In the Reeves Bluffs area, southern Victoria Land, Antarctica, metasediments and metabasalts belonging to the Skelton Group are the oldest rock types. Lithologies include pelite/psammite pairs, calc-silicate skarns and amphibolite bands. The mineralogy of these lithologies is consistent with amphibolite facies metamorphism, which occurred during the early stages of the late Neoproterozoicearly Paleozoic Ross Orogeny. Detrital zircon U-Pb ages from a psammite sample reveal a significant Grenville-aged (c. 1.1-1.3 Ga) sedimentary source component. Potential Grenville-aged sources for the Skelton Group sediments in the area include the East Antarctic Craton and Laurentia (which was possibly in close proximity to East Antarctica during the Neoproterozoic). Based on geochemistry and petrography, three distinct granitoid types intruded the Skelton Group in the Reeves Bluffs area during the Ross Orogeny: The Reeves Bluffs calc-alkaline suite, which has Itype calc-alkaline affinities, is the most voluminous of the granitoid types. This suite has been subdivided into at least four plutons of which the Reeves Bluffs granite is the largest, occurring throughout the area. The Northface and Rhino granites and the Camp Ridge granodiorite are smaller plutons that are less than 1.5 km across. A U-Pb age of 540 ± 3.8 Ma was obtained from the Camp Ridge granodiorite, which is similar to a previously obtained age of 548 Ma from the calc-alkaline Cape Murray granodiorite from the nearby Fontaine Bluff. These are the oldest granitoid ages from the Carlyon-Darwin area, suggesting magmatism associated with the Ross Orogeny was initiated along this segment of the East Antarctic Craton margin at 548-540 Ma. Field relations show that calcalkaline magmatism continued in the Carlyon-Darwin area until at least 536 Ma. The A-type West Carlyon leucogranite occurs as small intrusions and dikes throughout the northern half of the Reeves Bluffs area and is the second oldest granite type in the Reeves Bluffs area based on a previous U-Pb age of 536 Ma from the nearby 'A-type' Foggy Dog Granite suite in the Brown Hills. These granites are characterized by high Si02, alkalis, Ga/Al, HFSE and low CaO, Ba and Sr relative to other granitoid types. A-type granitoids typically occur in extensional-anorogenic tectonic settings and have been inferred to form by high-temperature melting of depleted crust from which a previous melt has been extracted. In the Reeves Bluffs area, earlier calc-alkaline magmatism would have depleted the local crust. The gabbroic Fontaine Pluton in the Carlyon Glacier area, which is broadly synchronous with A-type magmatism in the area, is perhaps representative of a high temperature magmatic episode capable of melting depleted crust. The Reeves Bluff adakite represents the youngest and second most voluminous granitoid type in the Reeves Bluff area. Based on mapping and previous work, a large adakite pluton or series of plutons are interpreted to exist to the east of Reeves Bluffs. Relative to other granitoid types these rocks contain high Sr/Y ratio and low Y and HREE, which can be attributed to a melt derived from below the garnet-in transition (>40 km depth), in the absence of residual or fractionating plagioclase. The partial melting of basaltic underplate at a depth exceeding 40 km, which may have developed during voluminous calc-alkaline magmatism in the area, is the inferred model for adakitic magmatism in the area. Based on two previous U-Pb ages on adakites in the Carlyon-Darwin area, the Reeves Bluffs adakite is probably aged between 515 and 491 Ma. The broadly synchronous relationship between convergent-related calc-alkaline and extensionalrelated A-type magmatism in the Carlyon-Darwin area also occurs c. 60 km to the northeast in the Mulock Glacier area. The Mulock-Darwin area may therefore represent a transitional zone between the extensional Koettlitz Glacier Alkaline Province (c. 70 km to the north of Reeves Bluffs, which is dominated by alkaline magmatism) and a more convergent margin to the south.


Extracted from text ... November 2006 13
PROPERTY
Value in repossesed
property
If you compare prices carefully, and don't mind a few
repairs, buying a bank-repossessed property could provide
great value. But there are pitfalls...
By GAYLYN WINGATE-PEARSE
MOST people look for bargains
when buying property. One of the
cheapest avenues is the repossessed
market but be warned.
Savings
The biggest advantage is that you
don't have to pay transfer duties
since the bank, as the seller, has to
pay VAT on the sale of the property.
By not paying transfer duties,
you can save thousands of rands -
but you still have ..


A microfluidic device has been investigated as a tool for the estimation of the total phenolic content/antioxidant level in honey using an acidic potassium permanganate chemiluminescence (KMnO4-CL) detection system. Selected phenolic antioxidants, including quercetin, catechin, gallic acid, caffeic acid and ferulic acid, produced analytically useful chemiluminescence signals, with detection limits ranging between 2.4 nmol L−1 for gallic acid and 34.0 nmol L−1 for o-coumaric acid. The parameters that affect the chemiluminescence intensities of each antioxidant were carefully optimized, including chip geometry, volume and area of the detection chip, pH, and concentrations of reagents used and flow rates. The effect of formaldehyde and other enhancers on CL signal intensity was extensively investigated. The method was applied to honey samples. Nine different honey samples exhibited total phenolic/antioxidant levels of 41.2 to 765.4 mg kg−1 with respect to gallic acid. The Folin–Ciocalteu (FC) assay results were well correlated with the chemiluminescence results. The method was found to be selective, rapid and sensitive when used to estimate the total phenolic/antioxidant level, producing good agreement with reported results for honey samples.


This paper presents a study on what effect stakeholder power has on value creation in construction projects. Fourteen main sources of power in organizations, described by Morgan, form the analytic framework. The ambition is to identify 1) how the distribution of power between the main stakeholders is, 2) which sources of power are most common in a construction project organization, 3) which effect the sources of power have on value creation in projects. The data is collected through semi-structured interviews. Experienced representatives from four main stakeholders in early phase of construction projects (owner, architect, design manager and project manager) were interviewed. The collected data through the interviews was coded, analyzed and linked to the literature study. The results reveals that 10 of 14 sources of power are identified as common sources of power in construction project organizations. Out of the ten, control of knowledge & information and formal authority are rated as the most influential sources of power. Apparently, all main stakeholders can possess these two sources. Rhetorical skills – which is not among the fourteen main sources described by Morgan – turn out to be an underrated and complex source of power. The LCI triangle model suggests that all project delivery systems have three basic domains whining which they operate i) organization, ii) the project ́s "Operating system" and iii) the commercial terms binding the participants. These are equally important and should be aligned for the system to be coherent. Power is one of the main elements in organizational affairs that effect transparency and decision processes. There is a knowledge gap in how the power can affect the processes in project organization and which effects it can have on the projects ́ overall value creation.


OBJECTIVES: A third paediatric report has been generated from the European Registry for Patients with Mechanical Circulatory Support (EUROMACS). The purpose of EUROMACS, which is operated by the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, is to gather data related to durable mechanical circulatory support for scientific purposes and to publish reports with respect to the course of mechanical circulatory support therapy. Since the first report issued, efforts to increase compliance and participation have been extended. Additionally, the data provided the opportunity to analyse patients of younger age and lower weight. METHODS: Participating hospitals contributed pre-, peri- and long-term postoperative data on mechanical circulatory support implants to the registry. Data for all implants in paediatric patients (<19 years of age) performed from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2020 were analysed. This report includes updates of patient characteristics, implant frequency, outcome (including mortality rates, transplants and recovery rates) as well as adverse events including neurological dysfunction, device malfunction, major infection and bleeding. RESULTS: Twenty-five hospitals contributed 537 registered implants in 480 patients. The most frequent aetiology of heart failure was any form of cardiomyopathy (59%), followed by congenital heart disease and myocarditis (15% and 14%, respectively). Competing outcomes analysis revealed that a total of 86% survived to transplant or recovery or are ongoing; at the 2-year follow-up examination, 21.9% died while on support. At 12 months, 45.1% received transplants, 7.5% were weaned from their device and 20.8% died. The 3-month adverse events rate was 1.59 per patient-year for device malfunction including pump exchange, 0.7 for major bleeding, 0.78 for major infection and 0.71 for neurological events. CONCLUSIONS: The overall survival rate was 79.2% at 12 months following ventricular assist device implant. The comparison of survival rates of the early and later eras shows no significant difference. A focus on specific subgroups showed that survival was less in patients of younger age (<1 year of age; P = 0.01) and lower weight (<20 kg; P = 0.015). Transplant rates at 6 months continue to be low (33.2%).


A fundamental fact in finance and economics is that moneyhas a time value, meaning that if we want to value an amount ofmoney we get at some future date we should discount the amountfrom the future date back to today. When facing a stream ofcash flows occurring at di®erent times we discount each ofthe cash flows using suitable discount rates and then sum thecontributions. This sum of discounted cash flows defines thevalue today of this stream. Most future cash flows that appearin models in finance and economics are assumed to be stochastic(nondefaultable bonds being a counter example). To be able tovalue these stochastic cash flows we also have to takeexpectations. In some cases even the discount rate should bemodelled as a stochastic object. The purpose of the two papersin this licentiate thesis ('On the Valuation of Cash Flows–Discrete Time Models'and'On the Valuation ofCash Flows–Continuous Time Models') is to establishgeneral properties of the value process. As time passes twothings happen. Firstly, the cash flows that are realised are nomore parts of the value and secondly, the information we canuse to determine the expected cash flows and discount ratesincreases.The two papers consider discrete time models and continuoustime models respectively.Of course any continuous time modelis necessarily an idealisation. Thus one could argue from amodelling point of view that we should use discrete timemodels. The main reason for using continuous time models isthat we have the powerful machinery of stochastic calculus athand. Discrete time models are mostly used in practice whenvaluing a firm or a project, while the continuous time settingis more frequently used in thoretical approaches to valuation.Most of the results are parallelled in the two papers. Adi®erence is that we discuss some convergence results forthe value in discrete time which do not occur in the continuoustime paper. The reason for not including this in the continuoustime paper is because we find it a more important question indiscrete time. On the other hand the Brownian models incontinuous time, where the Martingale Representation Theorem isan important tool, make the analysis much more transparent.In both papers we first define the underlying objects: thediscount process and the cash flow process. We then define,using these two processes, the value process (i.e. the expecteddiscounted value of the cash flow stream). We show that thediscounted value tends to zero almost surely, and that thereare three equivalent ways of writing the value process, each ofwhich has its own merits. We also extend this result to thecase when the cash flow process and the value process areevaluated at a stopping time. The first paper, on discrete timemodels, then continues by showing examples from finance,economics, and insurance where the discounted value processplays an important role. Finally we present two propositionswith necessary conditions for the value process to convergealmost surely. The second paper, on continuous time models,discusses some properties of the local dynamics of the valueprocess and then continues with Brownian models. We show thatthe value process can equivalently be expressed as a solutionto a forward-backward stochastic di®erential equation.Finally we show that under some additional assumptions there isa one-to-one correspondance between the cash flow process andthe value process. We also investigate the inverse problem offinding a cash flow process generating a given value processand discuss applications to real options.


With thirty-five percent of a new attorney's time and over thirty percent of all attorneys' time being spent conducting legal research, law schools cannot produce practice-ready graduates without significant legal research instruction. Although attorneys hiring new associates routinely report that new hires' research skills are insufficient, most firms are unable or unwilling to take on the cost of preparing their new associates to perform the skills they are expected to perform as members of the legal profession. Furthermore, legal research is closely tied to each of the four competencies laid out by the ABA in Standard 301, which requires law schools to ensure that their graduates are ready to be effective, responsible members of the legal profession. Since overcrowded first year skills courses are usually the only mandatory law school course with any time spent on legal research instruction, most law schools cannot honestly state that they meet these requirements without a shift in the availability of legal research courses throughout all three years of law school. With most legal research courses already having significant experiential components, designating legal research courses as experiential would allow schools to both increase offerings in legal research and to meet the ABA's newly-expanded six credit experiential course requirement for every student. When structured appropriately, stand-alone legal research courses clearly meet the requirements laid out in the simulation category of experiential courses.


Significance The 2.1 billion-year-old sedimentary strata contain exquisitely preserved fossils that provide an ecologic snapshot of the biota inhabiting an oxygenated shallow-marine environment. Most striking are the pyritized string-shaped structures, which suggest that the producer have been a multicellular or syncytial organism able to migrate laterally and vertically to reach for food resources. A modern analogue is the aggregation of amoeboid cells into a migratory slug phase in modern cellular slime molds during time of food starvation. While it remains uncertain whether the amoeboidlike organisms represent a failed experiment or a prelude to subsequent evolutionary innovations, they add to the growing record of comparatively complex life forms that existed more than a billion years before animals emerged in the late Neoproterozoic. Evidence for macroscopic life in the Paleoproterozoic Era comes from 1.8 billion-year-old (Ga) compression fossils [Han TM, Runnegar B (1992) Science 257:232–235; Knoll et al. (2006) Philos Trans R Soc Lond B 361:1023–1038], Stirling biota [Bengtson S et al. (2007) Paleobiology 33:351–381], and large colonial organisms exhibiting signs of coordinated growth from the 2.1-Ga Francevillian series, Gabon. Here we report on pyritized string-shaped structures from the Francevillian Basin. Combined microscopic, microtomographic, geochemical, and sedimentologic analyses provide evidence for biogenicity, and syngenicity and suggest that the structures underwent fossilization during early diagenesis close to the sediment–water interface. The string-shaped structures are up to 6 mm across and extend up to 170 mm through the strata. Morphological and 3D tomographic reconstructions suggest that the producer may have been a multicellular or syncytial organism able to migrate laterally and vertically to reach food resources. A possible modern analog is the aggregation of amoeboid cells into a migratory slug phase in cellular slime molds at times of starvation. This unique ecologic window established in an oxygenated, shallow-marine environment represents an exceptional record of the biosphere following the crucial changes that occurred in the atmosphere and ocean in the aftermath of the great oxidation event (GOE).


Law has been a close partner to sociology from its very beginning, and the partnership often has proven to be extremely prolific for sociology. Grand theories as well as vital conceptual tools can be counted among its offspring. Both disciplines share the common ground of socio-legal studies, which has developed into a nearly independent interdisciplinary enterprise where legal scholars and sociologists happily meander between the normative and the analytical. From the vast array of topics in the field of socio-legal studies I select the sociology of criminal justice and punishment in order to demonstrate the characteristics of this relationship. The partnership between sociology and law emerged as part of the modernization project in the 19th and 20th centuries, and the sociology of punishment was part of this endeavour. Rooted in a strong tradition of old (Durkheim) and new (Elias, Foucault) classics, recent developments in this field are leaving the idea of an `unproblematically modern punishment' (Whitman, 2005a) behind, and new fields of inquiry for comparative lawyers and sociologists are opening up.


"System sensing" [1], or a feedback loop, has been integrated into the implementation of a new mechatronics engineering curriculum at the University of Canterbury through a sustained, three-year collaboration between engineering lecturers and academic developers. Data were collected each year from the first cohort of students and lecturers through focus groups, course evaluations, specifically designed surveys, and observations. The data were analysed by the academic developers and results and recommendations were fed back to the engineering lecturers so that they could adjust the curriculum, the teaching, and the assessments to better meet the goals they had in mind when designing the new curriculum such as: students engaged in significant design projects at every year and a strong connection with industry [2]. Positive outcomes from this approach included statements by mechatronics graduates that they had obtained core skill sets in both mechanical and electrical instead of an initial lack of identity as "neither mechanical nor electrical."


The World Bank funded Nigerian Geochemical Mapping Technical Assistance Project was started in 2008 within the Nigerian Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, and is now nearing completion. Staff from the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA), the Nigerian academic community, British Geological Survey, and Geological Survey of Finland, have worked alongside one another in a comprehensive program of practical training and knowledge exchange. This program has enabled researchers from a range of backgrounds and experience in Africa and Europe to exchange knowledge and develop important geoscience skills. As part of this program key skills in many areas including; GIS, statistics, QC, data management, laboratory analysis, sampling methodologies, has developed the knowledge and skills base within the Nigerian geosciences community, and has maintained momentum for Nigeria's national geochemical mapping program.
An important objective of the Project is knowledge exchange during training of Nigerian geoscientists in conducting regional geochemical surveys as part of a long term mapping program across Nigeria. Practical training in methodologies for geochemical mapping formed the basis of a major field campaign in 2009, during which over 100 personnel were trained in geochemical mapping techniques. A similar number of personnel were involved in specialist training through a series of workshops and training courses in Nigeria and the UK. Two field areas were selected for the geochemical mapping training — one in central Nigeria (the 'Minna Cell') and one in south-western Nigeria (the 'South-western Cell') — covering a combined area of 52 000 km2. Key challenges involved the procurement of field equipment and consumables, and modernisation of sample preparation laboratories and archiving facilities at the National Geosciences Research Laboratory, Kaduna. New sample preparation and analytical equipment has been purchased and the laboratory staff have received training in the use of the new equipment. In the long-term it is envisaged that the analytical facilities will be developed further, and that all samples will be prepared, analysed and archived in Nigeria.
A national geochemical mapping programme involving multi-element analysis of stream sediment samples is used as a primary dataset in the exploration for new economic mineral deposits. Establishing a geochemical baseline is necessary in order to monitor the effects of anthropogenic activities e.g. contamination caused by industrial waste and mining activities, for environmental investigations and medical geology studies both in rural and in urban areas, as well as studies within the agricultural and forestry sectors.


Previous studies have shown that carbon particles in flames, being all charged, can be manipulated by electric fields so as to control their residence time and hence size, as well as their rate of formation and all the parameters of deposition on the electrodes―mass, position and form of aggregate. To gain further insight into the fundamental processes, particularly those occurring during the very early (nucleation) stages, measurements of particle mobility and detailed size analyses are now added to those of current and mass deposition, when a variable potential is applied across seeded and unseeded flat, counter-flow diffusion flames. It is found that particles which account for the mass deposited have mobilities ranging from 10–3 to 3 x 10–2 cm2 s–1 V–1, depending on the applied potential. This allows their trajectories in a field to be calculated and also shows, when taken together with size measurements from electron micrographs, that each carries unit charge over practically the entire experimental range, the majority of the current being carried by smaller charge carriers. Among the conclusions are that both growth of carbon on flame ions and initially neutral growth followed by attachment-charging do occur. The rate of mass deposition is determined entirely by particles following the latter course because, in the presence of a field, the former have a very much shorter residence time available for growth in the pyrolysis zone― at high field strengths these times are indeed too short for growth to a measurable size. The theory of the growth of the larger, initially uncharged particles, is developed in an appendix. It is shown that they acquire charge predominantly by diffusion of ions, although thermionic emission can become important under certain conditions. All the trends recorded in this and in earlier work, including the variation of particle size, mass and number rate of collection are accounted for.


Amorphous systems have attracted considerable attention due to their favorable properties; however, their stability issues still pose a major challenge. The purpose of the present work was to investigate the role of molecular mobility and moisture in the physical stability of a selected pharmaceutical amorphous system. Irbesartan (IBS), a relatively stable glass, was chosen as the model drug, as it exhibits a good physical stability (resistance to crystallization) at temperatures below the glass transition (Tg-50 K). The amorphous system was annealed at temperatures 298 K (25 °C) and 313 K (40 °C) at 0 and 75 % RH to study the effect of temperature and moisture on its relaxation behavior. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to characterize both the crystalline and the freshly prepared glass, and to monitor the extent of relaxation at temperatures below glass transition (Tg) as well as heat capacity changes as a function of temperature. Molecular relaxation time constant (τ) decreased drastically from 302 years to 68 hours with the increase in annealing temperature as determined by Kohlrausch-William-Watts (KWW) equation. IBS was found to be 'relatively' stable in the amorphous state and presented a challenge for temporal measurements. Hence, at low annealing temperatures, (Tg-50 K or below) initial relaxation time (τ 0 ) was estimated using the calori- metric based approach. Amorphous IBS was non-hygroscopic and retained its glassy nature under the accelerated stability conditions. The extent of relaxation in the amorphous drug in the presence of moisture was also estimated.


Although there are more than 1 million robots occupying the world today in the automotive and materials handling industries, a large majority of these robots are fixed robots which are equipped with hand-engineered, pre-programmed routines to function within a static, predictable environment. Only a small fraction (0.15%) of this total comprises of autonomous mobile robots that have artificial intelligence and which can be adaptive to changing, dynamic environments. This is mainly due to the difficult task of synthesizing effective yet robust controllers for autonomous
mobile robots. As such, evolutionary robotics (ER) has been introduced as a new methodology to overcome these limitations by applying artificial evolutionary optimization algorithms for the automatic generation of robotic controllers. Over the last decade, a number of successful studies have been reported in the application of ER. However until very recently, only single-objective evolutionary algorithms have been utilized in ER. In the few investigations that have utilized evolutionary multi-objective algorithms (EMO), the studies have only been conducted on highly abstract, legged robots. Hence, the motivation for this thesis is three-fold; firstly to
investigate whether EMO can be successfully applied to ER on simulated but actual, real-world physical wheeled robots, secondly whether EMO can be applied to ER for generating radio-frequency (RF) localization behaviors, and lastly whether EMO can be applied to ER for generating useful behaviors in multiple robots working as a collectively-intelligent group. The experiments are implemented to focus on five main research objectives: (1) to obtain a fitness function for generating the wheeled robot's RF-localization behavior in an inherently noisy environment; (2) to
evaluate the EMO's performance in evolving the required robot's controllers to solve the task environment; (3) to test the evolved controllers' robustness; (4) to verify
the EMO's ability to generate useful controllers in a collective task; and (5) to analyze the evolved controllers' internal processing structure in terms of Hinton graphs. The results showed that: (1) a fitness function was successfully generated for the wheeled robot's RF-localization behavior; (2) the EMO performed reliably in synthesizing the required controllers for solving the task environment; (3) the
evolved robot controllers were robust to the different, previously unseen testing environments that were different from the evolution environment; (4) the EMO was able to evolve controllers for solving a collective box-pushing task for multiple robots; and (5) based on the Hinton graph analysis, there were noticeably strong excitatory as well as inhibitory synapses present in the most optimal evolved
controllers that produced the desired robot behaviors. Therefore in conclusion, this thesis has shown that EMO is a useful and promising technique to employ in ER for automatically generating robust RF-localization behaviors in simulated autonomous wheeled robots as well as for collective behaviors in multiple robot environments.


A scale-dependent dynamic subgrid-scale model for large-eddy simulation of turbulent flows is proposed. Unlike the traditional dynamic model, it does not rely on the assumption that the model coefficient is scale invariant. The model is based on a second test-filtering operation which allows us to determine from the simulation how the coefficient varies with scale. The scale-dependent model is tested in simulations of a neutral atmospheric boundary layer. In this application, near the ground the grid scale is by necessity comparable to the local integral scale (of the order of the distance to the wall). With the grid scale and/or the test-filter scale being outside the inertial range, scale invariance is broken. The results are compared with those from (a) the traditional Smagorinsky model that requires specification of the coefficient and of a wall damping function, and (b) the standard dynamic model that assumes scale invariance of the coefficient. In the near-surface region the traditional Smagorinsky and standard dynamic models are too dissipative and not dissipative enough, respectively. Simulations with the scale-dependent dynamic model yield the expected trends of the coefficient as a function of scale and give improved predictions of velocity spectra at different heights from the ground. Consistent with the improved dissipation characteristics, the scale-dependent model also yields improved mean velocity profiles.


Abstract Wadsleyite [b-(Mg,Fe)2SiO4] is known to accept variable amounts of H and may be an important reservoir of H in the transition zone of the mantle. The crystal structure of Fo94.6 hydrous wadsleyite (Mg1.730Fe0.098 Al0.008Si0.991H0.355O4) synthesized at 1400 °C and 17 GPa was refined in space group I2/m from 1784 measured intensities of which 830 were unique, and, of these, 650 were of intensity greater than 4s. Unit cell parameters are a 5 5.6715(7), b 5 11.582(2), c 5 8.258(1) Å , and β = 90.397(9)°. The final R(F) for all reflections was 0.026 (Rw = 0.024); goodness of fit was 1.68. An H position was located on the nonsilicate O atom (O1). Partial occupancy of a normally vacant tetrahedral site adjacent to M3 was observed. This is postulated to be the result of Si moving from M3 to the adjacent tetrahedral void on decompression. Deviation from orthorhombic symmetry appears to result from ordering of H, (Mg, Fe), and possibly Si, within the two nonequivalent M3 sites.


Abstract. Climate change is a major driver of vegetation activity, and thus their complex relationships become a frontier and difficulty in global change research. In this paper, the spatial distribution and dynamic variation of climate change impacts on vegetation activity from 1980s to 2050 in China were investigated by the Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) model, based on the combined datasets of satellite vegetation index, climate observation and projection, and future vegetation productivity simulation. Our results noted that the significant positive precipitation–vegetation relationship was and will be almost distributed in the north of China, except the northeast and northwest China with significant but varying influence of temperature rising, while the regions with temperature dominated vegetation activity mainly located in the southern part of China. There will be different climatic dominators for vegetation activity in some regions such as northwest China, and even opposite correlation in the northeast China, and further the responding patterns of vegetation activity to precipitation variation will be moving southward in the future three decades. It is indicated that although high warming rate will restrain the vegetation activity, precipitation variability can mediate the hydrothermal conditions for vegetation activity, for example the enhanced vegetation activity in the Tibetan Plateau and the weakened vegetation activity in the East and Middle China in the future. Furthermore, coupling the responding patterns and the dynamic variation, it can be found that during the period from 2021 to 2050, vegetation in most of north China may adapt to an arid environment, while in many southern parts it will be repressed due to water shortage. However, the continuous and dynamic responding process of vegetation activity to climate change will be determined by the spatial heterogeneity in climate change and vegetation cover.


Online courses have created a different testing environment. A test in an online setting can be easily presented in multiple modes (i.e., all at once, one at a time). However, there are no established guidelines to date on how the test presentation modes should be used in an online test. Using a sample of sixty-five undergraduate students, this study examined if test presentation modes (i.e., all at once, one at a time), student self-perceived learning styles (i.e., surface style, deep style), and types of test problems (i.e., factual/conceptual questions, applied questions) have an effect on student achievement in four unit tests. Findings from one-way MANOVA and repeated measures ANOVAs revealed that test presentation modes alone did not influence student test performance. However, when the variables of student self-perceived learning styles and types of test problems were added, students with a surface style scored significantly higher on the factual/conceptual problems in the one-at-a-time test presentation mode than in the all-atonce test presentation mode. No significant differences were found for students with a deep style in test performance based upon test presentation modes and types of questions. This study suggests test presentation modes can be set according to students' learning styles. Students with a surface style may benefit from the one-at-a-time test presentation mode over time. Furthermore, it is recommended that technical issues and test security should be considered in determining an optimal test presentation mode.


In this paper we present a new study on the High Tiber Valley earthquake occurred on April 26, 1917. Using the digitized data from mechanical seismograph records, we computed the source parameters like focal mechanism and moment magnitude from moment tensor (MT). The study of historical earthquakes from an instrumental perspective is crucial because of the complexity of problems associated with the study of seismograms of moderate to large earthquakes occurred from the late 19th century until the early 1960s. Since historical earthquake records show significant uncertainties in phase arrival times and have been recorded by seismograph generally with short natural period, we developed a code to compute the MT based on a forward modeling technique, which uses the amplitude spectra of the full waveform length and the first P-arrival polarities to constrain the P- and T-axes. The best solution is determined by the best fit between the observed and synthetic amplitude spectra and from the coherency between the observed and the theoretical first P-arrival polarities. The 1917 High Tiber Valley earthquake is one of the most important 20th century earthquake occurred in the Italian Peninsula for which the focal mechanism and moment magnitude from seismic records are not available. Additionally, we apply a multidisciplinary approach to characterize the source of this earthquake, combining instrumental, macroseismic, geological and tectonic data and investigations. The computed MT results in a north-south normal fault mechanism (strike: 147°, dip: 29°, slip: −94°), which is consistent with the strike estimated from the macroseismic data (157°). The moment magnitude calculated from the MT and that derived from the macroseismic data are M w =5.5±0.2 and M w =5.9±0.1, respectively.


Mangrove is a woody plant which grows in intertidal zones. Mangrove forests are mainly distributed in subtropical and tropical regions, and are valuable for ecosystems and for society. Even in dry regions such as Qatar, mangrove forests provide ecosystem services despite their small area and low productivity compared with tropical mangroves. Carbon sequestration by mangroves is one of the main ecosystem services mitigating climate change, as mangrove forests are carbon-rich ecosystems. In mangrove forests, there is a natural gradient in soil environments between land and sea. Soil salinity and water availability are the major factors influencing mangrove productivity. The objectives of this study were (1) to investigate the change in biomass of Avicennia marina, the only mangrove species in Qatar, along the distance from coast and the relationship between biomass and soil characteristics, and (2) to estimate carbon storage of biomass in a natural mangrove forest in Qatar. Three plots were established in a natural mangrove forest of A. marina in Al-Thakira, Qatar (25°42»15.9»N 51°32»18.4»E), at a distance of 0 m (D0), 50 m (D50), and 100 m (D100) from the coast. Plot size was 2 × 2 m2, 3 × 3 m2 and 4 × 4 m2 at D0, D50, and D100, respectively. Plant abundance was determined by counting the number of individual seedlings ( ≤ 1.3 m high) and trees (>1.3 m high) per plot. Diameter at breast height (DBH) was measured on trees in each plot, and above-ground biomass (AGB) and below-ground biomass (BGB) of trees were estimated using allometric equations for A. marina. Carbon storage in biomass was calculated by carbon fraction of 45.1%. Soil samples at 0-10 cm depth were collected at three random points per plot. Soil samples were air-dried and sieved through a 2 mm mesh screen, and then pH, salinity, water content and nitrogen (N) concentration of each soil sample were measured. Differences in biomass of trees, pH, salinity, water content and N concentration of soil at each distance were analyzed using t-test (SAS 9.4 software). Seedling abundance (no. m-2) was 2.4 ± 0.1 at D0, 7.9 ± 0.8 at D50, and 1.9 ± 0.2 at D100, while tree abundance was 0.9 ± 0.1 at D50 and 1.2 ± 0.1 at D100. There were no trees at D0, so comparisons with this site were excluded. AGB was significantly higher at D100 (41.4 ± 1.9 Mg ha-1) than at D50 (7.3 ± 0.9 Mg ha-1). BGB was higher at D100 (44.9 ± 0.6 Mg ha-1) than at D50 (19.4 ± 2.3 Mg ha-1), but there was no significant difference between two distances. Salinity, water content, and N concentration of soil were 125.1%, 196.3%, and 114.5% higher, respectively, at D100 than at D50 (all differences were significant). Soil pH was significantly 3.1% lower at D100 than at D50. It was reported that growth and biomass of mangroves increased slightly and then decreased continuously along the salinity gradient. However, salinity at the study site was low compared with that in other mangrove forests and might be within the range that biomass increases with salinity. A. marina required a large amount of water and nutrients in high salinity condition (Naidoo, 2009). High water content and N concentration of soil at D100 could meet the requirement for water and nutrient in high salinity condition, and thereby result in the biomass increment. In this study, carbon storage (Mg C ha-1) was 7.3 ± 1.1 for AGB, 9.7 ± 1.1 for BGB, and 18.1 ± 2.4 for total biomass of A. marina. These values are lower than those reported for A. marina in temperate regions (AGB: 57.7 Mg C ha-1, BGB 69.8 Mg C ha-1), subtropical regions (AGB: 49.6-73.1 Mg ha-1, BGB: 49.2-56.8 Mg ha-1), and even dry regions (20.7-66.6 Mg C ha-1). To conclude, biomass of A. marina increased as the distance from the coast and was affected along the gradient of soil characteristics. A better understanding of mangrove biomass distribution between land and sea will contribute to estimate biomass and carbon storage in intertidal zones. * This study was supported by Korea Ministry of Environment (2014001810002).


The words "after 9/11, the world changed" have been reiterated, with different meanings and in different contexts, by diverse groups of people. Recognizing the fact that the people for whom the world seems to have changed the most have probably not had either the access or the time to engage in this dialogue about change, some scholars, postcolonial and otherwise, have been calling for a renewed commitment from academics to enter into work that goes beyond the "Ivory Tower" and to take on the role of public intellectuals (Barsky & Ali, 2006; Chomsky, 1967) in this changed world. In the area of postcolonial studies, there has been a renewed focus on the technologies through which imperial projects are carried out whether "abroad" or "at home," although the two are not necessarily so neatly divisible. The particular form of unquestioned technology that is explored in detail in this paper is standardized testing. One of the reasons why it invokes such interest is that it is upheld by both the right and the left as an "objective" assessment of how both schools and children are performing (Kohn, 2000). However, there is a growing body of research and resistance that views testing as the ultimate imposition of not only rampant scientifism, if there is such a word, but also of corporate capitalism upon children and schools. The impetus for testing reflects corporate strategies that have been used all over the world by big business (Park & Schwarz, 2005): create a need and then try to fulfill it. Within educational contexts, Kohn (1999) has shown how many recent reports on American public education have been authored not by educational professionals but by representatives of big business such as the Business Coalition for Education Reform, the Business Roundtable, the National Alliance of Business and the Committee for Education Reform. As Miyoshi (1993) has commented, whereas the "old" colonialism used nations, ethnicities and races as its building blocks, the "new colonialism" operates more through transnational corporations. This new colonialism, Miyoshi cautions, is harder to isolate and counter, as it operates through multiple locations and through global networks. Scholars such as Martin (2004) have commented that, in its never ending search for new ground, modern capitalist colonialism has increasingly concentrated on the sphere of domestic life as an avenue for profit making: citizens are being redefined as consumers, and the home is being transformed from a sanctuary into a "command post for market manipulation" (p. 352). Similarly schools too are now increasingly being targeted for such attention, most strikingly through the nation wide imposition of standardized testing (Cannella & Viruru, 2004). Much of the critique of standardized testing has centered on such effects as the limited and narrow curricula it has created in schools and on how it has been tied to high stakes: where jobs, salaries and in some cases the very existence of schools are tied to high test scores. The effects that these policies are having on schools has also been documented: widespread teaching to the test, the elimination of recess and playtime for young children and so forth (Ohanian, 2002; Kohn, 2000). This paper attempts to strengthen these paths of resistance by exploring another part of testing that has not received much attention until now: what kind of material is actually on these tests? With so much focus on the tests being directed towards the skills that are covered by it, and making sure that the children know those skills, little attention has been directed toward the medium through which those skills are assessed. As the analyses to follow will show, the selection of content seems to reflect some very determined agendas. In this paper I first look briefly at how standardized testing has been created as an imperialist project. Second, the main body of the paper is dedicated to an in-depth look at the technologies of power that are evident in the content of the reading portion of various state standardized tests and how they contain rampantly colonialist images of people of color. …


We consider the problem of classification using similarity/distance functions over data. Specifically, we propose a framework for defining the goodness of a (dis)similarity function with respect to a given learning task and propose algorithms that have guaranteed generalization properties when working with such good functions. Our framework unifies and generalizes the frameworks proposed by [1] and [2]. An attractive feature of our framework is its adaptability to data - we do not promote a fixed notion of goodness but rather let data dictate it. We show, by giving theoretical guarantees that the goodness criterion best suited to a problem can itself be learned which makes our approach applicable to a variety of domains and problems. We propose a landmarking-based approach to obtaining a classifier from such learned goodness criteria. We then provide a novel diversity based heuristic to perform task-driven selection of landmark points instead of random selection. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our goodness criteria learning method as well as the landmark selection heuristic on a variety of similarity-based learning datasets and benchmark UCI datasets on which our method consistently outperforms existing approaches by a significant margin.


OBJECTIVE
To develop evidence based consensus statements on which to build clinical practice guidelines for primary care physicians toward the recognition, assessment and management of dementing disorders and to disseminate and evaluate the impact of these statements and guidelines built on these statements.

OPTIONS
Structured approach to assessment, including recommended laboratory tests, choices for neuroimaging and referral, management of complications (especially behavioural problems and depression) and use of cognitive enhancing agents. POTENTIAL OUTCOMES: Consistent and improved clinical care of persons with dementia; cost containment by more selective use of laboratory investigations; neuroimaging and referrals; and appropriate use of cognitive enhancing agents.

EVIDENCE
Authors of each background paper were entrusted to perform a literature search, discover additional relevant material, including references cited in retrieved articles, consult with other experts in the field and then synthesize information. Standard rules of evidence were applied. Based on this evidence, consensus statements were developed by a group of experts, guided by a steering committee of 8 individuals, from the areas of Neurology, Geriatric Medicine, Psychiatry, Family Medicine, Preventive Health Care and Health Care Systems.

VALUES
Recommendations have been developed with particular attention to the context of primary care, and are intended to support family physicians in their ongoing assessment and care of patients with dementia. BENEFITS HARM AND COSTS: Potential for improved clinical care of people with dementia. A dissemination and evaluation strategy will attempt to measure the impact of the recommendations.

RECOMMENDATIONS
Forty-eight recommendations are offered that address the following aspects of dementia care: early recognition; importance of careful history and examination in making a positive diagnosis; essential laboratory tests; rules for neuroimaging and referral; disclosure of diagnosis; importance of monitoring and providing support to caregivers; cultural aspects; detection and treatment of depression; observation and management of behavioural disturbances; detection and reporting of unsafe motor vehicle driving; genetic factors and opportunities for preventing dementia; pharmacological treatment with particular emphasis on cognitive enhancing agents.

VALIDATION
Four other sets of consensus statement or guidelines have been published recently. These recommendations are generally congruent with our own consensus statements. The consensus statements have been endorsed by relevant bodies in Canada.


PURPOSE
To determine the normative values for macular thickness and volume by Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT 3) in healthy Indian subjects.

METHODS
The macula of 170 consecutive, randomly selected normal subjects was imaged on OCT 3 in this cross-sectional study. OCT parameters of macular thickness were analysed with baseline variables including age, gender, axial length and refractive error.

RESULTS
The average foveal thickness in the population under study was 149.16 +/- 21.15 micro. Macular thickness and volume parameters of OCT correlated significantly (Pearson's Correlation coefficient) with age (r=0.23, P<0.01), but not with gender, axial length and refraction.

CONCLUSIONS
The macular thickness and volume parameters have a significant correlation with age. This normative database of macular thickness by OCT in Indian eyes may be a useful guideline for management and further research in diseases of the macula and glaucoma.


This exploratory study evaluated the possibility of drying 50-mm-thick western red cedar with superheated steam. Since there are no industrial facilities in Canada drying western red cedar with superheated steam, the study was designed to explore the potential of this technology in terms of lumber quality, moisture content distribution, and drying time. The experiments showed that the 50-mm-thick product can be dried in less than three days without jeopardizing lumber quality (in comparison with the two weeks that is currently required in conventional kilns), and the percentage of pieces that remained wet after drying was within the 10% to 15% range that is typically tolerated in industry.


Although social groups are characterized by cooperation, they are also often the scene of conflict. In non-clonal systems, the reproductive interests of group members will differ and individuals may benefit by exploiting the cooperative efforts of other group members. However, such selfish behaviour is thought to be rare in one of the classic examples of cooperation—social insect colonies—because the colony-level costs of individual selfishness select against cues that would allow workers to recognize their closest relatives. In accord with this, previous studies of wasps and ants have found little or no kin information in recognition cues. Here, we test the hypothesis that social insects do not have kin-informative recognition cues by investigating the recognition cues and relatedness of workers from four colonies of the ant Acromyrmex octospinosus. Contrary to the theoretical prediction, we show that the cuticular hydrocarbons of ant workers in all four colonies are informative enough to allow full-sisters to be distinguished from half-sisters with a high accuracy. These results contradict the hypothesis of non-heritable recognition cues and suggest that there is more potential for within-colony conflicts in genetically diverse societies than previously thought.


Coincidence profiles of eleven prevalent concomitant elements, on the sulfur emission line at 180.73 nm in the third order, were procured by scanning the sulfur channel of a vacuum argon ICP-AES using the polychromator primary slit. VUV, as well as UV emission lines above 250 nm in the second order were observed, despite the fact that an interference filter with less than 2% transmission above 250 nm was located before the channel photomultiplier. Spectral interferences from Ca (1000 mg/L), Si (1000 mg/L), Cr (200 mg/L), and Ti (200 mg/L) were attributed to VUV emission lines; those from Mn (200 mg/L) to a UV line above 250 nm in the second order; and those from Fe (1000 mg/L) and V (200 mg/L) to VUV as well as UV lines. Background enhancement was exhibited by Al (1000 mg/L), Ni (200 mg/L), and Mg (1000 mg/L). Cu (200 mg/L) did not interfere. A simple procedure for distinguishing VUV from UV lines, by using the argon purge nozzle of the vacuum ICP-AES as an air optical filter, is demonstrated. The procedure is useful for facilities where a scanning monochromator is not available.


The Adaptation Fund under the Kyoto Protocol has made significant progress over the last months, with the Adaptation Fund Board having worked dedicatedly on the complex issues the members have to deal with. In addition to its innovative features which were constituted already in Bali, the focus on most vulnerable communities as well as the very transparent work process are remarkable developments. Nevertheless, the Fund also suffers from its scarce resource base, which e.g. makes it difficult to support programmatic approaches in a larger number of developing countries. It is the time to place the Adaptation Fund – or at least its rules and basic provisions more at the heart of the institutional debate under and outside UNFCCC, since its key features set precedents for the desired institutional criteria also in other funding purposes than adaptation. It even resembles many of the proposals for the financial mechanism as outlined by the US government, the recent joint proposal by the governments of UK, Mexico, Norway and Australia, and also by the G77 and China. But giving the Fund a stronger future role faces political and legal (which are also political) difficulties which are in particular linked to the fact that the US are not a Party to the Kyoto Protocol. These can be overcome if the political will emerges, but may result in certain changes in the key features of the Fund which have to be weighed off against the potential benefits of a much stronger role. A Copenhagen outcome should be based on this foundation and seek to strengthen the role of the Adaptation Fund, both through a strong and public support for the work of the AFB as well as a concrete amount of resources that would flow into the Fund as fast-track finance, but also through agreement on reliable finance mechanisms beyond 2013.


Virus-specific memory CD8+ T cells play a prominent role in protection of a host from recurring and persistent virus infection. It is known that memory CD8+ T cells undergo a series of differentiation stages to become fully matured effector cells. There are several important aspects of the current CD8+T cell memory phenotype model that need to be more thoroughly defined. In specific aim 1, it was hypothesized that CD27+CD28+ undifferentiated CD8+ memory T cells specific for non-persistent virus influenza A (FluA) would have phenotypic markers associated with more differentiated (effector) phenotypes. Results showed that in spite of the phenotypic enrichment of FluA-specific memory CD8+ T cells in the undifferentiated stage, they displayed effector markers indicative of late stage differentiated effector cells. In specific aim 2, it was further hypothesized that the most undifferentiated CD62L+ central memory CD8+T cells would have the effector function including immediate cytoplasmic production of gamma-IFN upon antigenic-stimulation. Results showed that CD62L+ CD8+ T cells are capable of immediate gamma IFN production after antigen-specific stimulation in the presence of the CD62 sheddase inhibitor, GM6001, highlighting the need to re-evaluate the defining markers of virus-specific central memory CD8+ cells and/or their functions. In specific aim 3, this dissertation tests the hypothesis that memory-effector differentiation of HIV-1-specific memory CD8+ T cells is impaired during the course of persistent HIV-1 infection. Detailed comparison of CD27 and CD57 co-expression on HIV-1-specific CD8+ T cells showed that these cells had a significantly lower proportion of the CD27-CD57high effector subset. Moreover, these cells did not display progression from CD27+CD57- (immature memory), through CD27lowCD57low (transitional memory-effector) to CD27-CD57high (effector subset) that was seen in well differentiated EBV-specific CD8+ T cells and was common in CMV-specific CD8+ T cells. These observations suggest that the normal course of HIV-1-specific CD8+ T cell memory-effector differentiation is impaired during the course of persistent HIV-1 infection. Elucidation of memory-effector differentiation of virus-specific CD8+ T cells has significant public health implications. Understanding the impairment of memory-effector differentiation of HIV-1-specific CD8+ T cells, for instance, will greatly facilitate a design of effective vaccine against progressive HIV-1 infection.


From results of Ishihara it is known that the weak (that is, binary) form of Konig's lemma (WKL) implies Brouwer's fan theorem (Fan). Moreover, Berger and Ishihara [MLQ 2005] have shown that a weakened form WKL! of WKL, where as an additional hypothesis it is required that in an effective sense infinite paths are unique, is equivalent to Fan. The proof that WKL! implies Fan is done explicitely. The other direction (Fan implies WKL!) is far less directly proved; the emphasis is rather to provide a fair number of equivalents to Fan, and to do the proofs economically by giving a circle of implications. Here we give a direct construction. Moreover, we go one step further and formalize the equivalence proof (in the Minlog proof assistant). Since the statements of both Fan and WKL! have computational content, we can automatically extract terms from the two proofs. It turns out that these terms express in a rather perspicuous way the informal constructions.


This article considers how women adopted a "scientific" statistical language at the end of the nineteenth century to draw attention to their role in the moral and social economy. It explores in particular the messages contained in La Statistique générale de la femme française, a series of eighteen murals that the moderate feminist Marie Pégard sent for exhibition at the Woman's Building at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893. The article begins by considering the place statistics held in France in the final decades of the century within the context of universal exhibitions. It then examines Pégard's choice of quantified categories of social analysis to convey a sustained argument about the comparative weight of women in a modernizing French economy. The article seeks to understand how contemporaries read and interpreted the graphs, and how this mode of rendering visible the issue of women's work played into the politics of an emerging feminist movement.


Skull Base Penetration Due to Unusual Bilateral External Auditory Canal Injury in a Child Accused of Witchcraft: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Children are increasingly subjected to trauma for various reasons as part of global problems that needs attention. Literature is inundated with a plethora of childhood death resulting from trauma. Self inflicted injury though worrisome, may occur unintentionally in a child's life but when inflicted by adult on a child and in particular the parents following accusation of witch- craft, then the child faces real challenge in terms of safety and future up keep in the hands of the same parent. Varieties of injuries are expected in trauma of this nature posing challenges to the physicians who first evaluated this type of patients, as well as the managing surgeons. The severity and extent of such injuries depend on the direction of penetration and the anatomic site involved, and the risk of vascular, neurological, and ear injuries is particularly high. Children have also been known to suffer injuries from abuse or neglect by parents and other care givers .Such injuries include recurrent fractures, SIS, burns etc. Deliberate or unintentional injuries also may occur.
We present an unusual case of such deliberate harm in a child who sustained bilateral auditory canal injury inflicted by a parent who accused him of witchcraft. Pure Tone Average (PTA) threshold obtained 7 days after hospitalization showed bilateral mild hearing loss (left and right pure tone average of 29 and 35 dB respectively. A repeat PTA performed 30 days later showed a bilateral normal hearing threshold of 23 and 21 dB for both ears. To the best of our knowledge, no such case has been reported from our environment before.


The paper has two major contributions to the theory of repeated games. First, we build a supergame oligopoly model where firms compete in supply functions, we show how collusion sustainability is affected by the presence of a convex cost function, the magnitude of both the slope of demand market, and the number of rivals. Then, we compare the results with those of the traditional Cournot reversion under the same structural characteristics. We find how depending on the number of firms and the slope of the linear demand, collusion sustainability is easier under supply function than under Cournot competition. The conclusions of the models are simulated with data from the Spanish wholesale electricity market to predict lower bounds of the discount factors.


This paper considers issues relating to the segmentation or grouping of credit exposures and the potential impact upon economic capital allocation and attribution. When discussing capital allocation, we refer to the assessment of total capital at the portfolio level, while our discussion of capital attribution focuses on getting capital assigned appropriately at the bucket level. We emphasize that a loss or value function must be specified so as to quantify the gains and losses from choosing a more or less granular asset segmentation scheme. Our chosen loss function considers the trade-off between the decrease in sampling variance obtained by combining data to increase sample size and the bias resulting from characterizing unlike assets with the same default probability. The implications are illustrated with several numerical examples that consider accuracy in the estimation of both portfolio-level and asset-level capital requirements. The suggested technique can be used to quantify whether a loss in accuracy from grouping or segmentation is outweighed by the decrease in variance of estimated capital. That is, the loss from grouping is small when the evaluation criterion is the accuracy of estimation of the required total capital; grouping is of more concern when we are interested in getting capital attributed correctly at the bucket level.


One of the main goals of Smart grid is to achieve Demand Response by increasing the end users' participation in decision-making and increasing the awareness that will help consumers to efficiently manage their energy consumption. However the existing demand response (DR) mechanism reduces power consumption based on predetermined policies of load priority (direct load control and pricing techniques) during the peak times without considering consumer comfort and environmental issues. Demand response has been achieved by forcefully shutdown the consumers' loads during peak hours which violate users' comfort life style. This is due to lacking of intelligent energy management system and smart automation tools at home level.

The main objective of this thesis paper is to develop a model based intelligent decision supporting Energy Management system which will understand the customer consumption behaviours while simultaneously reduce the energy consumptions. To achieve these, a Fuzzy Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) based load controller has been developed to prioritize the consumers' preferences and to take decision on behalf of the consumers in order to best manage the use of their appliances. The Fuzzy Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) methodology has been used because it can solve decision and planning problems involving multiple criteria.

Furthermore a comparative analysis for the power consumption and cost saving performance is carried out to show the benefit of using renewable energy sources along with the proposed fuzzy MCDM based load controller. Simulation results show that the proposed load controller successfully limits the power consumption during the peak hours and concurrently maximizes the savings of energy consumption cost without violating consumer comfort level.


Active binocular vision systems are powerful tools in machine vision. With a virtually unlimited field-of-view they have access to huge amounts of information, yet are able to confine their resources to specific regions of interest. Since they can dynamically interact with the environment, they are able to successfully address problems that are ill-posed to passive systems. A primary goal of an active binocular vision systems is to ascertain depth information. Since they employ two cameras and are able two sample a scene from two distinct vantage points, they are well suited for such a task.
The depth recovery process is composed of two interrelated components: image registration and sampling. Image registration is the process of determining corresponding points between the stereo images. Once points in the images have been matched, 3D information can be recovered via triangulation. Image sampling determines how the image is discretized and represented. Image registration and sampling are highly interdependent. The choice of sampling scheme can profoundly impact the accuracy and complexity of the registration process. In many situations, particular registration algorithms are simply incompatible with some sampling schemes.
In this dissertation we meticulously address both registration and sampling in the context of stereopis for active binocular vision systems. Throughout the development of this work, contributions in each area are addressed with the an eye toward their eventual integration into a cohesive registration procedure appropriate for active binocular vision systems. The actual synthesis is a daunting task that is beyond the scope of this single dissertation. The focus of this work is to assiduously analyze both registration and sampling, establishing a solid foundation for their future aggregation.
One of the most successful approaches to image registration is phase-differencing. Phase-differencing algorithms provide a fast, powerful means for depth recovery. Unfortunately, phase-differencing techniques suffer from two significant impediments: phase nonlinearities and neglect of multispectral information. This dissertation uses the amenable properties of white noise images to analytically quantify the behavior of phase in these regions of phase nonlinearity. The improved understanding gained from this analysis enables us to create a new, more effective method for identifying these regions based on the second derivative of phase. We also suggest a novel approach that combines our method of nonlinear phase detection with strategies of both phase-differencing and local correlation. This hybrid approach retains the advantageous properties of phase-differencing while incorporating the multispectral aspects of local correlation.
This task of registration is greatly simplified if the camera geometry is known and the search for corresponding points can be restricted to epipolar lines. Unfortunately, computation of epipolar lines for an active system requires calibration which can be both highly complex and inaccurate. While it is possible to register images without calibration information, such unconstrained algorithms are usually time consuming and prone to error. In this dissertation we propose a compromise. Even without the instantaneous knowledge of the system geometry, we can restrict the region of correspondence by imposing limits on the possible range of configurations, and as a result, confine our search for matching points to what we refer to as epipolar spaces. For each point in one image, we define the corresponding epipolar space in the other image as the union of all associated epipolar lines over all possible system geometries. Epipolar spaces eliminate the need for calibration at the cost of an increased search region. Since the average size of a search space is directly related to the accuracy and efficiency of any registration algorithm, it is essential to mitigate this increase. Themajor contribution of this dissertation is the derivation of an optimal nonuniform sampling strategy that minimizes the average area per epipolar space.


A channel model for line-of-sight (LoS) microcell in dense urban areas is proposed. It is a kind of geometry-based stochastic channel model (GSCM) for which the scattering-power-distribution (SPD) in the channel seen from the receiver mobile terminal (MT) based on the physical phenomenon is obtained. Furthermore, information from a specific environment can be inserted into the model to acquire the precise small-area-average or at-a-single- location values of the spatio-temporal attributes of the channel. The azimuth-power-spectrum (APS) predicted by the proposed model are observed to have a close match to the experimental results obtained from measurements in several measurement points. (6 pages)


Sarah Lupton's best-selling Guides to the JCT Building Contracts are fully revised for JCT 2011, to provide the most up-to-date authoritative working aids to the operation and administration of the main JCT Contracts 2011.

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The guides assume only general knowledge of JCT Contracts and so can be used by both the architect and construction students on the threshold of undertaking their professional examinations. They also serve as an invaluable desktop reference guide for the busy contract administrator.


Two different frameworks have been developed to assess the potential effects of noise associated with offshore renewable energy developments on harbour porpoise populations: The Interim Population Consequences of Disturbance (iPCoD) and Disturbance Effects of Noise on the Harbour Porpoise Population in the North Sea (DEPONS). Although both models simulate population dynamics based on the birth and survival rates of individual animals, they model survival in a different way. iPCoD uses average survival rates derived from data from North Sea animals. In the DEPONS model, survival emerges from the individuals' ability to continuously find food. In this report we compare the structure of the two models, and describe the data they require and the kinds of output they provide. We then identify key differences between the approaches and discuss how their outputs can be compared.


– The purpose of this paper is to provide a critical discussion on the nature of research into people's information behaviour, and in particular the contribution of the phenomenological approach for the development of information solutions. , – The approach takes the form of a conceptual analysis drawing on the research literature and personal research experience. , – The paper brings to the foreground the relative value of different conceptual approaches and how these underpin and relate to the development of information solutions. , – The paper, due to the breadth and complexity of the subject, serves to highlight key issues and bringing together ideas. Some topics deserve further explanation. However, this was beyond the scope of this paper. , – A conceptual framework is provided that indicates the value of the epistemic spectrum for information behaviour studies and provides support for action research and participative design. , – Taking a phenomenological approach, and consequently either a first person approach and/or a highly participative approach to research, challenges the relationship between researcher and respondent. It also raises questions about why the authors conduct research and for whom it is intended. , – The paper makes explicit the underlying philosophical assumptions and how these ideas influence the way the authors conduct research; it highlights the significance of Cartesian dualism and indicates the significance of these assumptions for the development of information solutions. It supports the view that researchers and developers should be open to respondents leading the exploration of their needs.


This study is a family survey based on a typical patient with seborrhoeic keratosis (SK). Family members comprised 47 people of four generations, including 22 affected members (12 males and 10 females). The 17 people of the fourth generation were aged less than 26 years old. The proband in this study had typical clinical manifestations and pathology of SK, and all affected members of the family had characteristic skin rash that was easy to be identified. The pattern is consistent with autosomal dominant inheritance and SK is indicated to have a certain age onset.


Despite high volume of articles published with indication of various cultural readiness factors (CRFs) of Lean Six Sigma (LSS), very few focused on the greater need of critical analysis and review of the interactions between CRFs and LSS implementation technical critical success factors (CSFs). This study aims at investigating the existing attitude of people towards how impactful the CRFs are on technical CSFs of LSS in UK manufacturing sector. This study identifies critical ingredients of CRFs that need to be prioritised to avoid failure and support technical CSFs in LSS project implementation for any manufacturing firm. The study involves surveying people in different relevant departments of the manufacturing firm as part of diagnosis stage of an action research followed by Kruskal-Wallis analysis as a non – parametric test. It was found that particular CRFs need to be prioritised to address LSS technical CSFs. In order to reduce the failure of LSS projects in manufacturing firms, changing the attitude of the people towards importance of leadership style, management visibility, identifying primary strategic objectives and alignment of stretched goals to them, data availability and customised operations should be in priority. The analysis of relationship between CRFs and technical CSFs of LSS is a crucial process financially to be ready to invest on a successful LSS project and it helps managers to diagnose the cultural causes of failure more timely and effectively. As the result of this study, departmental managers, process owners or LSS champions in any LSS manufacturing firm can have both proactive and reactive approach towards success of their LSS projects for more promising and effective outcomes. This study focuses on inter-relationship analysis of cultural CRFs and technical CSFs of a LSS project in manufacturing firms as part of an empirical research analysis in a case study format.


In this thesis we develop a non convex non-linear programming problem that determines the minimum run time of a rapid, gel-free DNA separation technique called micelle end-labeled free solution electrophoresis (ELFSE). Micelle ELFSE is typically performed in capillary electrophoresis where the capillary length, electric field strength, and micelle drag tag size are the primary tuning variables. Using optimization, we demonstrate that capillary electrophoresis can be used to separate up to 600 bases in under 50 minutes. A significant improvement in performance is then shown to be achievable by using parallel capillaries which can separate up to 600 bases in under 5 minutes. Even more improvement is shown to be possible by using alternative separation modes, such as using an EOF counter-flow which enables 600 bases to be separated in under 4.5 minutes using a single capillary, and microfluidics utilizing snapshot detection to yield 600 bases in under 3.5 minutes. Long DNA, above 5000 bases, is particularly challenging to separate quickly. Using Brownian dynamics simulations we show the viability of integrating two DNA separation techniques: end-labeled DNA electrophoresis and entropic trapping. We present simulation results that demonstrate improved performance of the integrated device over entropic trapping alone. Brownian dynamics simulations are very computationally expensive, often taking over 24 hours per data point. We present an acceleration technique called projective integration which may be useful for simulations with a large amount of integration steps. We show that, using a model built from linear regression, periodic extrapolations can be used to decrease computational time. Finally we present the stability of the multi-component distillation column. We demonstrate, through the use of thermodynamics, that the distillation column is asymptotically stable when using pressure, temperature, and level control on the reboiler and condenser.


An inventory of the nominal representation of men and women on northern co-management boards in the Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut identified a total of 34 co-management boards. Of their total of 210 members, 176 (84%) were males and 34 (16%) were females. Nine boards were composed exclusively of men, and 18 boards had only a single female representative. The land and resource management regimes created through the settlement of comprehensive land claims have afforded Aboriginal governments equitable representation in co-management but have not promoted gender equity in board membership.


Background. An association between juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) and nonpsychotic psychiatric and cognitive disorders has been described in recent years. Scientists are trying to link JME with certain personality traits marked by emotional instability. Objective. The goal of our research was to assess the state of cognitive functions in young adult patients with JME–excluding the adverse side effects (ASEs) of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs)–and analyze the level of personality and situational anxiety, neuroticism, and depression in young adult patients with JME. Design. We tested 26 patients with JME and 26 healthy adults with the computer program NS-PsychoTest (Neurosoft Company, RF), a program which is aimed at studying and evaluating neuropsychological characteristics. Results. Our study showed that the frequency of depressive symptoms, according to the cognitive-affective subscale (Beck's Depression Inventory), in patients with JME was statistically significantly higher than among people without epilepsy. Comorbid personality and nonpsychotic psychiatric disorders are common interdisciplinary problems in JME management. Most practitioners pay attention only to the treatment of seizures caused by JME, and their patients, accordingly, do not receive adequate psychotherapeutic help. Conclusion. Cognitive disorders are often associated with epilepsy, and are a result of a combination of factors. According to our study, in the presence of statistically significant differences in short-term memory and mental performance in patients with JME, compared to healthy young adults, the main indicators of cognitive function in patients with JME generally correspond to the norm. Our findings highlight the etiological heterogeneity of cognitive disorders in JME and the importance of early screening for them.


The first part of the paper describes the science framework of the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS) that forms the basis for assessing scientific literacy over a person's lifespan. The framework and its definition of scientific literacy are influenced by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and by the German educational standards for the end of Grade 10. All of these sources claim that scientific literacy is important for everyone: It forms a basis for general education, has to be applicable to everyday situations and is a source for lifelong learning. Thus, the contexts and components providing the foundation for item development and for measuring scientific literacy had to be chosen accordingly. This paper presents a selection of contexts and content areas that meet this demand and that, at the same time, allow NEPS to be theoretically and methodologically linked to other national and international large scale assessments. The second part of the paper is concerned with the process of item selection. Since NEPS aims to measure scientific literacy over the lifespan, tests for a variety of different age groups have to be developed. Psychometric properties of pilot study tests for children in kindergarten, Grade 6 and Grade 9 are presented. The paper concludes with an outlook of further ways to validate the preliminary findings and of linking tests for different age groups.


Abstract. Soil organic matter (SOM) is an indispensable component of
terrestrial ecosystems. Soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics are influenced by
a number of well-known abiotic factors such as clay content, soil pH, or pedogenic oxides. These parameters interact with each other and vary in
their influence on SOC depending on local conditions. To investigate the
latter, the dependence of SOC accumulation on parameters and parameter
combinations was statistically assessed that vary on a local scale depending
on parent material, soil texture class, and land use. To this end, topsoils were sampled from arable and grassland sites in south-western Germany in four regions with different soil parent material. Principal component analysis
(PCA) revealed a distinct clustering of data according to parent material
and soil texture that varied largely between the local sampling regions,
while land use explained PCA results only to a small extent. The PCA
clusters were differentiated into total clusters that contain the entire
dataset or major proportions of it and local clusters representing only a
smaller part of the dataset. All clusters were analysed for the relationships between SOC concentrations (SOC %) and mineral-phase parameters in order to assess specific parameter combinations explaining SOC
and its labile fractions hot water-extractable C (HWEC) and microbial biomass C (MBC). Analyses were focused on soil parameters that are known as possible predictors for the occurrence and stabilization of SOC (e.g. fine
silt plus clay and pedogenic oxides). Regarding the total clusters, we found
significant relationships, by bivariate models, between SOC, its labile
fractions HWEC and MBC, and the applied predictors. However, partly low explained variances indicated the limited suitability of bivariate models. Hence, mixed-effect models were used to identify specific parameter combinations that significantly explain SOC and its labile fractions of the different
clusters. Comparing measured and mixed-effect-model-predicted SOC values revealed acceptable to very good regression coefficients (R2=0.41–0.91)
and low to acceptable root mean square error (RMSE = 0.20 %–0.42 %).
Thereby, the predictors and predictor combinations clearly differed between
models obtained for the whole dataset and the different cluster groups. At a local scale, site-specific combinations of parameters explained the variability of organic carbon notably better, while the application of total
models to local clusters resulted in less explained variance and a higher
RMSE. Independently of that, the explained variance by marginal fixed effects decreased in the order SOC > HWEC > MBC,
showing that labile fractions depend less on soil properties but presumably
more on processes such as organic carbon input and turnover in soil.


Rapid growth of cities and industries in China is having a dramatic impact on the environment. To counteract further decrease of water quality of rivers, lakes and groundwater bodies, an ambitious environmental remediation programme needs to be designed and brought into action. Intensive research and development activity are required to provide tailored solutions.

The articles compiled in the book describe the current situation in China with respect to surface water quality and wastewater treatment, and provide results of specific research projects, leading the way to a China-specific up-to-date water treatment technology. Discussed are lessons to be learnt from the experience made in other countries, particularly with respect to regulations and management practices.

This title belongs to Water and Environmental Management Series (WEMS)

ISBN: 9781843395010 (Print)

ISBN: 9781780402635 (eBook)


This essay traces the risk of risk-based capital standards for regulated financial intermediaries. In a capitalist economy, a private firm seeking finance must negotiate with prospective investors in the open market, which establishes standards about the terms on which debt and equity investment will be forthcoming. In addition to these market financing standards, the capital structure of some financial firms – particularly broker-dealers, federally insured depository institutions, and insurance companies- must also satisfy other requirements imposed by federal or state regulators to promote liquidity and solvency. Regulators take a heightened interest in these firms because they serve a public function in providing credit and other financial services. Part I explains regulatory capital as a corporate finance issue about how capital structure can protect creditors – especially unsecured ones - from unexpected financial losses. The rest of the chapter examines the major features of the regulatory capital regimes that apply to financial intermediaries. Part II starts with depository institutions, i.e., banks. These standards have become the locus of policy debates about risk-based capital. Part III discusses the regulatory capital rules that apply to broker-dealers registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Broker-dealers had long been subject to net capital rules that promote the firm's liquidity so as to promote orderly self-liquidation. More recently, large broker-dealers have been allowed to adopt a risk-based method – akin to that used in bank capital – for meeting their net capital requirements. Part IV considers insurance companies, which adhere to risk-based capital standards imposed by state law. Part V warns that large, complex financial organizations may find themselves inadvertently subject to bank-style capital rules if deemed 'systemically important' by the newly created Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC).


Religiosity from the Islamic perspective has not been thoroughly represented or
investigated. The lack of an appropriate conceptualization and measurement
instrument reflective of the unique Islamic tawhidic worldview has hindered efforts
to capture key elements of religious understanding and practice among young
Muslims in Malaysia. In response to this need, this study set out to 1) develop a
comprehensive model of religiosity from the Islamic perspective; 2) develop an
appropriate measurement instrument based on the religiosity model; and 3) use the
religiosity instrument to establish religiosity norms (normed scores) and benchmarks
for key demographic sub-groups of Malaysian Muslim youth. To achieve the
objectives, the study incorporated a basic exploratory-descriptive research design.
To address the above problem and objectives, the author conducted a major review
of the Islamic and non-Islamic literatures on religiosity to develop the Islamic
religiosity model. From the religiosity model and its operational definitions, the
religiosity instrument - the Muslim Religiosity-Personality Inventory (MRPI) - was
developed and pilot tested to ensure reliability and validity. The MRPI was then field tested among 1,692 youth fiom across Malaysia. From the field test data, raw scores
were obtained and normed using a standardized (z-score) method. The normed scores
were then compared across five demographic variables (i.e. cluster group, age group,
sex, level of educational attainment and place of residence) using descriptives, T-test
and ANOVA. The normed scores were then compiled to establish religiosity
benchmarks for Malaysian Muslim youth as a relative standard of comparison for
future MRPI respondents.
The study findings indicated that a model and instrument for measuring religiosity
fiom the Islamic perspective is attainable. The MRPI is based on a multi-dimensional
and comprehensive religiosity concept reflective of key dimensions of the Islamic
tawhidic worldview. The field test findings indicated that there are significant
differences in youth religiosity normed scores across the six sub-populations of youth
sampled (i.e. IPTA students, youth organization members, Serenti drug rehabilitation
inmates, political party members, youth 'at-large' and young factory workers), as
well as across most of the other five demographic variables.
Overall, the study concluded that there are considerable differences in religiosity
among different groupings of Muslim youth in Malaysia, which potentially reflects
differences in key competencies integral for positively contributing to nation
building. The study also points to several important areas for future religiosity
research among youth in Malaysia using the MRPI and resulting religiosity
benchmarks.


Nearly three years after the UN Conference on Environment and Development, the third session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) has made progress in positioning itself as the focal point for the examination of sustainable development at the international, national and local levels. The revised format of the Commission, which included numerous panel discussions, enabled the participants to enter into a dialogue. The two days dedicated to the sharing of national experiences in implementing Agenda 21 was a departure from the CSD's previously UN-centered focus. The Day of Local Authorities, combined with the NGO and government-sponsored panels and workshops throughout the session, enabled the CSD to examine the local aspects of implementing Agenda 21. While it remains clear that the journey to true sustainable development is long and arduous, it was heartening to see that despite the decline of official development assistance and the lack of new and additional financial resources, the journey is clearly underway. During the course of the session, the Commission, under its new Chair, Henrique Cavalcanti (Brazil), examined the second cluster of issues according to its multi-year thematic programme of work. Delegates discussed: trade, environment and sustainable development (Chapter 2); combating poverty (3); changing consumption patterns (4); demographic dynamics and sustainability (5); integrating environment and development in decision-making (8); major groups (23-32); financial resources and mechanisms (33); transfer of environmentally sound technologies, cooperation and capacity-building (34); science for sustainable development (35); and information for decision making (40). The sectoral cluster for this year included: an integrated approach to the planning and management of land resources (Chapter 10); combating deforestation (11); combating desertification and drought (12); sustainable mountain development (13); promoting sustainable agriculture and rural development (14); conservation of biological diversity (15); and environmentally sound management of biotechnology (16). The Commission also established an Intergovernmental Panel on Forests to "pursue consensus and formulation of coordinated proposals for action" with regard to the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests. The session concluded with a two-and-a-half-day High-Level Segment, attended by over 50 ministers and high-level officials. A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CSD


The United Kingdom (UK) construction industry has long been the centre of
criticism and debate for its relative poor performance and high turnover. In this
respect, the UK Government embarked on reviving Offsite Production (OSP)
in an attempt to negate these issues, whilst simultaneously reducing the
dependence on manual skills. However, extant literature highlights that
professional (non-manual) skill shortages are just as acute. Notwithstanding
these factors, from a training and education perspective, it is widely
acknowledged that the myriad of approaches currently deployed to address
professional education and training needs have systematically failed to fully
satisfy industry's expectations. This is due in part to the lack of a 'common
language' between the construction industry and the training/education
providers. Given that OSP training and education is a predominant driver for
the successful and wider uptake of OSP, there is no direct empirical evidence
on the type, level, or priorities of OSP training and education required to meet
the new exigent business drivers.
This research focuses on addressing the polarised silos that currently exist
between industry and training/education providers through the provision of a
flexible collaborative model. This model embodies multi-criteria and multistakeholder
perceptions and imperatives in order to help provide a 'shared'
language and understanding across these multivariate issues to formally
identify and prioritise OSP training and education needs. This research
adopted a system approach to OSP training and education using the Quality
Function Deployment (QFD) method to develop an OSP-QFD model. The
positioning of this research adopts the positivism paradigm to infer OSP skills
requirements, underpinned and supported by a triangulation approach to
define the measures to satisfy those needs and help increase the validity and
reliability of the data obtained. The model was iteratively tested and validated
using domain experts from industry, academia and research organisations.
Research findings confirmed the scepticism and misconception of the
construction industry and academia with regard to OSP and industryacademia
collaboration. However, the developed OSP-QFD model
demonstrated that it could be used to shape, structure, and document the
skills needed from multivariate viewpoints, thereby addressing the different
drivers and expectations of the polarised stakeholders. Furthermore, the
OSP-QFD model accommodates design flexibility, so that individual priorities
can be independently assessed and analysed.


The 1970s was a key decade in the history of post-war UK architecture. In contrast to elsewhere in Europe, where the project of modernism effectively developed through post-modernism, the UK saw at the close of the 70s its destruction, cemented in the early 1980s by the rise of Thatcherism, the public interventions of Prince Charles and the unequivocal assumption of semantics in architectural design.

This paper will address the decline of post-war architectural modernism in the 1970s, using as a case study the treatment in the media of the innovative public housing project at Alexandra Road in Camden. A high-density but low-rise development, constructed largely from pre-cast and insitu fair-faced concrete, the project was vilified in the national and specialist press for its technical and social failings, and more particularly for going spectacularly over budget. The formal and abstract language of the scheme subsequently became almost entirely unacceptable, with the proviso that the architectural assistants on the project (Benson and Forsyth) went on to design in similar vein such i?½elitisti?½ buildings as the National Gallery of Scotland.

The project will be reassessed in the light of more general and ongoing debates about i?½the estatei?½, the nature of intellectual life in the UK, the question of patrician architecture, and questions of social determinism in architectural design.


Lombardi et al. (Reports, 23 October 2009, p. 585) reported an association between the human gammaretrovirus XMRV and chronic fatigue syndrome. However, their results may be misleading because of various potential sources of bias and confounding. If real, the association may lack generalizability because of the specific characteristics of the cases studied and could be due to reverse causality.


This paper describes how entrepreneurial firms can use superior architectural knowledge to open up a technical system to gain strategic advantage. The strategy involves, first, identifying "bottlenecks" in the existing system, and then creating a new open architecture that isolates the bottlenecks in modules and allows others to connect to the system at key interfaces. An entrepreneurial firm with limited financial resources can then focus on supplying superior bottleneck modules, and while outsourcing and allowing complementors to supply non-bottleneck components. I show that a firm pursuing this strategy will have a higher return on invested capital (ROIC) than competitors with a less modular, closed architecture. Over time, the more open firm can drive the ROIC of competitors below their cost of capital, causing them to shrink and possibly exit the market. The strategy was used by Sun Microsystems in the 1980s and Dell Computer in the 1990s.


Analyzing 30 OECD‐countries in 1980‐2005, this paper documents the effect of an aging electorate on retirement spending. The first outcome is that an increase in the age of the median voter is not significantly associated with an increase in retirement spending relative to GDP. The second outcome is that a higher age of the median voter leads to lower benefits per retiree. These results do not change when health care costs are considered instead of retirement spending. Health care costs – both relative to GDP and per inhabitant – are not significantly influenced by the age of the median voter. An alternative specification with the dependency ratio as the operationalization of aging, shows a positive and significant effect of aging on retirement spending. A positive effect on the generosity of pensions is also not present in this case. These results contradict the main prediction of median voter models that an older median voter successfully pushes for higher individual benefits.