farms and can bring solutions to the world's food, social and environmental challenges.


This paper explores the actual user-designer interactions in the design process. To address this, I conducted two field studies, in which I observed designers in two leading user-centered design firms over five months, documenting seven user-centered design projects. The observations revealed how designers bring ideas about users into design without physically interacting with users during the design process. Based on this, this study introduces the concept of 'design attitude', by which designers incorporate user ideas into the design process without actual involvement of users in the process. I contribute to the body of knowledge by introducing the concept of "design attitude" as a bridge between theoretical and actual designer-user interactions in the IS design process.


In response to the global concerns towards oil scarcity and climate change, the automotive industry is currently focusing on improving fuel economy and reducing exhaust emissions. Modern downsized gasoline engines that come with a package that includes a boosting system, variable valve train and direct fuel injection system is effective for fuel economy improvement and emission reduction. However, the knocking issue becomes severe at high load operations as a result of the high intake boosting pressure. In regard to the part load conditions, the gas exchange process requires extra work to draw in air into the cylinder due to a lower amount of pressure in the intake manifold caused by the restriction of the throttle plate.
The Miller cycle is regarded as a potential strategy of knock control for downsized gasoline engines. Extensive works have sought to examine the performance improvement via the Miller cycle, yet only limited research has been conducted on the manner in which it can influence knock suppression. The focus of this thesis is to investigate early and late intake valve closing timings in terms of how they affect the compression process, the ability to suppress engine knock and meet the power output required at high loads for spark-ignited gasoline engines. Apart from that, this research also demonstrates the Miller cycle potential by utilising fully variable valve timing in controlling the load at the part load condition without using a throttle. The early intake valve closing with different valve lifts was tested in order to investigate the impact during the gas exchange process, particularly the pumping losses and the potential to improve fuel economy.
This study includes both experimental and simulation studies. A Lotus single-cylinder research engine referred to as SCORE was mainly used for the experimental component of the study. The simulation work was conducted using a one-dimensional spark ignition engine model built in the Ricardo WAVE software for naturally-aspirated and downsized engines. The engine model values are validated against the experimental values from the Lotus SCORE and Lotus SABRE engines. The combustion model with a reduced kinetics mechanism was validated using a Rover K-series engine. A broad matrix of the engine operations has been investigated combining a variety of engine speeds and engine loads.
The Miller cycle effects on knock suppression in a downsized engine environment have been investigated in three parts, namely the Miller cycle at different speed-load, knock suppression with extreme Miller cycle, and knock analysis with combustion kinetics. Through the works, the Miller cycle has demonstrated its capability to suppress engine knocking in a more efficient manner as opposed to the standard engine operation. This is contributed by the fact that early and late intake valve closings could affect the end gas condition at the end of the compression stroke, thus making it possible to suppress the engine knocking.
The experimental study for controlling load without using throttle under the naturally-aspirated condition found that the Miller cycle with an early intake calve closing strategy able to improve fuel consumption by reducing pumping losses. The downsized engine condition, which has been evaluated via modelling work, also showed an improved performance trend using the unthrottled Miller cycle strategy. The open cycle and close cycle efficiencies have improved through the Miller cycle implementation.
The contribution of this work is made in order to establish the comparison of the Miller cycle strategy in suppressing knocking between the early intake valve closing and late intake valve closing under a boosted environment. For the part load condition of the downsized engine, the research contributes to the existing body of knowledge by comparing the throttle-less Miller cycle and the standard throttled operation as a load control strategy.


This article aims at describing: (1) the way how to develop syllabus of Indonesian as general subject, (2) the form of Indonesian syllabus, (3) problems arising in the implementation of Indonesian syllabus. Having scrutinized the relevant theories and empirical experiences, it was found some thoughts as follows. First the syllabus can be developed through five stages: (1) surveying the need, (2) itemizing the objectives, (3) selecting the type of syllabus, (4) preparing proto syllabus, and (5) preparing pedagogical aspect. Second, syllabus is arranged in terms of: the name of subject, the code of subject, semester, SKS, the group of subject, rational, competency, material, learning media, evaluation, and learning resources. This syllabus was focused on the ability of using language items in language activities both in oral and written. It was composed according to teaching learning activities and the order of the material. Learning achievement was directed to process, product, and content orientation quantitatively and qualitatively. The order of learning activities was developed from simple items to complicated items. Third, the competence observed was the ability of using Indonesian in written or spoken in terms of grammar, sociolinguistics, and strategy. The test items were in the form of assignments which are expressive productive in various contexts. Those assignments discussed the usage of Indonesian in real daily life.


Raf Kinase Inhibitor Protein (RKIP) was originally described as an inhibitor of the Ras-Raf-MEK-ERK pathway, exerting its action by the physical inhibition of the
interaction of Raf with MEK. It has subsequently been shown to play important roles in a number of other signalling pathways, including the NFκB pathway and in the stability of the mitotic spindle. Not surprisingly given that it impacts on many important signalling pathways RKIP levels have been shown to be important in the progression of a number of different cancers. RKIP expression is lost or decreased in a number of common human cancers and decreased still further in tumour metastases.
One of the tumours in which RKIP is downregulated is colorectal cancer (CRC). Importantly it has been shown that not only is RKIP depleted in tumour tissue when compared with normal tissue but that the level of RKIP within a tumour is inversely correlated with the likelihood of metastatic relapse and with patient prognosis. Although we already have a number of very good prognostic indicators
in CRC, one group of patients for whom new prognostic indicators would be useful are patients with Dukes B CRC. These are patients with locally advanced but non-metastatic disease and at present there is no firm consensus on their
correct post-operative management. Therefore we set out to examine whether RKIP is a useful prognosticator in this particular group using a tissue microarray (TMA) with samples from over 200 patients with Dukes B CRC. The analysis revealed a strong inverse correlation between RKIP levels and disease specific survival. Moreover, in a multivariate analysis RKIP emerged as an independent
prognostic indicator along with lympho-vascular invasion and peritoneal invasion, two well-known and powerful prognosticators. This allowed for the generation of
a simple prognostic index, using information from the different independent indicators, allowing for improved patient risk stratification.
This led us to examine whether RKIP could also function as a predictive marker in CRC. To do this we again used a TMA, this time consisting of a much larger cohort of patients across the whole range of tumour stages. The results
confirmed the prognostic utility of RKIP and indicated that patients whose tumours have low levels of RKIP may derive a greater benefit from chemotherapy than those patients whose tumours have high levels, although this result did not reach statistical significance.
In the second part of the thesis I have examined the effect of RKIP in previously characterised mouse models of CRC. To do this I have used a germline RKIP knockout mouse and in the first instance crossed it to the APC580S mouse. In this
mouse APC is lost conditionally within the intestine and liver. RKIP knockout did not have any effect on the rate of tumourigenesis or on the invasiveness of tumours in this model. However, in the setting of acute homozygous deletion of APC, RKIP knockout resulted in a decrease in apoptoses in the small intestine and an increase in aberrant mitotic activity in the liver. To follow this up I have examined the effect of RKIP knockout in a mouse model of superficially invasive CRC, specifically to see if RKIP knockout can promote invasive and metastatic behaviour. In this model the APC580S mouse is crossed to mice which
conditionally express oncogenic KRas. Although RKIP knockout did not result in an increase in invasive tumours in this model there was a shift in tumour location from the small intestine to the colon. This shift appeared to be due, at least in part to an increase in chromosomal instability in the tumours.
The final aim of the thesis was to develop a mouse model of CRC which more closely recapitulates the late stages of the human disease, specifically invasion and metastasis. To do this we have crossed the APC580S mouse with either a
conditional p53 knockout or with a mouse that conditionally expresses a point mutation of p53 (p53R172H). In human tumours the majority of abnormalities of p53 are point mutations that result in the production of mutant protein that accumulates in tumour cells. There is evidence that this mutant protein may have oncogenic properties beyond the simple loss of normal p53 protein
function. Therefore we have also used this model to study the differing effects of p53 loss and point mutation in CRC. We found that mice homozygous for p53 deletion (p53fl/fl) and those expressing a single copy of the mutant allele with loss of the second copy (p53R172H/fl) developed invasive tumours with nearly 100% penetrance and indeed metastasis was observed. Remarkably, although mice
that were heterozygous for p53 deletion (p53fl/+) only rarely developed invasive tumours almost 100% of mice expressing a single copy of the mutant allele (p53R172H/+) developed invasive tumours. We went on to show that the increase in invasion seen in this model is related to an increase in Wnt signalling, which is associated with increased expression of pro-invasive Wnt targets such as fascin.
We also showed a novel pro-invasive role for ARF in this process. This is also an excellent model of Dukes B CRC and therefore the ideal model to test the effect of RKIP deletion on invasion and metastasis.
These studies led us to examine the differences in effect between knockout and mutant p53 in another tumour model. In this we used a novel model of the aggressive tumour pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma to demonstrate that mutant
p53 can both promote both tumourigenesis and metastasis more potently than p53 knockout.
These studies have demonstrated the value of RKIP in the clinically important Dukes B CRC population and shown its possible utility as a predictive marker in this group. Although we have not seen an effect of RKIP knockout in traditional mouse models of CRC we have developed a novel model which closely recapitulates Dukes B CRC and may be useful in elucidating the effect of RKIP knockout. We have also used this model to gain novel insights into the invasive process, in particular into the role played by mutant p53.


The retrieval of geo-/bio-physical variables from remote sensing imagery is a challenging and important research field. On the one hand, advances in electronics, engineering and space sciences are offering to the users community new sensors capable to acquire information on the Earth surface with higher accuracy and improved features with respect to the past. On the other hand, the need of large-scale, accurate and up-to-date mapping and monitoring of natural targets and physical processes is becoming fundamental for many application domains. This calls for the development of accurate, robust and effective retrieval methodologies.
The main goal of this thesis is to investigate and develop advanced methods and systems for the retrieval of geo-/bio-physical variables from satellite remote sensing imagery being able to exploit the potential of new and upcoming satellite systems and support real application domains. Special attention has been devoted to the definition of methods and to the analysis of data acquired in the challenging mountain environment.
The activity carried out and presented in this dissertation is oriented to investigate the main limitations of the existing methodologies for addressing the estimation problem and to develop novel and improved systems that can overcome the drawbacks identified. In particular, the following main novel contributions are proposed in this thesis:
a) A theoretical and empirical comparative analysis of non-linear machine learning regression methods, namely the Multi-Layer Perceptron Neural Network and the Support Vector Regression, for soil moisture retrieval in different operational scenarios.
b) A novel multi-objective model-selection strategy for tuning the free parameters of non-linear regression methods taking into account different quality metrics that are jointly optimized.
c) A novel hybrid approach to the retrieval of geo-/bio-physical variables from remote sensing data integrating both theoretical electromagnetic models and field reference measurements.
d) A sensitivity analysis and a retrieval system for soil moisture content estimation from new generation SAR imagery in an Alpine catchment.
e) An empirical study on the effectiveness of fully-polarimetric SAR signals for soil moisture estimation in mountain areas.
f) An improved algorithm for mapping and monitoring Green Area Index (GAI) in Alpine pastures and meadows from satellite MODIS imagery.
Qualitative and quantitative experimental results obtained on real remotely sensed data confirm the effectiveness of the proposed solutions.


KOHANSAL, Mohammad REZA and Hadi RAFIEI DARANI, 2009. Choosing and ranking irrigation methods and the study of effective factors of adoption in Khorasan Razavi province in Iran. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 15: 67-76 The main objective of this study is ranking sprinkler and traditional irrigation systems in Khorasan Razavi province, determining the best irrigation methods, and finally studying effective factors in the adoption of sprinkler irrigation in this province. Data and information were obtained from 186 questionnaires for farmers of two regions of Khorasan Razavi province; i.e., Mashad and Sabzevar, in 2007. For this purpose, the Compromise Programming method (CP) and Logit model were used. In this study, the results obtained from four groups of farmers and farmlands showed that in two groups of farmers, the best irrigation system is "sprinkler irrigation" (solid-set sprinkler and hand move sprinkler) and in the other groups, the best irrigation system is "traditional irrigation". The results of this study also showed that linier sprinkler and center pivot sprinkler are the worst irrigation systems. The findings also illustrated that farmer's age and number of family labors does not have a significant effect on adoption. Also, land fragmentation, land slope, heterogeneity of soil and access to loan has a positive and significant effect on adoption of sprinkler irrigation. Other variables such as farm size, graduation level, farming as the first job, land slope, heterogeneity of soil and access to loan are factors that have a positive effect on adoption of sprinkler irrigation.


Fabrication of a Single Layer Organic Photovoltaic Device based on an Indium-TinOxide/Copper Phthalocyanine/Aluminum Heterostructure Aroshan Kaushalya Jayasinghe Mentor: Kenneth Park, Ph.D. An ultra high vacuum chamber was designed and constructed for the purpose of fabricating organic photovoltaic devices. Thermal vapor deposition of copper phthalocyanine as the active layer and aluminum as the cathode onto a substrate of indium-tin-oxide coated glass was tested in ultra high vacuum conditions. Auger electron spectroscopy was used to analyze the surface properties of the different layers. It was possible to prepare the electrodes to the necessary quality, but the vapor deposition of the organic active layer proved to be unsuccessful. The conductivity of the deposited copper phthalocyanine was much higher than anticipated. Two possible mechanisms for this increase in conductivity are polymerization of the molecules and the formation of stacked assemblies. The residual copper phthalocyanine left in the crucible was examined with a scanning electron microscope and evidence of both mechanisms was observed. Fabrication of a Single Layer Organic Photovoltaic Device Based on an Indium-TinOxide/Copper Phthalocyanine/Aluminum Heterostructure


Numerous mathematical models in applied and industrial mathematics take the form of a partial differential equation involving certain variable coefficients. These coefficients are known and they often describe some physical properties of the model. The direct problem in this context is to solve the partial differential equation. By contrast, an inverse problem asks for the identification of the variable coefficient when a certain measurement of a solution of the partial differential equation is available. A commonly used approach to inverse problems is to solve an optimization problem whose solution is an approximation of the sought coefficient. Such optimization problems are typically solved by discrete iterative schemes. It turns out that most known iterative schemes have their continuous counterparts given in terms of dynamical systems. However, such differential equations are usually solved by specific differential equation solvers. The primary objective of this thesis is to test the feasibility of differential equations based solvers for solving elliptic inverse problems. We will use differential equation solvers such as Eulers Method, Trapezoidal Method, Runge-Kutta Methods and Adams-Bashforth Method. In addition, these solvers will also be compared to built-in MATLAB ODE solvers. The performance and accuracy of these methods to solve inverse problems will be thoroughly discussed.


Background: Albuminuria predicts adverse events in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. No therapies to date have reduced albuminuria in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Methods and Results: We analyzed 1175 participants from the Americas from the TOPCAT study (Treatment of Preserved Cardiac Function Heart Failure With an Aldosterone Antagonist) with urinary albumin:creatinine ratio (UACR) measurements at baseline. We examined the association of UACR with the primary outcome (cardiovascular death, aborted cardiac arrest, or heart failure hospitalization) and its individual components, all-cause mortality, and several safety end points using multivariable-adjusted Cox regression. We evaluated whether spironolactone reduced albuminuria at the 1-year visit in a subpopulation (N=744). Thirty-five percent had microalbuminuria, 13% had macroalbuminuria, and 80% were receiving angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers. Increasing UACR was associated with male sex, higher systolic blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, and renal dysfunction. Macroalbuminuria (hazard ratio, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.22–2.28) and microalbuminuria (hazard ratio, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.15–1.86) were independently associated with the TOPCAT primary end point (compared with normoalbuminuria). Adjusting for placebo response, spironolactone reduced albuminuria by 39% in all participants at the 1-year visit compared with baseline (geometric mean ratio, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.49–0.77) and by 76% (geometric mean ratio, 0.24; 95% CI, 0.10–0.56) among those with macroalbuminuria. Reducing UACR by 50% was independently associated with a reduction in heart failure hospitalization (hazard ratio, 0.90; P=0.017) and all-cause mortality (hazard ratio, 0.91; P=0.019). The change in UACR was significantly associated with change in systolic blood pressure (P=0.001). Conclusions: In TOPCAT, albuminuria was independently associated with worse cardiovascular outcomes. Spironolactone significantly reduced albuminuria compared with placebo. Reducing albuminuria was independently associated with improved outcomes. Clinical Trial Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00094302.


Background: The thrombopoietin receptor agonist eltrombopag has been shown to be safe and effective for children with chronic immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). The aim of the present study was to characterize eltrombopag use in current clinical practice. Material and Methods: This is a retrospective multicenter study conducted in 17 centers affiliated to the Italian Association of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology (AIEOP). The primary objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of eltrombopag use in Italian children affected by chronic ITP, after EMA authorization for pediatric age. The secondary objective was to assess efficacy in the first 6 months and safety during the whole period of eltrombopag treatment in current clinical practice. A total of 386 children with chronic ITP were retrospectively enrolled and eligible for analysis. Among these patients, 71 received eltrombopag. Results: The prevalence of eltrombopag use was 19% (95% CI 0.15–0.23). Thirty-one patients (44%) were male and 40 patients (56%) were female. The median age at the first dose of eltrombopag was 12 years (3–17 years). The median duration of eltrombopag treatment was 11 months (1–32 months) and the median starting dose was 50 mg/day (12, 5–75 mg/day). Thirty-two patients (45%) required one or more concomitant ITP medications during the first 6 months of treatment with eltrombopag. Thirty-nine patients (55%) never required concomitant medications. Median platelet counts and proportion of patients achieving the target platelet count of at least 30 × 109/L and 100 × 109/L significantly increased during the first 6 months of treatment (p < 0.0001). Additionally, eltrombopag has been proved effective in the absence of concomitant therapies. The most common Adverse Events were headache (7%) and thrombocytosis (6%). Conclusion: Our study highlighted the crucial role of eltrombopag as second line treatment in children with chronic ITP.


During the French Revolution, thousands of French refugees migrated through the Channel borderlands. At least four thousand settled there. The Channel Island of Jersey served as the loci of migration where economic life operated under "refugeedom," a polity both apart from and particular to state authority. Refugeedom—in its alterity—suggests a matrix of economic conditions, legal codes, and social relations that can explain the lives of people in the French Revolution's emigration. This study of economic migration offers a way to reframe the French emigration as opportunism and resilience. Refugeedom serves as the analytic framework to understand economic migration, not only as a political crisis of displaced people in the midst of revolution—those seeking refuge from war, persecution, famine, and other hardships—but also as part of a strategy of survival, one that includes the economic migration of labor.