In this thesis I set out to examine current practices in violin pedagogy and to relate these to current theory in Motor Learning (hereafter, ML). This will involve particularly focusing on how teachers consider the acquisition of motor skills in terms of teaching strategies, memory and student's motivation. The thesis sets out to answer the following research questions:

• To what extent are motor-learning and associated theories applied in major violin pedagogies such as Suzuki or Rolland, albeit without the teacher's awareness or acknowledgement?

• Do teachers in fact apply the teaching pedagogies they claim?

• Can their success be attributed to the use of Motor Learning principles?

In Part one of the thesis various violin pedagogies and concepts associated with ML theory are laid out. A primary source for ML research is found in the sports psychology literature but my research exposes a widespread lack of awareness of ML principles in the actual practice of violin teaching in Spain, UK and the USA. Whilst many teachers of violin pedagogy follow formal teaching programmes and methods, for example Suzuki and Rolland, it is questionable to what extent these methods actually implement aspects of ML theory. I conclude that each, in its way, is drawing on certain ML principles even when the authors of the methods are evidently unaware of the link.

Part two of the thesis presents the findings of an extended programme of empirical study in which aspects of Motor Learning and their influence in teachers' practice is explored. I analyse the practices of those teachers who have participated in a case study that I have developed as part of my doctoral thesis, exploring differences between their methods, pedagogies and approaches. I then describe some aspects of ML and their influence on teachers' practice. Following this, data collected in the case study through lesson observation, interviews and the use of questionnaires is provided, outlining comparisons between the teaching habits of the teachers. I determine this study confirms the presence in violin teachers' methods of procedures considered as efficient under ML principles and brings to light differences in teachers' habits depending on their level of expertise. This is particularly related to the frequency and length of the instructions, control of pupils' feedback and the variety of strategies used to generate learning. To conclude I compare pedagogies iii and teachers' procedures, emphasising those aspects related to successful teaching and ML. These outcomes open new lines for further research, which might help teachers to improve their effectiveness.


Each year, the UCLA School of Law hosts the Melville B. Nimmer Memorial Lecture. Since 1986, the lecture series has served as a forum for leading scholars in the fields of copyright and First Amendment law. In recent years, the lecture has been presented by distinguished scholars such as Lawrence Lessig, David Nimmer, Robert Post, Mark Rose, Kathleen Sullivan, and Jonathan Varat. The UCLA Law Review has published each of these lectures and proudly continues that tradition by publishing an Essay by this year's presenter, Professor Geoffrey R. Stone.


Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChR) have critical roles in the central nervous system and produce many of their effects by activating heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding proteins. However, the five subtypes of muscarinic receptors (M1 through M5) produce distinct signals and thus may use other signaling mechanisms as well. McClatchy et al. screened for proteins that interact with the third intracellular loop portion of the M4 mAChR, a region that is highly variable between receptor subtypes. They identified elongation factor 1A2 (eEF1A2) as an interaction partner and showed that endogenous eEF1A2 could be coimmunoprecipitated with the M4 mAChR, but not the M1 mAChR, from cultured PC12 cells. The i3 loop acts as a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for receptor-coupled G proteins and the M4i3 loop also promoted nucleotide exchange on eEF1A2 in vitro. The eEF1A2 protein functions in control of translation and has other proposed functions as well. These functions are thus potentially regulated by M4 AChRs. D. B. McClatchy, C. R. Knudsen, B. F. Clark, R. A. Kahn, R. A. Hall, A. I. Levey, Novel interaction between the M4 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor and elongation factor 1A2, J. Biol. Chem. 277, 29268-29274 (2002). [Abstract] [Full Text]


The article deals with the history of the so-called Book Program—a joint effort of the US government, the East European diaspora, and readers of books prohibited behind the Iron Curtain. This was one of the most brilliant smuggling operations in the history of Eastern Europe. In 1956– 1989, the operational budget was used for the purchase and delivery to the population of Soviet-dominated Europe of about ten million publications in an effort to undermine communist rule there. This study adds new things to what is already known about the cultural Cold War. Concentrating mostly on Polish cases, the author examines relations between state and non-state actors inside the network of the book program. Using historical materials, he captures the complexity of the grassroots activists–US government interactions, which were finally successful, but this communication also proved difficult for both parties. Contributing to the discussion of hegemony and autonomy in state–private networks, the author points out cooperation and negotiation, not the co-optation of diaspora communities by the US government.


Much experimental effort is invested these days in fabricating nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) that are sufficiently small, cold and clean, so as to approach quantum mechanical behavior as their typical quantum energy scale becomes comparable with that of the ambient thermal energy kBT. Such systems will hopefully enable one to observe the quantum behavior of human-made objects, and test some of the basic principles of quantum mechanics. Here, we expand and elaborate on our recent suggestion (Katz et al 2007 Phys. Rev. Lett. 99 040404) to exploit the nonlinear nature of a nanoresonator in order to observe its transition into the quantum regime. We study this transition for an isolated resonator, as well as one that is coupled to a heat bath at either zero or finite temperature. We argue that by exploiting nonlinearities, quantum dynamics can be probed using technology that is almost within reach. Numerical solutions of the equations of motion display the first quantum corrections to classical dynamics that appear as the classical-to-quantum transition occurs. This provides practical signatures to look for in future experiments with NEMS resonators.


In this study, the feasibility of using inverse vadose zone modeling for estimating field-scale actual evapotranspiration (ETa) was explored at a long-term agricultural monitoring site in eastern Nebraska. Data from both point-scale soil water content (SWC) sensors and the areaaverage technique of cosmic-ray neutron probes were evaluated against independent ETa estimates from a co-located eddy covariance tower. While this methodology has been successfully used for estimates of groundwater recharge, it was essential to assess the performance of other components of the water balance such as ETa. In light of recent evaluations of land surface models (LSMs), independent estimates of hydrologic state variables and fluxes are critically needed benchmarks. The results here indicate reasonable estimates of daily and annual ETa from the point sensors, but with highly varied soil hydraulic function parameterizations due to local soil texture variability. The results of multiple soil hydraulic parameterizations leading to equally good ETa estimates is consistent with the hydrological principle of equifinality. While this study focused on one particular site, the framework can be easily applied to other SWC monitoring networks across the globe. The value-added products of groundwater recharge and ETa flux from the SWC monitoring networks will provide additional and more robust benchmarks for the validation of LSM that continues to improve their forecast skill. In addition, the value-added products of groundwater recharge and ETa often have more direct impacts on societal decision-making than SWC alone. Water flux impacts human decision-making from policies on the long-term management of groundwater resources (recharge), to yield forecasts (ETa), and to optimal irrigation scheduling (ETa). Illustrating the societal benefits of SWC monitoring is critical to insure the continued operation and expansion of these public datasets.


Shear failure of Reinforced Concrete (RC) beams is catastrophic and could occur without any forewarning. Many existing reinforced concrete (RC) members are found to be deficient in shear strength and need to be repaired. Shear deficiencies in reinforced concrete beams may crop up due to many factors such as inadequate shear reinforcement, reduction in steel area due to corrosion, use of outdated design codes, increased service load, poor workmanship and design faults. The application of Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer Composite material, as an external reinforcement is a viabletechnology recently found to be worth for improving the structural performance of reinforced concrete structures. This study was conducted to investigate the shear strengthening capacity and modes of failure of reinforced concrete beams using externally bonded bi-directional Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) strip. To accomplish the objectives, an experimental program was conducted within laboratory environment where a specimen lot comprised of eighteen rectangular (18 Nos) beams and sixteen (16 Nos) T-beams were tested until failure. The specimens comprised of rectangular and T-beams of length 2980mm were fabricated and tested in the Structural Laboratory at Universiti Putra Malaysia. The rectangular beams were strengthened without any internal shear reinforcement but the T-beams were strengthened with internal shear reinforcement. The beams were classified into three categories: control, precracked/repaired and initially strengthened specimens. The variables investigated in this experimental program included (i) longitudinal reinforcement ratio, (ii) shear span to effective depth ratio, (iii) spacing of CFRP strip and (iv) orientation of CFRP strips. Test results showed that the externally bonded bi-directional Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) significantly enhances the shear enhancement of both the rectangular (without steel stirrups) and T-beam (with steel stirrups). The study also revealed that the contribution of externally bonded CFRP strips to the shear capacity was significantly influenced by the variables investigated. A design equation was developed to compute the shear contribution of CFRP to the shear capacity of RC beams. The experimental results were compared with the existing models of Triantafillou, 1998; Khalifa 2002; and ACI 440, 2003 to verify the proposed design equation. The theoretical values calculated by the proposed model for rectangular beams without internal shear reinforcement showed good agreement with those of the T-beams with internal shear reinforcement. The study observed that the predicted results of the existing models by Khalifa (2002) and ACI 440 were slightly higher than that of the proposed one. However it was also observed that the model by Triantafillou shows poor agreement in comparison to Khalifan (2002) and ACI 440 models. While the study contributed insights in terms of shear strength and modes of failure of reinforced concrete CFRP strengthened beams with respect to the variables such as shear span to effective depth ratio, longitudinal reinforcement ratio, spacing, and different orientations of CFRP strips, it developed a design equation and few recommendations.


Abstract Vectors of emerging infectious diseases have expanded their distributional ranges in recent decades due to increased global travel, trade connectivity and climate change. Transboundary range shifts, arising from the continuous movement of humans and livestock across borders, are of particular disease control concern. Several tick‐borne diseases are known to circulate between eastern Uganda and the western counties of Kenya, with one fatal case of Crimean‐Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) reported in 2000 in western Kenya. Recent reports of CCHF in Uganda have highlighted the risk of cross‐border disease translocation and the importance of establishing inter‐epidemic, early warning systems to detect possible outbreaks. We therefore carried out surveillance of tick‐borne zoonotic pathogens at livestock markets and slaughterhouses in three counties of western Kenya that neighbour Uganda. Ticks and other ectoparasites were collected from livestock and identified using morphological keys. The two most frequently sampled tick species were Rhipicephalus decoloratus (35%) and Amblyomma variegatum (30%); Ctenocephalides felis fleas and Haematopinus suis lice were also present. In total, 486 ticks, lice and fleas were screened for pathogen presence using established molecular workflows incorporating high‐resolution melting analysis and identified through sequencing of PCR products. We detected CCHF virus in Rh. decoloratus and Rhipicephalus sp. cattle ticks, and 82 of 96 pools of Am. variegatum were positive for Rickettsia africae. Apicomplexan protozoa and bacteria of veterinary importance, such as Theileria parva, Babesia bigemina and Anaplasma marginale, were primarily detected in rhipicephaline ticks. Our findings show the presence of several pathogens of public health and veterinary importance in ticks from livestock at livestock markets and slaughterhouses in western Kenya. Confirmation of CCHF virus, a Nairovirus that causes haemorrhagic fever with a high case fatality rate in humans, highlights the risk of under‐diagnosed zoonotic diseases and calls for continuous surveillance and the development of preventative measures.


The WirelessHART is a new standard for Industrial Process Automation and Control, formally released in September 2007. WirelessHART specifications are very well organized in all aspects except security as there are no separate specifications that document security requirements, the security is limited and spread throughout the WirelessHART specifications, and it is hard to understand the employed security without reading all the core specifications. This report will provide a comprehensive overview of WirelessHART security, the provided security mechanisms will be analyzed against the possible threats and the solutions will be proposed for the identified shortcomings. The report work also comprises of the ways to integrate the WirelessHART network with the legacy HART network. Different integration options are provided and each differs with the kind of legacy HART network already in use. A secure way of integrating HART and WirelessHART is also proposed by enhancing the capabilities of Adapters and connecting them with the HART Masters rather than slave devices. Finally the architecture of such a Security Manager will be proposed which will be capable of securing the entire WirelessHART network. A comprehensive and secure key management system is proposed which is capable of random key generation, secure key storage and retrieval, secure and automatic key renewal, timely key revocation, and efficient key distribution.


Service provision agreements, which restrict users to single service suppliers, are bound to impact on the long-term survival of such service providers. This is particularly true if such a business strategy is not guided by sound management principles, necessary skills and a strong competitor focused culture. In the absence of these essential principles, user demand and preferences will gradually shift towards competitor suppliers. To investigate this theory, this article examines the importance of service users in the information technology (IT) parastatal industry of South Africa. The article presents a case study whereby the service performance of a single-choice information technology service provider in the parastatal industry of South Africa is measured against multi-choice private service providers without any provisional agreements. The outcome of the case study reveals that single-choice service provision options with provisional agreements have a limited chance of success if not supported by strong service user inputs and an active focus on competitor analysis to protect market share inherited by the single-choice service provider. In fact, poorly developed competitor analysis capability of single-choice service providers is likely to hinder its ability to match the service levels of private service providers, thereby creating frustration amongst service users who face increasing pressures to deliver greater outputs from within their organisations and from external customers through the use of IT services from service providers. Moreover, provisional strategies that disallow sound competition amongst service providers are bound to impact negatively on user preferences as well as information technology skills development opportunities which are required to improve service provision generally and long-term survival in particular.


The limited battery of smartphones makes it hard for users to fully exploit their devices. Recent research considers offloading mobile computation to the cloud to improve efficiency and to extend battery life. We design Clone2Clone (C2C), a distributed p2p platform for software cloud clones of smartphones. Upon C2C we implement CloneDoc, a secure real-time collaboration system for smartphone users. We measure the performance of CloneDoc on a testbed of six Android smartphones and clones hosted on the Amazon cloud service and show that C2C based protocols can significantly improve battery-life compared to protocols that do not make use of C2C.


Measuring information systems (IS) success has been and is of great interest to both researchers and practitioners. This article examines multidimensional approaches to measuring IS success and explores the current state of IS success research through a literature review and by classifying empirical articles that were published between 2003 and 2007. Based on a total of 41 academic journal and conferences publications, this paper identifies the relevant research carried out, categorizes and consolidates the research results, and discusses them. The results show that the dominant empirical research is that which analyzes the individual impact of a certain type of information system that the users evaluate by means of surveys and structural equation modeling. The DeLone and McLean Information Systems Success Model is the main theoretical basis of the reviewed studies. The results provide researchers who are new to this topic with a comprehensive review of IS success research. Furthermore, opportunities for additional development are identified and future research directions suggested.


Introduction: In India quite a few religious festivals and cultural fairs are accompanied by public display of fireworks. The grandeur of the festivals is often evaluated by the common man with respect to its colorful firework displays. Firecracker accidents during mass fireworks at public display venues may be disastrous in its consequences and damages. A fire cracker disaster which occurred during a religious public firework display event at Puttingal in Kerala, India was documented and analyzed to figure out the safety concerns and good practices, towards making a reference for effective emergency management. Methods: The fire cracker incident was studied on the broader perspective of disaster management. Inputs from agencies involved in emergency response, casualty management, damage assessment and general administration as well as the perspective of victims and the public who witnessed the event was incorporated in to the study through participatory observation, field visits and face to face discussions. Result: The response followed by the firecracker explosion was analyzed in three phases based on the time frame of response. Influence of traditions and culture in firework organization, the mandatory legal requirements for firework displays and the current safety practices followed were evaluated in the background of this rare firecracker risk which turned out to be a major disaster in the state of Kerala in India. Conclusion: Public display of fireworks in Puttingal temple was organised despite of the legal permission from competitive authority. Negligence of law, non-sensitivity of public towards fire work safety, competitive nature of event organizers and social pressure from religious groups traversed the basic fire work safety requirements, ultimately triggered the largest fire cracker disaster in Kerala.


Parents influence their children's adult outcomes through economic and genetic endowments, transmission of cultural values and social skills, and through choice of residential location. Using a variance decomposition framework which provides bounds on the effect of families and neighbourhoods, we find important effects of family characteristics as well as residential location on educational attainment and adult earnings in Norway. Families are more important than neighbourhoods as the correlations among siblings are significantly higher than among children growing up in the same local community. Sibling correlations are estimated to be a little lower than for the US, while correlations between neighbourhood children in Norway are found to be significantly weaker than in the US. Unlike previous studies, we also assess changes over time by studying children growing up around 1960 and 1970. While family effects are permanent over time, the impact of neighbourhoods is reduced by half in size from 1960 to 1970 and we link this result to several policy changes in the 1960s aimed at increasing equality of opportunity in Norway. Our results differ from previous US studies, suggesting that the role of families and neighbourhoods in explaining the degree of equality of opportunity and social mobility depends on labour market institutions and redistributive policies.


Objective: This study aims to investigate the clinical curative effect of Video-Assisted Breast Surgery (VABS) by single incision through the anterior axillary line for removing mammary fibroma.
Methods: Sixty-eight mammary fibroma cases treated in the hospital from November 2013 to June 2015 were selected and randomly divided into control and observation groups (34 cases per group). The control group was subjected to conventional ring areola incision, and the observation group was subjected to VABS by single incision through the anterior axillary line. Intraoperative blood loss, incision length, postoperative complication, and cosmetic effects after the operation were determined and compared between the two groups.
Results: The observation group showed shorter incision length and hospital stay and less intraoperative blood losses than those in the control group (p 0.05). The complication rates in the observation and control groups were 5.88% and 23.33%, respectively (p<0.05). The Vancouver scar scale score in the observation group was lower than that in the control group. Furthermore, breast appearance satisfaction score in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Patients with mammary fibroma who underwent VABS received improved clinical curative effects in terms of few intraoperative injuries, fast recovery after the surgery, low complication rate, non-restricted lesion depth limit, and satisfactory cosmetic effect. Overall, this technique improved the prognosis of the patients.


Recent work has demonstrated that Web search volume can "predict the present," meaning that it can be used to accurately track outcomes such as unemployment levels, auto and home sales, and disease prevalence in near real time. Here we show that what consumers are searching for online can also predict their collective future behavior days or even weeks in advance. Specifically we use search query volume to forecast the opening weekend box-office revenue for feature films, first-month sales of video games, and the rank of songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, finding in all cases that search counts are highly predictive of future outcomes. We also find that search counts generally boost the performance of baseline models fit on other publicly available data, where the boost varies from modest to dramatic, depending on the application in question. Finally, we reexamine previous work on tracking flu trends and show that, perhaps surprisingly, the utility of search data relative to a simple autoregressive model is modest. We conclude that in the absence of other data sources, or where small improvements in predictive performance are material, search queries provide a useful guide to the near future.


OF DISSERTATION BREAKING HABITS: IDENTITY AND THE DISSOLUTION OF CONVENTS IN FRANCE, 1789-1808 This dissertation uses the concept of identity to investigate the ways religious women navigated the French Revolution. Even as their religious identities were thrown into question, these women's religious commitments remained important to them. As the French revolutionaries began to reform aspects of the ancien régime, the Catholic Church came under attack. The fate of priests, monks, and nuns came into question. Traditionally, religious women cared for orphans, the sick, and the poor, educated young girls, housed widows, rehabilitated prostitutes, and provided a respectable alternative community for aristocratic women. Despite every effort by the revolutionaries to dissolve their patterns of living, certain nuns adjusted themselves to the changing political climate, and their practice of faith survived the religious legislation that suppressed their convents and congregations. Adapting to new circumstances after the dissolution of their religious houses was complicated for women who could not own property because of the vow of poverty, could not marry because of their vow of celibacy, and could not swear the required oaths to liberty and equality because of the vows of obedience to the Catholic Church. Nearly every nun broke at least one of these vows. The nuns were able to navigate the uncertainty of the Revolution by relying on their religious identity as devotees of an unchanging deity. Anchoring their identity in religion did not preclude changes to their sense of self and their relationship with the secular world, but it allowed them to retain some sense of stability in the face of challenges. As unlikely harbingers of revolutionary changes, female members of monastic institutions took an active role in shaping the practice of Catholicism and crystalizing the changes wrought by the Revolution. By adapting the performance of their identity to survive severe religious persecution, the nuns redefined what it meant to be a woman, a Catholic, and a member of French society. Religious belief helped some Catholics to answer the essential question of self, morality, and community when fundamental bases of identity were in flux. Religious women solidified the revolutionary changes, wittingly or unwittingly, through the daily practice of new responsibilities, by engaging in the world outside the cloister, and by making, breaking, and leveraging different aspects of their identities. Former nuns were expected to become laywomen in a short period of time, and the special status of religious women disappeared. New rights to own property or to live wherever they chose, however, conflicted with the rules of the convent and their permanent vows. Historians must reconsider what liberty, fraternity, and equality meant to members of religious communities. Nuns found freedom in obedience. They found death, at least the symbolic death to the world that accompanied taking religious vows, was a path to eternal life. And they found security in their identities as nuns even at a time when expressing that identity could result in imprisonment. Some women did not embrace the freedom offered by the Revolution and preferred the spiritual freedom offered in the convent. While the revolutionaries espoused a fraternity between all Frenchmen, the women in the convent already had a sisterhood and a spiritual family with which they identified. Mother superiors and individual nuns often advocated for themselves in letters to the National Assembly, both to dissolve and preserve these convents. Furthermore, between 1802 and 1808, the Catholic Church sent a papal legate to adjudicate letters, known as the Caprara letters, written by men and women who hoped to rejoin the church. These letters help explain their actions in the church's absence. Other primary sources used in this study include diaries, letters, and printed memoirs from nuns during the French Revolution. Perhaps more than any other group in revolutionary France, nuns had to react to changes that affected the aspects of their daily life that defined their identity. They dressed the same, patterned their lives after a highly regimented ritual of prayer and singing, and occupied themselves in a shared mission within their communities. Nuns' intersectional social, political, religious, and gender identities help us to understand how the Revolution affected individuals. Drawing on concepts from the work of identity theorists, this dissertation makes three arguments. First, nuns' religious identities were a source of stability in the face of the uncertainty created by the Revolution. Secondly, female religious women had a great deal of agency in choosing which identities to adopt during the Revolution. Lastly, nuns played a role in shaping the return of convents and congregations, and their experiences during the Revolution changed both secular and religious ideas about convents. In the daily practice of new responsibilities, engaging in the world, and taking on new identities, they crystalized the revolutionary changes. My research tells the story of women who lived complicated lives and do not fit into the neat categories we have created for them. In understanding how these women made sense of the Revolution and their place in it, we can better understand how to deal with conflicts between personal religious beliefs and the public performance of various identities.


In this study, we have assessed performance of URANS model, various hybrid RANS/LES turbulence models such as detached eddy simulation, Nichols-Nelson HRLES model, dynamic HRLES (DHRL) model, as well as LES for two classes of problems: (a) heat transfer due to subsonic swirling flow subjected to a sudden expansion leading to cylindrical chamber, and (b) flow separation due to oblique shock wave-turbulent boundary layer interaction (STBLI). The results are assessed using the heat transfer characteristics, separation and reattachment characteristics, and capability to predict flow unsteadiness. The study indicates that URANS can predict large scale flow features reasonably well. However, it fails to resolve turbulence. PANS improves TKE prediction, hence, improves heat transfer prediction. Among the hybrid RANS/LES models, DHRL coupled with ILES is capable of providing accurate prediction of flow separation/reattachment characteristics for boundary layer flows. For free-shear dominated flows, implicit LES performs better compared to the explicit LES models.


ABSTRACT Changes in the features of food demand and consumption have moved from the mass consumption model towards an increasing qualitative differentiation of products and demand. This movement towards addressing consumers' demand for food products with more advanced quality attributes has led to increasingly complex food qualification processes and a proliferation of standards. Accompanying these changes in the agro-food system is a growing consumer concern for food safety and quality. One important attribute of "quality" is the origin of a food product. This paper focuses on lamb originating from the Karoo region of South Africa and tests consumers' willingness to pay a premium for this specific origin attribute of the product. A random nth price auction was conducted to obtain willingness to pay estimates for a premium on a 500g packet of certified Karoo lamb loin chops. Various demographic and behavioural variables were linked to participants' individual bids in order to determine the possible influence of these variables on participants' bidding behaviour. A general positive willingness to pay for certified Karoo lamb was observed, with an average premium of R21.80/ kg recorded for loin chops. The impact of additional information was clearly visible as bids increased substantially after additional information regarding the product was introduced.


Objectives. This study investigated the difference in performance of white (W), coloured/Indian (C/I) and black African (BA) cricket batsmen at a junior provincial level in South Africa over a period of 7 years. Methods. Data of all players participating in the South African interprovincial under-15 (U15) and under-19 (U19) tournaments between the years 2004 and 2010 were analysed. The number of participants, batting averages and number of batsmen in the top 20 run scorers in the tournament were compared between groups. Results. 52% of players were white and 48% were black (27% BA and 21% C/I). BA batting averages (runs/dismissal) were significantly ( p <0.05) lower than W batting averages for every year from 2004 to 2010 for both the U15 and U19s. W batsmen only had significantly better batting averages than C/I for the U/15s in 2010 and for the U19s in 2009 and 2010. W batsmen dominated the top 20 run scorers in the tournament in each year for both U15s and U19s while there were few BA batsmen represented in the top 20. Conclusion. The performances of BA batsmen at junior provincial level are well below those of W batsmen and appear to follow the same trend as the senior provincial batsmen.


User experience is becoming a key term in the world of interactive product design. The term itself lacks proper theoretical definition and is used in many different, even contradictory, ways. This paper reviews various existing approaches to understanding user experience and describes three main approaches and their differences. A missing perspective is noted in all three: their focus is on only the individual having the experience and neglects the kinds of experiences that are created together with others. To address this, a new elaboration called co-experience is presented. It builds on an existing approach but borrows from symbolic interactionism to create a more inclusive interactionist framework for thinking about user experiences. Data from a study on mobile multimedia messaging are used to illustrate and discuss the framework.

http://www-ist.massey.ac.nz/~plyons/Papers (by others)/HCI/User Experience Design/Battarbee Koskinen 2005 Co-experience user experience as interaction Codesign 1 1 5-18.pdf


DNA-RNA hybridization with an IL-1 alpha cDNA probe was used to monitor the induction of IL-1 in macrophages that were acting as accessory cells for the proliferation of T lymphocytes. Mouse peritoneal macrophages bound and stimulated T lymphocytes in the presence of the mitogens, Con A, or anti-CD3 mAb, but little or no IL-1 mRNA was detectable. In contrast, if the T cells were first sensitized in a mixed leukocyte reaction with dendritic cells and then added to macrophages, IL-1 mRNA was clearly induced. Induction of the IL-1 alpha gene seemed to require the recognition of class II MHC products on the macrophage because of the following observations: specific rather than third-party macrophages were responsive to the T blast but not to T cell-conditioned media; induction was blocked by an anti-Ia mAb; CD4+ rather than CD8+ blasts were active; and polyclonal Con A blasts were much less efficient than antigen-specific T cells. Our data indicate that the strongest signal for IL-1 production during the macrophage-T cell interaction occurs in the efferent limb of the response, after rather than before the formation of class II MHC-restricted T lymphoblasts.


In this paper, I develop an operational methodology to consistently compare alternative sustainability paradigms (weak sustainability [WS], strong sustainability [SS], a-growth [AG], and de-growth [DG]) and different assessment approaches (life-cycle assessment [LCA], cost-benefit analysis [CBA], and multi-criteria analysis [MCA]) within alternative relationship frameworks (economic general equilibrium [EGE] and ecosystem services [ESS]). The goal is to suggest different environmental interventions (e.g., projects vs. policies) for nature management and guide decisions to achieve nature conservation, defined here as reducing environmental pressures to preserve the future environment and its functioning over time. I then apply the methodology to 30 interdependent industries in Italy for three pollutants (greenhouse-effect gases, polluted rain, and air pollution) and four resources (water, minerals, fossil fuels, biomass) during two periods (from 1990 to 2007 and from 1990 to 2012). The industries were prioritised in terms of interventions to be taken to diminish pollution damage and resource depletion (e.g., fishing and non-energy mining for any sustainability paradigm), whereas sustainability paradigms are compared in terms of their likelihood (i.e., WS > AG = DG > SS), robustness (i.e., AG > SS > DG > WS), effectiveness (i.e., SS > AG > DG > WS), and feasibility (i.e., SS > DG > WS > AG). Proper assessment approaches for projects are finally identified for situations when policies are infeasible (e.g., LCA in WS and SS, MCA in DG and SS within ESS, CBA in WS and AG within EGE), by suggesting MCA in WS within ESS once ecological services are linked to sustainability criteria.


California Could Get One-Two Punch California's next "big one" may be a storm, not an earthquake. A study by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reports the possibility that a superstorm could wipe out much of the West Coast and cause the most costly disaster the United States has ever seen. The USGS Multi-Hazards Demonstration Project (MHDP) addresses potential natural disasters and works with government agencies, businesses, and scientists to improve hazard readiness and response. In 2008, MHDP published a scenario depicting a potential 7.8 earthquake in Southern California. The new super storm scenario presents a potential weather event based on the winter storms that devastated California in 1861 and 1862. Such storms are expected to strike on a 200-year cycle. They have called it ARkStorm, which stands for Atmopsheric River 1000 and refers to the river of moisture transported to the U.S. West Coast from the equatorial Pacific. The ARkStorm scenario begins with data such as rainfall and soil saturation from three recent West Coast storms to produce preconditioning information. The researchers then modeled wind speeds, rainfall, flooding, and other meteorological and hydrological inputs that would realistically accompany two large storms similar to the 1861–1862 events. Other experts then modeled the physical, social, and economic effects of the hypothetical storm. The results of their scenario suggest that an ARkStorm could create winds up to 125 miles per hour and flood


The decision of whether to divorce a breeding partner between reproductive attempts can significantly affect individual fitness. In this paper, we report that 63% of surviving pairs of long–tailed tits Aegithalos caudatus divorced between years. We examine three likely explanations for the high divorce rate in this cooperative breeder. The 'better option' hypothesis predicts that divorce and re–pairing increases an individual's reproductive success. However, divorcees did not secure better partners or more helpers and there was no improvement in their reproductive success following divorce. The 'inbreeding avoidance' hypothesis predicts that females should disperse from their family group to avoid breeding with philopatric sons. The observed pattern of divorce was consistent with this hypothesis because, in contrast to the usual avian pattern, divorce was typical for successful pairs (81%) and less frequent in unsuccessful pairs (36–43%). The 'forced divorce' hypothesis predicts that divorce increases as the number of competitors increases. The pattern of divorce among failed breeders was consistent with this hypothesis, but it fails to explain the overall occurrence of divorce because divorcees rarely re–paired with their partners' closest competitors. We discuss long–tailed tits' unique association between divorce and reproductive success in the context of dispersal strategies for inbreeding avoidance.


We investigate the effect of slow axial tapering on the 3-D structure of the light distribution at the foci of a parabolic index medium. Our approach is based on an adiabatic local mode representation of the field and leads to simple expressions for the field distribution and intensity widths, for any taper shape provided it satisfies a slowness criterion. This slowness criterion unifies the results given here with previously published work.


A series of N-(4-(3-acetamidophenyl)thiazol-2-yl)-2 (substituted phenylamino)acetamide (4-10) were prepared by the reaction of N-(4-(3-acetamidophenyl)thiazol-2-yl)-2-chloroacetamide with substituted aniline. All the newly synthesized compounds were screened for their antimicrobial activity and compared with standard drug ciprofloxacin and fluconazole against different bacteria and fungi respectively. The structure of all the compounds were established by the elemental (C, H, N) and spectral (IR and 1 H NMR) analysis.


The Mining Department (Het Mijnwezen) in the Netherlands-East-Indies was set up in 1850. Its task was to assist the operations in the Tin Mines in Bangka and to find other mineable deposits of useful minerals. The primary purpose was to earn quickly lots of money for the Netherlands, which were very much impoverished and in heavy debts after the Napoleontic occupation. Starting with four mining engineers, all from the Dutch Technical School, this number would grow, to a maximum of 70 engineers and 10 geologists in 1929. The Pacific War (1942-1945) made an end to the Dutch colonial presence. Initially all mining activities were reserved by the Mijnwezen. But gradually private investors were admitted. Mijnwezen had a supervisory role and was involved in selecting the winners of the various acquisition rounds. The oil finding and producing was the near-monopoly of the Royal Dutch Shell, a 60/40 joint company with Dutch and English roots, operating under the name Bataafse Petroleum Maatschappij (BPM). The production of a geological map of the entire colony progressed slowly owing to the dense afforestation and the heavy monsoon rainfall. There were only few Dutch geologists available and there was reluctance to hire foreigners. A bright exception was R. Verbeek, who was both engineer and geologist and had studied in Germany. His work was outstanding, but even so, the geological map of Indonesia was far from complete when the Pacific War started. The search for mineral deposits was largely unsuccesful, basically because Indie was not blessed that way. The noteworthy exceptions were the discovery, in 1862, of a a large coal deposit, called Ombilin, in the mountains of Western Sumatra and, on the island Billiton, a large tin occurrence was found to be exploited by private investors. Oil exploration, all by private firms, resulted in a large number of relative small oil producing fields on Sumatra and Java. By far the most significant geology-and-mining contribution of the colonial period, which ended in December 1950, were the exceptionally large oil fields in Sumatra, all found before the Pacific War by American companies (especially Caltex). These were exploited much to the advantage of the newly born Republic Indonesia. All together, the story of Het Mijnwezen is not one of succes, but rather one of perseverence. Its greatest financial contribution to the Netherlands had been the revenues from the Bangka Tin Mines, which were an inheritance from pre-colonial efforts. The most complete summary of the Mijnwezen and its geological and mining efforts and result is summarised by R.W. Van Bemmelen (1949) in 732 pages and 267 pages in Vol. II pages Economic Geology.


Background Neurogenic bladder dysfunction represents one of the most common and devastating sequelae of traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). As early prediction of bladder outcomes is essential to counsel patients and to plan neurourological management, we aimed to develop and validate a model to predict urinary continence and complete bladder emptying 1 y after traumatic SCI. Methods and Findings Using multivariate logistic regression analysis from the data of 1,250 patients with traumatic SCI included in the European Multicenter Spinal Cord Injury study, we developed two prediction models of urinary continence and complete bladder emptying 1 y after traumatic SCI and performed an external validation in 111 patients. As predictors, we evaluated age, gender, and all variables of the International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI) and of the Spinal Cord Independence Measure (SCIM). Urinary continence and complete bladder emptying 1 y after SCI were assessed through item 6 of SCIM. The full model relies on lower extremity motor score (LEMS), light-touch sensation in the S3 dermatome of ISNCSI, and SCIM subscale respiration and sphincter management: the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (aROC) was 0.936 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.922–0.951). The simplified model is based on LEMS only: the aROC was 0.912 (95% CI: 0.895–0.930). External validation of the full and simplified models confirmed the excellent predictive power: the aROCs were 0.965 (95% CI: 0.934–0.996) and 0.972 (95% CI 0.943–0.999), respectively. This study is limited by the substantial number of patients with a missing 1-y outcome and by differences between derivation and validation cohort. Conclusions Our study provides two simple and reliable models to predict urinary continence and complete bladder emptying 1 y after traumatic SCI. Early prediction of bladder function might optimize counselling and patient-tailored rehabilitative interventions and improve patient stratification in future clinical trials.


In this paper, we consider an uplink spectrum sharing cognitive radio network (CRN). In particular, we assume that μ secondary user (SU) transmitters (SU-Txs) communicate with an SU receiver (SU-Rx) in the presence of a single primary link. Under the joint constraint of the primary user (PU) outage probability and SU-Tx maximum transmit power, the SU transmit power policy is obtained. Moreover, the SU-Tx with a minimum transmission time is scheduled for transmission. Accordingly, the cumulative distribution function (CDF) of packet transmission time is derived under independent but not necessary identically distributed (i.n.i.d.) Rayleigh fading channels to evaluate the packet timeout probability. Numerical examples are provided to investigate the impact of the SU transmit power policy, the interference from the PU transmitter (PU-Tx) to the SU-Rx, the number of SU-Tx, and the packet size on the secondary network performance. The results indicate that the packet transmission time can be minimized as the number of SU-Tx becomes large.


The European Union launched the ambitious Southern Gas Corridor initiative with the goal of enhancing the security of its energy supply. The corridor - a virtual transit route running from the gas-rich Caspian basin to the EU while bypassing Russian soil - is meant to increase diversification of the EU's supplier and transit countries. While various projects have been proposed to give life to the corridor, the European Commission has given particular support to the realisation of Nabucco, a 3,893km pipeline running from Turkey to the European gas hub of Baumgarten in Austria, via Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary. The Commission's choice is, however, flawed in several respects, as it fails to take account of key factors, such as the diverging, and sometimes conflicting, interests of individual EU member states, the geopolitical challenges of the Caspian basin, and the commercial constraints on Nabucco. This short-sighted approach has hindered the efficient development of the Southern Gas Corridor and weakened the EU's energy policy.


Aim: To determine whether the efficacy of re-operation for idiopathic full-thickness macular hole (FTMH) remaining open after initial surgery with internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling is correlated with macular hole configuration as determined by optical coherence tomography (OCT), macular hole size, macular hole duration before the first operation, or type of tamponade (gas or silicone oil). Methods: A retrospective consecutive interventional case series of 28 patients (28 eyes) with a persisting macular hole after vitrectomy, ILM peel, and gas tamponade. 28 patients underwent repeat surgery involving vitrectomy and gas (n  =  15) or silicone oil tamponade (n  =  12) or no tamponade (n  =  1). Autologous platelet concentrate (n  =  22), autologous whole blood (n  =  1), or no adjuvant (n  =  5) was used. Preoperative OCT was undertaken in all eyes. The main outcome measures were anatomical closure and improvement of best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA). Results: Anatomical closure was achieved in 19 of 28 eyes (68%). BCVA improved in 12 eyes, remained unchanged in nine, and worsened in seven. BCVA improved in 11 of 19 eyes with anatomical closure, and in one of eight eyes without closure. Anatomical closure and improvement of BCVA correlated with preoperative macular hole configuration on OCT, with higher rates of closure (18 of 20 eyes versus one of eight eyes, p = 0.001) and greater improvement of BCVA (p = 0.048) in eyes with a cuff of subretinal fluid at the break margin. Macular hole size, type of tamponade, macular hole duration before the first operation, or preoperative BCVA did not significantly correlate with visual or anatomical outcome. Conclusion: Macular hole configuration seems to be a strong prognostic indicator of anatomical closure and may help identify those patients most likely to benefit from re-operation.


Two fundamental properties of MLS techniques, namely, phase randomization and energy conservation are exploited by MLSSA to achieve improved acoustical measurements. These include (1) the conversion of nonstationary interfering noise as well as weak nonlinear distortion into stationary noise and, as a consequence, (2) the possibility of correcting, as a post‐processing operation, systematic errors in measured Schroeder decay plots whether due to interfering noise or transducer nonlinearities, (3) one‐shot STI and RASTI measurements that properly account for contemporaneous background noise including nonstationary noise and, (4) the possibility of characterizing transducer nonlinear distortion by means of incoherency measurements that exclude, or at least attenuate, the contribution of the background noise. This last possibility is in contrast to traditional dual‐channel coherence measurements that unavoidably lump together the effects of nonlinearity and noise. All of these results are demonstrated theore...


Abstract. The development of advanced survey techniques in the last years is offering a wide set of tools for implementing the building analysis. In the preservation field, the use of 3D interactive models is a prerogative of few and rare excellent cases and the information contained in high-resolution virtual representation are only partially developed. In the past centuries, the representation was centred on the theoretical roles of the descriptive geometry devoted to the representation of the architectural elements complexity in the space to manage the construction site process. It has been progressively lost the past skill to managing 3D objects in the space. Being HBIM based on 3D solids representation, the theme of the 3D model comes back to the foreground. The complexity of the architectural heritage and its components is evidencing a gap of best practices, protocols and specification in the HBIM-modeling. Do-It-Yourself modeling process has been characterised by the first phase of HBIM generation in the last years. Modeling phase within HBIM is left to the single responsibility, with lack of specification on the accuracy and level of geometry.This paper presents a first tentative to summarize the relationship among the surveying accuracy, the Level of Geometry and the Level of Accuracy (LOA) of each BIM object, starting from a series of experiences, in which advanced survey techniques were applied to condition assessment required by architectural preservation HBIM approach. The objectives of the surveying and HBIM can change for different aspects: but in the preservation context the specificity of each single objects and their complexity need to be taken into account. As in the surveying, the choice of a scale implies a range of accuracy and tolerance in the data acquisition and processing, in HBIM modelling the choice of the Grade of Accuracy drives within the Level of Geometry the scale model that is expected to be performed and required by the different actors involved by the different phases (i.e. restoration, Energy Efficiency, Finite Element Analysis, CoSiM). On the base of different experiences occurred in the last years, the specifications conventionally adopted for the surveying have been here proposed and extended to the HBIM domain, particularly in the modelling of objects, in order to classify different accuracies. A transparent choice of accuracy allows to define the LOG and to support the adoption of the proper Grade of Generation among the different options (GOG1-10) in function of the point clouds geometry and of the scales chosen by the different actors. The architectural scale together with the urban scale (Heritage Urban Level) is considered as well to keep advantage of a multi-resolution model, diversified in function of the objectives, thus of Level of accuracy (and Level of Information) and Level of Geometry.


A proposed amendment to the federal marketing order for Florida fresh citrus would eliminate Canada from the domestic market definition and include it in the export market category. Adoption of this amendment would permit smaller sized grapefruit to enter the Canadian market while maintaining more rigid minimum size restrictions in the domestic U.S. market. This variation in minimum size standards recognizes the perceived preferences for smaller-sized grapefruit among Canadian consumers. Using market order definitions to separate identifiable market segments facilitates the matching of product characteristics to consumer preferences. This paper evaluates the impacts of the proposed marketing order amendments.


Although Mullane v. Central Hanover Bank and Trust Co., 339 U.S. 306 (1950), is a classic Civil Procedure case, its history has never before been written. This article reveals that history, traced among other sources in the papers of New York's Governor Herbert Lehman, whose misgivings did not prevent his signing the legislation that the Supreme Court struck down, and of Justice Robert Jackson, who wrote the opinion striking it down. More or less behind the scenes, two struggles were going on. One involved and prefigured all the tensions of the modern class action: conflicts within the class, the relative functions of notice and adequate representation, the attempt to secure "global peace" by binding nonparticipants, and more. The other struggle concerned the efforts of trust companies to enlarge their turf and get into the investment business while barring liability to their customers. The due process holding for which we remember Mullane thus emerged from and glossed over deeper and more particularized conflicts. This article explores both the history and the contemporary relevance of Mullane.


Keeping HIV at Bay? Preexposure prophylaxis involving daily doses of drugs can, with variable success rates, interrupt HIV transmission for individuals at high risk of acquiring HIV infection. However, one reason for the variability seen in the response to such drugs is a lack of adherence to the prescribed regimen. Andrews et al. (p. 1151) formulated a potent integrase inhibitor as a long-acting agent that protected macaques from repeated intrarectal challenges of simian HIV. Decay of plasma levels of drug were associated with increased susceptibility to infection after virus exposure. The drug levels required for a high degree of protection could potentially be achieved with quarterly injections in humans. Prolonged protection from repeated SHIV challenges is demonstrated in macaques. GSK1265744 (GSK744) is an integrase strand-transfer inhibitor that has been formulated as a long-acting (LA) injectable suitable for monthly to quarterly clinical administration. GSK744 LA was administered at two time points 4 weeks apart beginning 1 week before virus administration, and macaques were challenged weekly for 8 weeks. GSK744 LA, at plasma concentrations achievable with quarterly injections in humans, protected all animals against repeated low-dose challenges. In a second experiment, macaques were given GSK744 LA 1 week before virus administration and challenged repeatedly until infection occurred. Protection decreased over time and correlated with the plasma drug levels. With a quarterly dosing schedule in humans, our results suggest that GSK744 LA could potentially decrease adherence problems associated with daily preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP).


We consider a family of meta-Fibonacci sequences which arise in studying the number of leaves at the largest level in certain infinite sequences of binary trees, restricted compositions of an integer, and binary compact codes. For this family of meta-Fibonacci sequences and two families of related sequences we derive ordinary generating functions and recurrence relations. Included in these families of sequences are several well-known sequences in the Online Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences (OEIS).


Purpose

Globally, elderly populations are increasing at unprecedented rates. This has precipitated change in the way practitioners are thinking of delivering eldercare services, especially in the public sector. In Norway, innovation scholars, the Norwegian government, and most municipalities delivering eldercare services agree that they must innovate to meet upcoming demands. However, infrastructural impacts are not expected for 15 years. Thus, the more difficult question becomes when a change is so distant, when or with whom should you innovate? The purpose of this paper is to determine innovative readiness by looking at group climate.

Design/methodology/approach

The study will explore the differences between two groups within an organization: one group that participated (participant group) in formal innovation training and and the other group (nonparticipant group that did not participate in the training). The differences in each group's climate will be explored using a t-test.

Findings

There exist two identifiable group climates within the same organization. The participant group's climate indicated that their members are ready for innovative change by showing that they are task oriented (C2), engaged (S1), and have an overall positive attitude toward innovation (A1 and A2). On the contrary, the nonparticipant group's climate indicates that their members are not ready for innovative change. This group has a dominant role of acceptance (D2), rather than pursuing ideas or causes they believe in, they accept those tasks given to them. Each group's level of innovation understanding was relatively similar prior to any formal training.

Originality/value

This research shows that even though a manager within an organization is championing or encouraging innovative behavior, there can still exist two different group climates: a group that is genuinely interested in innovation and one that is not. Should participation in innovation training be mandatory or voluntary? This study showed the latter that the participant group's climate indicated its members were more ready for innovative change, while the nonparticipant group's climate indicated its members were not. This could be an important group dynamic for managers to consider when building a new innovative initiative, especially if that organization struggles with maintaining engagement and positivity for that change.


Serial data links are often designed targeting a specific transmission medium. High-speed links using different predetermined transmission media have been demonstrated in the past [1-3]. This, however, restricts user's ability to use an integrated link interface with other transmission media once the chip is fabricated. For example, traditional transceivers for copper interconnects typically transmit baseband data, which is incompatible with a free-space wireless channel that is bandpass in nature and often uses RF carriers. A multi-modality transceiver block compatible with different transmission media is highly desirable as it offers great versatility by allowing the exact same interface circuitry to be used with different transmission media. Such a versatile interface can relax the board and system design requirements and enable the reuse of the same transceiver core with different media, reducing the time and cost overhead of re-designing and re-manufacturing.


A series of batch experiments were conducted to identify the effects of dissolved oxygen (DO) and nitrate on the removal and reduction of Hg(II) by a pumice supported nanoscale zero-valent iron (p-nZVI) composite. After the adsorption and consecutive reduction of Hg(II) in an anoxic solution, zero-valent iron, and ferrous and ferric irons were found on the surface of the p-nZVI with a chain-like structure; while in the oxic solution, a thick ferric shell was found on the surface of the p-nZVI with collapsed chain structures. In Hg(II) sorption isotherm tests, with 25, 250, 1000, and 2500 nM of Hg(II), the Hg(II) sorption capacity of the p-nZVI was 6.1 mg g−1 in the oxic aqueous solution and 1.5 mg g−1 in the anoxic aqueous solution. While the adsorption of Hg(II) was more favorable in the presence of DO, the headspace Hg(0), as well as dissolved Fe(II), was largely increased in the absence of DO. The removal of Hg(II) in oxic and anoxic suspensions was not affected by nitrate levels ranging from 0.08 to 8 mM. In contrast, Hg(0) concentration in headspace increased with an increase of nitrate, which was related to the enhanced dissolved Fe(II) production. The experimental results of this study suggest that the absence of DO and the presence of nitrate in groundwater could significantly increase Hg(0) in groundwater and adjacent atmosphere during the usual remediation process using relevant nZVI techniques. The effective capture and treatment methods of Hg(0) should be developed for better application of p-nZVI-based technologies.


Continents are long-term storage sites for sedimentary carbonates. Global flare-ups in continental arc volcanism, when arc magmas intersect and interact with stored carbonates, thus have the potential for elevating the global baseline of deep Earth carbon inputs into the atmosphere, leading to long-lived greenhouse conditions. Decarbonation residues, known as skarns, are ubiquitously associated with the eroded remnants of ancient batholiths, attesting to the potential link between continental arc magmatism and enhanced global CO2 inputs to the atmosphere.


This thesis investigates the importance of motion when predicting saliency in videos. Naturally, humans observe both dynamic and static objects. When we are focused on watching a video, we tend to keep our eyes on the objects that are moving in the scene, items that we quickly recognize, as well as to those that attract our attention. In this work, different experiments are presented to corroborate this implication. Various approaches will be shown implementing an adaptation of the SalBCE neural network by using only motion. A simple implementation is proposed for the generation of saliency maps using previously extracted static and dynamic information from the images. The DHF1K dataset has been used for the experiment's realization.


The scientific monitoring of the Southern Ocean French fishing industry is based on the use the Pecheker database. Pecheker is dedicated to the digital curation of the data collected on field by scientific observers and which analysis allows the scientists of the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle institution to provide guidelines and advice for the regulation of the fishing activity, the protection of the fish stocks and the protection of the marine ecosystems. The template of Pecheker has been developed to make the database adapted to the ecosystem-based management concept. Considering the global context of biodiversity erosion, this modern approach of management aims to take account of the environmental background of the fisheries to ensure their sustainable development. Completeness and high quality of the raw data is a key element for an ecosystem-based management database such as Pecheker. Here, we present the development of this database as a case study of fisheries data curation to be shared with the readers. Full code to deploy a database based on the Pecheker template is provided in supplementary materials. Considering the success factors we could identify, we propose a discussion about how the community could build a global fisheries information system based on a network of small databases including interoperability standards.


Although books on Hundertwasser's work abound, few are as satisfying as this luxuriously designed, one of a kind volume that was originally created as an exhibition catalogue. Bound in black linen, foil-embossed, and printed in six colours with impeccable attention to detail, this gem of a book contains ninety-eight colour illustrations featuring a selection of Hundertwasser's graphic works along with critical texts and commentary by the artist. A short introduction, an essay on the artist's graphic work and an up-to-date biography make this an indispensable book for fans of Hundertwasser and lovers of beauty.


Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) resulting from mutations in the SERPINA1 gene is associated with decreased circulating level of alpha-1 antitrypsin, and homozygosity for the Z allele is well-known to result in both lung disease (in the form of emphysema) and liver disease (1). Historically, the liver disease has been described as being different at different times in life. Thus, AATD is a cause of neonatal hepatitis and jaundice (2), has been shown to be associated with a picture of chronic hepatitis and, finally, is associated with cirrhosis and end stage liver disease including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (2-4). This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


We present a detailed re-examination of the problem of inexpensive yet accurate clock synchronization for networked devices. Based on an empirically validated, parsimonious abstraction of the CPU oscillator as a timing source, accessible via the TSC register in popular PC architectures, we build on the key observation that the measurement of time differences, and absolute time, requires separate clocks, both at a conceptual level and practically, with distinct algorithmic, robustness, and accuracy characteristics. Combined with round-trip time based filtering of network delays between the host and the remote time server, we define robust algorithms for the synchronization of the absolute and difference TSCclocks over a network. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the principles, and algorithms using months of real data collected using multiple servers. We give detailed performance results for a full implementation running live and unsupervised under numerous scenarios, which show very high reliability, and accuracy approaching fundamental limits due to host system noise. Our synchronization algorithms are inherently robust to many factors including packet loss, server outages, route changes, and network congestion.


The authors report a series of controlled comparisons of fifty-eight one-to-one qualitative interviews and thirty-seven mixed-sex joint interviews on the same health-related topics. Their analysis identifies comparative keyword frequencies and is supported by qualitative investigations of keywords in context, drawing on existing relevant knowledge of common gender differences in language choice. Gender differences are reduced and women's perspectives are more prominent in joint interviews, so researchers wanting to find out about men's experiences concerning health-related topics such as those associated with fatherhood may find out more in one-to-one interviews with men. The greater readiness of men to engage in gender-stereotyped behavior in sole interviews, most of which involved a female interviewer, suggests that an interviewer's gender identity is perceived as somewhat neutral by comparison with the considerable salience of the gender of a joint respondent. This finding potentially contributes to knowledge of the qualitative interview as a special form of institutional talk.


Redefining teacher and student roles is understood as a key principle of autonomous learning. This talk describes practical attempts to enhance an English language course with situations when students teach and teachers learn. It suggests that opening the teaching perspective to students, as well as to teachers being earnestly interested in learning from them, is crucial in a truly autonomous environment.


A method for precision small-angle measurement is proposed. This method is based on the total-internal-reflection effect of a light beam at a pair of glass prisms. Angular displacement of the light beam is measured when the intensity change of the reflected beam is detected as a result of the relative phase shift between the s- and the p-polarized beams. An initial phase shift between the s- and the p-polarized components is introduced to increase measurement sensitivity. For increased measurement linearity and reduced effect of laser power fluctuation on the output, a differential method is used in which the light beam is split equally into two beams, each reflected at a prism and detected by a photodiode. The output is obtained as the difference of the two detected intensities divided by their sum. A prototype device was built, which demonstrated a nonlinearity error of 1.3% in a measurement range of ?0.6 degrees or 0.4% in ?0.3 degrees . The peak-to-peak noise level was found to be at approximately 0.5 arc sec. This noise level can be reduced further and resolution increased by a reduction of the measurement range.


Welcome to the Vision Revolution. With Microsoft's Kinect leading the way, you can now use 3D computer vision technology to build digital 3D models of people and objects that you can manipulate with gestures and spoken commands. This hands-on guide provides all the technical and conceptual information you need to build cool applications for Kinect, using the Processing programming language and the Arduino microcontroller. Whether you're a student, hobbyist, maker, gamer, or hardware hacker, Making Things See gets you running with several Kinect projects, and gives you the skills and experience you need to build your own fun and creative projects with this magical 3D computer vision technology. Unlock your ability to build interactive applications with Kinect. * Learn about face recognition, gait analysis, and depth imaging * Analyze and manipulate point clouds * Track people with skeletonization and pose detection, and use blob tracking to detect objects * Use gestural interfaces for assistive technology * Create models for design and fabrication, using 3D scanning technology and a 3D printer * Delve into motion tracking for animation and games * Build every project in this book with inexpensive off-the-shelf components


Today, surface acoustic waves (SAWs) and bulk acoustic waves are already two of the very few phononic technologies of industrial relevance and can been found in a myriad of devices employing these nanoscale earthquakes on a chip. Acoustic radio frequency filters, for instance, are integral parts of wireless devices. SAWs in particular find applications in life sciences and microfluidics for sensing and mixing of tiny amounts of liquids. In addition to this continuously growing number of applications, SAWs are ideally suited to probe and control elementary excitations in condensed matter at the limit of single quantum excitations. Even collective excitations, classical or quantum are nowadays coherently interfaced by SAWs. This wide, highly diverse, interdisciplinary and continuously expanding spectrum literally unites advanced sensing and manipulation applications. Remarkably, SAW technology is inherently multiscale and spans from single atomic or nanoscopic units up even to the millimeter scale. The aim of this Roadmap is to present a snapshot of the present state of surface acoustic wave science and technology in 2019 and provide an opinion on the challenges and opportunities that the future holds from a group of renown experts, covering the interdisciplinary key areas, ranging from fundamental quantum effects to practical applications of acoustic devices in life science.


Global warming is indeed a difficult international environmental problem to address: it has tragedy of the commons characteristics, and problems of time horizons and uncertainty. But previous efforts at international cooperation on other environmental issues such as ozone depletion suggest that international cooperation should be possible–though difficult–on climate change. Cooperation on issues that involve long time horizons suggests that the present generation is not calculating utility quite so narrowly as game theorists posit. Experience also suggests that successful cooperation on climate change will start with measures so small as to seem inconsequential, but will set in place an institutional and scientific process that will ultimately result in much more significant cooperative efforts. Rather than representing a tragedy, the Kyoto Protocol (or something much like it) could represent the beginnings of a process in which current generations take the first steps at collective action that dramatically improve the lives of future generations. Those who are concerned about the weakness of the Kyoto Protocol should first focus on persuading the United States to join-since this is the best way to let the process work and avoid a tragedy of the commons.


This study examined beliefs about the causes and determinants of health, illness, and recovery in an opportunistic sample from Malaysia. In all, 371 women and 350 men completed the Health and Illness Scale, a 124-item scale that examined beliefs about current and future health, and beliefs about the causes of illness and recovery. Each of the four subscales of the Health Illness Scale were factor analysed to reveal the underlying structure. Results showed the emergence of a number of distinct factors in the case of each subscale, of which environmental, life-style, psychological, religious, and fate-related factors were fairly stable across subscales. Results also showed a number of differences in beliefs between religious groups, and that religiosity and sex were the strongest predictors of beliefs across the four subscales. The results are discussed in terms of the available cross-cultural literature on lay beliefs about health.


We examine the impact of cross-border mergers on acquirers' post-merger default risk using a sample of 375 US acquiring firms from 1997 to 2011. After controlling for cultural, institutional, geographic and managerial factors between the US and target firm countries, we find that on average, cross-border transactions decrease the level of default risk of the acquiring firms. Our results are consistent with the asymmetric information hypothesis that managers take advantage of the overvaluation and volatility of their stock prices. We also observe that the geographic distance and industrial relatedness play significant roles in affecting post-merger default risk but find limited evidence indicating the relevance of institutional environments and cultural factors on changes in default risk. Managers use cross-border mergers to manage the extant risk of their firms. However, their incentives to use cross-border mergers to manage risk are mitigated by option compensation.


In many ways, the Web has become the largest knowledge base known to us. The problem facing the user now is not that the information he seeks is not available, but that it is not easy for him to extract exactly what he needs from what is available. It is also becoming clear that a top down approach of gathering all the information, and structuring it will not work, except in some special cases. Indeed, most of the information is present in HTML documents structured only for visual content. Instead, new tools are being developed that attack this problem from a different angle.
XML is a language that allows the publisher of the data to structure it using markup tags. These mark-up tags clarify not only the visual structure of the document, but also the semantic structure. Additionally, one can make use of a query language XML-QL to query XML pages for information, and to merge information from disparate XML sources. However, most of the content of the web is published in HTML. The W4F system allows us to construct wrappers that retrieve web pages, extract desired information using the HTML structure and regular expression search and map it automatically to XML with its XML-Gateway feature.
In this thesis, we investigate the W4F/XML-QL paradigm to query the web. Two examples are presented. The first is the Internet Movie Database, and we query it with the idea of understanding the power of these systems. The second is the NCBI BLAST server, which is a suite of programs for biomolecular sequence analysis. We demonstrate that there are real life instances where this paradigm promises to be extremely useful.


We study a graph bandit setting where the objective of the learner is to detect the most influential node of a graph by requesting as little information from the graph as possible. One of the relevant applications for this setting is marketing in social networks, where the marketer aims at finding and taking advantage of the most influential customers. The existing approaches for bandit problems on graphs require either partial or complete knowledge of the graph. In this paper, we do not assume any knowledge of the graph, but we consider a setting where it can be gradually discovered in a sequential and active way. At each round, the learner chooses a node of the graph and the only information it receives is a stochastic set of the nodes that the chosen node is currently influencing. To address this setting, we propose BARE, a bandit strategy for which we prove a regret guarantee that scales with the detectable dimension, a problem dependent quantity that is often much smaller than the number of nodes.


Significant opportunities exist in both the scientific and industrial sectors for the development of new generation hybrid materials. These multifunctional hybrid materials favourably combine the often disparate characteristics of both precursor components in one material. As such, this field can be very innovative due to the many possible combinations of components providing the opportunity to create a wide variety of new generation materials with a range of known and as yet unknown properties. In this manner the research carried out in this PhD research programme combines particular polymer substrates with gold, silver or silver halide nanoparticles, generating multifunctional hybrid materials which exhibit novel and useful optical, antimicrobial and antifouling properties. As such, these hybrid materials are well suited for applications in the healthcare and biomedical devices, food and packaging, surface coatings and the personal hygiene industries. The novel approach developed and used for the production of these nanogold, nanosilver and nanosilver halide hybrid polymer materials did not use conventional external reducing or stabilising agents. Instead, for the nanogold and nanosilver hybrid polymer materials, the Au3+ or Ag+ ions were first absorbed into the polymer substrates (polyurethane, nylon 6,6, polyurethane K5000 latex paint base and amine coated polyethylene terephthalate) and then upon heating the nitrogen-containing functional groups in the polymer matrices reduced the metal ions to their respective metal nanoparticles Au0 and Ag0. Simultaneously a chemical interaction between the metal nanoparticles and the polymer matrix was facilitated. Hence the reduction reaction was effected by the coupled to the oxidation reaction of the nitrogen-containing functional groups. The polymer matrix also afforded control over the nanoparticle size. Silica based BULK ISOLUTE® SORBENTS were used to help elucidate this particular chemistry taking place in the formation of the hybrid polymer materials. The synthesis of the nanosilver halide hybrid polymer materials involved the initial absorption of halide ions into the polymer matrix followed by treatment with silver ions to effect precipitation of nanosize silver halide particles within the polymer matrix, wherein the particle size was similarly controlled by the polymer matrix and precipitation conditions. All formed nanoparticles were therefore stabilised by the polymer matrix. The colour of the resultant hybrid polymer materials is due to the surface plasmon resonance effect of gold and silver nanoparticles. The colour is dependent on the particle size and shape of the nanoparticles and on the refractive index of the surrounding medium. Nanogold hybrid polymers are pink/purple in colour whereas nanosilver hybrid polymers reflect yellow/brown colour. Nanosilver halide hybrid polymers absorb light in the UV range of light and are therefore white in colour. However, due to their photosensitive properties, once exposed to light, silver halides undergo a self-photosensitisation process resulting in formation of silver nanodomains (smaller nanoparticles) on the surface of the silver halide nanoparticles. This gives rise to their absorption in the visible range of light making the hybrid polymer materials appear purple/brown in colour. Nanosilver iodide hybrid polymer materials do not show this effect to any extent and remain as their typical yellow colour. The reflected colours of the hybrid polymer materials and therefore the particle sizes and shapes of metal nanoparticles were investigated by the UV-Vis spectroscopy. The electron microscopy (SEM and TEM) studies showed the morphology of the hybrid polymer materials and that the nanoparticles were not only deposited on the surface but distributed within the polymer matrix. The metal nanoparticles varied in sizes and shapes, particle agglomerates were observed. The confirmation of gold, silver or silver halide species was undertaken using energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), scanning transmission spectroscopy (STEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Furthermore, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was carried out in order to study the nature of the interaction between the formed metal nanoparticles and the polymer matrix. It was demonstrated that the gold and silver nanoparticles are bound to the polymer matrices via Au-N and Ag-N bonds respectively, through the nitrogen-containing functional groups of the polymer matrices. The presence of the oxidised nitrogen species (NOx) confirmed that the electrons required for the reduction of Au3+ and Ag+ to the respective nanoparticles were provided by the coupled oxidation reaction of the nitrogen-containing groups in the polymer matrices. The XPS studies showed there is an interaction between the silver on the surface of the AgX nanoparticles and the nitrogen and oxygen groups present in the polymer matrix. The observation that only very small amounts of Au3+ and Ag+ ions could be leached from the nanogold and nanosilver hybrid materials confirmed the integrity of this chemical bonding between the gold or silver nanoparticles and the polymer matrix. The nanogold, nanosilver and nanosilver halide polymer materials showed effective antimicrobial properties. They were successfully tested against gram negative bacteria Escherichia coli. Additionally, the new generation nanogold and nanosilver hybrid polymer materials have been shown to exhibit antifouling properties.


Efficient representations and solutions for large decision problems with continuous and discrete variables are among the most important challenges faced by the designers of automated decision support systems. In this paper, we describe a novel hybrid factored Markov decision process (MDP) model that allows for a compact representation of these problems, and a new hybrid approximate linear programming (HALP) framework that permits their efficient solutions. The central idea of HALP is to approximate the optimal value function by a linear combination of basis functions and optimize its weights by linear programming. We analyze both theoretical and computational aspects of this approach, and demonstrate its scale-up potential on several hybrid optimization problems.


We have demonstrated a 104 W multimode, laser-diode-pumped zig-zag slab laser based on conduction-cooling and a novel pumping geometry called edge-pumping. The advantages of the edge-pumped design include efficient pump absorption, conductive-cooling, power scalablity, and a simple opto-mechanical laser head design. The multimode laser operates at 104 W with 40% slope efficiency. TEM00 mode operation was demonstrated at 39.5 W for 250 W of pump power with a slope efficiency of 21%. Absorption loss due to the thermally populated lower laser level decreases the slope efficiency at high pump powers. This effect is included in laser oscillator performance models to accurately predict the operation of the oscillator.


Objective: To summarize the research on concep ts, assessments, causes and consequences,main research findings and future research directions in Gelotophobia. Itsmain purpose is to stimulate Chinese scholars' research interest in th is area. Methods: On the basis of literature review , this study conducted an analysis and induction of research findings. Results: Gelotophobia is of relevance among non-clinical groups and should be best conceptualized as a one-dimensional individual differences phenomenon. Conclusion: Gelotophobia is a new concept and is of greatapplication prospects in China.


Title of Thesis: Performance and Robustness Analysis of Co-Prime and Nested Sampling Ali Koochakzadeh, Master of Science, 2016 Thesis Directed By: Professor Piya Pal Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Coprime and nested sampling are well known deterministic sampling techniques that operate at rates significantly lower than the Nyquist rate, and yet allow perfect reconstruction of the spectra of wide sense stationary signals. However, theoretical guarantees for these samplers assume ideal conditions such as synchronous sampling, and ability to perfectly compute statistical expectations. This thesis studies the performance of coprime and nested samplers in spatial and temporal domains, when these assumptions are violated. In spatial domain, the robustness of these samplers is studied by considering arrays with perturbed sensor locations (with unknown perturbations). Simplified expressions for the Fisher Information matrix for perturbed coprime and nested arrays are derived, which explicitly highlight the role of co-array. It is shown that even in presence of perturbations, it is possible to resolve O(M) under appropriate conditions on the size of the grid. The assumption of small perturbations leads to a novel "bi-affine" model in terms of source powers and perturbations. The redundancies in the co-array are then exploited to eliminate the nuisance perturbation variable, and reduce the bi-affine problem to a linear underdetermined (sparse) problem in source powers. This thesis also studies the robustness of coprime sampling to finite number of samples and sampling jitter, by analyzing their effects on the quality of the estimated autocorrelation sequence. A variety of bounds on the error introduced by such non ideal sampling schemes are computed by considering a statistical model for the perturbation. They indicate that coprime sampling leads to stable estimation of the autocorrelation sequence, in presence of small perturbations. Under appropriate assumptions on the distribution of WSS signals, sharp bounds on the estimation error are established which indicate that the error decays exponentially with the number of samples. The theoretical claims are supported by extensive numerical experiments. Performance and Robustness Analysis of Co-Prime and Nested Sampling


Lymphocyte culture lines can be established by using buffy coat cells from normal or diseased individuals. Established lymphocytoblasts from a normal donor were used in the one-way mixed leukocyte culture test and were found to stimulate the peripheral lymphocytes of that donor. These lymphocytoblasts were also capable of stimulating allogeneic lymphocyte populations.


Recent critical attention for William Dunbar's poem, "The Goldyn Targe," has revolved around the success or failure of the speaker's battles with carnal desires in a bucolic setting. (1) Dunbar's admixture of description and personification to portray this contrary turmoil accounts for the wide-ranging perspectives attempting to reconcile these diverse features. Although C. S. Lewis and Denton Fox claim that the poem's value lies in its artistic creation, R.J. Lyall and Ian Simpson Ross assert that a higher, philosophical strain of purpose underpins the poem's construction. (2) Today's foremost Dunbar scholar, Priscilla Bawcutt, while noting these two approaches, warns that the inculcation of moral lessons or aureate diction are not the primary factors holding the poem together, but the "close yet not wholly harmonious relationship of Nature and Venus." (3) Embracing her analysis, this article seeks to explicate the symbolic analogies intersecting the natural world and passionate desire with a philosophy that praises nature's ability to connect the human with the divine. While Dunbar may indeed not be interested in a particular moral lesson, he is deeply interested in stressing the wonder of nature. A full understanding of that program in "The Goldyn Targe" requires that we employ a medieval theory that scholars have yet to bring to bear upon the poem, exemplarism. Both the divine and poet produce a creation that impels one to consider the power underlying the resultant magnificence. While the former is the source of nature's inherent beauty, the latter inspires a profound respect for all creation and the human ability to draw a correlation between the natural and supernatural. Exploring and appreciating these creative powers underlines the primary tenets in the late medieval theory of exemplarism. (4) Exemplarism, as promulgated by the Franciscan philosopher, Bonaventure (1217-74), posits that God is the original exemplar after which all created things are formed as copies in varying degrees of likeness. Creation's wonder awakens the individual to the divine presence in this world and its all-encompassing love. The visible world, thus, is the symbol-system through which the divine communicates to humanity. Bonaventure contends that "in every creature there is a refulgence of the divine exemplar, but mixed with darkness: hence it resembles some kind of opacity combined with light.... [I] t is a way leading to the exemplar." (35) His most developed expression of this metaphysics lies in his mystical work, The Journey of the Mind to God: We are given light to discern the steps of the soul's ascent to God. For we are so created that the material universe itself is a ladder by which we may ascend to God.... In order to arrive at the consideration of the First Principle, which is the most spiritual being and eternal and above us, we must pass through vestiges which are corporeal and temporal and outside us. (6) In exemplarism, the individual grasps the existence and goodness of God via the "material universe," most ideally in nature's bounty. "The Goldyn Targe" typifies this very outlook through its portrayal of the azure sky, the mellifluous song of the birds, and the fragrant aroma of flowers. Here, each facet of nature affects the senses; it inspires a contemplation of the eternal and its connection to this world. Using exemplarism as a hermeneutic for this sensual poem stems not from a belief that Dunbar's poetry consistently addressed spiritual matters, but from Dunbar's conception of what embodies a poet. He uses the term "makar" to describe the imaginative intelligence of this type of artist. And, while modern critics oftentimes use this term to refer generally to the three prominent medieval Scottish poets--the other two being Robert Henryson and Gavin Douglas--only Dunbar actually employs the word "makar" in his verse. (7) Most notably, "The Goldyn Targe" defines the poet's power and purpose with this word. …


Objectives To quantify age, sex, sport and training type-specific effects of resistance training on physical performance, and to characterise dose–response relationships of resistance training parameters that could maximise gains in physical performance in youth athletes. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis of intervention studies. Data sources Studies were identified by systematic literature search in the databases PubMed and Web of Science (1985–2015). Weighted mean standardised mean differences (SMDwm) were calculated using random-effects models. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies Only studies with an active control group were included if these investigated the effects of resistance training in youth athletes (6–18 years) and tested at least one physical performance measure. Results 43 studies met the inclusion criteria. Our analyses revealed moderate effects of resistance training on muscle strength and vertical jump performance (SMDwm 0.8–1.09), and small effects on linear sprint, agility and sport-specific performance (SMDwm 0.58–0.75). Effects were moderated by sex and resistance training type. Independently computed dose–response relationships for resistance training parameters revealed that a training period of >23 weeks, 5 sets/exercise, 6–8 repetitions/set, a training intensity of 80–89% of 1 repetition maximum (RM), and 3–4 min rest between sets were most effective to improve muscle strength (SMDwm 2.09–3.40). Summary/conclusions Resistance training is an effective method to enhance muscle strength and jump performance in youth athletes, moderated by sex and resistance training type. Dose–response relationships for key training parameters indicate that youth coaches should primarily implement resistance training programmes with fewer repetitions and higher intensities to improve physical performance measures of youth athletes.


Abstract. IMY was a worldwide celebration of maps and their unique role in our world. Supported by the United Nations, IMY provides opportunities to demonstrate, follow, and get involved in the art, science, and technology of making and using maps and geographic information. International Map Year (IMY) started in Paris 2011 when the General Assembly of the International Cartographic Association (ICA) asked the ICA Executive Committee (EC) to follow up on the proposal given in a motion from the Swedish Cartographic Society. An IMY Working Group (WG) was constituted – it defined the IMY goals and the activities required to reach them, and it proposed a suitable time period for the IMY to the ICA EC. IMY commenced in August 2015 and ended in December 2016. The success of IMY was dependent on all member nations of the ICA participating in an effort to broaden the knowledge of cartography and geographic information in society in general, especially among citizens and school children. Member nations of the ICA were responsible for organizing IMY activities, such as a national Map Day, through national IMY committees tasked to engage national organizations and spearheading collaboration. The IMY WG set up an IMY web site with general information on IMY, guidelines for how to organize Map Days, suggestions relating to activities aimed at general map awareness, and more. The web site also provides access to the electronic book The World of Maps, which has been translated from English into five other languages.


Distance education in Papua New Guinea (PNG) is fast becoming the new trend which addresses accessibility and equity for the majority of potential students throughout the nation who are unable to attend on campus classes. Education for all and participation of women is echoed everywhere in government and private educational institutions. UPNG Women academics are often the silent achievers in their own rights thriving amongst the dominance of their male counterparts. PNG's National Constitution calls for equal participation by all. The University of Papua New Guinea also has in place its Gender equity policy which calls for the recognition and participation of women. How can women academics at Higher Educational Institutions contribute more to distance education for nation building in PNG?

This paper aims at investigating how women academics can participate to nation building as course designers, writers, mentors, counsellors and Distance Education facilitators in PNG. An analysis of the current percentage of Women academics who are already involved in Distance Education will be presented along with motivators versus hinderances as well as the benefits for being part of UPNG's distance education mission in PNG.

UPNG women academics are able to create conditions for innovative changes. They can share in UPNG's vision for Distance Education and are valuable contributors as well as resources to this evolving nature of Distance Education in Papua New Guinea.