Histone phosphorylation plays key roles in stress-induced tran- scriptional reprogramming in metazoans but its function(s) in land plants has remained relatively unexplored. Here we report that an Arabidopsis mutant defective in At3g03940 and At5g18190 , encoding closely related Ser/Thr protein kinases, shows pleiotropic phenotypes including dwarfism and hypersensitivity to osmotic/salt stress. The double mutant has reduced global levels of phosphorylated histone H3 threonine 3 (H3T3ph), which are not enhanced, unlike the response in the wild type, by drought-like treatments. Genome-wide analyses revealed increased H3T3ph, slight enhancement in trimethylated histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4me3), and a modest decrease in his- tone H3 occupancy in pericentromeric/knob regions of wild-type plants under osmotic stress. However, despite these changes in het- erochromatin, transposons and repeats remained transcriptionally repressed. In contrast, this reorganization of heterochromatin was mostly absent in the double mutant, which exhibited lower H3T3ph levels in pericentromeric regions even under normal environmental conditions. Interestingly, within actively transcribed protein-coding genes, H3T3ph density was minimal in 5 ′ genic regions, coincidental with a peak of H3K4me3 accumulation. This pattern was not affected in the double mutant, implying the existence of additional H3T3 protein kinases in Arabidopsis . Our results suggest that At3g03940 and At5g18190 are involved in the phosphorylation of H3T3 in pericentro-meric/knob regions and that this repressive epigenetic mark may be important for maintaining proper heterochromatic organization and, possibly, chromosome function(s).


y is an organ sparing treatment for advanced head and neck cancer. However, it can have short and long-term effects on basic functions such as swallowing. Eating and drinking is an important issue for patients and their quality of life. Early post- treatment effects include mucositis, oedema, xerostomia and taste changes, making swallowing painful and secretion management difficult. Long-term effects include fibrosis and persistent oedema, which compromises swallowing ability with patients at risk of aspiration, dependency on feeding tubes and nutritional deficiency. Depending on its severity, dysphagia can lead to serious medical problems such as pneumonia. This article aims to review swallowing assessment procedures, common features of a post-chemoradiotherapy swallowing impairment and rehabilitation.


As an immediate consequence of sexual reproduction, biphasic life cycles with alternating diploid and haploid phases are a common characteristic of sexually reproducing eukaryotes. Much of our focus in evolutionary biology has been directed toward dynamics in diploid or haploid populations, but we rarely consider selection occurring during both phases when studying evolutionary processes. One of the reasons for this apparent omission is the fact that many flowering plants and metazoans are predominantly diploid with a very short haploid gametic phase. While this gametic phase may be short, it can play a crucial role in fundamental processes including the rate of adaptation, the load of mutation, and the evolution of features such as recombination. In addition, if selection acts in different directions between the two phases, a genetic conflict will occur, impacting the maintenance of genetic variation. Here we provide an overview of theoretical and empirical studies investigating the importance of selection at the haploid gametic phase in predominantly diploid organisms and discuss future directions to improve our understanding of the underlying dynamics and the general implications of haploid selection.


External thread cutting is a complex 3-D process in which the cutting conditions vary over the thread cutter profile. It is accepted as a mature; however, heavily experience based technology and there are few academic work published. Determining the cutting forces during machining is crucial to explain formation of the surface layer, residual stresses, selection of the most appropriate machine tool and optimizing the process. This investigation is an attempt to predict thread cutting forces by dividing the thread chip into three parts, one thread root and two side faces. Variation of the cutting parameters including the shear angle, mean cutting temperature and friction force on the flank face of the tool along the thread tool root and sides are determined. In the thread root and sides, chip compression ratios for the V-shaped single piece and separately cut chip zones are measured and cutting forces are calculated and compared for precision metric thread cutting on a SAE 4340 steel bar.


Traditionally, production control on construction sites has been a challenging area, where the ad-hoc production control methods foster uncertainty - one of the biggest enemies of efficiency and smooth production flow. The Last Planner System® has been one of the most popular lean construction tools that offers a solution to tackle the problems of production management on construction sites. Since its inception almost 20 years ago, construction companies across the world have implemented Last Planner with reported success. However, there have also been reports of challenges in a number of areas whilst implementing the Last Planner. These challenge areas limit the effectiveness of Last Planner if not tackled properly. Some of the biggest challenges appear to be partial implementation of Last Planner; lack of standardised flow of reporting between shorter planning functions such as weekly and daily planning to long range plans (i.e. Phase and Master plans); lack of attention to long range plans; inability to deploy the collaborative aspects and lack of recognition of information systems. In this paper some of these challenges are explored through review of past literature and also through direct observation of Last Planner implementations. The challenges are categorised in two major areas and potential solution candidates are presented.


Dataset distillation aims to learn a small synthetic dataset that preserves most of the information from the original dataset. Dataset distillation can be formulated as a bi-level meta-learning problem where the outer loop optimizes the meta-dataset and the inner loop trains a model on the distilled data. Meta-gradient computation is one of the key challenges in this formulation, as differentiating through the inner loop learning procedure introduces significant computation and memory costs. In this paper, we address these challenges using neural Feature Regression with Pooling (FRePo), achieving the state-of-the-art performance with an order of magnitude less memory requirement and two orders of magnitude faster training than previous methods. The proposed algorithm is analogous to truncated backpropagation through time with a pool of models to alleviate various types of overfitting in dataset distillation. FRePo significantly outperforms the previous methods on CIFAR100, Tiny ImageNet, and ImageNet-1K. Furthermore, we show that high-quality distilled data can greatly improve various downstream applications, such as continual learning and membership inference defense. Please check out our webpage at https://sites.google.com/view/frepo.


This paper presents CSMA/ECA, which combines the efficiency of reservation-based protocols and the simplicity of random access mechanisms. The maximum efficiency of CSMA/CA with optimal parameter adjustment is easily exceeded by CSMA/ECA, even when fixed parameters are used by the latter. CSMA/ECA stations fairly coexist with legacy CSMA/CA and increase the portion of time that is devoted to successful transmissions while decreasing the number of collisions and empty slots. The proposed mechanism initially behaves as a CSMA/CA network, but it progressively converges to a collision-free deterministic operation. The convergence process can be modelled as a Markov Chain to assess the duration of the transitory phase.


An all-optical wavelength converter, based on nonlinear polarization rotation (NPR) in semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) and array waveguide grating (AWG) filtering, is experimentally demonstrated. The wavelength converter can provide excellent operation including extinction ratio and Q factor. The simultaneous two wavelength conversion outputs are successfully obtained at 20 Gb/s.


POEMS is a Parallel Object-oriented Environment for Multi-computer Systems. In order to support dynamic load balancing, its runtime execution model is based on object replication. Method invocation in POEMS is asynchronous and threads are created to execute methods. Inter-object, intra-object as well as intra-method parallelism are all supported. Programs in POEMS are written using two classes of objects, i.e. parallel object replication (POR) and parallel object collection (POC) classes. They are used to support programming in MPMD and SPMD styles, respectively. This paper will focus on the object models and programming facilities of POEMS and presents some preliminary performance studies. The major features and execution models of POR and POC classes are described in detail. In addition, some typical applications are also presented to illustrate the usage of these two classes. The implementation issues of a POEMS prototype runtime system are also discussed.


The stock market has been transformed during the last 25 years. Human suppliers of liquidity like the NASDAQ dealers and NYSE specialists have been replaced by algorithmic market making; stocks that once traded on a single venue now trade across twelve exchanges and a multitude of alternative trading systems. New venues like dark pools, and new participants like high†frequency traders, have emerged to take on prominent roles. This new market has had more than its share of controversy and regulatory scrutiny, particularly in the wake of Michael Lewis's bestseller Flash Boys. In this article, the authors analyze five of the most controversial new market practices, including various high†frequency trading strategies and dark pool activities. They set out a simple conceptual framework based on adverse selection and agency problems, and apply that framework to assess the welfare effects of each of the five practices. While much that is criticized is indeed objectionable, other controversial practices are much more complex than popularly imagined and may in fact be socially desirable. They conclude by evaluating a range of potential reforms to equity market structure.


Ever since the earliest Arabic writings on medicine we meet treatises on widespread illnesses or crowd diseases, including epidemics. Some of those works discuss the causes and treatment; others deal with the treatment only. This paper is limited to the works that deal with environmental pollution as a cause of such illnesses. They cover subjects like air and water contamination, solid waste mishandling and environmental assessments of certain localities. The treatises reviewed are those written by (1) al-Kindi, (2) Qusta b. Luqa, (3) al Razi, (4) Ibn al-Jazzar, (5) al-Tamimi, (6) Abu Sahl al-Masihi, (7) Ibn Sina, (8) Ali b. Ridwan, (9) Ibn Jumay', (10) Ya'qub al-Isra'ili, (11) Abdullatif al Baghdadi, (12) Ibn al-Quff and (13) Ibn al-Nafis. Studying the contents of each work shows which authors were merely copying the Greek theory of humours and miasma, and which made genuine contributions to the field. The period covered in the paper is up to the end of the thirteenth century a.d. This is because the Black Death took place in the fourteenth century, and encouraged several authors of that time to write about epidemics and plagues. Other contemporary researchers have studied these later works.


Purpose: The aim of the conducted research was analysis of data regarding aviation activities in the field of passenger transport at Polish airports over the period 2010-2018. Design/Methodology/Approach: The Analysis of the air travel segment referring passenger transport in Polish airports is based on available literature, analysis and statistical documentation of the air transport market for the years 2010-2018. Findings: The Polish market of air services continues to be in a state of flux. The pace at which changes occur results from a combination of external and internal factors, which precondition the behaviour of air carriers and customers, and the operation of airports. When analysing air transport development forecast, we can see a further upward trend in the number of activities of all market participants. That said, in the near future we should be expecting an expansion of connections, erection of state-of-the-art infrastructure, new air services, and above all a growth of importance of Poland on the aviation map of Europe. Practical Implications: Having regard to data included in the study, without a doubt the Polish aviation market should be considered a strongly developing one, having enormous potential ensuing not only from population mobility different EU standards, but also from demographic potential of Poland, gradual wealth gaining of the Polish society, and Poland's geographic location. Originality/Value: A comparative analysis of the potential of selected air carriers and airports with respect to the volume of transported passengers and flights performed.


In this paper we focus on electromechanical modeling of high-tuning range MEMS varactors with a focus on failures caused by residual compressive stress. In particular, we quantitatively evaluate for the first time a high-tuning range parallel-plate MEMS varactor in the presence of residual compressive stress. A 3D model generated in ANSYS agrees very favorably with the measured data and explains non-ideal discontinuities in the varactor's C − V curve. It is interesting to note that, although the failures considered in this paper are not encountered in RF MEMS switches, they become particularly important in analog MEMS varactors since they directly impact their effective tuning range.


The major empirical challenge for estimating the driving force of the gender difference is theomitted variable bias because the proposed factor is usually intertwined with other observableand unobservable characteristics. This paper adopts a novel approach to tackle this identificationproblem and examines how the relative income defines gender roles in the context of mortgagesigning order. We first document that men sign first 89% of the time when a mixed-gendercouple applies for a housing loan. The signing order reflects purely behavioral preferences, asthere is no difference in the legal rights or obligations of either the first or second borrowers. Weshow that relative income is the major determinant of the observed gender gap in signing orderand we exclude other possible explanations such as discrimination, loan officer bias and socialnorms. To isolate relative income from differences in other dimensions, we compare the signingorder of the mixed- and same-gender couples and find that the effects of relative income not onlypersists but also are fairly comparable between the two groups. Finally, we provide consistentmacro-level evidences by both cross-sectional and dynamic analysis and show that gender gap insigning order is higher in states with larger gender wage gap and experiences a declining trendover time.


The kingdom of Kush (Meroe) represents one of a series of early states located within the Middle Nile. At its greatest extent controlling more than 1,000 km. of the Nile valley from northern Lower Nubia to Sennar on the Blue Nile, its scale, longevity and cultural achievements are remarkable (Fig. 1). While its origins in the early millennium b.c. and its demise around the fourth century a.d. still remain obscure, it is one of the earliest and most impressive states yet found south of the Sahara. This notwithstanding, the place of the Kushite state and its civilization within the history of sub-Saharan Africa remains far from clear. The early development of complex societies in the Middle Nile within the frontiers of the modern republic of Sudan raises many questions concerning the role of external influences and cultural contacts on the region. The ever present shadow of Pharaonic Egypt looms large in most studies, and very close links are still maintained between Meroitic (and Nubian) studies and Egyptology. One result of the undoubted Egyptocentrism which has for so long dominated research in the region has been the neglect of many research areas likely to be of interest to archaeologists and historians working elsewhere in Africa. The political structuring and organisation of power within the Kushite state still remain little studied, while little interest has been shown in trying to contextualize it, either in relation to later kingdoms of the Middle Nile or indeed in the history of state development in Sudanic Africa as a whole. All too often it seems still implied, if not explicitly stated, that the early development of social/political complexity in the region, with the rise of Kerma, Napata and Meroe and their attendant cultural achievements, may be largely explained by, and understood in terms of, Egyptian models: 'secondary states' on the margins of a great civilization, unique within, and effectively unconnected with, other regions of sub-Saharan Africa. The concern of this paper is briefly to reassess a number of questions concerning our perceptions of the Kushite state, which also have implications for our understanding of the long-term history of early states within the Middle Nile and their relation to other parts of Sudanic Africa.


Purpose: Cancer and its treatment are recognized risk factors for venous thromboembolism (VTE); active cancer accounts for almost 20% of all newly diagnosed VTE. Inferior vena cava (IVC) filters are utilized to provide mechanical thromboprophylaxis to prevent pulmonary embolism (PE) or to avoid bleeding from systemic anticoagulation in high-risk situations. In this report, and utilizing a case study, we will address the appropriate utilization of such filters in cancer patients. Methods: The case of a 43-year-old female patient with rectal cancer, who developed deep vein thrombosis following a complicated medical course, will be presented. The patient was anticoagulated with a low molecular weight heparin, but a few months later and following an episode of bleeding, an IVC filter was planned. Using the PubMed database, articles published in English language addressing issues related to IVC filters in cancer patients were accessed and will be presented. Results: Many recent studies questioned the need to insert IVC filters in advanced-stage cancer patients, particularly those whose anticipated survival is short and prevention of PE may be of little clinical benefit and could be a poor utilization of resources. Conclusion: Systemic anticoagulation can be safely offered for the majority of cancer patients. When the risk of bleeding or pulmonary embolism is high, IVC filters can be utilized. However, placement of such filters should take into consideration the stage of disease and life expectancy of such patients.


Bentonites are considered suitable backfill material for planned underground nuclear-waste repositories because of an inherent capacity to self-seal and retain contaminants when hydrated. Barrier effectiveness, however, depends on the physical properties of bentonite after placement in a repository site, where hydration state and bulk density can vary. The objective of the present study was to investigate commercial bentonite MX80 hydration rates and mechanisms during water infiltration into dry, moist, and wet samples using the 'wet-cell' X-ray diffraction technique. During experimentation, water enters a small flow-through cell and induces swelling within a confined reaction volume, analogous to clay barriers in excavated underground sites. Results demonstrated the importance of using dry, well compacted (>1.4 g/cm3) bentonite, which became saturated slowly (<2.0610−9 m/s) with minimal water in noninterlayer sites (external-surface sites, or within pores). The significant degree of interlayer expansion dominated by the formation of two and eventually three water layers developed as hydration clusters with greater probabilities for the same thickness to lie in adjacent interlayer sites. The relatively thicker particles and the less accessible surface area of hydrated, initially dry bentonite probably resulted in less pore-controlled diffusion, but also less potential radionuclide adsorption by surface complexation. Moist MX80 had the greatest water uptake, the smallest (1.23 g/cm3) dry bulk density, and the greatest proportion of water in pores and on external surfaces. Water that initially accumulated in pore spaces subsequently acted as a reservoir for interlayer hydration and probable gel formation in trapped voids, which is expected to occur in more loosely filled gaps within an excavated repository.


Statistics for Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing is an accessible and comprehensive learning tool for nurses returning to graduate school or in a professional role. Peer reviewed and course tested, this text presents statistics in a readable, user-friendly format to meet the learning needs of students. The text includes key terms, critical thinking questions, and case studies incorporating research and evidence-based practice to help nurses connect statistics with everyday work in the healthcare field. Key Features: * Screenshots throughout each chapter guide students through applying statistics using SPSS * Key terms serve as a tool to guide and focus study * Critical Thinking Questions allow students to apply what they have learned * Self-Quizzes reinforce key concepts at the end of each chapter Accompanied by Instructor Resources: * Save time with a Test Bank * Plan classroom lectures using PowerPoint Presentations created for each chapter * Review answers to Critical Thinking Questions and Self-Quizzes found in the text


When a new enterprise is planned or the scope of an organization is changed, a decision on scale has to be made. At a certain stage in the development of a technology, the economies of scale that have been established are overtaken by factors that had hitherto been considered secondary. Mistakes of scale have been made, from hospitals to electricity-generating boards. The mistakes of being too large are the most eye-catching, but the mistakes of being too small are probably just as frequent, and just as important.

Twelve chapters of this book are based on reports of a workshop on scale and productive efficiency held at IIASA. The other eight chapters describe work done at the Institute; they also include discussion of the key issues relevant to scale that arose at the workshop, thus broadening the survey of this topic.

This book treats problems of scale at various levels: at the unit (the equipment) and plant levels; and at industrial and national levels, and includes practical case descriptions that will be of value to managers and decision makers, as well as material of value to research workers.


In March 2020, in response to the COVID-19 national emergency, states across the United States began issuing shelter-in-place orders curtailing operations of individual businesses based on "essential" and "non-essential" classification. Virtually all states with legalized medical cannabis, and the majority of adult-use states, allowed cannabis establishments to remain open albeit often with significant restrictions on their operations. Yet, the cannabis industry, and small, minority-owned or social equity designated businesses in particular, are not insulated from the broader economic shockwaves spreading through the country. In April 2020, the Drug Enforcement and Policy Center conducted a survey asking patients/consumers and cannabis industry professionals about the challenges they were experiencing and government responses. Hoping to fill a gap in early discussions of the impact of the COVID-19 crisis, we were especially interested in the impact on cannabis industry participants designated as social equity businesses. The results indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic has both introduced tremendous new challenges for the cannabis industry and exacerbated long-standing difficulties for businesses in this arena. If small, minority-owned and social equity businesses are to survive, they need to be treated by the system like any other regular small business venture. While regulations and safeguards are necessary, these businesses need to be able to operate as a true business, rather than a semi-legal venture with no access to loans, banking, insurance, tax relief, and flexible deliverable modes.


Introduction: As air resistance is the main source of resistance on flat time trials (Martin 2006, Debraux 2011), aerodynamic analysis and optimization is an important part of the preparation. Besides wind-tunnel testing (Garcia-Lopez 2008), also tests in the velodrome using the Track Aero System (Alphamantis, Montreal, CA) are used. Here the CdA-value is calculated over several laps in real-time. However, this measurement technique does not capture changes in the rider's position that possibly indicate instability. It is assumed that the athlete's pelvic stability can be used as indicator for the stability with which a time trial position can be ridden, i.e. the position's sustainability. Accordingly, this pilot study aims at analysing pelvic stability using a dynamic measure of the location of the centre of pressure (COP). This is an important parameter to quantify the pelvis' positioning (Kraus 2015). Possible evasive movements on the saddle should be captured and quantified.   Methods: Five professional road cyclists performed the test process on their own time trial bikes in a closed velodrome (BA¼ttgen, GER). Different interventions were performed by changing the settings at the contact point saddle and at the cockpit. In the starting position and after each intervention, the subjects were tested over 10 laps. The parameters speed, cadence and power were measured in real-time using the TAS system. A flexible, saddle-specific pressure mat (GeBioM mbH, MA¼nster, GER) equipped with 64 resistive pressure sensors is fixed to the saddle. The measured data are transmitted with 50Hz to the laptop via a WiFi-transmitter mounted behind the saddle post. The measuring distance is about 200m, accordingly, the entire round could be captured. The analysis parameter COP – capturing the central point of contact on the saddle – was used to measure pelvic stability. It is evaluated referring to the standard deviation of all measurement values of one measurement of the transversal (X) and longitudinal extension (Y) and its position relating to the saddle tip. Additionally, the number of saddle shifts is analysed. A saddle shift is every moment in which the pelvis has no contact to the saddle. We compare and statistically evaluate the measurements with the largest and smallest CdA-value, respectively, using the student's t-test (p = 0.05) for paired samples.   Results: For all subjects, the number of saddle shifts decreases as the CdA-value becomes smaller. There is a highly significant relation between changing the position and the number of saddle shifts (t = 0.009). The standard deviation of the COP along the longitudinal Y-axis generally decreases over the measurements along with the CdA-value (t=0.058). The standard deviation along the transversal X-axis decreases as the CdA-value decreases for three subjects, while it increases for two subjects (t=0.164). Lastly, as the CdA-value decreases, the COP's positioning along the longitudinal axis moves towards the saddle tip for three subjects and towards the back for two subjects. None of these moves is significant.   Discussion: The tested combination of two technologies in this pilot study provides first insights concerning the factors of aerodynamics and stability. Changing the position evidently not only affects the CdA-value but also the frequency of saddle shifts in time trials. The COP can be considered as an informative parameter for pelvic stability, as the standard deviation along both axes provide information about the pelvic movement in a given position (fig.1 + 2). A trend emerges according to which a higher stability at the saddle is related to a reduction of the air resistance. The y-coordinate can be used as additional variable to identify the exact positioning of the pelvis on the saddle. In follow-up studies with more subjects the relation between the y-coordinate and the number of saddle shifts should be analysed to address the question of the sustainability of a position. This could also be conducted as a field experiment as all the utilized measurement techniques can be used under real conditions in time trial training on the road.


Man comes into the world with certain congenital qualities, physical and mental. From the cradle to the grave he is exposed to an environment which makes certain demands upon him. The extent to which he adjusts his passions and desires to these demands, and the degrees in which he maintains internal harmony and social efficiency are the measure of his psychological adaptation. The neurotic, the delinquent and the insane constitute the three great groups of unsuccessful adaptations. It is with the first of these groups that we are primarily concerned in this course.

The process of adaptation is essentially a dynamic one and evolutionary in character. We regard man as slowly and painfully fighting his way from his simian origin as "an instinct-driven mechanism" towards a divine destiny. Every step that he takes in this direction is characterised by some extension of conscious purpose in his life, and a compensatory restriction of direct instinctive reaction. But it must not be thought that purpose is in itself a dynamic; the dynamic is always the same-instinct. The introduction of purpose into human life allows of a great range of modification of conduct. This modification implies the process of sublimation, in other words, the application of instinctive energy to some cognate end which has value for society. Human purpose may be ego-centric or altruistic.

Between these two, ethical values lie. Freud refers to them as the Pleasure Principle and the Reality Principle respectively. To Freud we owe all modern psychology. He transformed psychology from a sterile academic study into a living force. But the old psychological attitude is exemplified even now by Janet, who has just published two stout volumes on "Psychological Healing." It is a purely academic historical survey and belongs to the pre-Freudian era. The central feature of the unconscious motive …


Numerical methods whereby exact solutions to the problem of a few particles interacting with one another and with several bosonic excitation branches are presented. The diagrammatic Monte Carlo method allows the exact calculation of the Matsubara Green function, and the stochastic optimization technique provides an approximation-free analytic continuation. In this review, results unobtainable by conventional methods are discussed, including the properties of excited states in the self-trapping phenomenon, the optical spectra of polarons in all coupling regimes, the validity range analysis of the Frenkel and Wannier approximations relevant to the exciton, and the peculiarities of photoemission spectra of a lattice-coupled hole in a Mott insulator.


This study deals with the concept of brand equity composition in the Swedish smartphone market. The three dimensions used to describe brand equity are based on Aaker's definition of consumer based brand equity namely; brand awareness, brand loyalty and perceived quality. The corporate brands represented on the market are analyzed with regards to consumer rating and brand equity composition using a proven theoretical model and a standardized questionnaire. The findings in this study indicate that the composition of brand equity on the Swedish smartphone market varies to a great extent between the brands. For the highest rated brand, consumers tend to mix up the perception of quality related to the brand with brand loyalty, and the only brands that are perceived in accordance with the theoretical model of brand equity are the ones with a very low representation on the market. The results are presented and analyzed with regards to market specific factors. Some suggestions regarding further research are presented, as well as possible implications for managers in the field.


Measurements of velocity and density profiles were used to describe the tidal and residual flow structure in Quellon Bay, southern Chile (43 o 10'S), an eastward opened bay with ca. 6 km width (north-south) at its mouth and a low river discharge at its head, associated to a productive marsh- like branch. Current profiles were obtained in winter and spring with a 307.2 kHz Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) during two semidiurnal cycles along a repeated triangular circuit. The eastern side of the triangle consisted in an across- bay transect oriented in the north-south direction, and two along-bay (aprox. east-west oriented) transects formed the other sides identified as northern and southern transects. The triangle circumscribed a small bump of ca.10 depth, surrounded by bathymetry of the order of 20-30 m. Density profiles were obtained at the westernmost corner of the triangle. The longitudinal mean flow in the eastern transect at the mouth showed a lateral exchange structure that consisted in inflow (westward) over the northern side and outflow (southeastward) over the southern side. Lateral residual flow showed increases of the southward component that seems to be related to the presence of the bump. The longitudinal residual flow was mostly westward in the southern transect and eastward in the southern transect, suggesting that flow enters the bay through the northern side and exits through the southern side. Over the southern transect there were evidences of flow divergence over the bump which promotes upward velocities over this feature. Upward velocities over the bump and downward velocities over the eastern flank were estimated using the continuity equation. There were evidences that divergence is induced by flow separation yielded by a pair of counter-rotating vortex over this feature. Nonlinearities seem to dominate the tidal dynamic balance. The intra tidal variability of flow and density at the repeated station showed no significant differences between the low and high rainy seasons, suggesting that dynamics of the system is less affected by river discharge. Small increases of salinity were associated to the effect of tidal flood phase. There were no significant differences between samplings on July and November, nor in residual flow patterns or in density field.


Writing, in all its varied forms and purposes, is a complex process. It calls upon us to bring our left and right brain together to shape experience and feeling into something another person can read and understand. Written communication is an essential element of expression; the ability to articulate oneself through the written word provides one with the opportunity to share their knowledge in a meaningful and effective way. Therefore, developing written skills will enable students to learn how to compose ideas as well as organize their thoughts and arguments. Acquiring these skills will also prepare students for their future academic and professional endeavors. In an electronic world where verbal communication has become less frequently used, learning to write in a cohesive, structured manner allows individuals to convey their thoughts effectively. The need to present claims with precision caution and the use of appropriate uncertainty means, demands the use of hedges and boosters, in which they represent a significant for academics in anticipating their propositions to the readers. Despite its importance, however, little attention has been given to how hedges and boosters are expressed or the functions they serve in different texts. The present study is a pragmatic analysis of the use of hedges and boosters in the students' academic research project. This study aims to reveal the tendency and preferences of fourth year students in the use of hedges and boosters in their research project. In addition, the present study is an attempt to investigate the spread and the frequency of hedging and boosting in the introduction and the discussion sections of the students' research projects. The data analysis of the present study is based on corpus of academic research project written by fourth year students from two departments of Englishcollege of languages and human sciences and college of educationin Garmian University. The corpus constitutes (36) academic researches in which they were written on linguistics and literature. These academic researches were selected randomly from the academic years 2009-2010 till the end of 2017-2018. Article Info Received: April, 2019


We propose the new technique of physical-layer cryptography based on using a massive MIMO channel as a key between the sender and desired receiver, which need not be secret. The goal is for low-complexity encoding and decoding by the desired transmitter–receiver pair, whereas decoding by an eavesdropper is hard in terms of prohibitive complexity. The decoding complexity is analyzed by mapping the massive MIMO system to a lattice. We show that the eavesdropper's decoder for the MIMO system with M-PAM modulation is equivalent to solving standard lattice problems that are conjectured to be of exponential complexity for both classical and quantum computers. Hence, under the widely-held conjecture that standard lattice problems are hard to solve, the proposed encryption scheme has a more robust notion of security than that of the most common encryption methods used today such as RSA and Diffie–Hellman. In addition, we show that this scheme could be used to securely communicate without a pre-shared secret and little computational overhead. Thus, by exploiting the physical layer properties of the radio channel, the massive MIMO system provides for low-complexity encryption commensurate with the most sophisticated forms of application-layer encryption that are currently known.


Abstract Law enforcement is a highly stressful occupation, although the primary stressors involved are different from what might be expected. These stressors, and police officers' responses to them, were examined from the perspective of personal construct theory. The personal construct systems of police officers whose response to stress involved lawbreaking or violence were compared with those of officers referred for psychological assessment for other reasons. The former were found to display tighter construct organization and to use fewer constructs concerned with intensity of feelings. Case examples are presented that illustrate the predicaments of stressed police officers in relation to the content of their construing, and the value of repertory grid technique in the assessment of police officers presenting psychological difficulties is indicated.


In the last decade, the concept of diversity management has become popular in literature and business practice. Nevertheless, the issue of employee diversity is not a novelty, it originates back in the 60s, when the matter of gender equity emerged. Since the 80s, there has been generated quite a heated debate on diversity management, mainly in the USA. Today diversity management has caught considerable attention also in Europe, which mainly results from extensive change in the business environment. The aging society, the emergence of new generations of workers, the influx of immigrants, or the internationalization of business activities necessitate the search for new hr models and management practices, which will promote better utilization of the employee potential. Drawing on diverse human resources could become an opportunity in this context.


The purpose of this study was to investigate longitudinal relationships between subjective (self-reported) measures of readiness prior to training and exertion post-training with objective parameters of training performance measured via body-worn global positioning systems (GPS). Data was collected over a two-season period with 36 elite Premiership soccer players (16 players from the 2013/14 season; 20 players from the 2014/15). Subjective ratings of muscle soreness (MS) and fatigue (Fat) were collected prior to training sessions two days before a match. Sessional load (rating of perceived exertion x session duration) (sRPE) was measured following each session. GPS metrics of total distance covered (TD), high-speed running (HSR) and dynamic stress load (DSL), were significantly associated with subjective measures post-training. However, correlations between pre-training MS and HSR were discovered for the squad during the 2014/15 season. These observations were positive which showed increased muscle soreness correlated with increased HSR, which was not expected as increased muscle soreness would result in lower higher speed activity. Individual analyses revealed that 25% of the players demonstrated negative moderate or strong associations presenting that decreased muscle soreness is correlated with a decrease of HSR and TD. Post-training subjective ratings both presented strong associations at squad level between increased sRPE and increased DSL, HSR and TD. At the individual level 50% of players presented moderate to strong associations between sRPE and TD, and between HSR and DSL over both seasons. When examined over a combined two season period again squad pre-training subjective measures did not give any clear indication on performance levels within the following training session. There where individual instances of significant associations between pre-training subjective measures and GPS metrics. In addition, good associations between sRPE and both TD and DSL across both seasons provide new evidence for the use of post-session RPE as a robust indication of training performance within elite level soccer.


Performant execution of data-parallel jobs needs good execution plans. Certain properties of the code, the data, and the interaction between them are crucial to generate these plans. Yet, these properties are difficult to estimate due to the highly distributed nature of these frameworks, the freedom that allows users to specify arbitrary code as operations on the data, and since jobs in modern clusters have evolved beyond single map and reduce phases to logical graphs of operations. Using fixed apriori estimates of these properties to choose execution plans, as modern systems do, leads to poor performance in several instances. We present RoPE, a first step towards re-optimizing data-parallel jobs. RoPE collects certain code and data properties by piggybacking on job execution. It adapts execution plans by feeding these properties to a query optimizer. We show how this improves the future invocations of the same (and similar) jobs and characterize the scenarios of benefit. Experiments on Bing's production clusters show up to 2× improvement across response time for production jobs at the 75th percentile while using 1.5× fewer resources.


Purpose

The literature has described knowledge transfer in terms of how companies advance their merger and acquisition activities through experience. This indicates a knowledge transfer from one acquisition to the next, with the acquiring party being the carrier of such knowledge. The present paper aims to add to this view through pointing out how knowledge on how to acquire and how to integrate, follows also from other parties and their experiences. The paper discusses and classifies sources, directions and outcomes of knowledge transfer on acquisitions from a stakeholder point of view. Focus is on external stakeholders and knowledge is divided between knowledge on acquiring and knowledge on integrating, thus dealing with the pre- and post-merger stages of acquisitions.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper adopts a multiple case study research design to illustrate its point. While the individual acquisitions are interconnected through the acquirer or acquired party being the same company, indications are that knowledge on how, when and what party to acquire and how to integrate (degree, direction, timing and function) follows from external stakeholders and their previous experiences.

Findings

The findings suggest that knowledge on acquiring follows from general knowledge on sector levels, while specific parties – including customers, competitors and the acquired party – are the sources of knowledge on integration. Knowledge on acquiring is imitative, while knowledge on integrating rests more on the external stakeholders' failures.

Originality/value

The paper provides a research design contribution to acquisition studies, as most such studies adopt a quantitative, secondary data approach. The main contribution is though the focus on external stakeholders as sources of knowledge on acquiring and integrating. The previous literature seems to suggest that it is the experience accumulated through the acquirer's previous acquisitions that provides the acquisition knowledge. The paper's perspective, which includes several external stakeholders, provides a rather unique piece of research on stakeholders in mergers and acquisitions.


The alignment of birefringent crystals for use as wave plates and nonlinear frequency converters in high-power, low-repetition-rate laser systems, such as those used for laser fusion, is greatly facilitated through the use of convergent light (conoscopy). In such laser systems, a long shot cycle is necessary to allow laser amplifiers time to thermally equilibrate in order to produce beams of adequate wavefront quality. It is therefore essential that crystal parameters such as phase-matching angle and location of principle axes be determined off-line, and a method developed to easily transfer the alignment to the fusion laser system. Conoscopic methods1–3 have been used for the off-line alignment of two such devices in the 60-beam OMEGA4 laser system because of the simplicity and accuracy of such techniques. Both devices, of which 60 each are required, currently incorporate 30-cm-diam × 1-cm-thick KDP plates with the crystalline optic axis at 59° to the surface normal.


The present note is an updated inventory of all known cave minerals as March 2011. After including the new minerals described since the last edition of the Cave Minerals of the World book (1997) and made the necessary corrections to incorporate all discreditations, redefinitions, or revalidation proposed by the Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclatures and Classification (CNMNC) of the International Mineralogical Association (IMA), we summed up 319 cave minerals, many of these only known from caves. Some of the minerals building up speleothems are powerful tracers of changes in Quaternary climate, other minerals are useful for reconstructing landscape evolution, or allow discriminating between various speleogenetic pathways. Thus, it is expected that the search for new cave minerals will continue and even more attention will be given to those species that carries information that allow for addressing different problems in various earth sciences fields. In view of the exponential increase of cave minerals over the past 50 years, cave mineralogy conceivably has the potential to grow in the future, especially considering the new advances in analytical facilities.


ABSTRACT From a continuous series of 886 postmortem examinations on coal mine workers in New South Wales, Australia, from 1949 to 1982 and their histories the following data were obtained: age at death (886 cases), percentage of emphysema in both lungs (Heard method) (870 cases), bronchial gland wall (G-W) ratio (Reid Index) (412 cases), chest radiograph within 10 years of death (792 cases), history of work at the coal face (844 cases), history of amount of tobacco smoked (606 cases), and FEV1 five years before death (278 cases). Linear regression analysis showed the following: (1) The severity of emphysema had a significant positive regression on years of face work independently of age at death. (2) The severity of emphysema had a significant positive regression on the severity of ϰ-ray pneumoconiosis, which was best defined in the non-smoking group and the non-bronchitic group. (3) There was a significant multiple linear regression relationship between severity of emphysema (dependent variable) and pneumoconiosis and G-W (independent variables). The ratio of standardised regression coefficients was pneumoconiosis: G-W = 3:1. (4) The severity of ϰ-ray pneumoconiosis had a significant positive regression on years of face work and a negative regression on smoking amount. (5) G-W ratio had significant positive regression on age of death and severity of emphysema but not years of face work or severity of pneumoconiosis. (6) Smoking was not correlated with severity of emphysema or G-W ratio. (7) FEV1 (% predicted) was significantly negatively correlated with bronchitis, emphysema, and pneumoconiosis. (8) Severity of pneumoconiosis and emphysema have declined slightly but significantly over the 33 year period, but there has been no significant change in G-W ratio during 1960-82.


Growing needs of humanity have forced him to use modern technology in all aspects of his life. Intelligent buildings are one of these modern technologies that have great advantages for people. These buildings include a set of integrated and dynamic systems to manage the allocation of resources and facilitate the residents' lives. In this context and due to high speed, reliability and better respond to environmental changes, we simulate such environment using multi agents with fuzzy approach. To do this, we use Matlab and its fuzzy toolbox. The results shows that parallel processing nature in this kind of multi agents improve the speedup of the system.


The present study aims at assessing the attitude of digital information seekers, especially research scholars of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli. The main objectives of the present study are to identify Internet cannot substitute the library and to find out the use of electronic resources by research scholars for their research work. A well structured questionnaire was prepared and distributed among the research scholars of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University out of 100, 78 filled in questionnaires were received back to get the data analyzed for this study. This survey indentifies that research scholars aren't fully satisfied with the Internet facilities available in Manonmaniam Sundaranar University Library. The study reveals useful facts on the use of electronic resources by research scholars. Based on these facts, the study gives some suggestions to improve the use of e-resources among the Research Scholars. In order to make e-resources be utilized to its maximum, the Research Scholars must be given orientation training to make them well-versed in the surfing and browsing on the internet.


Student financial aid has always been burdened by a complex interplay of institutional needs and public policy goals. But in the past decade, that interplay has been complicated by rising college costs, increased consumerism, and the use of financial aid to meet both student needs and campus enrollment goals. This volume helps to explain the often conflicting relationship between student aid and enrollment management-and helps administrators sort out the factors most critical to effective student aid and enrollment policies. The chapters examine the political and cultural context that influences decisions about student aid and enrollment management, the special enrollment management challenges facing independent colleges, and some alternative methods for financing a college education. The authors also provide an extensive review of the research on the impact of student aid on recruitment and retention, offer recommendations for ethical enrollment planning, and furnish a valuable list of resources for enrollment planners, researchers, and policymakers. This is the 89th issue of the quarterly journal "New Directions for Student Services."


Faults may rupture across several segments of plate boundaries, generating earthquakes of M  9 class. Along the Pacific coast of Mexico, a rupture of 450 km on 28 March 1787 generated an M w 8.6 earthquake. Intensity values ( I ) of VII were reported at the Atlantic coast, and the maximum was XI in Oaxaca. Here, we estimate the number of casualties if an M  9 rupture were to occur at present. We verified that our software tool, QLARM, with its database, estimates intensities and fatalities approximately correctly for historic earthquakes along the Pacific coast. Our test set consists of 10 earthquakes ( M w 7.3–8.6) that caused between 0 and ∼10,000 fatalities between 1787 and 2003. Requirements for a satisfactory match are that the maximum I agrees within 0.5 units, the extent of the I =VII area agrees approximately, and the fatality count differs by not more than a factor of 2 or by 200 fatalities, whichever is larger. Results for Mexico, without the special case of Mexico City, suggest that an M  9 earthquake would cause approximately 27,000 fatalities and 120,000 injuries. Applying amplification factors to the ground motion in 11 of 15 districts, we estimate that, in an M  9 along the Pacific coast, 100,000 people may perish and 480,000 may be injured in Mexico City. The number of people in settlements with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants exposed to large I exceed the exposed population in larger cities by factors of 3–10. The estimated mortality rate in rural areas is several times higher than in major population centers.


Abstract Hong Kong's franchised buses contribute significantly to its high pollution levels, which in turn result in excess mortality and hospitalizations. I show that replacing all of Hong Kong's pre-Euro IV buses with cleaner Euro V buses would save 1260 statistical lives, among other benefits. The expected net benefit of such a project is HK$26.4 billion under a discount rate of 3.5%. This result is robust to a discount rate of 10% and a mortality decrease of half of what is expected. This is one of the first studies to estimate the public health impact of air pollution from franchised buses in Hong Kong. The city can therefore consider conducting accelerated replacement of its franchised bus fleet. Given the strongly positive result, other Asian cities with ageing bus fleets could also conduct similar benefit-cost analyses.


INTRODUCTION The cubicle reverberates with the sound of a keyboard clicking and, whenever the boss looks in, the worker is peering intently at a spreadsheet on his computer screen. But behind this industrious facade lies the sophisticated machinations of a high-tech goof-off artist, who plays video games on the Internet and presses an on-screen panic button that brings a business document to the screen and the sound of prerecorded typing to his speakers as soon as his boss approaches (Marron, 2000). Bosses are beginning to take a dim view of all this virtual goldbricking. They see it as an insidious, profit-eating virus, costing corporate America billions of dollars a year in wasted computer resources (Naughton, 1999). More and more employees are checking their stock prices, shopping for travel bargains, and exchanging personal e-mail via the Internet while at work, even though their companies prohibit these activities (Marsan, 2000). In order to combat the use of the Internet by employees during business hours, a new industry has recently emerged called Employee Internet Management (EIM). This paper will describe Internet use and abuse, delineate the costs to organizations, detail how employees "cover their tracks" while surfing, describe EIM, and discuss what managers have done to manage employee use of the Internet while on company time. INTERNET USE AND ABUSE Bosses live in fear of a meltdown like the one Lockheed Martin suffered. The defense contractor's e-mail system crashed for six hours after an employee sent 60,000 coworkers an e-mail (with e-receipt requested) about a national prayer day. For a company that posts 40 million e-mails a month, the crash cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. A Microsoft rescue squad had to be flown in to painstakingly dismantle the computer code gridlock the employee's e-mail had created (Naughton, 1999). In addition, a Washington County sheriff faces discipline for sending a lewd email about "The Rules for Bedroom Gold" to county employees, including a county commissioner. In another case, an employee at a Portland software-maker was fired after accidentally shipping an unflattering e-mail about a colleague companywide (Rose, 1999). Not only are employees sending inappropriate e-mails, they are reading the news (72%); developing travel plans (45%); shopping (40%); job searching (37%); checking stocks (34%); downloading music (13%); gambling (11%); and viewing pornography (4%); all on company time (Bosses disapprove, 2000). According to a survey on Internet use, 56% of the people openly admitted to using the Internet for personal reasons while at work. This reinforces recent surveys from Nielsen-NetRatings showing that Americans spent on the average 21 hours a month (more than one hour per day) conducting personal Web surfing at work (Cyberslacking at work, 2000). Currently, 122 million people have Internet access at work. Predictions say that number will rise to 272 million by 2004 ('Cyberslackers' taking toll, 2000). With this rise of Internet access, there is a developing trend toward Internet Addiction. Addicted internet users skip sleep, ignore family responsibilities, and show up late for work. The consequences are severe. Many suffer from marital problems, have failed in school, lost a job, and have accumulated debt (Holliday, 2000). In addition, there are the costs to organizations. COSTS TO ORGANIZATIONS One major cost to organizations is lower productivity. When employees use workplace PCs for personal reasons, their productivity decreases. In general, most companies expect that the internet will be used for a small amount of personal use such as checking e-mail or occasionally ordering personal items. This is comparable to allowing employees to use the company telephone to make a quick personal call (Mills, et. al., 2001). But this is not the case. The U. S. Treasury Department recently monitored the Internal Revenue Services (IRS) Workforce's Internet use. …


Adjustment to pregnancy can vary significantly (Handley, 2006). Even when pregnancy is planned, the process of adapting to such a life-changing event is often difficult, and women may struggle to feel as though their pregnancy is legitimate (Handley, 2006). Previous local and international research related to first-time motherhood is largely quantitative with a focus on the postnatal period, with little attention paid to the experiences of the first 12 weeks of pregnancy (Swallow, Lindow, Masson & Hay, 2004, Barnett, 2010).

This study explores the experiences of the first 12 weeks of pregnancy for first-time mothers, through the use of narrative interviews. Transcripts were analysed for themes that emerged from the data. The analytical process was approached using an inductive stance of not knowing, and was guided by Crossley's (2000) six step method to analyzing personal narratives.
The findings from this study indicated that the pregnancy journey can begin prior to conception, and that first-time mothers may require psychological support throughout the process of trying to conceive. During the first 12 weeks, they may also benefit from the opportunity to experience tangible appraisals as well as support around identity change. The opportunity to ask questions and obtain pregnancy-related information from healthcare professionals might also support a more positive pregnancy experience and address some of the difficulties associated with such change. Furthermore, psychological screening tools are not being used throughout antenatal care, which seems to be the ideal opportunity for screening and prevention as most pregnant women are in regular contact with health care professionals (Dennis & Ross, 2006). Even if a first-time mother does not meet the criteria for anxiety or depression during pregnancy, the screening process may provide an opportunity to discuss less distressing pregnancy related concerns, which may prevent psychological issues from developing and lead to a more positive pregnancy experience.
Future study recommendations include: the investigation of a larger scale study with wider demographics, the exploration of the psychological experiences of men/partners involved, and the outlook and experiences of healthcare professionals working in the field of pregnancy. As more research is conducted, it is hoped that an increased understanding of the first-12 weeks of pregnancy will promote a more positive psychological adaptation into the pregnancy journey.


It is widely agreed that higher education intuitions exist to serve and strengthen the society of which they are part. Recent years have seen an increased focus on providing student-learners with the opportunity to take more responsibility for their own development and personal education. Over the past 2 years UCD has successfully implemented Ireland's first negotiated model of postgraduate learning (i.e. Level 9, Certificate, Diploma, MSc degree awards). This paper concentrates on one such programme - the UCD MSc in Computer Science by Negotiated Learning - which is currently the largest and fastest growing programme of its kind in Europe. Computer science plays a vital role in almost every business in today's world. Now, more than ever, skilled IT professionals are in high demand. At a time when sustainable employment is under threat, high-quality IT graduates are still in demand. According to the Central Statistics Office's 2010 figures more than 74,000 are employed in the Irish ICT Sector, and The Innovation Taskforce estimates in excess of 177,000 posts will be created by 2020. Furthermore, in 2010 over €72million was invested in the ICT Schools Initiative, and according to the Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Index for 2009-2010 Ireland was rated 21/133 countries for company spending on Research and Development. These facts service to highlight even further how higher education institutions have a very real civic responsibility to foster partnerships between universities and ICT industry in order to enhance economic opportunity, empower individuals, and strengthen the relevance, reach, and responsiveness of university education and research. The negotiated learning model provides enormous potential for students who may be returning to education in view of further developing their skill sets in a democratic way that allows them to re-position themselves in the ICT sector. The extent to which this potential can be realized depends on how quickly other universities and industry adopt this model to offer programmes of mutual benefit. The paper discusses how individual student-centred learning contracts can be negotiated across a broad choice of more than 100 module offerings, and why thematic specialization steams should be informed by industry-focused needs.


South Africa's higher educational sector is resolute on high standard of teaching, learning and assessment which are components of Outcome Based Education (OBE). However, to a greater extent, this this new paradigm is not effectively communicated to both the role players. Similarly, there is insufficient awareness that have been created so as to make the law schools in South Africa imbibe this new culture of pedagogy and as such, there is disparity in the mode of providing pedagogy to the law students. Against the backdrop of this, the Department responsible for university education has decided to widely create awareness in this regard by insisting that all law schools must tow the path of OBE. This awareness is necessary so that both the educators and students will be doing what is required in order to make the learners competent lawyers when they graduated from the law school. More importantly, this system will enable learners to learn, understand and be competent to use the education received practically and significantly in various ways. In order to achieve this outcome, having competent educators and teachers are some of the components essential to deliver cutting-edge high quality pedagogy and assessment that will produce the desired result of certifying the competency of learners. It is against the backdrop of this OBE that this article highlights the significance of communicating the intention of the government and the Department of Higher Education by creating overwhelming and widespread awareness that will enable all the role players and stake holders to effectively implement the OBE.


This paper presents the design and implementation of a webenabled platform for enhancing user data access experience in a satellite data portal. The platform integrates a number of useroriented capabilities including the subscription, production, dissemination, and visualization of custom satellite remote sensing data hosted at the Purdue Terrestrial observatory (PTO).Different from a traditional remote sensing system, the PTO data portal aims at enabling access to real-time satellite remote sensing data products for a large, diverse user community. Central to this system is a user-driven publish/subscribe model that empowers users with the ability to specify, control, and receive satellite data products without having to go through the time-consuming and error-prone manual process of configuring the system to generate the requested data. The user-oriented capabilities are implemented on top of a service-oriented architecture (SOA) backed by an existing satellite data receiving and processing backend. To control the processing of user data subscription requests, a workflow is created by leveraging the SOA interfaces and mechanisms. The user-oriented platform also embraces the recent Web 2.0 technologies in bringing the rich access, sharing, and collaboration capabilities available in the general cyberspace to the scientific user communities.


Given a possibly reducible and non-reduced spectral cover WX! C over a smooth projective complex curve C we determine the group of connected components of the Prym variety Prym.X=C/. As an immediate application we show that the finite group of n‐torsion points of the Jacobian of C acts trivially on the cohomology of the twisted SLn ‐Higgs moduli space up to the degree which is predicted by topological mirror symmetry. In particular this yields a new proof of a result of Harder‐Narasimhan, showing that this finite group acts trivially on the cohomology of the twisted SLn stable bundle moduli space. 14K30; 14H60, 14H40


A widely used adsorption energy scaling relation between OH* and OOH* intermediates in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER), has previously been determined using density functional theory and shown to dictate a minimum thermodynamic overpotential for both reactions. Here, we show that the oxygen–oxygen bond in the OOH* intermediate is, however, not well described with the previously used class of exchange-correlation functionals. By quantifying and correcting the systematic error, an improved description of gaseous peroxide species versus experimental data and a reduction in calculational uncertainty is obtained. For adsorbates, we find that the systematic error largely cancels the vdW interaction missing in the original determination of the scaling relation. An improved scaling relation, which is fully independent of the applied exchange–correlation functional, is obtained and found to differ by 0.1 eV from the original. This largely confirms that, although obtained wit...


Rob Jackson and his lab examine the many ways people affect the Earth. They seek basic scientific knowledge and use it to help shape policies and reduce the environmental footprint of global warming, energy extraction, and other issues. They're currently examining the effects of climate change and droughts on forest mortality and grassland ecosystems. They are also working to measure and reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the Global Carbon Project (globalcarbonproject.org), which Jackson chairs; examples of new research Rob leads include establishing a global network of methane tower measurements at more than 80 sites worldwide and measuring and reducing methane emissions from oil and gas wells, city streets, and homes and buildings. As an author and photographer, Rob has published a trade book about the environment (The Earth Remains Forever, University of Texas Press), two books of children's poems, Animal Mischief and Weekend Mischief (Highlights Magazine and Boyds Mills Press), and recent or forthcoming poems in the journals Southwest Review, Cortland Review, Cold Mountain Review, Atlanta Review, LitHub, and more. His photographs have appeared in many media outlets, including the NY Times, Washington Post, USA Today, US News and World Report, Science, Nature, and National Geographic News. Rob is a current Guggenheim Fellow and sabbatical visitor in the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences. He is also a Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Geophysical Union, and Ecological Society of America. He received a Presidential Early Career Award in Science and Engineering from the National Science Foundation, awarded at the White House.


This exploratory analysis creates a framework for better understanding sexting behavior within romantic longterm romantic relationships. Articles reviewed successfully laid the foundation to this study, including those regarding flirting within short-term and marital relationships. The specific reasons of this behavior, shown to occur in different relational dynamics, helped to prove the importance of flirtatious behavior for multiple purposes. Expanding upon a different dynamic of flirting as well as a previously under-studies relationship, interviews were conducted to better understand the input and output concerns of sexting behavior within the population. Eight participants were asked various questions regarding their personal experiences, reasoning, and motives for partaking in such behavior. Common themes emerged, including that of privacy, trust issues, long-distance relationships, boredom, and sexting as a precursor to a physical sexual encounter. The discussion offers practical interpretations and rationalizations of the provided reasoning, along with suggestions for future research. Degree Type Open Access Senior Honors Thesis Department Communication, Media and Theatre Arts First Advisor Dennis O'Grady Second Advisor Donald Ritzenhein


Modification of plant types (i.e. plant architecture) is an important strategy to enhance the yield potential of crops. The aims of this study were to specify rice plant types using 3-D modelling methodology. The architecture of three typical hybrid rice cultivars were measured in situ in a paddy field using a 3-D digitiser at four development stages from the panicle initiation to the filling stage. The structural parameters of the rice canopies were calculated and their light capture and potential carbon gain were simulated based on a 3-D light model. The results confirmed that a plant type with steeper leaf angles let light penetrate more deeply with relatively uniform light distribution in the canopy at higher sun elevation angles, although this result was related to leaf area index. The variations of plant types, however, did not convert into differences of light distribution across rice varieties at lower sun elevation angles. Light use efficiency at the higher leaf area index could be enhanced by reducing mutual-shading. These results indicate that a promising approach to quantify the rice architecture in situ is to combine 3-D digitising and a 3-D light model to evaluate light interception and photosynthesis of rice plant types.


The key aim of this paper is to consider how young professionals, who left Ireland since the economic recession, define their migration project – not just individually but also as a shared experience across their generation. Using narrative analysis and the concept of 'speech acts', I explore how these young people working in England talk about and make sense of recent Irish migration. In particular, the paper explores the extent to which the participants construct a sense of 'cohorts' to articulate their shared experiences and expectations as a 'group', 'wave' or 'generation' of recent migrants and, in so doing, contrast themselves with previous waves of migrants from Ireland. I highlight their emphasis on 'choice', 'opportunities' and 'mobility' in contrast to their image of the older Irish migrants as 'forced', disadvantaged and 'stuck'. I suggest that this is not just an over-simplification of the past, but more importantly represents a device for making sense of the present. The paper also adopts a reflexive approach and situates myself as a researcher and an Irish migrant in the research process. In this way, I consider how my questions and comments may have influenced how narratives were constructed and shared as well as how I may have approached the analysis of the data through a specific socio-temporal mind set.


PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss the importance of documentation for digital humanities resources. This includes technical documentation of textual markup or database construction, and procedural documentation about resource construction.Design/methodology/approachA case study is presented of an attempt to reuse electronic text to create a digital library for humanities users, as part of the UCIS project. The results of qualitative research by the LAIRAH study on provision of procedural documentation are discussed, as also is, user perception of the purpose, construction and usability of resources collected using semi‐structured interviews and user workshops.FindingsIn the absence of technical documentation, it was impossible to reuse text files with inconsistent markup (COCOA and XML) in a Digital Library. Also, although users require procedural documentation, about the status and completeness of sources, and selection methods, this is often difficult to locate.Practical implicationsCreators of digital humanities resources should provide both technical and procedural documentation and make it easy to find, ideally from the project web site. To ensure that documentation is provided, research councils could make documentation a project deliverable. This will be even more vital once the AHDS is no longer funded to help ensure good practice in digital resource creation.Originality/valuePrevious work has argued that documentation is important. However, the paper presents actual evidence of the problems caused by a lack of documentation and shows that this makes reuse of digital resources almost impossible. This is intended to persuade project creators who wish resources to be reused to provide documentation about its contents and technical specifications.


BACKGROUND: Accumulating evidence indicates circulating concentrations of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), or IGF-1 relative to IGF binding proteins (IGFBP's) is associated with increased risk for the development of several forms of cancers. Similarly, exercise has been linked with reduced cancer risk. PURPOSE: To assess the effects of a 16-week (2xweek) home-based strength training (HBST) program on serum IGF-1, IGFBP-1, IGFBP3, and their ratio we randomized 32 obese Latino adolescent males (aged 14-18 years) into a twice-weekly Home Based Strength Training group (HBST;n=16) or a Control group (C;n=16) for 16 weeks. METHODS: Home-based strength training for 16 weeks, composed of two one-hour sessions per week. Outcome Measures were assessed pre- and post intervention/control condition and included IGF-1, IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-3, fasting glucose, two-hour glucose, Body Mass Index (BMI), dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan, dietary intake and physical activity using the Actigraph GT1X. GLM was used to assess differences in changes in outcome measures, between the C and the HBST groups. RESULTS: Over the 16 weeks of the intervention there was a trend for a significant within-subject's differences for IGF 1 (p=0.078), but no significant within-subject's differences for IGFBP-1 (p=0.187), IGFBP-3 (p=0.490), fasting glucose (p=0.87), and 2-hr glucose (p=0.38). There were also no between subject differences noted in fasting glucose (p=0.36), 2-hr glucose (p=0.84), SI (p=0.34), AIR (p=0.27), and DI (p=0.73). There was a trend for a between subject differences in IGF1 (p = 0.081). There were also no between subject differences noted in IGFBP-1 (p=0.194), IGFBP-3 (p = 0.202), fasting glucose (p=0.36), and 2-hr glucose (p=0.84). CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary results suggest that a twice per week 16-week home based strength training program does not affect concentrations of IGF-1, IGFBP-1, and IGFBP-3, in obese Latino boys.


Saturation discrimination is assumed to be dependent on the ratio of chromatic to achromatic components in the sensory response to a given wavelength. The usual methods of measurement do not, however, permit independent control of the chromatic and achromatic variables. On the basis of an opponent-colors theory of vision, a method is described for measuring directly and separately the spectral distributions of the chromatic components. A series of experiments is reported in which this method was used to obtain measures of the paired chromatic responses associated with the four primary spectral hues. Results are reported for two observers, 1° foveal test field, for an equal brightness spectrum (10 mL), and a neutral state of adaptation (10 mL). The measured chromatic responses, together with achromatic (luminosity) functions measured earlier for the same observers, are used to predict the form of the spectral saturation discrimination function.


Nowadays, applications in the field of surveillance, banking and multimedia equipment are
becoming more important, but since each application related to face analysis demands
different requirements on the analysis process, almost all algorithms and approaches for face
analysis are application dependent and a standardization or generalization is quite difficult.
For that reason and since many key problems are still not completely solved, the face analysis
research community is still trying to cope with face detection and recognition challenges.
Although emulating human vision system would be the ideal solution, it is a heuristic and
complicated approach which takes into account multiple clues such as textures, color, motion
and even audio information. Therefore, and due to the fast evolution of technology that makes
it possible, the recent trend is moving towards multimodal analysis combining multiple
approaches to converge to more accurate and satisfactory results.
Contributions to specific face detection and recognition applications are helpful to enable the
face analysis research community to continue building more robust systems by concatenating
different approaches and combining them. Therefore, the aim of this research is to contribute
by exploring the Local Binary Patterns operator, motivated by the following reasons. On one
hand, it can be applied to face detection and recognition and on the other hand due to its
robustness to pose and illumination changes.
Local Binary Patterns were first used in order to describe ordinary textures and, since a face
can be seen as a composition of micro textures depending on the local situation, it is also
useful for face description. The LBP descriptor consists of a global texture and a local texture
representation calculated by dividing the image into blocks and computing the texture
histogram for each one. The global is used for discriminating the most non-face objects
(blocks), whereas the second provides specific and detailed face information which can be
used not only to select faces, but also to provide face information for recognition.
The results will be concatenated in a general descriptor vector, that will be later used to feed
an adequate classifier or discriminative scheme to decide the face likeness of the input image
or the identity of the input face in case of face recognition. It is in that stage where this
research will focus, first evaluating more simple classification methods and then trying to
improve face detection and recognition ratios by trying to eliminate features vector
redundancy.


PART OF THE JONES & BARTLETT LEARNING INFORMATION SYSTEMS SECURITY & ASSURANCE SERIES Hacker Techniques, Tools, and Incident Handling begins with an examination of the landscape, key terms, and concepts that a security professional needs to know about hackers and computer criminals who break into networks, steal information, and corrupt data. It goes on to review the technical overview of hacking: how attacks target networks and the methodology they follow. The final section studies those methods that are most effective when dealing with hacking attacks, especially in an age of increased reliance on the Web. Written by a subject matter expert with numerous real-world examples, Hacker Techniques, Tools, and Incident Handling provides readers with a clear, comprehensive introduction to the many threats on our Internet environment and security and what can be done to combat them. Instructor Materials for Hacker Techniques, Tools, and Incident Handling include: PowerPoint Lecture Slides Exam Questions Case Scenarios/Handouts


According to the renewable portfolio standard (RPS) of California, 33% of the electricity sales must be generated from renewable resources by 2020. The RPS has important implications for electricity consumers, producers, generation units and the rest of the electricity sector. This paper estimates the effects of implementing the RPS target on electricity prices, greenhouse gas emissions and portfolios of renewable sources of electricity in different settings. Based on the RPS calculator, a publicly available model, we built a new model which accounts for uncertainty in prices and generation costs, and demand responsiveness to prices. Without any technology breakthroughs, our model estimates that the average 2020 electricity price in California will be increased to $0.166/kilowatt-hour (kWh) to meet the 33% RPS, 2% higher than the price of the 20% RPS. When conventional fuel prices are high, the 2020 price of producing electricity will not be much different for the 33% RPS target than for the 20% RPS target. And, the main in-state resources to meet 33% RPS will be solar (29%), wind (25%) and geothermal (23%).


The aim of the research reported here was to discover methods for building computer programs which can understand and communicate with people in a non-trivial subset of English. A computer program understands a subset of English if it accepts input sentences which are members of this subset, and answers questions based on information contained in the input. We describe in this paper a semantic theory of discourse, and utilize a first approximation to the analytical portion of this theory in the STUDENT question-answering system, a program which understands a subset of English in the sense defined above.


The response of lightning rates over Europe to arrival of high speed solar wind streams at Earth is investigated using a superposed epoch analysis. Fast solar wind stream arrival is determined from modulation of the solar wind V y component, measured by the Advanced Composition Explorer spacecraft. Lightning rate changes around these event times are determined from the very low frequency arrival time difference (ATD) system of the UK Met Office. Arrival of high speed streams at Earth is found to be preceded by a decrease in total solar irradiance and an increase in sunspot number and Mg II emissions. These are consistent with the high speed stream's source being co-located with an active region appearing on the Eastern solar limb and rotating at the 27 d period of the Sun. Arrival of the high speed stream at Earth also coincides with a small (∼1%) but rapid decrease in galactic cosmic ray flux, a moderate (∼6%) increase in lower energy solar energetic protons (SEPs), and a substantial, statistically significant increase in lightning rates. These changes persist for around 40 d in all three quantities. The lightning rate increase is corroborated by an increase in the total number of thunder days observed by UK Met stations, again persisting for around 40 d after the arrival of a high speed solar wind stream. This result appears to contradict earlier studies that found an anti-correlation between sunspot number and thunder days over solar cycle timescales. The increase in lightning rates and thunder days that we observe coincides with an increased flux of SEPs which, while not being detected at ground level, nevertheless penetrate the atmosphere to tropospheric altitudes. This effect could be further amplified by an increase in mean lightning stroke intensity that brings more strokes above the detection threshold of the ATD system. In order to remove any potential seasonal bias the analysis was repeated for daily solar wind triggers occurring during the summer months (June to August). Though this reduced the number of solar wind triggers to 32, the response in both lightning and thunder day data remained statistically significant. This modulation of lightning by regular and predictable solar wind events may be beneficial to medium range forecasting of hazardous weather.


Purpose To explore the impact of ocular surface insults on the immunomodulatory capacity and phenotype of corneal epithelial cells (CECs) with a focus on epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). Methods Corneas were harvested from mice 6 days following scratch injury, ragweed pollen–induced allergy, or herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection and compared to healthy tissue controls. Corneas were enzymatically digested and CECs phenotypically characterized using flow cytometry. CECs were defined as epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM)-positive CD45-negative cells. CECs were assessed by PCR to evaluate EMT-associated transcripts. Recombinant HSV-1 and transgenic mice were utilized to investigate the role of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) on the phenotype observed. The immunomodulatory potential of CECs was assessed in coculture assays with ovalbumin-specific CD4 T cells. Results Ectopic expression of classic "myeloid" antigens Ly6G, CCR2, and CX3CR1 was identified in CEC subsets from all groups with evidence supporting an underlying partial EMT event resulting from loss of cell–cell contacts. Corneal HSV-1 infection induced Ly6C expression and major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-II upregulation in CECs through a VEGFA-linked mechanism. These Ly6C+ MHC-II+ CECs were found to function as amateur antigen-presenting cells and induced CD4 T cell proliferation in vitro. Conclusions This study characterizes a novel immunomodulatory CEC phenotype with possible implications for immune privilege, chronic inflammation, and tissue fibrosis. Moreover, the identification of CECs masquerading with multiple "myeloid" antigens warrants careful evaluation of flow cytometry data involving corneal digests.


The term "artificial life" describes research into synthetic systems that possess some of the essential properties of life. This interdisciplinary field includes biologists, computer scientists, physicists, chemists, geneticists, and others. Artificial life may be viewed as an attempt to understand high-level behavior from low-level rules -- for example, how the simple interactions between ants and their environment lead to complex trail-following behavior. An understanding of such relationships in particular systems can suggest novel solutions to complex real-world problems such as disease prevention, stock-market prediction, and data mining on the Internet.Since their inception in 1987, the Artificial Life meetings have grown from small workshops to truly international conferences, reflecting the field's increasing appeal to researchers in all areas of science.


This monograph presents the results of secondary analysis of the RSA-911 database from the Rehabilitation Services Administration. All successful VR closures for individuals with mental retardation, cerebral palsy, and epilepsy for six data points between 1985 and 1998 were investigated. Trends in competitive labor market and extended employment (sheltered workshops) closures were examined. The use of supported employment in the VR system and its outcomes were also discussed. Findings include increased incidence of competitive labor market closures and supported employment services, with a decrease in extended employment closures. Comparisons of successful VR closure outcomes to trends in the general labor market were also made. A significant inverse correlation between VR competitive labor market closure rates and national unemployment rates suggests that VR closures rise and decline with the performance of the general economy. The data also indicated a decrease in real (inflation adjusted) earnings at closure of 43% over the study time period. While there was also a decrease in real earnings for the general population, the decrease was more severe for VR closures. Abstract


Urban Narrative works at the interface between public participation and participatory design to support collaboration processes for urban planning and design. It applies computational linguistics to interpret large format public consultation by identifying shared interests and desired qualities for urban infrastructure services and utilities. As a proof of concept, data was used from the Christchurch public engagement initiative called 'Share an Idea,' where public thoughts, ideas, and opinions were expressed about the future redevelopment of Christchurch after the 2011 earthquakes. The data set was analysed to identify shared interests and desired connections between institutional, communal, or personal infrastructures with the physical urban infrastructures in terms of buildings, public places, and utilities. The data has been visualised using chord charts from the D3 JavaScript open source library to illustrate the existence of connections between soft and hard urban infrastructures along with individual contributions or stories. Lastly, the analysis was used to create an infographic design brief that compares and contrasts qualitative information from public consultation with quantitative municipal statistical data on well-being.


One of the most widely used electro-mechanical systems in large-scale mining is the electric motor. This device is employed in practically every phase of production. For this reason, it needs to be inspected regularly to maintain maximum operability, thus avoiding unplanned stoppages. In order to identify potential faults, regular check-ups are performed to measure the internal parameters of the components, especially the brushes and brush-holders. Both components must be properly aligned and calibrated to avoid electric arcs to the internal insulation of the motor. Although there is an increasing effort to improve inspection tasks, most inspection procedures are manual, leading to unnecessary costs in inspection time, errors in data entry, and, in extreme cases, measurement errors. This research presents the design, development, and assessment of an integrated measurement prototype for measuring spring tension and other key parameters in brush-holders used in electric motors. It aims to provide the mining industry with a new, fully automatic inspection system that will facilitate maintenance and checking. Our development research was carried out specifically on the brush system of a SAG grinding mill motor. These machines commonly use SIEMENS motors; however, the instrument can be easily adapted to any motor by simply changing the physical dimensions of the prototype.


This paper provides a review of ideas and research regarding the role of literature in the EFL/ESL classroom. Firstly, it sketches a brief history of literature's association with and dissociation from first and second language programs from the 18th century on. Secondly, it elaborates on the bone of contention among foreign language educators in terms of whether or not literature has the capacity to enrich and enhance foreign language teaching and learning practices. To this end, the postulated pros and cons of using literature in the EFL/ESL classroom are presented. Finally, theoretical and empirical research is drawn upon to depict some of the ways literature can be and has been employed in the foreign language classroom.


In 1863, Fort Bascom was built along the Canadian River in the Eroded Plains of Territorial New Mexico. Its unique location placed it between the Comanches of Texas and the Comancheros of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. This post was situated within Comancheria during the height of the United States Army's war against the Southern Plains Indians, yet it has garnered little attention. This study broadens the scholarly understanding of how the United States Army gained control of the Southwest by examining the role Fort Bascom played in this mission. This includes an exploration of the Canadian River Valley environment, an examination of the economic relationship that existed between the Southern Plains Indians and the mountain people of New Mexico, and an account of the daily life of soldiers posted to Fort Bascom. This dissertation thus provides an environmental and cultural history of the Canadian River Valley in New Mexico, a social history of the men stationed at Fort Bascom, and proof that the post played a key role in the Army's efforts to gain control of the Southern Plains Indians. This study argues that Fort Bascom should be recognized as Texas' northern-most frontier fort. Its men were closer to the Comanche homeland than any Texas post of the period. Its records clearly show that the Army used Fort Bascom as a key forward base of operations against Comanches and Kiowas. An examination of Bascom's post returns, daily patrols, and major expeditions allows its history to provide a useful perspective on the nineteenth-century American Southwest.


The Semantic Web promises that the pools of semantic data it interweaves together will enable people to find information that they could not otherwise find by revealing knowledge not explicitly visible in the distributed source data.  In order for this promise to be fulfilled within the humanities, the Semantic Web data being created must have certain features, but what are they? This article provides some background on Semantic Web inferencing and then argues that there are three things that humanists can do to prepare their data to participant in this sort of inference generation: add more data, reciprocate links across repositories, and add metadata specifically to support inferencing .


Blood flow in an artery is a fluid-structure interaction problem. It is widely accepted that aneurysm formation, enlargement and failure are associated with wall shear stress (WSS) which is exerted by flowing blood on the aneurysmal wall. To date, most of the computational studies of this problem assume rigid walls. In particular, in the case of side-wall aneurysms, the combined effect of aneurysm size and wall elasticity on intra-aneurysm (IA) flow characteristics is poorly understood. Here we propose a model of three-dimensional viscous flow in a compliant artery containing an aneurysm by employing the immersed boundary-lattice Boltzmann-finite element method. This model allows to adequately account for the elastic deformation of both the blood vessel and aneurysm walls. Using this model, we perform a detailed investigation of the flow through aneurysm under different conditions with a focus on the parameters which may influence the wall shear stress. Most importantly, it is shown in this work that the use of flow velocity as a proxy for wall shear stress is well justified only in those sections of the vessel which are close to the ideal cylindrical geometry. Within the aneurysm domain, however, the correlation between wall shear stress and flow velocity is largely lost due to the complexity of the geometry and the resulting flow pattern. Moreover, the correlations weaken further with the phase shift between flow velocity and transmural pressure. These findings have important implications for medical applications since wall shear stress is believed to play a crucial role in aneurysm rupture.


The effects on ex ante optima of a lag in seeing monetary realizations are studied using a matching model of money. The main new ingredient in the model is meetings in which producers have more information than consumers. A consequence is that increases in the amount of money that occur with small enough probability can have negative impact effects on output, because it is optimal to shut down trade in such low probability meetings rather than have lower output when high probability realizations occur. The information lag also produces prices that do not respond much to current monetary realizations.