HARVÁT, Matej. From Slavic Leader to National Ruler: A Modern Discursive Construction of the Early Medieval Rulership of Pribina († 861). Pribina was a Slavic leader of unknown origin from the 9 th century who was expelled by the Moravian prince ( dux ) Mojmir I. However, his rank in the territory north of the Danube before exile is a matter of an age-long scholarly debate. This article presents an analysis of historiographic discourse which has resulted in the national scholarly construction of an early medieval, hypothetical Slo-vak/Nitrian rulership of Pribina. The aim is to illustrate the gradual progression of scholarly concepts regarding this rather shadowy Slavic leader and his supposed ethnically distinct north-Danubian domain, which is typically presented in historiography as "The Nitrian Principality." In this study, the genesis of historiographic narrative about the putative "first ruler" of modern Slovaks' ethnic ancestors, adopted mainly by Slovak historians, archaeologists and intellectuals in general is traced. A discourse analysis of intellectual writings about Pribina and Nitra is used to demonstrate how the particular narrative of "national ruler" unambiguously correlated with modern socio-political transformations during the political creation of Slovakia after the First World War. The article suggests that the notion of Pribina as original independent ruler emerged in the late 19 th century and was cemented in the scholarship only after 1918 due to the formation of Czechoslovakia and subsequent need for an official version of distinct Slovak history.


Background Secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure is higher among children from lower socioeconomic status (SES) families, contributing to the intergenerational reproduction of health inequalities. Legislation prohibiting smoking in enclosed public places was introduced in all UK countries between 2006 and 2007. Although opponents argued that it would displace smoking into the home, legislation has been associated with reduced childhood SHS exposure and increased prevalence of smoke-free homes. In some UK countries however, trends towards widening inequality in childhood SHS exposure have been reported following legislation. This paper combines datasets from 3 UK countries to examine socioeconomic patterning in childhood SHS exposure and smoking restrictions in homes and cars pre- and post-legislation. Methods We conducted a repeat cross-sectional survey of 10,867 schoolchildren in 304 primary schools in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Children provided saliva for cotinine assay, completing questionnaires before and 12-months after legislation, including the Family Affluence Scale (a measure of socioeconomic status), and reports of smoking restrictions in homes and cars. Multinomial regression analyses assessed differences between survey years in SHS exposure and private smoking restrictions, with interaction terms to assess SES patterning in changes. Results SHS exposure was highest, and private smoking restrictions least frequent, among lower SES children pre- and post-legislation in all countries. Proportions of samples containing <0.1ng/ml (i.e. undetectable) cotinine increased significantly (RR=1.63; 95%CI=1.45 to 1.83), from 31.0% to 41.0%. Although across the SES spectrum, there was no evidence of displacement of smoking into the home, socioeconomic inequality in the likelihood of samples containing detectable levels of cotinine increased (RR=1.10; 95%CI=1.05 to 1.16). Among children from the poorest and most affluent families respectively, 96.9% and 38.2% of post-legislation samples contained detectable cotinine. Socioeconomic gradients at higher exposure levels remained unchanged. Among children from the poorest families, 1 in 3 samples contained greater cotinine concentrations than Scottish bar worker's samples prior to legislation (3ng/ml). Smoking restrictions in homes and cars increased. However, little more than half (55.1%) of children, and only 19.3% of children of smokers, lived in smoke-free homes following legislation. Significant socioeconomic patterning remained, with 26.3% and 72.0% of children from the poorest and most affluent families respectively living in a smoke-free home. Conclusion Urgent action is needed to reduce inequalities in SHS exposure. Such action should include emphasis on reducing smoking in cars and homes.


Abstract We present a comparison between the semiclasical and the full quantum descriptions of optical properties of quantum wells (QWs) in semiconductor microcavities. The semiclassical theory, which is based on a nonlocal treatment of the optical response of a single QW, allows one to calculate reflectivity, transmission, and absorption curves. The quantum theory, which is developed in a quasi-mode approach for the coupling of-the closed-cavity modes to the outside radiation continuum, provides a description of photoluminescence processes. The frequency-dependence of the phase of the mirror reflection coefficient has an important role in both theories. Numerical results show that the mixed mode (polariton) dispersion and the Rabi splitting calculated from semiclassical and quantum theories coincide rather well.


Ledebouria zebrina and Scilla natalensis Planch were the two species investigated in this work. Ledebouria zebrina belongs to the Hyacinthaceae (Liliacea sensu lato) and to this date, the chemical composition of this species has not been investigated. Members of this family are found in southern Africa. The Ledebouria genus was formerly classified as part of the Scilla genus from which a large member of naturally occuring oxygen heterocycles known as homoisoflavanones have been isolated. In this work the bulbs of L. zebrina were investigated and five compounds were isolated. Three compounds were of the homoisoflavanone type while the remaining two belong to the eucosterol type triterpernoids. Scilla natalensis Planch also belongs to the Hyacinthaceae family. Previous chemical investigations of the bulbs of this plant yield two homoisoflavanones of the 3-benzyl4-chromanone type. Members of this family are mostly found in the Eastern parts of the country, ranging from the Eastern Cape to Mpumalanga province including Lesotho and Swaziland. The bulbs of this plant were investigated and this yielded ten compounds. The structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated usmg spectroscopic methods.


Despite significant progress in sustainable HCI towards theoretical frameworks to guide design, there is a gap between theory and practice, so that the impact of such frameworks is limited. As an initial exploration in bridging the theory-practice gap, we conducted a study using one well-established design framework, the Attachment Framework, to evaluate its applicability in use. We conducted a comparative study with 14 designers to explore the effect of the Attachment Framework on design, and evaluated their designs with 10 design experts using a set of six design criteria. Our results indicated a positive effect on the criterion of novelty, with mixed effects on attachment, presentation, aesthetics, usefulness, and feasibility. We contribute a set of challenges in the application of design frameworks to practice and offer a critical reflection on how researchers can more effectively communicate sustainable HCI design frameworks to practitioners.


Endophytic fungi diversity from the leaves and barks of Acacia nilotica used in treating oral diseases were studied during four different seasons for about one year. Four hundred bark and leaf segments were analyzed and a total of 553 isolates representing 17 taxa and 3 morphotypes were isolated. Aspergillus flavus was found to be dominant in all seasons and the frequency of endophytic fungi was found to be more in leaves than in bark tissues with some tissue-specific endophytes. Ethyl acetate extracts of endophytic fungi isolated from Acacia nilotica were screened against major oral pathogens such as Streptococccus mutans and Candida albicans by agar well diffusion method in Mueller- Hinton Agar media. The crude extract of Eupenicillium sp., isolated showed maximum zone of inhibition against S.mutans (18.67±0.36 mm) and C.albicans (16.3±0.36 mm) and the isolate Eupenicillium sp., from Acacia nilotica could be further explored for its activity against oral pathogens for novel secondary metabolite isolation.


This present study is an investigation of user's satisfaction with library resources and services in IIT libraries in India. A survey research method was adopted to address the research questions. 800 questionnaires were distributed among final year graduate students, postgraduate students, research scholars and faculty members of 7 IIT libraries to collect relevant data regarding their satisfaction. 758 filled-in questionnaires were received and analyzed. On the basis of finding, some suggestions have included in this study to increase user's satisfaction from libraries


We describe SCUBA-2 - the next generation continuum imaging camera for the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope. The instrument will capitalise on the success of the current SCUBA camera, by having a much larger field-of- view and improved sensitivity. SCUBA-2 will be able to map the submillimetre sky several hundred times faster than SCUBA to the same noise level. Many areas of astronomy are expected to benefit - from large scale cosmological surveys to probe galaxy formation and evolution to studies of the earliest stages of star formation in our own Galaxy. Perhaps the most exciting prospect that SCUBA-2 will offer is in the statistical significance of wide-field surveys. The key science requirements of the new camera are the ability to make very deep images - reaching background confusion levels in only a couple of hours; to generate high fidelity images at two wavelengths simultaneously; to map large areas of sky (tens of degrees) to a reasonable depth in only a few hours; carry out photometry of known-position point-sources to a high accuracy. The technical design of SCUBA-2 will incorporate new technology transition-edge sensors as the detecting element, with signals being read out using multiplexed SQUID amplifiers. As in SCUBA there will be two arrays operating at 450 and 850 microns simultaneously. Fully-sampling a field-of-voew of 8 arcminutes square will require 25,600 and 6,400 pixels at 450 and 850 microns respectively (cf 91 and 37 pixels with SCUBA!). Each pixel will have diffraction-limited resolution on the sky and a sensitivity dominated by the background photon noise. SCUBA-2 is a collaboration between a number of institutions. We anticipate delivery of the final instrument to the telescope before the end of 2005.


Perry's excellent dialogue makes a complicated topic stimulating and accessible without any sacrifice of scholarly accuracy or thoroughness. Professionals will appreciate the work's command of the issues and depth of argument, while students will find that it excites interest and imagination. --David M. Rosenthal, CUNY, Lehman College


The Arctic Ocean is a unique marine environment with respect to seasonality of light, temperature, perennial ice cover, and strong stratification. Other important distinctive features are the influence of extensive continental shelves and its interactions with Atlantic and Pacific water masses and freshwater from sea ice melt and rivers. These characteristics have major influence on the biological and biogeochemical processes occurring in this complex natural system. Heterotrophic bacteria are crucial components of marine food webs and have key roles in controlling carbon fluxes in the oceans. Although it was previously thought that these organisms relied on the organic carbon in seawater for all of their energy needs, several recent discoveries now suggest that pelagic bacteria can depart from a strictly heterotrophic lifestyle by obtaining energy through unconventional mechanisms that are linked to the penetration of sunlight into surface waters. These photoheterotrophic mechanisms may play a significant role in the energy budget in the euphotic zone of marine environments. Modifications of light and carbon availability triggered by climate change may favor the photoheterotrophic lifestyle. Here we review advances in our knowledge of the diversity of marine photoheterotrophic bacteria and discuss their significance in the Arctic Ocean gained in the framework of the Malina cruise.


ABSTRACT Determining how intra-specific genetic diversity is apportioned among natural populations is essential for detecting local adaptation and identifying populations with inherently low levels of extant diversity which may become a conservation concern. Sequence polymorphism at two adaptive loci (MHC DRA and DQB) was investigated in long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas) from four regions in the North Atlantic and compared with previous data from New Zealand (South Pacific). Three alleles were resolved at each locus, with trans-species allele sharing and higher levels of non-synonymous to synonymous substitution, especially in the DQB locus. Overall nucleotide diversities of 0.49 ± 0.38% and 4.60 ± 2.39% were identified for the DRA and DQB loci, respectively, which are relatively low for MHC loci in the North Atlantic, but comparable to levels previously described in New Zealand (South Pacific). There were significant differences in allele frequencies within the North Atlantic and between the North Atlantic and New Zealand. Patterns of diversity and divergence are consistent with the long-term effects of balancing selection operating on the MHC loci, potentially mediated through the effects of host-parasite coevolution. Differences in allele frequency may reflect variation in pathogen communities, coupled with the effects of differential drift and gene flow.


Mining high utility itemsets from a transactional database refers to the discovery of itemsets with high utility like profits. Although a number of relevant algorithms have been proposed in recent years, they incur the problem of producing a large number of candidate itemsets for high utility itemsets. Such a large number of candidate itemsets degrades the mining performance in terms of execution time and space requirement. The situation may become worse when the database contains lots of long transactions or long high utility itemsets. In this paper, we propose two algorithms, namely utility pattern growth (UP-Growth) and UP-Growth+, for mining high utility itemsets with a set of effective strategies for pruning candidate itemsets. The information of high utility itemsets is maintained in a tree-based data structure named utility pattern tree (UP-Tree) such that candidate itemsets can be generated efficiently with only two scans of database. The performance of UP-Growth and UP-Growth+ is compared with the state-of-the-art algorithms on many types of both real and synthetic data sets. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithms, especially UP-Growth+, not only reduce the number of candidates effectively but also outperform other algorithms substantially in terms of runtime, especially when databases contain lots of long transactions.


Parkinson disease(PD), the second most common neurological disorder that causes significant disability, reduces the quality of life and has no cure. Nerve cells in this part of the brain are responsible for producing a chemical called dopamine. Dopamine acts as a message between the parts of the brain and nervous system that help control and co-ordinate body movements.As dopamine generally neurons in the parts begin to experience difficulty in speaking, writing, walking or completing other simple task.Approximately, 90% affected people with Parkinson have speech disorders. The average age of onset is about 70 years, and the incidence rises significantly with advancing age. However, a small percent of people with PD have "early-onset" disease that begins before the age of 50.More than 10 million people worldwide are living with PD. No cure for PD exists today, but research is ongoing and medications or surgery can often provide substantial improvement with motor symptoms. Parkinson disease is one of the most serious diseases. Hence diagnosing it at an earlier stage could help prevent or reduce the effects. The machine learning classification algorithms are used to predict if a person has Parkinson disease or not, comparing different machine learning algorithm such as logistic regression, decision tree, k-nearest neighbour as well as some "Ensemble" learning techniques where we attempt to improve the accuracy by combining several models.The machine learning model can be implemented to significantly improve diagnosis method of Parkinson disease.In this study it indicates that the ensemble techniques Xgboost classification (Extreme gradient boosting) algorithm achieved the high test accuracy rate (95%) compared to other classification algorithm.The performance of the methods has been assessed with a reliable dataset from UCI Machine learning repository.


Whether a rice Green Revolution in sub-Saharan Africa becomes a reality critically hinges on how far productive upland rice cultivation diffuses in the region. In order to quantify the drought tolerance, the rate of water response and the contribution of yield components to changes in yield due to water availability of upland rice varieties used in sub-Saharan Africa, we conducted water application experiments in Namulonge, Uganda, using NERICA 4, NERICA 10, NARIC 2 and Yumenohatamochi, with five different levels of water application. We found that the NERICA varieties were most drought tolerant, followed by NARIC 2. Yumenohatamochi did not withstand the lowest amount of water application of 378 mm. The results suggested that the minimum water requirement was around 311-400 mm per season for the three varieties used widely in East Africa, and around 420-600 mm for Yumenohatamochi, an upland variety in Japan famous in its drought tolerance. It was estimated that an additional water application of 1 mm increased rice yield by 11-12 kg /ha for the upland varieties tested. The high water response of upland rice was brought about by high water response of four yield components, among which the rate of grain filling contributed most to the increase in yield, followed by number of panicles/m2, number of grains per panicle and 1000- grain weight, in the order of the degree of contribution, for all the varieties tested.


Health sciences research often involves analyses of repeated measurement or longitudinal count data analyses that exhibit excess zeros. Overdispersion occurs when count data measurements have greater variability than allowed. This phenomenon can be carried over to zero-inflated count data modeling. Referred to as zero-inflation, the Zero-Inflated Poisson (ZIP) model can be used to model such data. The Zero-Inflated Negative Binomial (ZINB) model is used to account for overdispersion detected in count data. The ZINB model is considered as an alternative for the Zero-Inflated Generalized Poisson (ZIGP) model for zero-inflated overdispersed count data. Consequently, zero-inflated models have been proposed for the situations where the data generating process results are overdispersed. This study considers modeling and handling overdispersion data among children with Thalassemia disease using the ZIP, ZINB and ZIGP models.


Multi-megabyte instruction working sets of server workloads defy the capacities of latency-critical instruction-supply components of a core; the instruction cache (L1-I) and the branch target buffer (BTB). Recent work has proposed dedicated prefetching techniques aimed separately at L1-I and BTB, resulting in high metadata costs and/or only modest performance improvements due to the complex control-flow histories required to effectively fill the two components ahead of the core's fetch stream. This work makes the observation that the metadata for both the L1-I and BTB prefetchers require essentially identical information; the control-flow history. While the L1-I prefetcher necessitates the history at block granularity, the BTB requires knowledge of individual branches inside each block. To eliminate redundant metadata and multiple prefetchers, we introduce Confluence — a frontend design with unified metadata for prefetching into both L1-I and BTB, whose contents are synchronized. Confluence leverages a stream-based prefetcher to proactively fill both components ahead of the core's fetch stream. The prefetcher maintains the control-flow history at block granularity and for each instruction block brought into the L1-I, eagerly inserts the set of branch targets contained in the block into the BTB. Confluence provides 85% of the performance improvement provided by an ideal front end (with a perfect L1-I and BTB) with 1% area overhead per core, while the highest-performance alternative delivers only 62% of the ideal performance improvement with a per-core area overhead of 8%.


Complex systems with tightly coadapted parts frequently appear in living systems and are difficult to account for through Darwinian evolution, that is random variation and natural selection, if the constituent parts are independently coded in the genetic code. If the parts are independently coded, multiple simultaneous mutations appear necessary to create or modify these systems. It is generally believed that most proteins are independently coded. The textbook rule is one gene for one enzyme. Thus, biochemical systems with tightly coadapted parts such as the blood clotting cascade pose a difficulty for Darwinian evolution. This problem can be overcome if the current understanding of the genetic code is incomplete and a system-level genetic code in which seemingly independent proteins are encoded in an interdependent, highly correlated manner exists. The methods by which human beings design and fabricate complex systems of tightly coadapted parts are explored for insights into the requirements for a system-level genetic code. Detailed examples of system-level codes for networks of matching parts are presented. The implications of identifying and deciphering the system-level genetic code if it exists for the prevention, treatment, and cure of heart disease, cancer, immune disorders, and for rational drug design are discussed.


We present a study of the substructure finder dependence of subhalo clustering in the Aquarius Simulation. We run 11 different subhalo finders on the haloes of the Aquarius Simulation and study their differences in the density profile, mass fraction and two-point correlation function of subhaloes in haloes. We also study the mass and v(max) dependence of subhalo clustering. As the Aquarius Simulation has been run at different resolutions, we study the convergence with higher resolutions. We find that the agreement between finders is at around the 10 per cent level inside R-200 and at intermediate resolutions when a mass threshold is applied, and better than 5 per cent when v(max) is restricted instead of mass. However, some discrepancies appear in the highest resolution, underlined by an observed resolution dependence of subhalo clustering. This dependence is stronger for the smallest subhaloes, which are more clustered in the highest resolution, due to the detection of subhaloes within subhaloes (the sub-subhalo term). This effect modifies the mass dependence of clustering in the highest resolutions. We discuss implications of our results for models of subhalo clustering and their relation with galaxy clustering.


The objectives of the present study were to determine the prevalence of foot and mouth disease (FMD) and the serotypes of foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV) in Malaysia; to describe the temporal and spatial distribution of FMD in Malaysia; to evaluate the risk of the introduction of FMD to Malaysia; to evaluate the effectiveness of mitigation strategies adopted in Malaysia during outbreaks of FMD; and ultimately to give recommendations on FMD control to the Malaysia-Thailand-Myanmar (MTM) Tri-state Commission and Zoning Working Groups.

The first documented outbreak of FMD in Peninsular Malaysia was in the 1860s and, although there have been periods where no outbreaks have been reported, the disease is now endemic in Peninsular Malaysia. Serotypes A, O and Asia 1 have been involved in the outbreaks of FMD in Peninsular Malaysia. In contrast the states of Sabah and Sarawak, located on Borneo have never had a reported outbreak of FMD. The virus strains involved in outbreaks in Peninsular Malaysia are closely related to those in southern Thailand and outbreaks have occurred in both countries at similar times.

A total of 622 outbreaks of FMD were reported between 2001 and 2011 in Peninsular Malaysia. Serotype O was responsible for 92% of the 253 outbreaks serotyped and A in 8%. The number of outbreaks of FMD differed significantly between years (χ2=621, P<0.01, df=10), month (χ2=621, P<0.01, df=11) and states (χ2=621, P<0.01, df=10). The highest number of outbreaks (110) occurred in 2009, while the lowest number (23) was in 2007. The monthly outbreak pattern of FMD showed a significant increase during the northeast monsoon season (November to March). It is hypothesised that the seasonal increase in outbreaks was related to animal movement to meet the demand for fresh meat for cultural events held during those months. Outbreaks of FMD in Peninsular Malaysia were most prevalent in Kedah (n=95). There was a significant correlation between the number of outbreaks and the average population size of cattle (r=0.731, P=0.007), buffalo (r=0.625, P=0.03) and goats (r=0.652, P=0.021). Cattle were involved in most outbreaks (87%). The overall prevalence of clinical disease was highest in cattle (15.4%), followed by buffalo (9.9%), goats (6.8%), sheep (6.6%) and pigs (6.5%). Cattle (odds ratio, OR=2.6, 95% CI 2.5, 2.8) and buffalo (OR=1.6, 95% CI 1.4, 1.8) were significantly more likely to be reported with clinical signs of disease than pigs. The case-fatality rate in cattle was 0.2% and goats 0.5%. The main sources of outbreaks were hypothesised to be the introduction of new animals or the illegal movement of animals (66% of outbreaks). A combination of control measures, including ring vaccination, animal movement management and quarantine, were implemented during outbreaks.

The animal seroprevalence of FMD by the NSP test in cattle, buffalo, goats and sheep were 24.2% (95% CI: 23.8, 24.6), 52.7% (95% CI: 50.5, 55), 11.8% (95% CI: 11, 12.6) and 9.5% (95% CI: 6.9, 12.6), respectively. These findings indicate natural infection and provide evidence that the virus was circulating in the livestock population. Males were 2.2 (OR 95% CI: 2.04, 2.3) times more likely to be NSP positive than were females. Cattle belonging to the Murrah breed (OR=1.6, 95% CI: 1.3, 2.0) and dairy breeds (OR=1.3, 95% CI: 1.2, 1.5) were more likely to be seropositive than were meat breeds. The whole peninsula was infected with FMD (range of point prevalences 6 to 37% in Kuala Lumpur and Kelantan, respectively).

In cattle, the overall seroprevalence based on the liquid phase blocking ELISA titre (LPBET) (positive titre >45) for type O (n=3025) was 74% (95% CI: 72, 76) and 52% (95% CI: 50, 53) of animals had protective titres (titre > 90). The findings indicate that, on average, the protective levels of antibody to type O in cattle were below the recommended level. In imported cattle (n=3295), more than 90% were positive on the LPBE percentage inhibition (PI) to type O and 49% were NSP positive indicating that they had been vaccinated and also exposed to a natural infection. This finding highlights that infected imported cattle may be an important source of FMD outbreaks, thus livestock consignments should be closely monitored. Based on the results of the LPBET adequate protective levels were present to serotype O in buffalo but not in goats, sheep or pigs.

The results from the simulation study for the risk of introduction of FMD via importation of live cattle from Thailand showed that there is almost a 100% probability that there will be at least one infectious animal that is capable of transmitting infection being accepted for importation into Peninsular Malaysia in any given year. The estimated total number of outbreaks was 26 per year (range: 10-182; 95% CI: 1, 27) and the probability of outbreaks following effective contact was 92%. This indicates that importation of live cattle from Thailand is a strong factor contributing to the likelihood of outbreaks in Peninsular Malaysia. Furthermore, Malaysia is at continuous risk as long as the importation of live animals continues from infected countries. To reduce risk, interventions, including pre-arrival testing, vaccination and improved farm biosecurity, should be adopted on farms, irrespective if the new animals are from another country or from within Peninsular Malaysia.

In conclusion, FMD is endemic in Peninsular Malaysia and movement of animals plays a major role in the spread of FMD. The protective level of immunity induced by vaccination was below the recommended level. Imported live cattle from Thailand could be infected with FMD and a potential source for introducing new strains of virus to Peninsular Malaysia. Therefore, studies should be conducted to trace the farms of origin of these imported cattle. The findings from this study could be used to improve the existing control strategy for FMD in Peninsular Malaysia thus ultimately underpinning the MTM FMD Campaign.


The Myth of the "Productive Consumer" - In this contribution the author argues how the borders between the area of production and consumption are now being increasingly blurred. The consumer seems to become "productive, trying to concentrate on himself even those functions that before were traditionally carried out by the production. But the consumer can be considered today truly productive? This is the main issue around which this essay articulates its reflections.


This extract from Ovid's 'Theban History' recounts the confrontation of Pentheus, king of Thebes, with his divine cousin, Bacchus, the god of wine. Notwithstanding the warnings of the seer Tiresias and the cautionary tale of a character Acoetes (perhaps Bacchus in disguise), who tells of how the god once transformed a group of blasphemous sailors into dolphins, Pentheus refuses to acknowledge the divinity of Bacchus or allow his worship at Thebes. Enraged, yet curious to witness the orgiastic rites of the nascent cult, Pentheus conceals himself in a grove on Mt. Cithaeron near the locus of the ceremonies. But in the course of the rites he is spotted by the female participants who rush upon him in a delusional frenzy, his mother and sisters in the vanguard, and tear him limb from limb. The episode abounds in themes of abiding interest, not least the clash between the authoritarian personality of Pentheus, who embodies 'law and order', masculine prowess, and the martial ethos of his city, and Bacchus, a somewhat effeminate god of orgiastic excess, who revels in the delusional and the deceptive, the transgression of boundaries, and the blurring of gender distinctions. This course book offers a wide-ranging introduction, the original Latin text, study aids with vocabulary, and an extensive commentary. Designed to stretch and stimulate readers, Gildenhard and Zissos's incisive commentary will be of particular interest to students of Latin at AS and undergraduate level. It extends beyond detailed linguistic analysis to encourage critical engagement with Ovid's poetry and discussion of the most recent scholarly thought.


This paper proposes a new method for interpreting and simplifying a black box model of a deep random forest (RF) using a proposed rule elimination. In deep RF, a large number of decision trees are connected to multiple layers, thereby making an analysis difficult. It has a high performance similar to that of a deep neural network (DNN), but achieves a better generalizability. Therefore, in this study, we consider quantifying the feature contributions and frequency of the fully trained deep RF in the form of a decision rule set. The feature contributions provide a basis for determining how features affect the decision process in a rule set. Model simplification is achieved by eliminating unnecessary rules by measuring the feature contributions. Consequently, the simplified model has fewer parameters and rules than before. Experiment results have shown that a feature contribution analysis allows a black box model to be decomposed for quantitatively interpreting a rule set. The proposed method was successfully applied to various deep RF models and benchmark datasets while maintaining a robust performance despite the elimination of a large number of rules.


The majority of stars in the universe has formed in disc galaxies with masses similar to that of the Milky Way.
Ab-initio cosmological hydrodynamical simulations of the formation and evolution of galaxies in a Lambda Cold Dark Matter universe have long suffered from serious problems in correctly modelling the star-formation history and structure of disc galaxies.

We first use idealized semi-cosmological simulations to gain a better understanding of processes leading to problems in disc formation simulations. We add rotating spheres of hot gas to cosmological dark-matter-only simulations of individual haloes and follow the formation and evolution of galaxy discs from the cooling gas. The initial orientation of the baryonic angular momentum with respect to the halo has a major effect on disc formation. Despite the coherently rotating initial conditions, the orientations of the disc and the outer gas and the relative angle between the components can all change by more than 90 degrees over several billion years. Dominant discs with realistic structural and kinematical properties form preferentially if slow cooling times shift disc formation to later times, if the initial angular momentum
is aligned with the halo minor axis and if there is little reorientation of the disc.

We then present a new set of fully cosmological simulations with an updated multiphase smoothed
particle hydrodynamics galaxy formation code. The update includes improved treatment of metal-line cooling, metal production, turbulent diffusion of metals, kinetic and thermal supernova feedback and radiation pressure from massive young stars. We compare the models to a variety of observations at high and low redshifts
and find good agreement for morphologies, stellar-to-dark-matter mass ratios, star formation rates,
gas fractions and heavy element abundances. Agreement is better at redshift z=1 than at present day as discrepancies in star formation histories for the lowest and highest simulated galaxy masses become apparent at late times. 18 out of 19 of our model galaxies at z=0 contain stellar discs with kinematic disc fractions up to 65 %, higher than in any previous simulations.

We finally compare our model galaxies in detail with recent observations of the structural evolution of stellar galactic discs and the structure of z=0 gas discs. Stellar surface density profiles agree well with observations at z>1, but reveal too little central growth afterwards. This is likely connected to a lack of
bars in our simulations resulting from overly strong feedback. Discs at z=0 are too
extended by a factor \sim 2. The discs have diverse formation histories ranging from pure inside-out growth in systems with quiescent merger histories to continuous mass growth at all radii. Central mass growth in our models is driven by mergers and misaligned infall events, which leave signatures in the present day distributions of radii and element abundances as functions of stellar age. Gas discs agree well with observations in terms of sizes and profile shapes, but on average have overly high gas-to-stellar mass ratios. Our models agree well with the observed neutral hydrogen mass-size relation.

Despite significant progress, our models continue to suffer from various problems illustrating that we are still far away from capturing all relevant physical processes accurately.


Abstract. Heterogeneous photochemistry converts bromide (Br−) to reactive bromine species (Br atoms and bromine monoxide, BrO) that dominate Arctic springtime chemistry. This phenomenon has many impacts such as boundary-layer ozone depletion, mercury oxidation and deposition, and modification of the fate of hydrocarbon species. To study environmental controls on reactive bromine events, the BRomine, Ozone, and Mercury EXperiment (BROMEX) was carried out from early March to mid-April 2012 near Barrow (Utqiaġvik), Alaska. We measured horizontal and vertical gradients in BrO with multiple-axis differential optical absorption spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) instrumentation at three sites, two mobile and one fixed. During the campaign, a large crack in the sea ice (an open lead) formed pushing one instrument package ∼ 250 km downwind from Barrow (Utqiaġvik). Convection associated with the open lead converted the BrO vertical structure from a surface-based event to a lofted event downwind of the lead influence. The column abundance of BrO downwind of the re-freezing lead was comparable to upwind amounts, indicating direct reactions on frost flowers or open seawater was not a major reactive bromine source. When these three sites were separated by ∼ 30 km length scales of unbroken sea ice, the BrO amount and vertical distributions were highly correlated for most of the time, indicating the horizontal length scales of BrO events were typically larger than ∼ 30 km in the absence of sea ice features. Although BrO amount and vertical distribution were similar between sites most of the time, rapid changes in BrO with edges significantly smaller than this ∼ 30 km length scale episodically transported between the sites, indicating BrO events were large but with sharp edge contrasts. BrO was often found in shallow layers that recycled reactive bromine via heterogeneous reactions on snowpack. Episodically, these surface-based events propagated aloft when aerosol extinction was higher (> 0.1 km−1); however, the presence of aerosol particles aloft was not sufficient to produce BrO aloft. Highly depleted ozone (


Driver licencing is an important part of life for many Australian, especially those who live in outer urban areas or regional and remote parts of the country where public transport is not accessible. With increasingly difficult graduated licensing systems for new drivers, aimed at keeping young drivers safe, there can be substantial barriers to licensing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. However, little is understood about the population rates of driver licencing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait people, or the barriers to licencing. This lack of data inhibits development of appropriate programs. If developed in consultation with communities and with appropriate safeguards in place, including reliable measures of Indigenous status into licensing databases would contribute significantly to creation of a reliable data source to inform program development and guide evaluation.


As more information becomes available electronically, tools for finding information of interest to users becomes increasingly important. The goal of the research described here is to build a system for generating comprehensible user profiles that accurately capture user interest with minimum user interaction. The research described here focuses on the importance of a suitable generalization hierarchy and representation for learning profiles which are predictively accurate and comprehensible. In our experiments we evaluated both traditional features based on weighted term vectors as well as subject features corresponding to categories which could be drawn from a thesaurus. Our experiments, conducted in the context of a content-based profiling system for on-line newspapers on the World Wide Web (the IDD News Browser), demonstrate the importance of a generalization hierarchy and the promise of combining natural language processing techniques with machine learning (ML) to address an information retrieval (IR) problem.


The Middle East is relatively undeveloped as a tourist region, but future growth is anticipated and Saudi Arabia provides an interesting case study of a country which has recently moved to begin to exploit its untapped potential as a destination. After a brief review of tourism in the Middle East and Saudi Arabia in order to set the scene, this paper reports on the results of an independent effort to forecast aspects of the future of the Saudi Arabian tourism industry based on the deliberations of two independent Delphi panels. The methodology is explained and factors identified as likely to have an impact on tourism in Saudi Arabia are assessed. The implications of these changing circumstances for the planning and marketing of Saudi Arabian tourism are discussed in a final section. Opportunities ahead are highlighted, but the constraints to be overcome are also recognized.


This paper deploys an orthodox Marxian reading of the concept of subsumption of labour under capital. It does so through a brief, critical overview of the components of the Marxian conceptual instrument of subsumption of labour under capital (formal, real, hybrid and ideal subsumption). Recapitulating Marx's concept, it sheds some light on the consequences of such a reading as a way of understanding the current transformation of the global higher education sector into a capitalist production sector per se . The reconstruction is then considered here as an attempt to approximate the specifics of the subsumption of labour under capital within the higher education sector. Moreover, the paper aims at showing that a discussion of the university dominated by capital with reference to the functioning or constituting of markets does not provide real opportunities for the understanding and solution of such problems as precarization, exploitation or acceleration of academic work. Thus, it joins a wider stream of Marxist higher education research and could be seen as a conceptual contribution to a critique of the political economy of higher education.


This article discusses J.R.R. Tolkien's understanding of fantasy as a literary genre in light of his essay On Fairy Stories . It addresses key concepts of the essay that are of great importance for a broader understanding of the author's creative process and his views on the importance of fantasy stories for society. Among the concepts discussed in this analysis are Tolkien's ideas of sub-creation, secondary world, inner consistency of reality, as well as his views on Recovery, Escape, and Consolation, which he believed to be the main functions of fantasy. Finally, the concept of Faerie, which is probably the most important term in the author's lexicon and key to his theory and practice, is also discussed in this work. Keywords: Faerie. Fantasy Literature. J. R. R. Tolkien. On Fairy Stories .


The article discusses pre-delivery payment, or PDP, financing transactions for aircraft. PDPs are progress payments that a purchaser makes to a manufacturer while new aircraft are being built. They represent a significant cash expense for purchasers which, on average, amount to as much as 30% of the purchase price of a finished aircraft. The high cost of PDPs, particularly for purchasers of large numbers of aircraft, has led to the widespread use of PDP financing. The article explains how PDP financing transactions work. It discusses the key provisions typically included in documentation; in particular, the terms offered by manufacturers in "manufacturer's consents" or "step-in agreements." The article also discusses bankruptcy and "claw-back" risk, explaining what it is and how it can be managed, and finally discusses unique intercreditor issues for lenders in PDP financing transactions. The article updates and expands upon an article that was originally published in the Fall 2009 edition of The Journal of Structured Finance.


Significance This study resolves a long-standing question about the ability of humans to perceive near infrared radiation (IR) and identifies a mechanism driving human IR vision. A few previous reports and our expanded psychophysical studies here reveal that humans can detect IR at wavelengths longer than 1,000 nm and perceive it as visible light, a finding that has not received a satisfactory physical explanation. We show that IR light activates photoreceptors through a nonlinear optical process. IR light also caused photoisomerization of purified pigments and a model chromophore compound. These observations are consistent with our quantum mechanical model for the energetics of two-photon activation of rhodopsin. Thus, humans can perceive IR light via two-photon isomerization of visual pigment chromophores. Vision relies on photoactivation of visual pigments in rod and cone photoreceptor cells of the retina. The human eye structure and the absorption spectra of pigments limit our visual perception of light. Our visual perception is most responsive to stimulating light in the 400- to 720-nm (visible) range. First, we demonstrate by psychophysical experiments that humans can perceive infrared laser emission as visible light. Moreover, we show that mammalian photoreceptors can be directly activated by near infrared light with a sensitivity that paradoxically increases at wavelengths above 900 nm, and display quadratic dependence on laser power, indicating a nonlinear optical process. Biochemical experiments with rhodopsin, cone visual pigments, and a chromophore model compound 11-cis-retinyl-propylamine Schiff base demonstrate the direct isomerization of visual chromophore by a two-photon chromophore isomerization. Indeed, quantum mechanics modeling indicates the feasibility of this mechanism. Together, these findings clearly show that human visual perception of near infrared light occurs by two-photon isomerization of visual pigments.


The electric field of arbitrarily focused few-femtosecond pulsed Gaussian beams is characterized for their phase-sensitive interaction with matter. In the case of a transversally extended interaction region, the electric field is blurred, but effective values of the carrier-envelope phase and carrier frequency can still be defined.


Anthropometric and lifestyle factors may influence cancer risks through hormonal changes. We investigated cross‐sectional associations between body size and composition, physical activity and sedentary time and serum concentrations of oestradiol (premenopausal women only), testosterone, sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) and insulin‐like growth factor‐I (IGF‐I) in 20 758 premenopausal and 71 101 postmenopausal women in UK Biobank. In premenopausal women, higher BMI (body mass index) was associated with a lower concentration of total oestradiol (15% difference in the highest vs lowest BMI group) and a higher concentration of calculated free oestradiol (22%). In both premenopausal and postmenopausal women, higher BMI was associated with higher concentrations of total and calculated free testosterone (premenopausal 29% and 113%, postmenopausal 39% and 126%, respectively) and lower concentrations of SHBG and IGF‐I (premenopausal 51% and 14%, postmenopausal 51% and 12%, respectively). Similar associations were observed with waist to height ratio, waist to hip ratio and body or trunk fat mass. Self‐reported physical activity was associated with somewhat lower concentrations of total and calculated free testosterone (premenopausal 10% difference [free testosterone], postmenopausal 5% and 11% difference respectively in the most vs least active group) and a higher concentration of SHBG (premenopausal 11%, postmenopausal 10%), and the opposite was true for self‐reported sedentary time. The associations were slightly stronger with accelerometer‐measured physical activity, but were attenuated after adjustment for BMI. Overall, our study confirms strong associations of hormones and SHBG with anthropometric factors. The associations with physical activity and sedentary time were at most modest.


This paper presents an overview of the situation concerning the rights related to sexuality in contemporary Argentina. Based specially on the positive legislation, it is primarily presented a synthesis of the legal and political system. Next, the paper summarizes the process of inclusion of the sexual rights, mainly since 1983, when democracy has been recovered. The following issues are addressed: civil equality and conjugality; sexual orientation and gender identity; reproduction; abortion; gender a sexual violence; HIV/Aids; and exploitation and sexual work. The paper ends with a consideration about the still remaining doubts.


Lung cancer is one of the most common malignancies and the leading cause of cancer-associated mortality in Korea. A significant amount of effort has been put into the development of new and more effective treatments and biological markers for the prediction of therapeutic responses, which has led to the identification of various genetic changes in cancer, that are the so-called 'growth drivers' of carcinogenesis. Certain genetic alterations have become new treatment targets, and it has been suggested that different mutations are associated with different clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis. The present study aimed to evaluate the status of the key 'driver' mutation anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) fusion in Korean patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and its association with clinicopathological characteristics, including the presence of other genetic mutations. The present study also compared different methods for ALK fusion detection, including fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), immunohistochemistry (IHC) and next-generation sequencing (NGS) to evaluate which method is the most effective. A total of 482 patients with NSCLC who underwent ALK FISH analysis were evaluated for clinicopathological features, such as age, sex, smoking history, tumor stage, histological subtype, immunohistochemical profile, including ALK and EGFR mutation statuses, and survival. Some ALK FISH-positive and -negative cancers were newly submitted to NGS analysis for DNA and RNA alterations. The ALK fusion-positive tumors were associated with a younger age, female patients, frequent nodal metastases, advanced stage and shorter survival. Comparing the results of ALK FISH, IHC and NGS analyses, it was concluded that in practice, ALK testing should better be diversified concerning FISH and IHC, and NGS analysis would be a good alternative to FISH, with an additional advantage of being able to concurrently detect different mutations.


We develop an adaptive receiver for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) frequency selective channels that employ space-time block-coded transmissions with cyclic prefixing. The receiver performs both interference suppression and equalization for multiuser transmissions. The structure of the space-time code is exploited to show that the receiver can be implemented on a per-frequency-bin basis rather than on a block-by-block basis. The adaptation scheme requires solving N independent problems each of complexity O(M/sup 2/) per block iteration, where M is the number of users and N is the block size.


For the strengthening of the national economic organism, through the reformation of the economic and political life of the country, the period 1859-1918 is one of reference. Romania's modernization and development are the result of the contribution brought by the thinkers of the time, especially by the radical liberal thinkers. In the same time, we should not neglect the participation, more modest however, of the conservative thinkers at the economic advancement of the country. In spite of the good results in the industrial field, industry was still occupying a secondary position in country's economic structure, accounting for approximately 20% of the national income. The development of new industrial sectors reduced the imports of consumption goods, even if, until World War I, the Romanian market was dependent on the West. In this paper, I want to analyse the liberal thinking from the logical, theoretical and doctrinaire viewpoint and, also, to follow the way this thinking has come true in Romania's long-term development strategy, elaborated by the liberal governments and the practical results obtained on this basis.


A growing number of real-world applications share the property that they have to deal with transient data arriving in massive volumes, so-called data streams. The characteristics of these data streams render their analysis by means of conventional techniques extremely difcult, in the majority of cases even impossible. In fact, to be applicable to data streams, a technique has to meet rigid processing requirements such as a single pass over the stream and strict limitations on the available memory. With respect to these requirements, an adequate real-time mining and analysis of a data stream has turned out to be a highly demanding task, which can only be tackled by developing tailored techniques. In this work, we delve more deeply into an important building block of many data mining and analysis approaches, namely density estimation, with the objective to adapt it to the data stream scenario. Density estimation, a vital research topic in mathematical statistics, aims to capture the unknown distribution of a real-valued data set by estimating its underlying probability density function. A suitable density estimate can be exploited to gain insight into the main features of the data; it can also prepare the ground for a variety of further analysis tasks. Due to the importance of density estimation, various methods have been developed in recent decades. Among the most promising methods are the nonparametric ones. They stand out from the parametric approaches as they only make very weak assumptions on the data; they let the data speak for themselves. Two important members of the class of nonparametric methods are based on kernels and wavelets. Kernel as well as wavelet density estimators are theoretically founded and practically approved, but their computational burden severely impedes their applicability. In particular, neither kernel nor wavelet density estimators can be computed over real-valued data streams because their computational complexity collides with the processing requirements for streams. However, as density estimation can be a crucial component of data stream analysis, we devoted ourselves to the adaptation of kernel and wavelet density estimators to data streams in compliance with the processing requirements for streams. Our solution for wavelet density estimators, termed compressed-cumulative WDEs, relies on processing blocks of data of the stream, where each data block is associated with a separate estimator. While processing the stream, the block estimators are successively merged into one estimator. Our solution for kernel density estimators utilizes speci c building blocks, termed Cluster Kernels, to derive an estimator for the stream on demand. These Cluster Kernels summarize already processed elements in terms of local statistics, which are used for an approximate resampling of elements. Both solutions exhibit a generic design to facilitate the integration of new strategies for their main processing steps. In order to assess them, we conducted an extensive experimental study, including a thorough comparison with competitive techniques. As the results of this study reveal, our techniques outperform all competitors. Overall, they succeed in estimating the unknown density of a data stream.


Although Systems Engineering has been widely applied to the defence industry, many other projects are unaware of its potential benefits when correctly applied, assuming that it is an expensive luxury. It seems that except in a few instances, telescope projects are no exception, prompting the writing of this paper. The authors postulate that classical Systems Engineering can and should be tailored, and then applied to telescope projects, leading to cost, schedule and technical benefits. This paper explores the essence of Systems Engineering and how it can be applied to any complex development project. The authors cite real-world Systems Engineering examples from the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT). The SALT project is the development and construction of a 10m-class telescope at the price of a 4m telescope. Although SALT resembles the groundbreaking Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) in Texas, the project team are attempting several challenging changes to the original design, requiring a focussed engineering approach and discernment in the definition of the telescope requirements. Following a tailored Systems Engineering approach on this project has already enhanced the quality of decisions made, improved the fidelity of contractual specifications for subsystems, and established criteria testing their performance. Systems Engineering, as applied on SALT, is a structured development process, where requirements are formally defined before the award of subsystem developmental contracts. During this process conceptual design, modeling and prototyping are performed to ensure that the requirements were realistic and accurate. Design reviews are held where the designs are checked for compliance with the requirements. Supplier factory and on-site testing are followed by integrated telescope testing, to verify system performance against the specifications. Although the SALT project is still far from completion, the authors are confident that the present benefits from Systems Engineering on the project will be felt through telescope commissioning and testing.


This book begins with a brief overview of the important events of the 20th century that have shaped modern China, and then turns to a systematic analysis of the structure of government, basic human rights and liberties, and the crucial role of the Communist Party. It examines all major legal institutions in China, including the lawmaking organs, courts, procuratorates, police, and the legal profession. It also provides an overview of the major areas of procedural and substantive law in China, with a focus on foreign investment and intellectual property law.


In cache enabled D2D communication networks, the cache space in a mobile terminal is relatively small compared with the huge amounts of multimedia contents. As such, a strategy for caching the diverse contents in a multiple cache-enabled mobile terminals, namely caching deployment, will have a substantial impact to network performance. In this paper, a user preference aware caching deployment algorithm is proposed for D2D caching networks. Firstly, based on the concept of the user preference, the definition of user interest similarity is given, in which it can be used to evaluate the similarity of user preferences. Then a content cache utility of a mobile terminal is defined by taking the communication coverage of this mobile terminal and the user interest similarity of its adjacent mobile terminals into consideration. The logarithmic utility maximization problem for caching deployment is formulated. Subsequently, we relax the logarithmic utility maximization problem, and obtain a low complexity near-optimal solution via dual decomposition method. The convergence of the proposed caching deployment algorithm is validated by simulation results. Compared with the existing caching placement methods, the proposed algorithm can achieve significant improvement on cache hit ratio, content access delay and traffic offloading gain.


Desire has been a marginal topic in TESOL. This study investigated whether and to what extent English learning affects Taiwanese young females' aspiration toward western males. Four hundred ninety-nine respondents filled out a questionnaire that investigates their English learning experience and aspiration to cross–culture marriage with western males. Sixteen were interviewed. Results showed correlations between the acceptance of marrying a westerner and the following variables (in the rank of strength): 1. Preference for western movie stars, 2. Parents' attitudes toward marrying a westerner, 3. Perceptions of compliments from native-English-speaking teachers, 4. Making foreign friends as the motivation to learn English, 5. The fondness of learning English, 6. Becoming more charming as the motivation to learn English, and 7. Going abroad as the motivation to learn English. The findings suggest that the experience and motivation of English learning did influence the female students' aspiration toward western males, but not as strong as their inner motivation and the mass media.


Objective: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic progressive lesions caused by multiple factors. Previous finding showed that the expressions of ADAMTS-4, VCAM-1, and TAK1 were increased in the cartilage tissue from OA compared with normal tissue. ADAMTS-4 was positively correlated with TAK1 level. VCAM-1 expression was related to severity of OA. It was found that ADAMTS-4 and VCAM-1 can influence the dynamic balance of ECM, while TAK1 may participate in OA through MAPKs and NF-κB signaling pathways. However, the correlation of their expressions in cartilage tissue from patients with OA is still unclear. This study intends to analyse their correlation in OA cartilage through the detection of expressions in OA and normal cartilage.
Patients and methods: A total of 72 OA patients were enrolled and divided into two groups: severe OA and mild-to-moderate OA groups. Another 22 healthy individuals were selected as normal control. Western blot was applied to detect ADAMTS-4, VCAM-1, and TAK1 expression in cartilage tissue. Their correlations were then analysed.
Results: There were 35 patients in severe group with mean age at 58.64 ± 4.32 y old, while 37 subjects in mild-to-moderate group with average age at 57.32 ± 5.21 y old, the ages of which were no significant different. The levels of ADAMTS-4, VCAM-1, and TAK1 in severe group were obviously higher than that in mild-to-moderate group and normal control. The levels of these three genes presented positive correlation with each other.
Conclusions: The expressions of ADAMTS-4, VCAM-1, and TAK1 were elevated and exhibited positive correlation in cartilage tissues of patients with OA, which provides academic basis for the future biomarkers in the therapy of OA.


The management and rehabilitation of degraded rangelands are inherently complex in south Mediterranean where state and tribal owned pastures are grazed commonly by the agro-pastoralists. The prospect for increased degradation primarily caused by overgrazing and recurrent droughts is currently at alarming levels. Reversing the negative trends primarily requires insightful management practices, institutional and policy support, and ultimately sound governance. Historically, the emphasis on rangeland management and improvement has been placed on the agronomic and ecological techniques but the efforts to restore the health and biodiversity of rangelands have achieved little impact. Low adoption of the technical and agronomic packages indicates that the imperative role of the governance and well-established sustainable communal land management cannot be ignored. Governance practices that are in conformity with socio-organizational arrangements are essential for sustainable management in particular for common rangeland grazing regimes. These practices should be set up in a participatory manner, involving the agropastoralists and building social networking to achieve environmental, social and economic sustainability in agropastoral production systems. This brief paper aims to highlight the role of governance of rangelands in sustainable pastoralism in the south Mediterranean region.


The gradualism of economic reforms in China and Vietnam (especially in China, which has led the way in this regard) has been commented on favourably by many analysts studying transitional economies. Early market reforms in China and Vietnam were constrained by political considerations and consequently, began in agriculture and in China's case, in rural areas with the development of town-and-village enterprises as well. It is argued that at the time when the reforms began, they were socially responsible. However, they have created a legacy which has resulted in agricultural land disputes and many town-and-village enterprises now face new economic challenges resulting in social conflict as the structure of China's economy alters and greater market competition occurs. A further relevant policy issue which is discussed is whether commercial industrialised farming should be encouraged at the expense of the existing predominantly small-scale household farming in China and Vietnam. At present, titles to agricultural land continue to be held by village councils and villagers only have conditional user rights to the land allocated to them. These rights can be taken away by village councils and the use of the land involved can be reallocated which has been increasingly necessary with structural economic change in China and Vietnam. Some villagers believe that their land is taken unfairly and that they are not adequately compensated for its loss. Why this problem exists and the difficulties of solving it are given particular consideration


We experimentally assessed the interaction between a globally invasive snail (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) and an Australian native snail (Austropyrgus angasi) under temperatures based on current (1990–2000, mean = 17.94–19.02°C) and future (2100, mean = 19.42–21.65°C) predicted conditions. Temperature treatments were scenarios identified from down-scaled global circulation models. Growth rates (mm/d) for juveniles and adults were measured at low (1000 individuals [ind]/m2) and high (20,000 ind/m2) densities in intraspecific and interspecific interaction trials under the 2 temperature regimes. Juveniles of both species grew at similar rates regardless of temperature and density. On the other hand, adults had dissimilar growth rates among treatments. Under current temperatures, P. antipodarum adults grew significantly faster than A. angasi adults when both species were kept at high densities in the interspecific treatment (interspecific-high) and faster than when they were kept at high densities but with conspecifics in the intraspecific treatment (intraspecific-high). However, we did not detect intra- or interspecific competition effects on either species. Thus, our results suggest that under current conditions, P. antipodarum gained from foraging with A. angasi (unidirectional facilitation effect). Under 2100 temperatures, the facilitative effect of A. angasi on P. antipodarum growth was not apparent, a result suggesting that the facilitation was directly related to the temperature conditions. Our research shows the importance of considering future temperature conditions as a factor that could alter species interactions and potentially influence the ecological effects of invasive species.


This paper examines the choice of borrowers to extract wealth from housing in the high-cost (subprime) segment of the mortgage market while refinancing and assesses the prepayment and default performance of these cash-out refinance loans relative to the rate refinance loans. Consistent with survey evidence the propensity to extract equity while refinancing is sensitive to interest rates on other forms of consumer debt. After the loan is originated, our results indicate that cash-out refinances perform differently from non cash-out refinances. For example, cash-outs are less likely to default or prepay, and the termination of cash-outs is more sensitive to changing interest rates and house prices.


Today's location-sensitive service relies on user's mobile device to determine the current location. This allows malicious users to access a restricted resource or provide bogus alibis by cheating on their locations. To address this issue, we propose A Privacy-Preserving LocAtion proof Updating System (APPLAUS) in which colocated Bluetooth enabled mobile devices mutually generate location proofs and send updates to a location proof server. Periodically changed pseudonyms are used by the mobile devices to protect source location privacy from each other, and from the untrusted location proof server. We also develop user-centric location privacy model in which individual users evaluate their location privacy levels and decide whether and when to accept the location proof requests. In order to defend against colluding attacks, we also present betweenness ranking-based and correlation clustering-based approaches for outlier detection. APPLAUS can be implemented with existing network infrastructure, and can be easily deployed in Bluetooth enabled mobile devices with little computation or power cost. Extensive experimental results show that APPLAUS can effectively provide location proofs, significantly preserve the source location privacy, and effectively detect colluding attacks.


US manufacturing policies increasingly steer resources toward the act of innovation. Emerging case-study evidence suggests that this innovation leads to manufacturing job growth. However, the case-study evidence from which this claim is assembled is incomplete and selective. Using regional-level industry-occupation data for US manufacturing sectors, we test the contribution of manufacturing innovation activities to production employment growth within US regions, for the 2000–2006 and 2006–2010 periods. While production employment continued to disperse from sites of historical manufacturing concentration over both time periods, innovation activities provided some advantages. From 2000 to 2006, regions with higher innovation concentrations in high-tech and medium–low technology industries, experienced slower rates of production employment decline. From 2006 to 2010, a period spanning the Great Recession, innovation activities were associated with reduced production job losses for industries of all technology levels. These results indicate that innovation has benefits beyond high-technology industries, but that those benefits are limited and selective.


We present a novel probabilistic model for distributions over sets of structures— for example, sets of sequences, trees, or graphs. The critical characteristic of our model is a preference for diversity: sets containing dissimilar structures are more likely. Our model is a marriage of structured probabilistic models, like Markov random fields and context free grammars, with determinantal point processes, which arise in quantum physics as models of particles with repulsive interactions. We extend the determinantal point process model to handle an exponentially-sized set of particles (structures) via a natural factorization of the model into parts. We show how this factorization leads to tractable algorithms for exact inference, including computing marginals, computing conditional probabilities, and sampling. Our algorithms exploit a novel polynomially-sized dual representation of determinantal point processes, and use message passing over a special semiring to compute relevant quantities. We illustrate the advantages of the model on tracking and articulated pose estimation problems.


We analyze and model total solar irradiance variability on time scales from minutes to months, excluding variations due to p-mode oscillations, using a combination of convective and magnetic components. These include granulation, the magnetic network, faculae and sunspots. Analysis of VIRGO data shows that on periods of a day or longer solar variability depends on magnetic activity, but is nearly independent at shorter periods. We assume that only granulation affects the solar irradiance variability on time scales from minutes to hours. Granulation is described as a large sample of bright cells and dark lanes that evolve according to rules deduced from observations and radiation hydrodynamic simulations. Comparison of this model combined with a high time resolution magnetic-field based irradiance reconstruction, with solar data reveals a good correspondence except at periods of 10 to 30 hours. This suggests that the model is missing some power at these periods, which may be due to the absence of supergranulation or insufficient sensitivity of MDI magnetograms used for the reconstruction of the magnetic field-based irradiance reconstructions. Our model also shows that even for spatially unresolved data (such as those available for stars) the Fourier or wavelet transform of time series sampled at high cadence may allow properties of stellar granulation, in particular granule lifetimes to be determined.


The book Post-Socialist Translation Practices explores how Communism and Socialism, through their hegemonic pressure, found expression in translation practice from the moment of Socialist revolution to the present day. Based on extensive archival research in the archives of the Communist Party and on the interviews with translators and editors of the period the book attempts to outline the typical and defining features of the Socialist translatorial behaviour by re-reading more than 200 translations of children's literature and juvenile fiction published in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY). Despite the variety of different forms of censorship that the translators in all Socialist states were subject to, the book argues that Socialist translation in different cultural and linguistic environments, especially where the Soviet model tried to impose itself, purged the translated texts of the same or similar elements, in particular of the religious presence. The book also traces how ideologically manipulated translations are still uncritically reprinted and widely circulated today.


The aim of this study was to review the studies carried out on Artificial Intelligence and education. Various databases were searched for keywords artificial intelligence, education, vocational education, and education systems. These studies were shortlisted as per the year of publication. Studies talk about the pervasiveness of Artificial Intelligence today and its impact on education and teaching methods and learning systems. Many studies have talked about AI applications which aid in improving learning outcomes. Some studies have also highlighted the need to adjust vocational education training around the idea that AI would be phasing out many jobs in the coming decades.


A 4-dimensional system of nonlinear difference equations tracking allele frequencies and population sizes for a two-patch metapopulation model is studied. This system describes intergenerational changes brought about by density-dependent selection within patches and moderated by the effects of migration between patches. To determine conditions which result in similar behaviour at the level of local populations, we introduce the concept of symmetric equilibrium and relate it to properties of allelic and genotypic fitness. We present examples of metapopulation stability, instability and bistability, as well as an example showing that differentially greater migration into a stable patch results in metapopulation stability. Finally, we illustrate a Naimark-Sacker bifurcation giving a globally asymptotically stable invariant curve for the 4-dimensional model.


As private equity firms continue to make investments in relatively healthy companies at higher valuations, strategies for deriving value by improving operations are increasingly taking center stage. Savvy firms are leaving little to chance when it comes to having the right type of expertise in place to make informed decisions ¦ building up in-house operational expertise or turning to outside professional advisors who can go beyond the numbers and approach the due diligence process through a hands-on, operational lens. The bottom line: those who embrace this new frontier of operational investing will be best positioned to identify opportunities, regardless of market forces, and continue to deliver impressive returns.


In recent years there has been a substantial push for the integration of the engineering design process in technology education classrooms. This drive towards cross-curricular incorporation of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics is often referred to as STEM. Its inclusion in courses is designed not only to enhance the study of the STEM subjects, but also to help develop problem-solving skills. While a number of standards have been developed by technology education professional organizations to further drive the movement toward engineering design, there is a noted lack of curricular resources and instructional methods for such integration. Therefore, this study employed an action research method to improve my instructional practice through the implementation and revision of engineering design curriculum across multiple high school robotics classes. Through the study, I saw improvements in my instruction specifically in the areas of resources developed, organization, timing, and knowledge. Additionally, students understood and applied the use of engineering notebooks, the engineering design process, and ballistics to solve an engineering design challenge. INDEX WORDS: Engineering design, Action research, Technology education, Optimization, Design analysis, STEM, Secondary education, Robotics INCORPORATING ENGINEERING DESIGN IN THE TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION CLASSROOM THROUGH ACTION RESEARCH


The public and private sector costs of capital differ in the presence of taxes, because taxes are a cost to the private but not the public sector. We use a quasi-arbitrage approach to show how to include taxes in a comparison of capital costs. We find that taxes induce distortions that generate a systematic private sector preference for assets with rapid tax depreciation, high debt capacity, and low risk. We examine the implications of that preference for privatization, government outsourcing, and regulation. Our approach facilitates the analysis of transactions such as pure risk transfers, otherwise difficult using standard discounting methods.


We perform an empirical investigation of the socioeconomic determinants and consequences of all mass shootings in the U.S. from 2000 to 2015. We first manually search for and collect information on perpetrators. We find that approximately 40% (45%) of shooters were in financial distress (unemployed or out of the labor force) at the moment of the shooting, suggesting that economic distress may trigger rise in shooting. We then investigate the economic consequences of mass shootings. In order to obtain the causal effects of shootings, we exploit the inherent randomness in the success or failure of mass shootings. We find that, on average, successful mass shooting have economically significant negative effects on targeted counties' employment and earnings. As well, successful mass shootings decrease housing prices and consumer confidence and increase absenteeism. Last, we employ an instrumental variable strategy and show that national media coverage of mass shootings exacerbate their local economic consequences.


In the first year of Vladimir Putin's second presidency, apparently in response to the mass demonstrations of the last election cycle, the Kremlin launched a comprehensive campaign to intimidate, stigmatize, shut down, and even prosecute nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that receive assistance from foreign donors, particularly from the United States. At the same time, the administration significantly increased government funding of "socially-oriented" NGOs and encouraged the Orthodox Church to play a greater role in organizing Russian society. This memo analyzes Russian policy over the past year toward civic organizations and discusses its implications for the future of Russian domestic politics.


Meconium is rarely passed into the amniotic fluid before 34 weeks although it is present in the fetal gut from as early as 10 weeks. The passage of meconium into the amniotic fluid is a feature of advancing gestational age and reflects physiological maturation of the fetal gut. Certain specific maternal and fetal disorders may be associated with the passage of meconium into the liquor amnii. Opinions regarding the significance of meconium-stained liquor detected during labour have varied although there is consensus that meconium aspirated into the lungs of the neonate may lead to meconium aspiration syndrome. The efficacy of various interventions designed to prevent meconium aspiration syndrome are discussed.


Purpose: To present a collection of simple tests that can be used to verify the dosimetric characteristics of the MDS Nordion Gammacell 40 Extractor Low Dose‐Rate Research Irradiator. Method and Materials: The manufacturer specifies that the irradiator is provided with two 61.1 TBq Cesium 137 sources that together produce a central dose rate of 1.10 Gy/minute ± 15% in its sample tray. In the central 260 mm diameter by 100 mm height region, the specified dose uniformity is ± 7%. Custom measurement jigs were made to fit inside the irradiator's sample trays and assemblies. Ionization chamber readings were made to determine exposure rate constancy and timer errors. Radiochromic film was used to measure dose and dose rate constancy, the attenuation of manufacturer‐provided attenuators, depth dose characteristics in Solid Water™, and uniformity of dose across the sample tray. Thermoluminescent devices (TLD's) were assessed as an alternate means of measuring dose and dose rate constancy. Results: The exposure rate was constant down to two seconds and timer error was about 1.4 seconds. Film measurements showed that dose reduction for the attenuation filters (33%, 60%, 80%) is within 3% of specifications. Film measurements in a central 10×10 cm area showed dose uniformity within about 2%. Depth doses in Solid Water™ showed a variation of about 10%. Film and TLD's yielded similarly accurate dose measurements and constancy estimates. Conclusion: Our facility's irradiator operates within the manufacturer's specifications except for dose variance with depth which may be somewhat greater than 7%. Although the manufacturer provides basic dosimetric information about each irradiator, it is advantageous to verify and expand this information. As with linacs, irradiators must certainly differ from machine to machine and change over time. It is prudent when doing research using these devices to validate their performance under their conditions of usage.


An empirical study was carried out comparing two-dimensional and three-dimensional displays for air traffic control, exploring.the suitability of 3D displays for ATC. Experiments compared the performance of two subject groups (air traffic controllers and novices with no ATC experience) using three types of display (2D, pseudo-3D and stereoscopic 3D) over a number of tasks: Observations of azimuth angle and distance between two aircraft; selecting two aircraft from a scene based on criteria of highest and lowest, and closest horizontally; and a conflict detection task. The results largely supported the findings of 3D display research, but behavioural differences were observed between the novices and controllers. Evidence was found that subjects tended to detect conflicts by examining horizontal and vertical separations separately rather than exploiting the integrated characteristics of the 3D displays. This may negate some of the benefits of a 3D visualisation , but whether controllers can be trained to exploit fully the integrated presentation of a 3D display remains to be investigation. Finally, controllers invited to view and comment on a virtual reality demonstration rejected immersive VR technology for radar control, but found it potentially useful for visual control room simulation and for workspace design.


Four alternative pruning strategies (A– 25 generative buds, B– 50 generative buds, C– 75 generative buds and D–100 generative buds per tree) for Elstar apple cultivar and their possible impact on improvement in productivity were examined in 1999 and 2000. Year was significant factor for all traits, except yield. The pruning strategy is significant for number of fruits per flower cluster and fruit mass. Interaction year and pruning strategy is significant only for number of fruits per flower cluster. Fruit mass was larger for pruning strategy A compared to the pruning strategies C and D. Yield efficiency and biennial bearing index were not affected by pruning strategies. The biennial bearing index variance was the lowest for the pruning strategy B. Trunk cross sectional area (TCSA) had negative impact on fruit mass in pruning strategy C. Correlation between the flower and crop density was positive in pruning strategy A. Flower density was in positive correlation with yield in pruning strategy C. The research shows that tree pruning alone will not result in adequate yield regulation in 'Elstar' apple.


Zinc (Zn) still represents an important health problem in developing countries, caused mainly by inadequate dietary intake. A large consumption of cereal‐based foods with small concentrations and low bioavailability of Zn is the major reason behind this problem. Modern cultivars of cereals have inherently very small concentrations of Zn and cannot meet the human need for Zn. Today, up to 50% of wheat‐cultivated soil globally is considered poor in bioavailable Zn. Agricultural strategies that are used to improve the nutritional value of crop plants are known as biofortification strategies. They include genetic biofortification, which is based on classical plant breeding and genetic engineering for larger nutrient concentrations, and greater agronomic biofortification, which is based on optimized fertilizer applications. This review focuses on agronomic biofortification with Zn, which has proved to be very effective for wheat and also other cereal crops including rice. Molecular and genetic research into Zn uptake, transport and grain deposition in cereals are critically important for identifying 'bottlenecks' in the biofortification of food crops with Zn. Transgenic plants with large Zn concentrations in seeds are often tested under controlled laboratory or glasshouse conditions with sufficient available Zn in the growth medium for the entire growth period. However, they might not always show the same performance under 'real‐world' conditions with limited chemical availability of Zn and various stress factors such as drought. What purpose can an upgraded transport and storage system serve if the amount of goods to be transported and stored is limited anyway? Given the fact that the Zn concentrations required to achieve a measurable impact on human health are well above those required to avoid any loss of yield from Zn deficiency, providing crop plants with sufficient Zn through the soil and foliar fertilizer strategy under field conditions is critically important for biofortification efforts.


This article examines the significance of Diva Starz, a new line of interactive dolls aimed at young girls between 6 and 11 years for current models of literacy. It argues that these dolls have much to tell us about the construction of children as consumers, our views about 'childhood', and the models of literacy instruction most appropriate for giving children the skills and knowledge needed to deal with the complex pedagogic texts characteristic of childhood in contemporary consumer culture.


SUMMARY

Much has been written over many years concerning use of the data in the NAPM Report On Business® as economic indicators but there has not been any recent attempt to review and evaluate the research. This article reviews the representation of business activity by economic indicators, compares qualities of NAPM Report On Business® data to those desirable in indicators, summarizes previously published research on the use of NAPM data as indicators, and presents some new and previously unpublished research on this subject. The use and value of NAPM data in the development of purchasing and supply strategy is also discussed. It is concluded that NAPM data possesses many desirable indicator qualities, are useful in the analysis of business and economic activity, and have value in the development of purchasing and supply strategy.


In this work, the results of mechanistic studies of surface crack initiation due to the coalescence of microcracks from casting defects are presented. Two approaches are considered; namely, a continuum damage (CD) one and another where a microvoid is explicitly introduced in the vicinity of a notch. In both cases, a rate-dependent crystallographic theory is relied upon to describe the visco-plastic behavior of the single crystal. The numerical studies are conducted on a notched compact tension (CT) specimen with and without a single casting defect, idealized as a cylindrical void close to the notch surface. CD predictions of the formation of surface cracks under constant far-field loading, linked to the nucleation and coalescence of microcracks from internal porosities, are obtained from a recently proposed mechanistic anisotropic void growth model. In the explicit-void modeling approach, the time to crack initiation under constant load has been predicted using a strain-based failure criterion. Finite element analysis of the CT specimen revealed that, due to the strong localization of inelastic strain at the void, a microcrack will initiate in the vicinity of the void rather than at the notch surface. The numerical results have also shown that the time to crack initiation depends strongly on the applied load level and the void location. These results and those obtained from the CD predictions are compared and discussed. The applicability of a failure assessment approach, based on the linear elastic stress intensity factor to predict the crack initiation time under creep loading, is also considered.


Reaching the so-called "performance wall" in 2004 inspired innovative approaches to performance improvement. Parallel programming, distributive computing, and System on a Chip (SOC) design drove change. Hardware acceleration in mainstream computing systems brought significant improvement in the performance of applications targeted directly to a specific hardware platform. Targeting a single hardware platform, however, typically requires learning vendor and hardware-specific languages that can be very complex. Additionally, Heterogeneous Computing Environments (HCE) consist of multiple SOC hardware platforms, so why not use them all instead of just one? How do we communicate with all platforms while maximizing performance, decreasing memory latency, and conserving power consumption? Enter the Open Computing Language (OpenCL) which has been developed to harness the power and performance of multiple SOC devices in an HCE. OpenCL offers an alternative to learning vendor and hardware-specific languages while still being able to harness the power of each device. Thus far, OpenCL programming has been directly mostly at CPU and GPU hardware devices. The genesis of this thesis is to examine the connections between parallel computing in a HCE using OpenCL with CPU and FPGA hardware devices. Underlining the industry trends to favor FPGAs in both computationally intensive and embedded systems, this research will also highlight the FPGA specifically demonstrating comparable performance ratings as CPU and GPU at a fraction of the power consumption. OpenCL benchmark suites run on a FPGA will show the importance of performance per watt and how it can be measured. Running traditional parallel programs will demonstrate the power and portability of the OpenCL language and how it can maximize performance of FPGA, CPU, and GPU. Results will show that OpenCL is a solid approach to exploiting all the computing power of a HCE and that performance per watt matters in mainstream computing systems, making a strong case for further research into using OpenCL with FPGAs in a HCE.


Performance portability is a challenge for application developers as the source code needs to be executed and performant on various hybrid computing architectures. The linear iterative solvers implemented in most applications consume more than 70% of the runtime. This paper presents the results of a linear solver in Trilinos for fluidized bed applications. The linear solver implemented in our code is based on the Kokkos programming model in Trilinos, which uses a library approach to provide performance portability across diverse devices with different memory models. For large scale problems, the numerical experiments on Xeon Phi and Kepler GPU architectures show good performance over the results on Xeon (Haswell) computing architectures.


There are four aspects of this paper which deal with the "Theoretic Underpinning of Innovative Practices in Teaching, Learning and Research" within the Surf Science and Technology Program at ECU. These are Experimentation and Testing on Real-Life Damages of Surfing Equipment, Improvisation, Individuality of Learning environment, and Dissemination of results and conclusions. Experimentation and testing was conducted on real-life damage of surf equipment. Improvisation was necessary due to limited resources and lack of access to commercial professional testing equipment. Students had to think laterally to make use of available resources to create testing situation where were both reliable and accurate. Individual Teaching and Learning Environment involved a number of damage surf boards that were obtained from commercial surf board manufacturers and/or individuals. Students selected a damaged surf board and had to devise a test and facility to carry out experiments from available resources. Although these units were taught there was no focus on testing the real surfboards the results and conclusions have remained within the unit. In 2004 the students were able to use their own results and the results of other students and incorporate these results into the design and manufacture of their own surfboard within other units taken concurrently with the unit. This is the first stage of dissemination of results. Moreover, for the first time this semester the teaching was focussed on examining flexural and impact behaviour of various surfboard construction panels and appears to be successful from both teaching and research point of view. Because in this relatively new academic discipline there are limited relevant professional journals specifically related to Surf Science and Technology this paper is one way of disseminating the results and conclusions to a wider audience.


Applied science and mechanics need mathematical methods for 2D processes modeling using the set of data points. A novel method of Hurwitz-Radon Matrices (MHR) is used in 2D curve modeling. Proposed method is based on the family of Hurwitz-Radon matrices which possess columns composed of orthogonal vectors. Two-dimensional process is modeled via different functions: sine, cosine, tangent, logarithm, exponent, arc sin, arc cos, arc tan and power function.


The use of an explicit, residual-based, a posteriori error indicator for directing a single-level p-refinement of the finite element method analysis of a waveguide filter is investigated. Hierarchical, curl-conforming elements of various orders are employed. It is shown that substantial improvements upon uniform element polynomial order discretizations can be obtained in terms of accuracy versus number of degrees of freedom.


In this Article we compare the benefits of product liability to its costs and conclude that the case for product liability is weak for a wide range of products. One benefit of product liability is that it can induce firms to improve product safety. Even in the absence of product liability, however, firms are often motivated by market forces to enhance product safety because their sales may fall if their products harm consumers. Moreover, products must frequently conform to safety regulations. Consequently, product liability might not be expected to exert a significant additional influence on product safety — and empirical studies of several widely sold products fail to find an effect of product liability on the frequency of product accidents. A second benefit of product liability is that it can improve consumer purchase decisions by causing product prices to increase to reflect product risks. But because of litigation costs and other factors, product liability may raise prices excessively and undesirably chill purchases. A third benefit of product liability is that it compensates victims of product-related accidents for their losses. Yet this benefit is only partial, for accident victims are frequently compensated by insurers for some or all of their losses. Furthermore, the payment of compensation for pain and suffering actually reduces the welfare of individuals because it effectively forces them to purchase insurance for a type of loss for which they ordinarily do not wish to be covered. Offsetting the potential benefits of product liability are its costs, which are great. Notably, the transfer of a dollar to a victim of a product accident via the liability system requires more than a dollar on average in legal expenses. Given the limited benefits and the high costs of product liability, we come to the judgment that its use is often unwarranted. This is especially likely for products for which market forces and regulation are relatively strong, which includes many widely sold products. On the other hand, the use of product liability may be desirable for products for which these factors are weak. Our generally skeptical assessment of product liability for products for which market forces and regulation are strong is in tension with the broad social endorsement of such liability.