A rapid acquisition method for two-dimensional (2D) magnetic resonance force microscopy images is described. Spatial resolution is based on gradients in the static magnetic field B0 and in the applied radiofrequency field B1. Hadamard- and Fourier-encoding schemes, respectively, are employed to obtain high sensitivity by taking advantage of a maximum multiplex effect. 2D images of a patterned (NH4)2SO4 crystal sample are reconstructed from the known field distributions with a resolution of 1 um.


Spain is characterised by its historical rejection of Muslims' cultural traditions and practices. Massive immigration in the last decade has increased such negative perceptions about "the Moors". It is common to associate Muslims with insecurity, delinquency and incivility. Therefore, the social and political integration of religious minorities is very limited. Institutional marginalization and social obedience are applied by the Spanish institutions. This article provides a review of all factors determining the structure of political opportunities of Muslim interest groups. Three conclusions can be highlighted: First, the Muslims have enormous difficulties in participating in politics as they find it difficult to find allies to carry out their initiatives. It is argued that this is a result of institutional and social rejection. Second, their lack of influence in Spanish politics is also due to poor organization and a hierarchical sense of Islamic idiosyncrasy that does not permit the establishment of cohesive, representative organizations. And third, despite its outsider position, their persistence over long term strategies is ultimately successful. This article analyzes the politics of Islamic cemetery in Granada, Spain, by reviewing its main events, the characteristics of the actors, the evolution of demands over time, and the relations of power among actors. The interviews, questionnaires and documents review have been conducted to support our argument. Moreover, the paper has applied social network analysis to the case study.


The goal of program verification is to ensure software reliability by establishing a mathematical proof which guarantees that the software behaves correctly. Program analysis tools assist the developer in the verification process. Ideally a program analysis should be applicable to a wide range of verification problems without imposing a high burden on its users, i.e., without requiring deep mathematical knowledge and experience in program verification. A big step forward towards this ideal has been achieved by combining abstract interpretation with techniques for automated reasoning. In abstract interpretation one transforms the concrete program into an abstract program. The abstract program enables the analysis to statically collect information over all possible executions of the concrete program. This information is used to automatically verify the correctness of the concrete program. Abstract interpretation increases the degree of automation in verification by shifting the burden of formally reasoning about programs from the developer to the designer of the program analysis. Automated reasoning pushes the degree of automation even further. It enables the automatic construction of the abstraction for a specific program and a specific correctness property and (if necessary) the automatic refinement of this abstraction. We refer to program analyses that combine abstract interpretation with automated reasoning as symbolic program analysis. A problem that has recently seen much attention in program verification is the question of how to effectively deal with linked heap-allocated data structures. Program analyses that target properties of these data structures are commonly referred to as shape analyses. A symbolic shape analysis promises to handle a spectrum of different linked heap-allocated data structures, and a spectrum of properties to verify, without requiring the user to manually adjust the analysis to the specific problem instance. It was open what a symbolic shape analysis would look like. In this thesis we are concerned with this question. We present domain predicate abstraction, which generalizes predicate abstraction to the point where it becomes effectively applicable for shape analysis. Domain predicate abstraction incorporates the key idea of three-valued shape analysis into predicate abstraction by replacing predicates on program states by predicates on objects in the heap of program states. We show how to automate the transformation of a heap-manipulating program into an abstract program using automated reasoning procedures. We further develop an abstraction refinement technique that complements domain predicate abstraction to a fully automated symbolic shape analysis. Finally, we present field constraint analysis, a new technique for reasoning about heap programs. Field constraint analysis enables the application of decision procedures for reasoning about specific data structures (such as trees) to arbitrary data structures. This technique makes our symbolic shape analysis applicable to the diverse data structures that occur in practice. All the techniques presented in this thesis have been implemented and evaluated in the Bohne Verifier. We used Bohne to verify complex user-specified properties of data structure implementations. For instance, we were able to verify preservation of data structure invariants for operations on threaded binary trees (including sortedness and the in-order traversal invariant) without manually adjusting the analysis to this specific problem or providing user assistance beyond stating the properties to verify. We are not aware of any other shape analysis that can verify such properties with a comparable degree of automation.


Patient: Male, 65 Final Diagnosis: Ketamine overdose Symptoms: Delayed awakening Medication: — Clinical Procedure: — Specialty: Anesthesiology Objective: Diagnostic/therapeutic accidents Background: Ketamine is used as an induction and sedation agent in emergency departments and operating rooms throughout the country. Despite its widespread clinical use, there are few cases of significant morbidity and mortality attributed to ketamine overdose in the clinical setting. Case Report: The anesthesia provider in the room was an oral maxillofacial surgeon who inadvertently took out a more highly concentrated bottle of ketamine that is typically used for pediatric patients. The patient received 950 mg (100 mg/ml concentration) of intravenous ketamine instead of the intended 95 mg (10 mg/ml concentration). After the ketamine was given, there were no signs to any involved provider that a mistake had occurred until the wake-up appeared to be unusually prolonged. Conclusions: Despite this, the patient did not demonstrate any systemic effects such as hemodynamic or CNS perturbations other than prolonged awakening. This case highlights one (drug overdose) of many causes of delayed emergence from anesthesia and reminds the provider caring for the patient to be mindful of drug concentrations used when preparing to sedate a patient, as relying on effects of the parent drug is not always adequate.


Data in the form of pairwise comparisons arises in many domains, including preference elicitation, sporting competitions, and peer grading among others. We consider parametric ordinal models for such pairwise comparison data involving a latent vector w* e Rd that represents the "qualities" of the d items being compared; this class of models includes the two most widely used parametric models|the Bradley-Terry-Luce (BTL) and the Thurstone models. Working within a standard minimax framework, we provide tight upper and lower bounds on the optimal error in estimating the quality score vector w* under this class of models. The bounds depend on the topology of the comparison graph induced by the subset of pairs being compared, via the spectrum of the Laplacian of the comparison graph. Thus, in settings where the subset of pairs may be chosen, our results provide principled guidelines for making this choice. Finally, we compare these error rates to those under cardinal measurement models and show that the error rates in the ordinal and cardinal settings have identical scalings apart from constant pre-factors.


A communication network is a complex network designed to transfer information from a source to a destination. One of the most important property in a communication network is the existence of alternative routes between a source and destination node. The robustness and resilience of a network are related to its path diversity (alternative routes). Describing all the components and interactions of a large communication network is not feasible. In this thesis we develop a new method, the deforestation algorithm, to simplify very large networks, and we called the simplified network the skeleton network. The method is general. It conserves the number of alternative paths between all the sources and destinations when doing the simplification and also it takes into consideration the properties of the nodes, and the links (capacity and direction). When simplifying very large networks, the skeleton networks can also be large, so it is desirable to split the skeleton network into different communities. In the thesis we introduce a community-detection method which works fast and efficient for the skeleton networks. Other property that can be easily extracted from the skeleton network is the cycle basis, which can suffice in describing the cycle structure of complex network. We have tested our algorithms on the Autonomous System (AS) level and Internet Protocol address (IPA) level of the Internet. And we also show that deforestation algorithm can be extended to take into consideration of traffic directions and traffic demand matrix when simplifying medium-scale networks. Commonly, the structure of large complex networks is characterised using statistical measures. These measures can give a good description of the network connectivity but they do not provide a practical way to explore the interaction between the dynamical process and network connectivity. The methods presented in this thesis are a first step to address this practical problem.


Background:  No credit rating methodology currently exists for any of South Africa's sub nationals. Aim:  To develop a generic, quantitative credit rating methodology for the Department of Health and the Department of Education  combined , as well as specific quantitative credit rating methodologies, for each department, individually. Setting:  A comparison between generic and specific subnational credit rating methodologies to assess which fits the South African subnational environment best. Studies and results obtained from other nations were used to construct the approach. Methods:  In a typical credit rating methodology, both quantitative and qualitative information is considered. In South Africa (as a developing economy), the quantitative information equates to a smaller portion of the final credit rating. A generic quantitative credit rating methodology, as well as specific credit rating methodologies, was developed. The appropriateness of these generic and specific models was tested with regards to prediction accuracies using Red, Amber or Green (RAG) statuses on a traffic light series. An illustration of the predicted versus actual ranks is provided, as well as an example to illustrate how model-predicted RAG statuses, based on quantitative information, may be overlaid with more recent qualitative information to derive a final ranking. Results:  A generic, quantitative credit rating methodology for the Departments of Health and the Department of Education combined was developed, as well as specific credit rating methodologies for each department separately. The specific subnational credit rating methodology outperformed the generic methodology considerably; more precisely, the generic models predicted a maximum of 50% of the new cases correctly as opposed to the specific Health and Education models' 78%. Conclusion:  The primary contribution of this study was to develop and compare generic and specific subnational credit rating methodologies. A further contribution was to test the appropriateness of these models' prediction accuracies using RAG statutes. The specific subnational credit rating methodology was found to outperform the generic methodology considerably.


Phanerochaete chrysosporium was shown to rapidly decolorise a solution of natural organic matter (NOM). The effect of various parameters such as carbon and nitrogen content, pH, ionic strength, NOM concentration and addition of Mn2+ on the colour removal process was investigated. The rapid decolorisation was related to fungal growth and biosorption rather than biodegradation as neither carbon nor nitrogen limitation, nor Mn2+ addition, triggered the decolorisation process. Low pH (pH 3) and increased ionic strength (up to 50 g L–1 added NaCl) led to greater specific removal (NOM/unit biomass), probably due to increased electrostatic bonding between the humic material and the biomass. Adsorption of NOM with viable and inactivated (autoclaved or by sodium azide) fungal pellets occurred within 24 hours and the colour removal depended on the viability, method of inactivation and pH. Colour removal by viable pellets was higher under the same conditions, and this, combined with desorption data, confirmed that fungal metabolic activity was important in the decolorisation process. Overall, removals of up to 40–50% NOM from solution were obtained. Of this, removal by adsorption was estimated as 60–70%, half of which was physicochemical, the other half metabolically-dependent biosorption and bioaccumulation. The remainder was considered to be removed by biodegradation, although some of this may be ascribed to bioaccumulation and metabolically-dependent biosorption.


Currently, research supporting the validity of coaching is rising in both executive and life coaching arenas. Research has revealed that co-active life coaching (CALC), a particular style of coaching, is compatible with health-behaviour theory. However, very little information is known about co-active coaches themselves. The purpose of this study was to develop a comprehensive, applied coaching profile using a global sample of English-reading and -writing certified professional co-active coaches (CPCCs). The survey used for this study was a revised version of the Grant and Zackon (2004) coaching survey. A total of 390 CPCCs who were over 18 years of age, could read English, and had access to the internet participated in the current study. Data on credentialing, prior professional backgrounds, and coaching session structure were collected. Virtually all CPCCs came from a prior profession, most had a college or equivalent degree, and coaching over the phone was the most common method of conducting coaching sessions. In addition, data on coach demographics, coaching careers and CPCCs coaching clientele was collected. This paper elaborates on these findings and makes suggestions for future research.


In this broad and illuminating work, experts on public finance discuss innovations in state and local tax policy that have been implemented or considered over the course of the last three decades. The authors provide original work that analyzes whether state and local governments have 'gone outside the box' to deal with the strains of current public finances or have gotten along by adhering to the status quo. This book provides researchers, students and policy makers with evaluations and analyses by well-known scholars in the area of state and local public finance of actual practices and analysis of potential policy changes for the future.


Experimental Design and Analysis for Tree Improvement provides a set of practical procedures to follow when planning, designing and analysing tree improvement trials.

Using many fully-worked examples, it outlines how to: design field, glasshouse and laboratory trials; efficiently collect data and construct electronic data files; pre-process data, screening for data quality and outliers; analyse data from single and across-site trials using either GenStat or SAS; and interpret the results from statistical analyses.

The authors address the many practical issues often faced in forest tree improvement trials and describe techniques that will give conclusive results with the minimum expense. The techniques provided are applicable to the improvement of not only trees, but to crops in general.

Building on the success of the first edition, this new edition has been fully revised and updated to relate to the latest commercially-available software packages for design generation (CycDesigN) and data pre-processing and automated generation of programs for statistical analysis (DataPlus). For analysis, it now provides both GenStat and SAS programs as generated by DataPlus.


Bhutan is world famous for its approach to both environmental conservation and development, despite being classified as "least developed" by the World Bank as recently as 2016. As Bhutan continues to develop, it has increasingly encountered the colloquially known, but statistically unproven phenomena: that development standards and conservation goals are often in conflict with the needs of rural communities. In the case of such ideological, cultural and economic clashes, this article argues for the necessity of "middle-actors" such as native Bhutanese civil servants, as they are able to navigate the cultural and economic zone "in-between" the international and the local in ways that others cannot.


Land to produce biomass is essential if the United States is to expand bioenergy supply. Use of agriculturally marginal land avoids the food vs. fuel problems of food price rises and carbon debt that are associated with crop and forestland. Recent remote sensing studies have identified large areas of US marginal land deemed suitable for bioenergy crops. Yet the sustainability benefits of growing bioenergy crops on marginal land only pertain if land is economically available. Scant attention has been paid to the willingness of landowners to supply land for bioenergy crops. Focusing on the northern tier of the Great Lakes, where grassland transitions to forest and land prices are low, this contingent valuation study reports on the willingness of a representative sample of 1124 private, noncorporate landowners to rent land for three bioenergy crops: corn, switchgrass, and poplar. Of the 11% of land that was agriculturally marginal, they were willing to make available no more than 21% for any bioenergy crop (switchgrass preferred on marginal land) at double the prevailing land rental rate in the region. At the same generous rental rate, of the 28% that is cropland, they would rent up to 23% for bioenergy crops (corn preferred), while of the 55% that is forestland, they would rent up to 15% for bioenergy crops (poplar preferred). Regression results identified deterrents to land rental for bioenergy purposes included appreciation of environmental amenities and concern about rental disamenities. In sum, like landowners in the southern Great Lakes region, landowners in the Northern Tier are reluctant to supply marginal land for bioenergy crops. If rental markets existed, they would rent more crop and forestland for bioenergy crops than they would marginal land, which would generate carbon debt and opportunity costs in wood product and food markets.


In this paper I revisit the debate on the impact of bank and market characteristics on the rigidity of retail bank interest rates. Whereas existing research in this area has been exclusively concerned with static measures of bank and market structure, I adopt a dynamic approach which explores the rigidity effects of the changes of bank and market structure generated by bank mergers. I find that bank mergers significantly affect the frequency of changes to deposit rates. In particular, the probability of adjusting deposit rates in response to shocks in money market rates significantly drops after mergers that involve large target banks and after mergers that generate a substantial geographical expansion of bank operations. These effects, however, materialize only after a "transition" period characterized by very frequent changes of the deposit rates.


In the fundamental laws of physics, gauge fields mediate the interaction between charged particles. An example is quantum electrodynamics—the theory of electrons interacting with the electromagnetic field—based on U(1) gauge symmetry. Solving such gauge theories is in general a hard problem for classical computational techniques. While quantum computers suggest a way forward, it is difficult to build large-scale digital quantum devices required for complex simulations. Here, we propose a fully scalable analog quantum simulator of a U(1) gauge theory in one spatial dimension. To engineer the local gauge symmetry, we employ inter-species spin-changing collisions in an atomic mixture. We demonstrate the experimental realization of the elementary building block as a key step towards a platform for large-scale quantum simulations of continuous gauge theories.


OBJECTIVE
The class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecule HLA-B27 exhibits a strong association with the autoimmune inflammatory arthritis disorder ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and with other related spondylarthropathies. In the absence of both a defined autoimmune response and a target autoantigen(s), the propensity of HLA-B27 to misfold has been hypothesized to be a major parameter in disease pathogenesis. We undertook this study to test the hypothesis that HLA-B27 misfolding is due to exposure of cysteine residues within the heavy chain to the oxidizing environment of the endoplasmic reticulum.

METHODS
A rapid acidification and alkylation modification method was used to examine cysteine residue exposure and accessibility within AS-associated and non-AS-associated HLA-B27 subtypes.

RESULTS
This novel approach to probing in vivo class I MHC structure revealed that the HLA-B27 heavy chain adopts conformations not previously described. Furthermore, amino acid residues specific to subtypes HLA-B*2706, B*2709, and B*2704 can have an impact on these novel conformations and on cysteine residue exposure.

CONCLUSION
HLA-B27 can adopt novel conformations, resulting in differential accessibility of cysteine residues, which can explain the propensity to misfold. Cysteine exposure in the HLA-B27 heavy chain is also affected by residues within the 114 and 116 regions, thereby providing a potential biochemical basis for the association of HLA-B27 subtypes with AS.


Previous research has shown that task-irrelevant onsets trigger an eye movement in their direction. Such oculomotor capture is often impervious to conscious awareness. The present study used event-related brain potentials to examine how such oculomotor errors are detected, evaluated, and compensated for and whether awareness of an error played a role at any of these stages of processing. The results show that the early processes of error detection and correction (as represented by the error-related negativity and the parietal N1) are not directly affected by subjective awareness of making an error. Instead, they seem to be modulated by the degree of temporal overlap between the programming of the correct and erroneous saccade. We found that only a later component (the error-related positivity [Pe]) is modulated by awareness of making an erroneous eye movement. We propose that awareness of oculomotor capture primarily depends on this later process.


Biological soil crusts (BSCs) are an important source of organic carbon, and affect a range of ecosystem functions in arid and semiarid environments. Yet the impact of grazing disturbance on crust properties and soil CO2 efflux remain poorly studied, particularly in African ecosystems. The effects of burial under wind-blown sand, disaggregation and removal of BSCs on seasonal variations in soil CO2 efflux, soil organic carbon, chlorophyll a and scytonemin were investigated at two sites in the Kalahari of southern Botswana. Field experiments were employed to isolate CO2 efflux originating from BSCs in order to estimate the C exchange within the crust. Organic carbon was not evenly distributed through the soil profile but concentrated in the BSC. Soil CO2 efflux was higher in Kalahari Sand than in calcrete soils, but rates varied significantly with seasonal changes in moisture and temperature. BSCs at both sites were a small net sink of C to the soil. Soil CO2 efflux was significantly higher in sand soils where the BSC was removed, and on calcrete where the BSC was buried under sand. The BSC removal and burial under sand also significantly reduced chlorophyll a, organic carbon and scytonemin. Disaggregation of the soil crust, however, led to increases in chlorophyll a and organic carbon. The data confirm the importance of BSCs for C cycling in drylands and indicate intensive grazing, which destroys BSCs through trampling and burial, will adversely affect C sequestration and storage. Managed grazing, where soil surfaces are only lightly disturbed, would help maintain a positive carbon balance in African drylands.


In dermoscopic images, various thin artefacts naturally appear, most usually in the form of hairs. While trying to find the border of the skin lesion, these artefacts effect the lesion segmentation methods and also the subsequent classification. Currently, there is a lot of research focus in this area and various methods are presented both for skin lesion segmentation and thin artefacts removal. In this paper, we investigate into three different thin artefacts removal methods and compare their results using two different skin lesion segmentation methods. The segmentation results are compared with ground truth segmentation. In addition, we introduce our novel artefacts removal method, which combined with the Expectation Maximization image segmentation outperforms all the tested methods.


This thesis aims to explore the rise in the consumption of bottled water and the dominant narratives of normalization that seek to explain it. Commonly understood as the cumulative result of the power of marketing and misinformation, or the gullibility of 'irrational' consumers, the pervasive phenomenon of drinking bottled water is explained as another instance of the commodification of everything. However, these narratives contain a rather surprising omission: while it may seem obvious to state that bottled water is about bottles and water, the role of the bottles themselves in enabling the consumption of water 'on the go' to become such a 'normal' aspect of daily life is noticeably absent. I argue, by drawing upon work in consumer culture studies, sociologies of the brand, and material culture, that we need to reconsider the role of bottled water as both a brand and material object. Following the trajectories of two major brands of bottled water – Perrier and Dasani – through a content analysis of marketing and associated materials, I illustrate some of the diverse ways in which bottles, water, marketing and consumption are interrelated in the divergent and convergent trajectories of ongoing processes of normalization. In conclusion, I consider how such theoretical and empirical observations pose difficult questions and new challenges for those seeking to alter practices of consumption.


Readers and writers of all levels will find the Oxford A-Z of English Usage essential. Based on Oxford's world-leading dictionary research programmes and contemporary language monitoring, and giving examples of real usage, this book provides the essential information about usage and correct English that is needed in practical, everyday situations. Arranged in A-Z sequence, it contains over 680 entries on issues of spelling, grammar, meaning and PC language that confuse people (e.g. licence / license; learning difficulties / mental handicap; fewer / less). In addition, there are more than 20 special feature articles on specific topics such as hyphenation or the use of Latin plurals, as well as commonly confused terms like Britain, Great Britain, the British Isles, England. With a fresh page design, the Oxford A-Z of English Usage gives the reader immediate and easy access to answers, by means of clear and coherent explanations and illustrations. It will prove the first port of call for any reader seeking clear, authoritative help with usage questions.


Identifying a meaningful distinction between common law torts and constitutional takings is a task that has evaded courts for the last hundred years. Courts struggle to distinguish between these two remunerative remedies because both frequently arise under similar circumstances. Nonetheless, this article will show that the theoretical underpinnings of the Fifth Amendment are such that a plaintiff will only rarely suffer both a compensable taking and a tort. The article will posit that the primary difference between a tort and a taking is that the latter must be authorized. As a result, this article will focus on the authority requirement of the Fifth Amendment's Just Compensation Clause. The Fifth Amendment provides that "private property [shall not] be taken for public use, without just compensation." (1) When the government takes property it may either affirmatively take the property, thereby exercising its power of eminent domain, or it may enact legislation or otherwise have its agents engage in conduct that effectively takes the property. This is called inverse condemnation. The Supreme Court has recognized that the government can inversely condemn property by means of a physical invasion (2) or by enacting an overreaching regulation. (3) Nevertheless, the government and its agents often engage in tortious conduct that is not tantamount to a constitutional taking. Although private parties can and do engage in tortious conduct against other private parties, their conduct cannot arise to the level of a constitutional violation. Just as a private individual can accidentally flood adjacent land, so too can the government. Similarly, government agents trespass on private property just as private actors trespass. Further, both private and public officials can act negligently. Although the legal remedy against the private party lies in tort, the government may be liable either under a tort theory or the Fifth Amendment's Just Compensation Clause. The victim of a government-induced wrong faces just that question--was his property tortiously destroyed or taken for purposes of the Fifth Amendment. The first part of this article will examine the unique aspects of litigating against the government. Unlike a lawsuit filed against a private party, someone whose property was destroyed by government action may not plead tort and taking in his initial complaint. Rather, the property owner must pursue each theory in a different forum. These unique procedural hurdles stymie aggrieved plaintiffs. Next, this article will examine when wrongful conduct by the government can be a taking. Specifically, this article will focus on the authorization requirement of the Fifth Amendment. In doing so, it will identify exactly what constitutes ultra vires--unauthorized--governmental action, and then differentiate between ultra vires conduct and authorized but illegal conduct. The final two sections of this article will address the doctrinal differences between torts and takings. This article will compare the "natural and probable consequences" test with the concept of "proximate cause." In doing so, this article will show how most courts have followed a rule that only damage that occurs as a direct and certain result of governmental action can be a taking. This article will also examine how the courts, with few exceptions, have dismissed taking claims when the government's conduct arose out of mere negligence. Because courts require that a taking be intentional, the only overlap in this area is between intentional torts and takings. The final section of this article will focus on one distinction that courts have made between intentional torts and takings. Specifically, this article will explain how the courts have found that the more likely the event is to reoccur and the more substantial the damage, the more likely it will be a taking, not a tort. In sum, this article will clarify the overlap between torts and takings. …


In this work, we explore the problem of aligning two time-ordered point clouds which are spatially transformed and re-parameterized versions of each other. This has a diverse array of applications such as cross modal time series synchronization (e.g. MOCAP to video) and alignment of discretized curves in images. Most other works that address this problem attempt to jointly uncover a spatial alignment and correspondences between the two point clouds, or to derive local invariants to spatial transformations such as curvature before computing correspondences. By contrast, we sidestep spatial alignment completely by using self-similarity matrices (SSMs) as a proxy to the time-ordered point clouds, since self-similarity matrices are blind to isometries and respect global geometry. Our algorithm, dubbed "Isometry Blind Dynamic Time Warping" (IBDTW), is simple and general, and we show that its associated dissimilarity measure lower bounds the L1 Gromov-Hausdorff distance between the two point sets when restricted to warping paths. We also present a local, partial alignment extension of IBDTW based on the Smith Waterman algorithm. This eliminates the need for tedious manual cropping of time series, which is ordinarily necessary for global alignment algorithms to function properly.


Worldwide, the prevalence of obesity has increased dramatically. Obesity is a condition associated with an increased amount of adipose tissue in the body and is linked to increased morbidity and mortality. In clinical practice and research, determination of body fat percentage (%BF) is not always possible due to limitations in available resources (time, equipment, budget, etc.). Therefore, weight indexes like the body mass index (BMI; body weight (kg)/body height2 (m)) offer a major advantage because they are quick and inexpensive to use. Although the BMI is extensively used, it does not take into account fat or muscle distribution in the body and is unable to differentiate adipose tissue from lean body mass. Hence, it has been suggested that future research in body composition measurement should focus more on body shape and volume rather than body mass. With the advent of 3D body scanning technology, it is possible to obtain accurate and reliable anthropometric measures of an individual within a few minutes. Also, 3D body scans provide information on an individual's body volume and body shape. From this data, %BF can be calculated using a two component model of the human body based on known densities of fat and fat-free mass. In addition, a 3D digital model of the body allows for visualization of regional fat deposition and division of the total body into segments for more detailed data analysis compared to total body measurements. The ADEPS project builds on experience with 3D body scanning gained during the SMARTFIT project and is looking to merge areas of expertise in medicine, health care and technology. The principal aim of the ADEPS project is to examine the extent to which %BF can be predicted using anthropometric measurements obtained from 3D body scans using a structured white light full body scanner. A comprehensive dataset of anthropometric measurements obtained by 3D body scanning is available within the research unit. From these data, samples of candidate anthropometrical measurements will be selected using a Design of Experiments approach. Regression analysis on sequentially selected datasets will yield anthropometric predictors which will be used to create a predictive model for %BF as calculated from total body volume. This model will then be validated by comparing the anthropometric-based %BF predictions with %BF obtained from the Bod Pod® air-displacement plethysmography system (reference method and gold standard for total body volume measurement). Finally, the regression equation will be converted into a nomogram for routine practical use in healthcare and research practice. The present article describes the research project and its methods and reports on the progress and intermediate results of the ADEPS project.


A new low-coherence interferometric technique is proposed for measuring the group refractive indices of dispersive samples with high accuracy. A tandem configuration of interferometers is used to compensate for the asymmetrical distortion of interferograms that results from the broad spectrum of the light source. The group refractive index can be measured without knowledge of the geometrical thickness of the sample under test. The proposed technique can successfully measure even a thick sample. Computer calculations have shown the effectiveness of the proposed technique, which was verified by preliminary experiments; the difference between the experimental result and the catalog data was 7 x 10(-4).


The legal governance of historical memory in Eastern and Central Europe has grown exponentially over the past two decades. This development runs parallel to the region's reckoning with its communist legacies at the national level, where national identity has been harnessed and sometimes instrumentalised to adopt revisionist interpretations of the past. Mnemonic governance in these States has also been heavily influenced by their proximity or membership to the European Union, which upholds the rule of law as a fundamental value. At the same time, the region's Soviet legacies have been projected by a newfound Russian assertiveness in the area, which has resulted in a phenomena known as memory wars. Those developments are accompanying the ongoing process of democratic transition in Eastern and Central European States. This introductory Article sets out the premises of the Special Section on historical memory in post-Communist Europe and the rule of law, by showing that these democratization processes are far from linear. It does so by first outlining the trajectory of memory governance in Western Europe, which has focused on the Holocaust as a foundational European narrative. It then outlines the tensions emerging between this account and the historical specificities of post-communist States which experienced different forms of totalitarianism. Finally, the introduction shows that the embrace of the rule of law in post-communist Europe in the form of the European Union project, transitional justice or democratic values has also been at odds with the region's mnemonic governance.


Of the several transformations that water waves may undergo, the phenomenon of reflection has received relatively little quantitative attention, although the analyst is sensitized to reflection in a qualitative way. Commonly the investigator is interested in progressive or transmitted waves and the characteristics of reflected waves and the energy dissipated during the reflection process are of little consequence. There are, however, certain structures, such as piers, floating bridges, bulkheads, etc., where waves reflecting from the structure can be of concern if they should impinge on a site or shoreline sensitive to a new, or changed, wave climate. Quantitative assessment of the energy dissipated during reflection is essential to the evaluation of devices which are intended to reduce site interaction problems and/or reduce the loading on structures and anchor systems. This paper examines the analysis of sea states where wind-generated waves and their reflection co-exist. Using the results of a field test the characteristics of co-existing sea states are discussed. The decomposition of these waves to obtain separate incident and reflected wave spectra requires two applications of spectral analysis. First, spectral estimates are computed from co-existing wave data acquired simultaneously at multiple, fixed sensor locations. These spectra are then divided into frequency increments and the amplitude associated with each increment used as an independent input into a technique to decompose the co-existing waves into appropriate incident and reflected wave spectra. Because the incremental amplitudes of the original spectral estimates are used as independent inputs, the shape and accuracy of these original estimates naturally have a profound influence on the final separated wave spectra. Various spectral estimating techniques were used on the field data and the accuracy of the results were compared to three validation criteria. Because the findings and discussion are validated primarily by the analysis of specific data it seems appropriate to first describe the relevant features of the field test. Though the present study involves deep water waves and zero transmission, the principles apply equally well to any situation where wave reflections are of interest.


In this paper, I review arguments according to which harsh criminal punishments and poverty are undeserved and therefore unjust. Such arguments come in different forms. First, one may argue that no one deserves to be poor or be punished, because there is no such thing as desert‐entailing moral responsibility. Second, one may argue that poor people in particular do not deserve to remain in poverty or to be punished if they commit crimes, because poor people suffer from psychological problems that undermine their agency and moral responsibility. Third, one may argue that poor and otherwise marginalized people frequently face external obstacles that prevent them from taking alternative courses of action. The first kind of argument has its place in the philosophy seminar. Psychological difficulties may be important to attend to both in personal relationships and when holding ourselves responsible. Nevertheless, I argue that neither type of argument belongs in political contexts. Moral responsibility scepticism ultimately rests on contested intuitions. Labelling certain groups of people particularly irrational, weak‐willed, or similar is belittling and disrespectful; such claims are also hard to prove, and may have the opposite effect to the intended one on people's attitudes. Arguments from external obstacles have none of these problems. Such arguments may not take us all the way to criminal justice reform, but in this context, we can supplement them with epistemic arguments and crime prevention arguments.


In rats, overexpression of a persistently active protein kinase C isoform enhances memories long after they have been formed. Can memory be improved? In vivo experiments using pharmacological inhibition of the enzyme protein kinase Mζ (PKMζ) in the insular cortex have shown that long-term conditioned taste aversion memory can be blocked. Now, Shema et al. show that overexpression of PKMζ in the rat insular cortex enhances memory, including memory that was formed long before the enzyme was overexpressed. The enhancement appears to affect more than a single memory. Thus, modulation of PKMζ can alter memories, even months after the initial encoding. R. Shema, S. Haramati, S. Ron, S. Hazvi, A. Chen, T. C. Sacktor, Y. Dudai, Enhancement of consolidated long-term memory by overexpression of protein kinase Mζ in the neocortex. Science 331, 1207–1210 (2011). [Abstract] [Full Text]


This study surveyed on Malaysian public and their understanding of semiotic studies as well as it's significant in portraying local identity. From an introduction of the forefathers of semiotic; Ferdinand De Saussure and Charles Sander Pierce to the understanding on process of design, local economy and background of each chosen bank, and how National Cultural Congress affecting local designs and why Maybank's logo was widely embrace by the local public. This study introduced semiotic studies to local designer as research material and historical reports. Due to problems like time constrains and unpersuasive
design illiterate authorities, local designers sometimes had to reuse foreign-related symbols which are irrelevant within local culture resulting misinterpreted by the local public. This study also explained local designers that fail in defending their design to
design-illiterate authority who wants to have a say in the design thus producing cliche designs. Lack of exposure in practicing semiotic study and implement it with culture and history of Malaysia may also contribute to the matter. Thus, this study aims to conduct a study on semiotic and its functions, relations and its effectiveness toward creating sign and symbol as logo, as well as to see the innovations through semiotic studies on the Malaysian Bank logo designs particularly on the chosen signifier and what it signifies and to clarify what exactly are semiotic studies in the Malaysian bank logo design and how it affects triggering the meaning and interpretation of signs. The method of this
investigation is by interviews, observation, personal experiences and questionnaires made on banks, designers and the public in order to get the primary data on the findings. Publish and unpublished material that relates to the topic will be mentioned as secondary data to the thesis. This study could be a research material for understanding of the semiotic studies and it's significant towards the development of logo constructions in
Malaysia, as well as introducing semiotic usage in the development of symbol's and logo design in Malaysian context. The study which also includes examples of simple usage of
the semiotic towards symbol within the scope of subject and the work flow of an agency based on the observations findings that are significant as a reference. Lastly, the findings portrayed the latest information of the public's awareness on the usage of semiotic studies in designs and their views of the manifestations of collaborations between the signifier (symbol) and the signified (meanings).


Patient non-attendance can lead to worse health outcomes and longer waiting times. In the English National Health Service, around 7% of patients who are referred by their general practice for a hospital outpatient appointment fail to attend. An electronic booking system (Choose and Book-C&B) for general practices making hospital outpatient appointments was introduced in England in 2005 and by 2009 accounted for 50% of appointments. It was intended, inter alia, to reduce the rate of non-attendance. Using a 2004-2009 panel with 7,900 English general practices, allowing for the relaxation of constraints on patient of hospital, and for the potential endogeneity of use of C&B, we estimate that the introduction of C&B reduced non-attendance by referred patients in 2009 by 72,160 (8.7%).


The report summarizes objectives and scope of a global system of national agricultural sector models which is currently being developed as part of the Food and Agriculture Program at IIASA.

The paper starts with a very brief characterization of the recent world food situation. It is emphasized that the main efforts to overcome current and expected food scarcities will have to be made within the affected developing nations themselves. International food policies, however, will have an important role to play in supporting these efforts. Three problem domains of international relevance are briefly discussed| instability of world markets, insecurity of food aid and deterioration of international trade.

The third section contains a summary of available global models insofar as they emphasize food and agriculture. No results or policy recommendations are reported here, rather the basic structural differences are discussed.

This schematic comparison of models leads then to a more detailed discussion of the international food and agriculture model of IIASA. The objective of the IIASA program is to define and quantify alternative sets of international and national policies which seem appropriate to reduce world hunger within the next 5-15 years by exploiting the international interactions between developing and industrial nations and by increasing local production in developing countries. The emphasis of the program lies on international cooperation.

A stepwise procedure is envisaged, where in the first phase a set of national agricultural sector models will be specified and empirically tested which will then, during the second phase, be linked through a world consistency model to simulate the global system. The national models will have some common properties to achieve operationality. They will typically consist of a disaggregated agricultural production component, an aggregated submodel for the rest of the economy as well as a consistent national expenditure system. These components define a so-called "real world bloc" which is controlled by a "policy bloc" describing goals and instruments at the government decision level.


Objective: The aim was to assess the relationship between female adiposity and physical attractiveness among men and women in Botswana. Design: A cross-sectional study was undertaken. Setting: Ranaka rural village, Botswana. Subjects: Randomly selected adults (n = 113, men = 48 and women = 65), 18–50 years old were recruited. Outcome measures: Scores to indicate the attractiveness of 21 images of female bodies that represented different percentage body fat (%BF) according to participants' age, gender and body mass index (BMI) were recorded. Results: The perceptions of physical attractiveness of female body size were similar among men and women, regardless of significant differences between the BMI of men and women. Younger (18–30 years) and older participants (31–50 years) separately, as well as underweight/normal weight versus overweight/obese groups all gave higher attractiveness scores for images with a lower %BF. All groups gave the highest score for the same image (%BF of 19% and waist:hip ratio (WHR) of 0.72), and the lowest score for an image with %BF of 49% and WHR of 0.81. There was a significant negative correlation between attractiveness score and %BF of the images for all groups, but no significant correlation between the attractiveness scores for the images and WHR. There was a consistent outlier in the graphs between attractiveness score and %BF with a %BF of 32% and a WHR of 0.61, with a relatively high score of 7.4 out of 9 for all groups. Conclusions: Participant groups according to gender, age or BMI gave similar attractiveness scores for leaner female body images.


The paper describes the assessment and mapping of wind climate and environmental conditions of the study region extending from 56.03N 20.2E to 57.22N 21.33E. Maps of wind resources and environmental conditions are the primary method used for presenting the offshore wind resources as well as site conditions data. A GIS database was chosen to house the offshore resources data because the datasets have a significant spatial component. A visualization of the geospatial data is created using the Google Maps platform. The maps datasets consist of gridded 1) climatological information on wind speed and direction, air temperature, air pressure, wind power potential at 10m, 80m, 90m and 100m height; 2) oceanographical information on water temperature, height and direction of sea waves, speed and direction of currents, ice conditions; 3) geological data on bathymetry and sea sediments. The horizontal resolution of the database grid cells is 5 km by 5 km. All the component datasets are spatially referenced to the same spatial base, allowing rapid indexing of the different datasets to each other. A database user may compare information from different datasets in the same geographic location. The GIS database also allows portions of a dataset to be quickly updated as new information becomes available.


This report presents the largest analysis of national vegetation data sets in relation to nitrogen (N) deposition carried out to date. The study statistically analysed eight independent national vegetation surveillance datasets using a consistent approach, to identify evidence of N deposition impacts in four habitat types; acidic and calcareous grassland, heathland and bogs.

This new analysis was the largest of its kind, using data from the Vascular Plant Database (1930-1969 and 1987-1999), BSBI Local Change Survey (1987-1988 and 2003-2004), British Bryological Society, British Lichen Society, Plantlife Common Plant Survey, and three country grassland datasets. The project took four widespread habitats, calcareous and acid grasslands, heathlands, and bogs, and for each, looked for evidence of vegetation change caused by nitrogen deposition, after accounting for other factors that could have an impact. Spatial analysis, and where possible temporal analysis, was conducted to analyse the relationship between N deposition and summary variables (Ellenberg scores, canopy height, specific leaf area), species diversity (species richness, Shannon-Wiener diversity index) and individual species occurrence.

The study clearly demonstrated significant changes in the abundance of individual species and variables describing habitat structure and function as a result of N deposition. This, together with previous evidence from surveys and experiments, provides clear evidence of species-level impacts of N deposition in all four of the habitats investigated.

Results are presented individually for each of the datasets examined. The discussion section draws the results together examining them for each habitat. Key results are provided in the results section of the report. A complete set of all significant results are presented in the Electronic Appendix.

The analysis presented in Report 447 represents the first part of a large study of nitrogen impacts on vegetation. In a second part of the project, reported in JNCC Report 449, the results of this new analysis, together with other sources of independent evidence, are interpreted in respect of implications for "conservation commitments".

A project summary, presenting the key messages and summarising the impacts, is also provided.


The rhetoric concerns the use of the most effective form of expression in the present situation. In this way, expression becomes more intriguing, aesthetic, and powerful by departing from the ordinary speech. The purpose of the rhetorical statement is to use the most effective method of conveying the message, rather than simply transmitting it. Rhetoric is often used not only verbally but also visually to convince audiences with the ability to reinforce narrative by using some tropes such as metaphor, metonymy, irony, and pun. Visual rhetoric is the use of images in a particular concept within the rhetorical discipline as a means of creating meaning to give the viewer the desired message and create the desired behavior. In this context, the aim of persuading and influencing the audience is the point of intersection of graphic design. Visual rhetorical figures offer methods of giving a message in different forms as one of the ways in which the graphic designer intentionally or instinctively makes sense. This research entitled "Visual Rhetoric in Logo Design" explores how logotype design utilizes visual rhetorical figures. As it can be seen in the examples, one or more of the features such as semantic transpositions made by symbols, personification of letters by using them alone or with other visual elements, and representation of the part as a whole which are essentially visual rhetorical figures, are being used in almost every logo. As a result, in the logo design which is one of the areas of graphic design where it is important to describe the concept with the least amount of material, visual rhetoric figures are frequently used.


Conventional wisdom holds that dependence among geological prospects increases exploration risk. However, dependence also creates the option to truncate exploration if early results are discouraging. We show that the value of this option creates incentives for explorationists to plunge into dependence; i.e., to assemble portfolios of highly correlated exploration prospects. Risk-neutral and risk-averse investors are distinguished not by the plunging phenomenon, but by the threshold level of dependence that triggers such behavior. Aversion to risk does not imply aversion to dependence. Indeed the potential to plunge may be larger for risk-averse investors than for risk-neutral investors.


The Fights of the Forsaken Kings: Caste Conglomeration, Heroism, and Sovereignty in Contemporary South India Victoria Gross This ethnographic and archival study offers insight into Dalit identity politics, Tamil ethno-nationalism, and affective understandings and experiences of sovereignty in contemporary Tamil Nadu, South India. It is an-depth exploration of the recent history and present moment of inter-caste conflict that plagues Tamil Nadu, despite the fact that it is India's most urbanized state, and among its wealthiest and most industrially developed. Over the course of the past thirty years, spectacular and brutal murders, riots, and police repression have regularly characterized the relationships between groups of politically affiliated individuals we call castes. I historicize and contextualize such incidents, tracking the changing phenomenology of caste as it intersects with the gendered politics of Tamil ethnic identity. In order to do so, I examine the formation of caste conglomerations, which I define as intentionally incorporated political bodies attempting to situate themselves relationally in the context of rapid demographic and technological changes, and the breakdown of formal, intergenerational models of caste differentiation and hierarchy. The practices of intercaste relations in Tamil Nadu, are not disappearing, but are asserting themselves in new and sometimes violent ways as the economic realities and inhabitable spaces of many formerly distinguishable castes become increasingly alike. Responding to the anxiety of disintegrating hierarchy, what were once localized, relatively independent castes are uniting as political bodies that attempt to identify themselves in relation to each other, competing mimetically in a cycle of recursive opposition. I focus on two increasingly visible caste conglomerations – the Devendras and the Thevars – who have been embroiled in a violent conflict in Tamil Nadu since the late 1950s. The recent experiences of the Devendras who are officially classified as Dalit ("untouchable"), and the Thevars who were once socioeconomically dominant in much of Southern Tamil Nadu, exemplify the changing socioeconomic dynamics that foster caste conglomeration. Although the ancestors of many landowning castes ruled over the laborers they relegated to untouchability, their recent economic decline relative to the "untouchables" has unsettled what were once clearly demarcated social hierarchies. A new and unstable economy of collective rank is developing to fill this vacuum, as the self-fashioned leaders of caste conglomerations construct their identities. The process of caste conglomeration dissolves antecedent boundaries of caste even as it reconstitutes castes as larger and therefore more powerful groups, thus simultaneously demonstrating both the fluidity and intractability of caste logics. The identitarian claims of caste conglomerations are carved into the new urban spaces they inhabit with visual and auditory signifiers, which are heightened during memorial celebrations of recently remembered caste history. Caste heroes who embody the often conflicting Tamil masculine ideals of selfless courage and refined civility play an important role in such acts of representing history through which caste conglomerations proclaim the dignity they are owed in the present through the glories of their past. I explore this process as it is energized by the antagonistic power struggle between the Devendras and the Thevars. The still tenuously united Devendras fight back against their relegation to Dalit status by claiming that they have been misclassified in the caste order, and that they are not, in fact, Dalits. Instead, they are the original people, and therefore rightful rulers, of the Tamil country. The Thevars who are a slightly older conglomeration of three previously endogamous but similarly ranked castes, counter such claims with their own claims to Tamil sovereignty, contributing to the unintended fallout of Tamil ethno-nationalism, or Dravidianism. Dominating state-level politics since the middle of the twentieth century, Dravidianism has attempted to configure a united non-Brahmin identity, which might have dissolved the boundaries between the vast majority of Tamil castes. It has instead resulted in widespread, caste-based competition over Tamil identity. The Devendras are increasingly vying for power through the idiom of Tamil identity, distancing themselves from Dalits (themselves an enormous caste conglomeration founded on the disavowal of caste), despite the Dalits' electoral success. In tracing the Devendras' strategy, my dissertation locates the boundary of pan-Indic Dalit political identity, suggesting that the Dalit category inadequately describes the experiences of formerly "untouchable" groups who are drawn, like many others, to the powerful calls of ethnicity. Such struggles of caste, entangled with ethno-nationalism, demonstrate the yearning for sovereignty that has arisen alongside the distrusted state. The parties and caste organizations of the Devendras and Thevars, like those of other rapidly multiplying caste conglomerations, reflect the desires of the disempowered, and operate as parastate authorities offering material benefits, collective pride, and transactions with government agents, which are troubled by the conglomerations' need for legitimation that only the government can offer. These complicated processes of negotiating new and relatively unstable economies of power drive the questions of my dissertation, which unfold through the stories of Tamil men who experience the forces of caste identity and the government in their everyday lives. Caste conglomeration is not another example of Sanskritization through which castes ascend the social ladder by emulating those above them. Instead, the process I examine is competitive, mimetic, and recursive, presupposing the relative equality brought about by economic changes and by the promises of the democratic nation-state. While one generation ago, there were stark differences between landowning castes and the laboring castes now known as Devendras, today, Devendras have the resources to compete in terms of their public visibility, levels of education, and historical claims. In fact, their assertions are so resounding that Thevars sometimes follow Devendras in their strategic calls for recognition. I do not, however, discount the brutalities of Thevar violence against Devendras, but instead aim to shed light on the social context of such acts. It is the profound anxiety of growing similarity, rather than difference, that erupts in the excess of violence.


This past summer, the United States Supreme Court handed down its decision in Halliburton v. Erica P. John Fund, Inc. ("Halliburton II"), in which the Court held that a defendant may establish lack of price impact at the certification stage to establish a lack of reliance based upon the fraud-on-the-market theory. This was the third decision in three years dealing with the fraud-on-the-market approach to establishing commonality with respect to reliance by plaintiffs on management's misrepresentations. In so doing, the Supreme Court retained market efficiency as an element of the fraud-on-the-market theory, but also reflected a broader and less restrictive approach to market efficiency than had been adopted by some of the circuit courts. By permitting defendants to establish a lack of price impact, which plaintiffs will certainly challenge, this Article asserts that, because price impact is linked to both loss causation and materiality, which previous Supreme Court decisions have determined need not be established at the certification stage, the Court has open the door to the litigation of complicated, fact-based issues at the certification stage, rather than at a trial on the merits where the litigation of such issues should properly take place. While there has not been much litigation as of yet applying Halliburton II, courts thus far have held defendants to a substantial burden in establishing a lack of price impact. Nonetheless, this Article suggests that it is the misleading information injected into the market by defendants upon which plaintiffs rely, not the market price, and that certification should be a summary proceeding, leaving complicated and complex issues of price impact, materiality, and loss causation to a trial on the merits. Otherwise, the present approach raises as yet unresolved issues as to issue preclusion, law of the case, and the Seventh


Purpose – This paper seeks to identify information enabling and supporting production ramp-up processes, by exploring critical events and the role of information in such events.

Design/methodology/approach – The research approach was based on empirical and theoretical investigations. A selection of 30 events, considered the most critical for production ramp-up realization and/or performance at one Swedish automotive company, were categorized and constituted the base for the analysis which focused information types and sources enabling event handling.

Findings – Information enabling event handling is a balanced combination of problem and domain information, regardless of event category. However, a differentiation concerning preference and usage of information types between experienced and less experienced personnel is identified. Problem-solving information has the character of pragmatic information, composed of complementary parts of confirmation and novelty in terms of domain and problem information. The preferred information source in all event categories was "other people".

Research limitations/implications – The study focuses on the application of information in relation to critical events during production ramp-up. General information theory is not addressed in depth.

Practical implications – Information type and information source are not dependent on certain event categories, which allows a general information strategy enabling production ramp-up. To facilitate production ramp-up and event handling managers and key personnel need to apply a holistic perspective and need to be updated on domain information of the products, the equipment, and the production process during production ramp-up.

Originality/value – The originality is in the focus and role of information to achieve an efficient production ramp-up performance. A supporting model is developed which describes the structure of pragmatic information for personnel with various levels of experience, regardless of event category.


The thesis describes development work which was undertaken to improve the speed of a real-time power system simulator used for the development and testing of control schemes. The solution of large, highly sparse matrices was targeted because this is the most time-consuming part of the current simulator. Major improvements in the speed of the matrix ordering phase of the solution were achieved through the development of a new ordering strategy. This was thoroughly investigated, and is shown to provide important additional improvements compared to standard ordering methods, in reducing path length and minimising potential pipeline stalls. Alterations were made to the remainder of the solution process which provided more flexibility in scheduling calculations. This was used to dramatically ease the run-time generation of efficient code, dedicated to the solution of one matrix structure, and also to reduce memory requirements. A survey of the available microprocessors was performed, which concluded that a special-purpose design could best implement the code generated at run-time, and a design was produced using a microprogrammable floating-point processor, which matched the code produced by the earlier work. A method of splitting the matrix solution onto parallel processors was investigated, and two methods of producing network splits were developed and their results compared. The best results from each method were found to agree well, with a predicted three-fold speed-up for the matrix solution of the C.E.G.B. transmission system from the use of six processors. This gain will increase for the whole simulator. A parallel processing topology of the partitioned network and produce the necessary structures for the remainder of the solution process.


Laser ablation‐inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry (LA‐ICP‐MS) analysis of zircons confirm a Late Devonian to Early Carboniferous age (ca 360–350 Ma) for silicic volcanic rocks of the Campwyn Volcanics and Yarrol terrane of the northern New England Fold Belt (Queensland). These rocks are coeval with silicic volcanism recorded elsewhere in the fold belt at this time (Connors Arch, Drummond Basin). The new U–Pb zircon ages, in combination with those from previous studies, show that silicic magmatism was both widespread across the northern New England Fold Belt (>250 000 km2 and ≥500 km inboard of plate margin) and protracted, occurring over a period of ∼15 million years. Zircon inheritance is commonplace in the Late Devonian — Early Carboniferous volcanics, reflecting anatectic melting and considerable reworking of continental crust. Inherited zircon components range from ca 370 to ca 2050 Ma, with Middle Devonian (385–370 Ma) zircons being common to almost all dated units. Precambrian zircon components record either Precambrian crystalline crust or sedimentary accumulations that were present above or within the zone of magma formation. This contrasts with a lack of significant zircon inheritance in younger Permo‐Carboniferous igneous rocks intruded through, and emplaced on top of, the Devonian‐Carboniferous successions. The inheritance data and location of these volcanic rocks at the eastern margins of the northern New England Fold Belt, coupled with Sr–Nd, Pb isotopic data and depleted mantle model ages for Late Palaeozoic and Mesozoic magmatism, imply that Precambrian mafic and felsic crustal materials (potentially as old as 2050 Ma), or at the very least Lower Palaeozoic rocks derived from the reworking of Precambrian rocks, comprise basement to the eastern parts of the fold belt. This crustal basement architecture may be a relict from the Late Proterozoic breakup of the Rodinian supercontinent.


Worldwide, the ISO 9000 quality assurance standards have received considerable support from firms seeking to improve their competitiveness. A postal survey was conducted amongst 92 South African agribusiness firms to determine the extent of the adoption of ISO 9000, reasons for certification and to identify the costs and benefits of adopting these standards. About 36 percent of the respondent firms were certified. The desire to improve customer service, a basis for quality improvement and the need to improve operational efficiency were the most important factors influencing certification. Respondents reported financial, managerial and production benefits following certification. Broadly speaking, certified firms operate as private or public companies, have parent company affiliations, are involved in manufacturing, and are established firms with large annual turnovers.


Courses offered by the Program in Science, Technology, and Society are listed under the subject code STS on the ExploreCourses web site (https://explorecourses.stanford.edu/search/? q=STS&view=catalog&page=0&academicYear=&filter-termAutumn=on&filter-term-Winter=on&filter-term-Spring=on&filterterm-Summer=on&collapse=&filter-departmentcode-STS=on&filtercatalognumber-STS=on&filter-coursestatus-Active=on&filtercatalognumber-STS=on).


This thesis represents the results of a theoretical and practical investigation of acoustic and electro-acoustic elements of Western music at the start of the twentyfirst
century, with specific attention to soundscapes. A commentary on the development of soundscapes is drawn from a multidisciplinary overview of concepts of time, followed by an examination of concepts of time in music. As a response to Jonathan Kramer's concept of `vertical' music (a characteristic aesthetic of which is an absence of conventional harmonic teleology), particular attention is paid to those theories of multiple nested temporalities which have been referred to by Kramer in support of non-teleological musical structures.
The survey suggests that new musical concepts, such as vertical music, have emerged from sensibilities resulting from the musical and associated styles of minimalism, and represent an ontological development of aesthetics characteristic of the twentieth century. An original contention of the debate is that innovations in the
practice of music as the result of technological developments have led to the possibility of defining a methodology of process in addition to auditive strategies,
resulting in a duality defined as 'tempomorphic'. Further observations are supplied, using findings derived from original creative practical research, to define
tempomorphic performance, which complete the contribution to knowledge offered by the investigation. Tempomorphism, therefore, is defined as a duality of process and audition: as auditive tool, tempomorphic analysis provides a listening strategy suited to harmonically static music; as a procedural tool, it affords a methodology based primarily on duration.


Recommender Systems are tools to understand the huge amount of data available in the internet world. Collaborative filtering (CF) is one of the most knowledge discovery methods used positively in recommendation system. Memory collaborative filtering emphasizes on using facts about present users to predict new things for the target user. Similarity measures are the core operations in collaborative filtering and the prediction accuracy is mostly dependent on similarity calculations. In this study, a combination of weighted parameters and traditional similarity measures are conducted to calculate relationship among users over Movie Lens data set rating matrix. The advantages and disadvantages of each measure are spotted. From the study, a new measure is proposed from the combination of measures to cope with the global meaning of data set ratings. After conducting the experimental results, it is shown that the proposed measure achieves major objectives that maximize the accuracy Predictions.


The conjugate heat transfer methodology has been employed to predict the flow and thermal properties including the metal temperature of a NASA turbine vane at three operating conditions. The turbine vane was cooled internally by air flowing through ten round pipes. The conjugate heat transfer methodology allows a simultaneous solution of aerodynamics and heat transfer in the external hot gas and the internal cooling passages and conduction within the solid metal, eliminating the need for multiple/decoupled solutions in a typical industry design process. The model of about 3 million computational meshes includes the gas path and the internal cooling channels, comprising hexa cells, and the solid metal comprising hexa and prism cells. The predicted aerodynamic loadings were found to be in close agreement with the data for all the cases. The predicted metal temperature, external, and internal heat transfer distributions at the midspan compared well with the measurement. The differences in the heat transfer rates and metal temperature under different running conditions were also captured well. The V2F turbulence model has been compared with a low-Reynolds-number k-e model and a nonlinear quadratic k-e model. The V2F model is found to provide the closest agreement with the data, though it still has room for improvement in predicting the boundary layer transition and turbulent heat transfer, especially on the suction side. The overall results are quite encouraging and indicate that conjugate heat transfer simulation with proper turbulence closure has the potential to become a viable tool in turbine heat transfer analysis and cooling design.


We present an interesting case illustrating how coronary optical frequency domain imaging (OFDI) examination can be used to guide revascularization of a complex chronic total occlusion (CTO) in a patient presenting to our hospital with a 2-year history of angina, dyspnea, and a positive treadmill test. This case demonstrates the potential clinical role of high-resolution OFDI to optimize coronary stent implantation. OFDI may help to limit the coronary area covered by stents to the true coronary lesion.


Well designed built and maintained pavements will sustain the safe and comfortable transportation of people and goods. Effective monitoring requires information about evolving pavement condition, including details about factors such as pavement distresses, climate conditions and traffic pattern which are important factors impacting the pavement conditions. Keeping track of the degree of distress over time can help extending the pavement life by applying the suitable maintenance and rehabilitation at the right time. Pavement management systems (PMSs) were originally created to archive this kind of data so that decision makers could predict future pavement performance. The Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) employs an advanced PMS tool, entitled PMS2, to record, store, and analyze data about the current and past pavement performance conditions of its network of 16,500 centre-lane kilometers of freeways, collectors, arterials, and local roads.
The research presented in this thesis was focused on the use of PMS2 data for the calibration of flexible pavement performance models coefficients for Ontario as a case study Performance model coefficients were created for application with the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG), now known as AASHTOWare®, and were calibrated using statistical tools through a series of analyses of historical pavement condition data that were collected in the field. The data were classified according to pavement type and annual average daily traffic. For this study, three categories were examined and calibrated: low traffic volume (AADT 10,000), and overall network. The spilt in data was Eighty-five percent to be used in calibration development of the performance model calibration coefficients and the remaining fifteen percent of the data were employed for validating the performance models using a variety of statistical tools. A comparison of the results with the field measurements revealed that rutting model coefficients should be locally calibrated for each category. For the low-volume, high-volume, and overall network categories, local calibration produced significant reductions in the rutting root-mean-square error (RMSE) of 30, 37, and 37 %, respectively, and in the IRI showed there was no significant correlation.
The procedure and analysis methodology used in the calibration of the performance model coefficients provide a framework for the local calibration of AASHTOWare® based on a comparison of the predicted pavement distress and that documented in the PMS. This work will have important benefits to the transportation agencies as it will enable them to evaluate the feasibility of using the ASHTOWare® Design system to improve pavement management and to enhance future design and construction strategies.


Since the early 1990s, the resource based view of the firm has been the dominant theoretical approach to strategic human resource management (SHRM). Proponents of the resource based view argue that organisations can achieve sustained competitive advantage from owning resources that are rare, valuable, inimitable and non-substitutable. Although theorists suggest resource inimitability is due in part to its 'path dependence', few SHRM studies have examined this phenomenon. This thesis addresses this gap in the literature by examining SHRM paths over time. Two research questions are developed. One seeks to explain what shapes the SHRM path. The other examines the impact of the SHRM path on the sustained competitive advantage or disadvantage of organisations. The research uses complexity theory to explore the evolution of SHRM in organisations. This approach overcomes the inhibitive assumptions of neoclassical economic theories often used in resource based studies. Complexity theory informs the design of a SHRM Path Typology. The typology identifies different change points, feedback processes, and outcomes in SHRM path dependence and path creation. Four organisations are selected as case studies to test the typology. These organisations compete in the same industry, labour, and product markets. The organisational history is the same in three of these firms until the 1990s. Qualitative data on their history, context, and SHRM are collected up to 2008. A within case study analysis explores what shapes each organisation's SHRM path. A case study comparison examines the impact of their SHRM path on their sustained competitive advantage and disadvantage. The research finds support for the SHRM Path Typology. It finds SHRM path dependence occurs when events trigger path reinforcing processes that rigidify SHRM, while SHRM path creation occurs when organisational entrepreneurs establish path adjusting processes that enable adaptive SHRM. The research finds SHRM rigidity is reinforced by: single level decision making in SHRM; lack of financial investment in SHRM; learned exploitation of HR practices; and, distrust in the SHRM system. Conversely, SHRM adaption is enabled by: multi-level decision making in SHRM; financial investment in SHRM; learned exploration of HR practices; and, trust in the SHRM system. The research also finds path dependence and rigidity in SHRM leads to sustained competitive disadvantage for an organisation, whereas, path creation and adaptivity in SHRM leads to its sustained competitive advantage. This research contributes to SHRM theory by conceptualising SHRM as an evolving path, which is shaped over time, in a process of complex interactions between: decision making; investments; learning; and, trust in SHRM. It characterises SHRM as either rigid, due to events triggering path dependency, or adaptive, due to path creation by organisational entrepreneurs. It explains how path dependence in SHRM can lead to sustained competitive disadvantage, and path creation in SHRM can lead to sustained competitive advantage in organisations. This thesis contributes to SHRM research by drawing on complexity theory to develop a SHRM Path Typology. The SHRM Path Typology identifies the change triggers, feedback processes, and outcomes of different types of SHRM paths. For practitioners, the research exposes the hidden dynamics of SHRM path dependence and creation.


This first volume of Margaret Thatcher's memoirs encompasses the whole of her time as Prime Minister - the formation of her goals in the early 1980s, the Falklands, the General Election victories of 1983 and 1987 and, eventually, the circumstances of her fall from political power. She also gives frank accounts of her dealings with foreign statesmen and her own ministers.


Ghana displays a number of features of democratic institutionalization and is considered a success story of democratic transformation in Africa. This paper examines the quality of Ghana's political transformation and the nature of its institutions. It seeks to identify the driving power relations and 'ideas' which are shaping Ghana's political and economic development. Following Levy (2012), this involves first framing Ghana as a particular type of competitive clientelist political settlement. The paper also brings agency to the fore by identifying the key actors and members of the ruling coalition that reproduce the political settlement. The final section presents some hypotheses concerning the direct influence of the political settlement on development in Ghana now and in the future. It concludes that in the short- to medium-term Ghana's democratic politics and development will continue to be informed and shaped by a competitive clientelist electoral politics. In the medium- to long-term, however, with the increasingly competitive nature of elections and the continuous expansion of the public space, the character of the political settlement in Ghana will create the incentive structure for the ruling coalition to adopt sustainable policies and strategies towards inclusive development.


Extracted from text ... Journal of Marketing Vol 11 No 4 2005 (c) Printed on Sappi Dukuza Plus Gloss 90g/m2. 53
insights
Chairperson mfsa, exco
Dee Blackie on what really counts....
No one will get the last laugh,
if we don?t protect our brands
Iwas recently doing a presentation at 3M, a company that prides itself on being driven by innovation. Before I could get past security however, I was asked to hand over my cellphone as it has camera capabilities, and represents a risk to intellectual property protection that 3M is not prepared to take. I was ..


ABSTRACT This article is concerned with the social praxis of documentary in the sea of 'ubiquitous data' that is both consequence and driver of online social mediation. The topic is given importance by the morphing of the character of video in the context of the latest web coding language, HTML5. Until now, web video has been impervious to its networked context, reproducing the conditions of the TV screen in a hypermediated space. Now existing databases and live information drawn from social media can be connected to the documentary environment, offering opportunities for the production of new kinds of knowledge and application. The affordances of networked connectivity offer the potential to recontextualize documentary material through mobilizing the enormous co-creative potential of human discourse captured in the Web. The challenge in these marriages of mass media form and rhizomatic network is to find new ways of shaping attention into a coherent experience. To do so, we have to reinvent the social praxis of documentary, creating new visual and informational grammars.


Business organizations apply international and national accounting standards to construct publicly available financial statements and financial reporting, but the respective goals, principles and requirements of accounting and taxation are not always the same. Based on this fact, this paper aims to address important issues related to the presentation of the economic reality in Kosovo, where the existence of the accounting-taxation relationship when preparing financial statements produces its effects depending on the degree of intensity that characterizes this relationship. Using research results, this paper provides an overview of the reporting regulatory framework in both reporting areas and points to the correlation between financial and fiscal reporting in the preparation of financial statements, classifying this relationship in one of the five categories recognized in international literature.


Three issues with far-reaching causes and consequences, climate change, water scarcity, and pandemics, are examined with attention to their national security implications and impacts on the global commons. The authors aim to trigger new ways of thinking about the complex challenges of these issues. Because their effects are mostly the result of individuals and states acting out of self-interest rather than harmful intent, these three issues are treated as "threats without threateners." With sources and solutions that cross national and regional boundaries, multiple parties working together are more effective than unilateral action. In all three areas, risks are hard to assess, in both severity and time frame; therefore, mustering political will and coalitions for action is inherently difficult. The paper describes four overlapping clusters of policy approaches, international negotiations, coalitions of the willing, transcommunity networking, and anti-fragile approaches, and their relative successes and limitations. Considered one of the policy approaches with the greatest potential for tackling interconnected global challenges, anti-fragile systems do not just cope with change or uncertainty; they benefit from them. They search for alternatives that attract new participants, scale to accommodate those new participants, and create positive feedback loops that enable them not only to perform as well as or better than legacy systems but to continually improve over time. Using suggestive examples to illustrate each type of approach, the paper builds a case for the evolution of policy away from fixing problems and toward new possibilities and combinations of methods to address threats that are both chronic and acute (as appears on the RAND Corporation web site).


The dynein arms of ciliary doublet microtubules cause adjacent axonemal doublets to slide apart with fixed polarity. This suggests that there is a unique mechanochemistry to the dynein arm with unidirectional force generation in all active arms and also that not all arms are active at once during a ciliary beat. Negative stain and thin-section images of arms in axonemes treated with beta, gamma methylene adenosine triphosphate (AMP-PCP) show a consistent subunit construction where the globular head of the arm interacts with subfiber B of doublet N+1. This interpretation differs from that provided by freeze etch and STEM interpretations of in situ arm construction and has implications for the mechanochemical cycle of the arm. A computer model of the arms in relation to other axonemal structures has been constructed to test these interpretations. Attachment of the head of the arm subfiber B is directly demonstrable in splayed axonemes in AMP-PCP. About half of the doublets in an axoneme show such attachments, while half do not. This might imply that about half the doublets in an axoneme are active at any given instant and can be identified as such. This information may be useful in probing questions of how active arms differ biochemically from inactive arms and of how microtubule translocators in general become active.


Dominance is one of the most pervasive and important behaviors among wolves in a pack, yet its significance in free-ranging packs has been little studied. Insights into a behavior can often be gained by examining unusual examples of it. In the High Arctic near Eureka, Nunavut, Canada, we videotaped and described an unusually prolonged and intensive behavioral bout between an adult male Gray Wolf ( Canis lupus ) and a male member of his pack, thought to be a maturing son. With tail raised, the adult approached a male pack mate about 50 m from us and pinned and straddled this packmate repeatedly over 6.5 minutes, longer than we had ever seen in over 50 years of studying wolves. We interpreted this behavior as an extreme example of an adult wolf harassing a maturing offspring, perhaps in prelude to the offspring's dispersal.


OF DISSERTATION SCAPULAR MUSCLE ASSESSMENT IN PATIENTS WITH LATERAL EPICONDYLALGIA The role rehabilitation plays in the management of patients with lateral epicondylalgia (LE) remains elusive secondary to high recurrence rates. Addressing scapular muscle deficits may be important in the rehabilitation of patients with LE. However, it is unknown if scapular muscle impairments exist in a working population of patients with LE. The purpose of this dissertation was to assess scapular muscle strength and endurance in a working population of patients with LE. Clinical scapular muscle assessment tools are limited in their ability to isolate specific muscles. Rehabilitative ultrasound imaging (RUSI) is a potentially useful tool but few studies have investigated its utility. Absolute muscle thickness measurements were obtained on healthy individuals for the lower trapezius (LT) and serratus anterior (SA) under three conditions (arm at rest, arm elevated with a low load, arm elevated with a high load). For both the LT and SA, a significant distinction could be made in muscle thickness between rest and a loaded condition but not between the two load conditions. Furthermore, excellent reliability was demonstrated for both muscles. It is unknown whether arm dominance plays a role in scapular muscle assessments. Therefore, healthy individuals between the ages of 30 and 65 were recruited to compare the effect of arm dominance on scapular muscle strength, endurance, and change in thickness measured by RUSI. Results indicate that arm dominance does significantly affect some measures of scapular muscle strength and endurance. However, the differences between the dominant and non-dominant limbs were not beyond measurement error. Scapular muscle strength, endurance, and change in muscle thickness of the LT and SA were assessed in 28 patients presenting with signs and symptoms consistent with LE. LT strength, SA strength, middle trapezius strength, endurance, and change in SA thickness were significantly less in patients with LE compared to matched controls. SA and LT strength were significantly less in the involved limb compared to the uninvolved limb in patients with LE. The results suggest that assessing scapular muscle endurance as well as LT and SA strength is indicated when evaluating patients with LE, and the results should be compared to normative data.


In order to lighten the prestressed concrete solid members, nowadays, it is possible to make use of the advantage of HPC (fc'>60 MPa) as well as replacing the solid section with a PSC thin-walled section for certain members such as circular and box columns. Using the strength theory of ACI, a numerical procedure along with a computer program was developed for the analysis of such sections subjected to axial compression or tension load and bending moments. The program solves for all possible variables such as, concrete compressive strength (fc'= 60-100 MPa), type of prestressed steel, concrete cover, ratio of wall thickness to the section dimensions and the PS steel arrangements to satisfy the given loading cases, thus leading to an optimal cost solution. However, since the cross section is thin-walled circular or box and the PS steel is located at discrete points along the periphery of a circle or rectangle, the equations of equilibrium are complex for hand computations (especially for circular section) but suitable for computer program. So, by use of MATLAB software the interaction diagrams were also drawn for the analysis of such sections for all mentioned variables. The use of prestressed thin-walled column diagrams is a safe and easy tool for the analysis of such columns. Finally, the accuracy of the proposed method is demonstrated by comparing its results to those of the available experimental values and is indicate that the proposed method predict very well the capacity of prestressed thin-walled column.


Though he's known now primarily as the author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, in his lifetime Lewis Carroll was interested at least as much in photography as in writing. This book offers a close look at Carroll's engagement with the medium, both as a creator and a collector of photographs. Lindsay Smith takes readers to the glass studio above Carroll's college rooms at Oxford, where he created many of his striking portraits, and she also follows him into the field—on excursions to the theater in London, to the seaside at Eastbourne, and even to Russia. Smith also details Carroll's enthusiastic work as a collector, in which role he arranged portrait sittings for photographers whose work he admired.

Beautifully illustrated with a generous selection of Carroll's work and that of other photographers of the period, this book gives fans of Carroll's writing a new way to understand his creative genius.


Many explanations of young adolescent behavior are based on processes specific to young adolescents. This implies adults and other organisms do not exhibit behaviors exhibited by young adolescents. Based on Tolman's model of purposive behavior, young adolescents are argued to follow the same behavioral patterns as other beings. Young adolescents are argued to be hypersensitive to their social environment, as indicated by the imaginary audience, but based on a different rationale. Further, it is argued that adolescents may take great risks, but not due to false perceptions of invulnerability. Based on Tolman and Erikson's work, it is argued that individuals experience a state of disruption when faced with changing social reality and negative expectancy violations. Disruption is argued to lead to behaviors indicative of a "typical adolescent." The sample for this study includes 214 college students ages 18 to 21. College students were chosen as the sample to ensure if the hypotheses were supported, processes or events specific to young adolescence could not be the attributed cause. The respondents attended either a Southwestern University (n = 115) or a Northeastern College (n = 99). Results, obtained via cross-sectional survey, primarily support the proposed rationale and hypotheses. College-student respondents, overall, were significantly more likely to express a willingness to risk physical pain the greater their self-reported need to obtain the rewards associated with the risk. Respondents were also more sensitive to information depending on their desired goal-state and their level of satiation regarding their desired goal-state. Results also support the prediction that respondents would be less able to separate others' concerns from their own when the topic of interest was of self-importance than when the issue was not. Other findings reveal individuals learn more about relevant than irrelevant information and that they exhibit greater stress and anxiety, and less self-esteem and stability of self when in a state of disruption. These findings argue a new approach be taken when interpreting adolescent behavior. CHAPTER


Swann (2005), refereed for and published in a well-respected and internationally distributed UK-based journal, extends aspects of the argument of Swann (2003). It too makes an original contribution to the debate about epistemological and methodological issues in education research. Drawing on Karl Popper's evolutionary epistemology and her own experience as an action researcher, Swann challenges the view that the improvement of educational practice requires a secure – sound, if not certain – base of knowledge about 'what works' in schools and classrooms, and that education research is a means by which such knowledge may be produced. She discusses the limitations and appropriate use of evidence, and proposes a model of research in which imaginative criticism is the key methodological concept and intellectual boldness is a virtue. In the course of the argument, New Challenges for Educational Research, a report of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2003), is critiqued.