The Americans with Disabilities Act Standards for Accessible Design is becoming an integral part of construction. On many jobsites, recent graduates may not have enough knowledge to adequately catch and fix ADA compliance problems before they become a critical issue. With nearly all students and graduates going to work on projects governed by this code, knowledge of these codes, where to find them, and how to apply them is essential for graduates. Construction Management students believe this information would be very valuable to learn in school, and critical information to help them with their careers when they enter the industry. Some core lab courses do offer ADA code information, although nearly two thirds of students have never had any formal education on ADA design during their time at Cal Poly. Even those who have had formal education on ADA building codes find the curriculum in the Construction Management Department to be very ineffective in teaching it. This lack of information in the curriculum could be solved by either adding new information into the current core classes offered, or adding a dedicated special topics course to cover the lacking information. Due to only minor support for a special topics course, it would be most efficient to implement more ADA Code information into the current lab curriculum. Student's preference in information in the curriculum centered around knowing common, major code issues to look for in their careers.


Kinematic studies quantifying the various influences on equine locomotion are widespread, however research on the effects of stretching on equine movement is limited and lacks in comparison to human medicine. Equine trainers should be aiming to facilitate movement that is natural, aesthetic and rewarding for the horse and rider. Injury prevention is also critical for equine welfare and career longevity. The use of stretching regimes as part of manual therapy is becoming a widespread procedure within the performance horse industry. This is most likely due to extrapolation of the positive findings from human research. The aim of the investigation was to quantify the effects of two eight-week stretching regimes on stride length (SL) and range of motion (ROM) in the equine trot. Eighteen horses were divided into three matched groups according to age, conformation and breed. The groups were assigned to a 6-day stretching regime (6DSR), 3-day stretching regime (3DSR) and a control, no stretching regime (NSR). Baseline measurements of SL and ROM in trot (in hand) were obtained prior to treatment using two-dimensional video analysis. The two stretching regimes were applied for eight weeks. SL and ROM data were collected at weeks 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10 and 11 for the trot in hand. Subjects were analysed in ridden extended trot at week 8 and 16. The results were analysed by a two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). There were no significant effects of stretching on the in hand or ridden SL (P>0.05). Some significant differences were found in joint ROM between the 6DSR, 305R and NSR, the 6DSR generally produced lower ROM than the other two treatments. In conclusion SL was not altered by the two eight-week stretch regimes, however the 3DSR was more beneficial than the 6DSR on increasing joint R.OM. Further research is required to investigate whether the ROM differences are due to stretch hold times and frequencies.


Literature was introduced in the Malaysian ESL classrooms with the aspiration to develop proficiency in the learners with adequate capacity to respond personally to literary texts provided by the English syllabus besides interpreting and appreciating the texts appropriately and instil the love for reading and improve language acquisition. In 2010, a new set of literary texts were introduced in the ESL classroom. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore Form Four students' perspectives of the literary texts with regards to layout, content and language used in the texts. Specifically, the study examined the perspectives based on the variables such as gender and locality of the school. This study employed a mixed- method approach using both qualitative and quantitative instruments such as a questionnaire and semi - structured interviews. This study involved a total of 80 Form Four students of which 45 students were from an urban school while the remaining 35 students were from a rural school. Both schools were located in the district of Kota Setar, Kedah. The two teachers teaching literature in the two selected ESL classrooms were also involved in the study. Overall, the findings show that majority of students think that the literary texts have encouraged them to read more English books, the topics discussed are interesting and varied but they also think that current literary texts are biased towards western culture. They also felt that the language was rather difficult. With regards to layout, students pointed out that the text is well organized with appropriate use of print size and font and they felt that the layout is interesting as it helped them to visualize the context of the story, poem or drama. Furthermore, the findings revealed that a majority of students are able to relate to the moral values in the texts but felt that the issues discussed in the texts were rather adult and hence they could not relate well to them. The findings further showed that a majority of the students felt the language used was good, accurate and precise and could help them to improve their language proficiency. The urban students' felt that the vocabulary is within their level of proficiency but the rural student' felt the vocabulary used in the text is rather difficult and beyond their grasp. Additionally, the findings also showed that there was no significant difference in students' perspectives of literary texts with regards to layout, content and language used based on gender and locality of the schools. These findings imply that ESL teachers and other stake holders should assist the students to build a strong foundation of understanding the current texts so that the students will be more prepared and confident to learn and understand the texts. Considering all the challenges faced by the students when dealing with the texts in ESL classroom such as failing to interpret and analyse the text, feeling that there is no linkage between learning literature and ESL learning and could not relate well with past experiences, it is helpful if the stakeholders could select appropriate texts for the students' based on their language proficiency, gender,background knowledge and locality of the school. Finally, it can be said that there is still room for improvement in ensuring that the literary texts will give benefits for both teachers and students alike.


Abstract. For several years there has been an increasing interest in the use of unmanned aerial vehicles in acquiring image data from a low altitude. Considering the cost-effectiveness of the flight time of UAVs vs. conventional airplanes, the use of the former is advantageous when generating large scale accurate ortophotos. Through the development of UAV imagery, we can update large-scale basic maps. These maps are cartographic products which are used for registration, economic, and strategic planning. On the basis of these maps other cartographic maps are produced, for example maps used building planning. The article presents an assessesment of the usefulness of orthophotos based on UAV imagery to upgrade the basic map. In the research a compact, non-metric camera, mounted on a fixed wing powered by an electric motor was used. The tested area covered flat, agricultural and woodland terrains. The processing and analysis of orthorectification were carried out with the INPHO UASMaster programme. Due to the effect of UAV instability on low-altitude imagery, the use of non-metric digital cameras and the low-accuracy GPS-INS sensors, the geometry of images is visibly lower were compared to conventional digital aerial photos (large values of phi and kappa angles). Therefore, typically, low-altitude images require large along- and across-track direction overlap – usually above 70 %. As a result of the research orthoimages were obtained with a resolution of 0.06 meters and a horizontal accuracy of 0.10m. Digitized basic maps were used as the reference data. The accuracy of orthoimages vs. basic maps was estimated based on the study and on the available reference sources. As a result, it was found that the geometric accuracy and interpretative advantages of the final orthoimages allow the updating of basic maps. It is estimated that such an update of basic maps based on UAV imagery reduces processing time by approx. 40%.


The nonlinear response of an autoionizing medium in which coherence is established essentially by nonradiative interactions is analyzed. It is found that, by proper tuning of two radiation fields, the third-order nonlinearities can be enhanced while the absorption is canceled. The proposed scheme is particularly useful for enhancing nonlinearities in the VUV region.


The primary goal of subsidized housing policy in the United States is to increase access to affordable housing for low-income households. Yet data show that states disproportionately award low-income housing tax credits to finance the development of projects in neighborhoods where there is already a relatively high number of housing units available at similar rent levels. Through a fifty-state study of state housing agency allocation rules, this Article evaluates the legal apparatus that facilitates this "misallocation problem." I find that approximately seventy-five percent of states fail to make the provision of below-market rents a threshold requirement of receiving an award of low-income housing tax credits. As a result, locational choices often are dictated by private developers who are incentivized to develop where land is cheapest. I argue that states should revise their allocation rules to ensure that, as a default, tax credits are awarded to projects that offer at least a ten percent rent advantage as compared to the local private market. The Article considers challenges to this proposal related to lack of state housing agency autonomy, federal framework limitations, land costs, and local political opposition and, in each case, offers a variety of responses.


bandwidth of a high-power laser-diode array was effectively suppressed by use of an off-axis external-cavity technique. The external cavity consisted of a beam-transformation system and a pair of off-axis volume Bragg gratings. During operation at a drive current of 40 A, we reduced the bandwidth's full width at half-maximum from 3.3 to 0.24 nm (14-fold reduction) and achieved an output power of 20 W, or as much as 87% of the power radiated by a free-running laser-diode array without an external cavity.


Noncovalent interactions play key roles in many natural processes leading to the self-assembly of molecules with the formation of supramolecular structures. One of the most important forces responsible for self-assembly is hydrogen bonding, which also plays an important role in the self-assembly of synthetic polymers in aqueous solutions. Proton-accepting polymers can associate with proton-donating polymers via hydrogen bonding in aqueous solutions and form polymer-polymer or interpolymer complexes. There has been an increased interest among researchers in hydrogen-bonded interpolymer complexes since the first pioneering papers were published in the early 1960s. Several hundred research papers have been published on various aspects of complex formation reactions in solutions and interfaces, properties of interpolymer complexes and their potential applications. This book focuses on the latest developments in the area of interpolymer complexation via hydrogen bonding. It represents a collection of original and review articles written by recognized experts from Germany, Greece, Kazakhstan, Poland, Romania, Russia, UK, Ukraine, and the USA. It highlights many important applications of interpolymer complexes, including the stabilization of colloidal systems, pharmaceuticals, and nanomaterials.


Rear Projection TV (RPTV) offers low cost and high definition images, but suffers from inadequate form factor for the cabinet design. Slim RPTV design with small depth and low chin (distance from stand to image lower edge) are available and offer a second chance for RPTV to compete in the battle of flat screen displays. for slim RPTV with a low‐cost, refractive Fresnel screen, the angle of incidence of the light beam reaches 70° and induces large Fresnel losses. In order to correct this issue and to increase brightness uniformity and light flux, we designed a space variant retarder (SVR) to be located in the imaging arm of the Slim RPTV. This paper describes the concept and the experimental results.


The human genome is thought to harbor 50,000 to 100,000 genes, of which about half have been sampled to date in the form of expressed sequence tags. An international consortium was organized to develop and map gene-based sequence tagged site markers on a set of two radiation hybrid panels and a yeast artificial chromosome library. More than 16,000 human genes have been mapped relative to a framework map that contains about 1000 polymorphic genetic markers. The gene map unifies the existing genetic and physical maps with the nucleotide and protein sequence databases in a fashion that should speed the discovery of genes underlying inherited human disease. The integrated resource is available through a site on the World Wide Web at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/SCIENCE96/.


The Atlantic Frontier Environmental Network (AFEN) submarine slide complex is located 95 km NW of the Shetland Islands, at a water depth of c. 1000 m. It is thought to have occurred some 2800 years ago. The slide complex is c. 4 km wide and 13 km in length, and lies on a shallow slope, between 0.7 and 2.5°. Previous sampling and laboratory testing of the very soft sediment has been limited, and did not penetrate the basal failure surface, nor the underlying sediments. This paper presents the first intensive geotechnical profiling of deep-sea sediments from the AFEN slide complex, carried out on core obtained during the July 2014 expedition of the R.V. Pelagia. Importantly, this core sampled through, and below, the failure surface of the AFEN slide, and was subjected to unusually closely spaced geotechnical testing using a range of index and classification testing techniques. These are shown to have great value, when taken together with standard sedimentological logging, in establishing ground profiles. From these data new mechanisms of triggering the long runout slope failure at AFEN are postulated, and explain how submarine slides here and elsewhere can have occurred on very shallow slopes, of the order of 1 – 2°.


Background Effectiveness of barrier and oral contraceptive pills is dependent on daily adherence and consistency that cannot always be guaranteed by military lifestyle. Long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) methods could provide a good alternative to guarantee effective contraception in unpredictable scenarios, and recent studies have suggested they could provide wider non-contraceptive benefits. LARC has been proven to be more cost effective than the combined oral contraceptive pill. The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has released guidelines on contraception provision to ensure all women receive the contraception method that is most appropriate to the individual. Method A retrospective audit of 105 sets of primary healthcare notes of serving female soldiers was assessed to establish contraceptive choices and whether appropriate information had been provided within the last year of their last consultation. Results 100% had seen a healthcare provider capable of providing contraceptive advice in the last year. 69% documented as using some form of non-surgical contraception versus 58% quoted as national usage. 21% were using some form of LARC versus 8% national usage. 66% of eligible women had not had LARC discussed with them, and of these 50% did not have any contraceptive usage documented. Among other consultations, 41% had had a medical within the year period, of which over half had no documented contraceptive status. Conclusions As military healthcare providers, we have more exposure to our patients than NHS equivalents and this small study suggests there is an increased demand for contraception. Contraceptive choice counselling should be a mandatory part of routine initial medicals. If the situation demands a medical for any other reason, a documented contraception status should form an important part of the risk assessment process.


Animal and human studies have shown that the emotional aspects of fear memories mediated in the lateral nucleus of the amygdala can be extinguished by application of low-frequency tetanic stimulation or by repetitive sensory stimulation, such as tapping the cheek. Sensory input creates a remarkable increase in the power of the low-frequency portion of the electroencephalogram (EEG) spectrum. Glutamate receptors on synapses that mediate a fear memory in attention during exposure therapy are depotentiated by these powerful waves of neuronal firings, resulting in disruption of the memory network. In this study, the role of sensory input used in the principal exposure therapies is examined through analysis of the raw EEG data obtained in clinical and lab tests. Nearly all sensory inputs applied to the upper body result in wave power sufficiently large to quench fear-memory networks regardless of input location and type and whether the sensory input is applied unilaterally or bilaterally. No power advantage is found for application of sensory input at energy meridians or gamut points. The potential for new or extended applications of synaptic depotentiation in amygdalar memory networks is discussed. Language: en


In 1934 Carl Carmer wrote that "Alabama felt a magic descending, spreading, long ago." That magic, whether long ago or in the recent past, continues to captivate and fascinate both citizens and observers from afar, and many historians have tried to capture its essence. Albert J. Pickett produced the first comprehensive history of the state in 1852, but no historian has matched his effort since A. B. Moore's 1934 work - at least not until now. Alabama: The History of a Deep South State is divided into three sections, the first concluding with the South's defeat in 1865, the second ending with the beginning of the Jazz Age in 1920, and the third bringing the story into 1993. In both chronological and topical organization, the book examines traditional subjects such as politics, military events, economics, and social movements. It discusses the roles of individual leaders, from politicians to creative artists. Both general readers and careful students of Alabama history will discover less well known people and issues treated in sections devoted to race, Indians, women, and the environment. Attention is given to health, education, organized labor, civil rights, and cultural elements - from literature to sports - that have affected the lives of Alabamians. There is strong emphasis upon the common people, those who have been rightly described as the "bone and sinew" of Alabama. Each section of the book was written by a scholar with strong ties to Alabama who has devoted much of his or her professional life to the study of that period of the state's history. Although the three sections reflect individual style and interpretation, the authors have collaborated closely on overall themes andorganization. The work relies on both primary sources and such important secondary works as monographs, articles, and unpublished theses and dissertations to provide fresh insights, new approaches, and new interpretations. The result is an objective look at a colorful, often controve


This paper will describe a synopsis of the development and application of a survey instrument to assess team skills and professional development outcomes of Team-Based Learning (TBL) in a human factors course. TBL is an advancing teaching pedagogy that shifts instruction from a traditional lecture-based teaching paradigm to a structured learning sequence that includes individual student preparation outside of class followed by active, in-class problem solving exercises completed by student learning teams. As an evolving teaching method, TBL appears to be producing new empirical learning outcomes in areas that have only preliminarily been explored. Traditionally, the effectiveness of TBL has been assessed through grades and numeric measures of performance; however, TBL was designed to both enhance learning as well as team collaboration and critical thinking skills. Thus there a need for a validated measurement instrument emerged to assess the development of team skills in TBL classes. The newly developed survey instrument is designed to assess three overarching factors within the TBL framework: 1) attitudes and beliefs about learning; 2) motivation to learn; and 3) professional development. A pilot survey was created and administered in the summer of 2013 to 25 undergraduate students at a large Mid-Western university and was tested for internal consistency. To further improve the quality of the survey, two focus groups were also conducted. In the fall of 2013 the revised survey was administered to 182 undergraduate students and in the spring of 2014 to 197 undergraduate students. Based on encouraging results, the survey was used to assess the learning outcome gains in a graduate level human factors course. Preliminary results for this sample showed modest gains in critical thinking and external motivation. The survey has the potential to provide instructors a mechanism to measure student learning gains in TBL educational settings.


Although the Halal concept has not been a major element among non-Muslim consumers living in an Islamic country, whether the non-Muslim consumers are aware of the underlying advantages that come with Halal food products or their viewpoints arising from their religious belief, are some intriguing questions that need to be answered. Thus the objective of the study explore the underlying determinants that are likely to influence non-Muslim consumers' perceptions and attitudes towards Halal concept and Halal food products in Malaysia in lieu of new paradigm in emerging global issues on sustainability, environmental, food safety and animal welfare. A survey was conducted in the Klang Valley where 400 non-Muslim respondents were interviewed via structured questionnaires to gather information on their awareness and attitude towards Halal food products in the Malaysian food market. Descriptive statistic was used to identify the socio-economic/ demographic characteristics and attitudes of the respondents toward the Halal food principles. The logit model was used to determine the extent to which selected socio-economic/demographic characteristics influenced the respondents' attitude and understanding on Halal principles and Halal food products. The results of this study suggest that non-Muslim consumers are aware of the existence of Halal food, Halal principles and the advantages of Halal way in slaughtering the animals. This can be shown by their significant awareness that Halal is not only the way Muslim slaughter their animals but also relates to environmental, sustainability, animal welfare and food safety. In general, various socio-economic/demographic factors such as education level, older generation, those who are more religious and the urban dweller seem to more likely to be aware of the advantages of Halal principles.


Esophageal, gastroesophageal junction, and gastric cancers are underpublicized but are frequently lethal, and gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinomas are increasingly common diseases in the United States and around the world. Although often grouped together in studies of chemotherapy, clear distinctions can be made in the locoregional therapy of these diseases. Esophageal squamous cell carcinomas may be treated with surgery or radiation with concurrent chemotherapy, whereas esophageal adenocarcinomas and gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinomas are often treated with all three treatment modalities. Over the past several years, it has become increasingly evident that gastric cancer is a disease that is potentially sensitive to chemotherapy. In the perioperative setting—at least in the Western world—chemotherapy and sometimes radiation are applied. However, the optimal chemotherapy for advanced gastric or esophageal cancer remains unsettled, and there is no single standard regimen. Several new chemotherapy agents have demonstrated activity in these diseases, but the best chemotherapy remains to be determined. This paper will review the role of chemotherapy in gastroesophageal cancers.


A South African C4-dominated grassland was exposed to twice-ambient atmospheric CO2 concentration using gas emitted by a natural CO2 spring and distributed over a 7m x 7m plot. A similar control plot was established 20m away at near-ambient CO2 concentrations. Photosynthetic CO2 response curves were performed on three C4 and one C3 grass species under both treatments, in spring (post-fire), mid-summer and autumn. Photosynthetic efficiency of the post-fire dominants, Alloteropsis semialata subsp. eckloniana (C3) and Andropogon appendiculatus (C4) was significantly enhanced in high CO2 only during the early season, when photosynthetic capacity was high. Thereafter, photosynthetic capacity decreased with advancing season in both species, and positive responses to high CO2 were lost or reduced. In the mid- to late-season dominant Themeda triandra (C4), photosynthetic capacity was maintained in elevated CO2 during the mid- to late-season, while decreasing in ambient CO2 relative to high CO2. Eragrostis racemosa (C4), a slow grower, showed no significant responses to high CO2 during the late season. CO2-responsiveness in the field generally followed the seasonal phenologies of each species, being greatest during the most active growth period.


In solving hard computational problems, semidefinite program (SDP) relaxations often play an important role because they come with a guarantee of optimality. Here, we focus on a popular semidefinite relaxation of K-means clustering which yields the same solution as the non-convex original formulation for well segregated datasets. We report an unexpected finding: when data contains (greater than zero-dimensional) manifolds, the SDP solution captures such geometrical structures. Unlike traditional manifold embedding techniques, our approach does not rely on manually defining a kernel but rather enforces locality via a nonnegativity constraint. We thus call our approach NOnnegative MAnifold Disentangling, or NOMAD. To build an intuitive understanding of its manifold learning capabilities, we develop a theoretical analysis of NOMAD on idealized datasets. While NOMAD is convex and the globally optimal solution can be found by generic SDP solvers with polynomial time complexity, they are too slow for modern datasets. To address this problem, we analyze a non-convex heuristic and present a new, convex and yet efficient, algorithm, based on the conditional gradient method. Our results render NOMAD a versatile, understandable, and powerful tool for manifold learning.


University buildings pose an interesting challenge for contemporary architecture. The seven liberal arts have long ago been joined by countless other faculties and departments. This branching out of knowledge requires a specialization of its structures which play a role in the transmission of learning and the creation of new knowledge. In addition, subjects of interconnectivity and sustainability on campuses step into focus together with the multimedia requirements imposed by modern universities. For both teaching and research it is essential to enable the preservation and access to the constantly growing knowledge of mankind. This volume presents about 70 recent projects from around the world by means of texts, photos and drawings.


This paper provides evidence on the migration from an "old" technology to a "new" technology, taking into account the impact that regulatory interventions on the old one might have on the incentives to invest and adopt the new one. This analysis has been applied to a sample of EU27 countries using panel data from 2004 to 2014 on the adoption, coverage and take-up rate of ultra-fast broadband infrastructures, whose development is one of the flagship initiatives of the Europe 2020 programmes. Results show that a 1% increase in the regulated price to access the old technology increases the adoption and the investment on the new broadband technology by ~0.45% and ~0.47%. These effects are not homogeneous across countries and are weakened in Eastern European countries, where the existing old broadband infrastructures are less developed than in the rest of Europe. It has also been shown that the access price to old networks negatively affects the take-up rate of the new technology-based services, thus calling for the need of more specific and complementary demand side policy incentives to enhance service adoption


Surveys were administered to adolescents (N = 144) to determine if young people varied based on the type of long-term aims they held. Using cluster analysis, four groups emerged from the data: youth without clear long-term aims, youth with self-oriented long-term aims, youth with other-oriented long-term aims, and youth with both self- and other-oriented long-term aims. The latter two clusters represent potentially purposeful youth and the self-oriented cluster represents youth with meaning in their lives. Therefore, the authors were able to compare potentially purposeful youth to youth with meaning and to youth with neither purpose nor meaning in their lives. Youth with other-oriented long-term aims were more likely to be searching for a purpose, to have identified a purpose, to report higher levels of life satisfaction, and to score higher on openness. Implications for understanding the purpose construct and for fostering purpose among adolescents are addressed.


The notion of Personal Development is situated in the domain of values, especially moral values. Moral values are concerned with what is right alongside what is good in its several aspects. For curriculum purposes, Personal Development finds its sense largely within the content provided by the terms 'moral' and 'social' in PSME. 'Personal' is not an independent category. But there is a certain overlap between Personal Development and Self-Development, where the latter term refers to an individual's generic human development. A person's individuality is not in a confluence of differently combined qualities and attributes. An individual is strongly a person in those values that he appropriates or endorses as his own. Values connect a person strongly with his unity and continuity as an individual over time.
Our worth as persons attaches to our reciprocal relationships with each other and to ourselves for ourselves insofar as we maintain integrity in our own
projects. To this extent values have an objective reference.

I want to show the manner in which a person is attached to the values that confront him in a pluralist society. It is not just that values are realized in a person's life; it is the relation he has to those values. Those values are expressed in the constituents of Personal Development - namely, those personal qualities and attributes thought desirable - and will be 'strongly' or 'thinly' present in that person. In respect of these qualities and attributes
he will be strongly or thinly attached to his human world.
This is a question about the manner of our residence in our own being and about the relation that our being has to the 'ways of being persons' in the human world.

A person is culturally emergent, although some versions of self-realization give the impression that the individual is prior to culture. There is a certain circularity in what we might call absolute or intrinsic values, especially moral ones. For example, we may want to say that we acquire virtues in order to flourish in life. But what constitutes flourishing will be captured in 'contested' value terms
and will therefore shape what we take virtues to be.


Abstract. We present an Arctic aerosol optical depth (AOD) climatology and trend
analysis for 2003–2019 spring and summertime periods derived from a
combination of multi-agency aerosol reanalyses, remote-sensing retrievals,
and ground observations. This includes the U.S. Navy Aerosol Analysis and
Prediction System ReAnalysis version 1 (NAAPS-RA v1), the NASA Modern-Era
Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications, version 2 (MERRA-2),
and the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service ReAnalysis (CAMSRA).
Spaceborne remote-sensing retrievals of AOD are considered from the
Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), the Multi-angle
Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR), and the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal
Polarization (CALIOP). Ground-based data include sun photometer data from
AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) sites and oceanic Maritime Aerosol Network
(MAN) measurements. Aerosol reanalysis AODs and spaceborne retrievals show
consistent climatological spatial patterns and trends for both spring and
summer seasons over the lower Arctic (60–70∘ N). Consistent AOD
trends are also found for the high Arctic (north of 70∘ N) from
reanalyses. The aerosol reanalyses yield more consistent AOD results than
climate models, can be verified well with AERONET, and corroborate complementary
climatological and trend analysis. Speciated AODs are more variable than
total AOD among the three reanalyses and a little more so for March–May (MAM) than for June–August (JJA). Black carbon (BC) AOD in the Arctic comes
predominantly from biomass burning (BB) sources in both MAM and JJA, and BB
overwhelms anthropogenic sources in JJA for the study period. AOD exhibits a multi-year negative MAM trend and a positive JJA trend in
the Arctic during 2003–2019, due to an overall decrease in
sulfate/anthropogenic pollution and a significant JJA increase in BB smoke.
Interannual Arctic AOD variability is significantly large, driven by
fine-mode and, specifically, BB smoke, with both smoke contribution and
interannual variation larger in JJA than in MAM. It is recommended that
climate models should account for BB emissions and BB interannual
variabilities and trends in Arctic climate change studies.


Abstract The personal tutor plays a key role in the student experience at university, and personal tutoring embodies the student relationship with the university, suggesting that it has the potential to provide insights beyond that specific relationship to the institution and higher education context. A focus session with first year undergraduate students explored expectations and experiences of personal tutoring from the student perspective. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to explore students' lived experiences, and identified superordinate themes of expectations, experiences and relationships, with cluster themes including independence and authenticity. Developing a positive and genuine relationship with the personal tutor was found to 'buffer' against some of the first year challenges and contribute towards a sense of belonging. Importantly, this study provides evidence that experiencing poor personal tutoring is worse than not having a personal tutor at all, as this can lead to students experiencing strong negative emotions and re-evaluating their decision to go to university. Implications of these findings in the current higher education context of fee-paying students and competing institutional demands are discussed.


The method of approach to detailed criticism of prose-writers and poets adopted by Dionysius is in a large measure comparative. The procedure of comparison is threefold: firstly, the bringing together of passages from authors to elicit points of resemblance or of difference between their styles secondly, the assumption of the existence of common critical standards for all works of art, whether literature, painting, or sculpture thirdly, the use of metaphor and simile to illustrate matters of criticism which need the assistance of some visual or mental image to make clear the exact meaning of the point of criticism. The metaphorical vocabulary is the richer for the greater preoccupation of Dionysius with aesthetic appreciation than with philosophical analysis; and any seeming differences in technical vocabulary are compensated by the freedom with which his vocabulary in general draws on the Greek of his own and earlier times. The following list gives some of the more interesting metaphorical expressions used in the rhetorical works, with notes on their meaning and, in some cases, with illustrations of the use of the same or similar terms in other Greek critics and in the volumes of scholia.


Essential Skills--Made Easy! Develop, test, and debug iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch applications with help from this practical resource. iOS SDK Programming: A Beginner's Guide shows you how to use Objective-C and Apple's new Xcode 4 development environment with an integrated, easy-to-use Interface Builder. You'll learn which UIView subclasses to use when laying out an iOS app and master all of the iOS user interface controls. Setting application preferences and storing application data are also covered. The book explains how to integrate multimedia into your apps and develop universal apps that run on the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. You'll learn how to take advantage of the iPad's larger display and the new features of iOS 4.2. By the end of this book, you'll be ready to create the next bit hit in the iTunes App Store! Designed for Easy Learning: Key Skills & Concepts--Chapter-opening lists of specific skills covered in the chapter Try This--Hands-on exercises that show you how to apply your skills Notes--Extra information related to the topic being covered Tips--Helpful reminders or alternate ways of doing things Cautions--Errors and pitfalls to avoid Annotated Syntax--Example code with commentary that describes the programming techniques being illustrated


In the first part of this article, we address the problems inherent in studying wrongful convictions: our pervasive ignorance and the extreme difficulty of obtaining the data that we need to answer even basic questions. The main reason that we know so little about false convictions is that, by definition, they are hidden from view. As a result, it is nearly impossible to gather reliable data on the characteristics or even the frequency of false convictions. In addition, we have very limited data on criminal investigations and prosecutions in general, so even if we could somehow obtain data on cases of wrongful conviction, we would have inadequate data on true convictions with which to compare them. In the second part of the article, we dispel some of that ignorance by considering data on false convictions in a small but important subset of criminal cases about which we have unusually detailed information: death sentences. From 1973 on, we know basic facts about all defendants who were sentenced to death in the United States, and we know which of them were exonerated. From these data we estimate that the frequency of wrongful death sentences in the United States is at least 2.3 percent. In addition, we compare post-1973 capital exonerations in the United States to a random sample of cases of defendants who were sentenced in the same time period and ultimately executed. Based on these comparisons, we present a handful of findings on features of the investigations of capital cases, and on background facts about capital defendants, that are modest predictors of false convictions.


Climate Change and Growth in Asia is a comprehensive analysis of the major issues of climate change and global warming and their possible impacts on the growth of major Asian economies. The book addresses the climate change crisis in Asia within the context of three major challenges to growth: population, poverty and greenhouse gas emissions.


The article analyzes the patterns of use of railway stations in the Moscow region. The basis for the analysis is the data of smart cards on the entrances and exits of passengers. The technical tool is time series similarity analysis. As a result, the work identifies the main patterns of user behavior on the use of railway stations (railway transport). The results of the work were used in the design of new lines of urban railways. Obviously, the use patterns reflect the current state of the transport system and the urban environment. Accordingly, the recorded changes in usage patterns can serve as indicators and metrics for changes in the urban environment.


The purpose of our study was to evaluate the functional outcomes of two methods of surgical treatment of acute closed raptures of the Achilles tendon, specifically, the primary open repair and the percutaneous repair techniques, utilizing (a) isokinetic plantar flexion strength, (b) midcalf girth, (c) ankle joint proprioception, and (d) ankle range of motion values. As a secondary purpose, the frequency of reruptures and postsurgical complications were compared between techniques. Twenty male patients (mean age, 43.8 ± 9.4 years) who sustained complete, closed ruptures of the Achilles tendon participated in this study. Results of paired t tests revealed significant differences between postsurgical and contralateral normal limbs for 6 of 12 variables. Results of the ANOVAs revealed no significant differences between the open repair group and percutaneous repair group for any of the evaluative parameters. The significant deficits in postoperative isokinetic plantar flexion strength and midcalf girth measure...


This article deals with the emerging concept of Employee Engagement (EE) and its meaning for public administration research and theory. Generically, EE reflects a positive, fulfilling, affective-motivational, work-related state of mind characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption. In an attempt to understand whether the concept of EE is meaningful for public administration research and theory, we examine its essence and foundation using a comparative method. First, we compare EE with two well-established employee–organization relationship (EOR) concepts: Affective Commitment (AC) and Job Involvement (JI). Second, we compare EE in public versus private sector employees, and finally, we compare the concept in employees and managers in the public sector. Our study is based on an interactive sample of 593 employees and managers from both the private and public sectors in Israel. The results support several hypotheses. First, EE is an empirically distinct construct compared with other EOR concepts. Second, EE is higher among public sector employees than private sector employees. Third, EE is higher among public managers than public employees. Implications of our findings and recommendations for future theoretical and empirical studies of EE are discussed.


Given the historical persistence of economic activity, the reduction of GDP due to confinement measures is likely to drag on over several quarters. The total GDP shortfall could be as much as twice that implied by the direct initial effects of confinement. This persistence reflects in part two types of spillovers across countries. One is due to the risk that uncoordinated confinements lead to repeated virus outbreaks and confinements across the globe. Another is the more traditional trade and financial integration interlinkages. Economic spillovers and spillbacks across the major economic blocs are large. There is no immunity from the economic effects if the epidemic is controlled in only one or two regions. Countries should adopt confinement, border control and macroeconomic policies that internalise these global considerations.


Three of CouchDB's creators show you how to use this document-oriented database as a standalone application framework or with high-volume, distributed applications. With its simple model for storing, processing, and accessing data, CouchDB is ideal for web applications that handle huge amounts of loosely structured data. That alone would stretch the limits of a relational database, yet CouchDB offers an open source solution that's reliable, scales easily, and responds quickly. CouchDB works with self-contained data that has loose or ad-hoc connections. It's a model that fits many real-world items, such as contacts, invoices, and receipts, but you'll discover that this database can easily handle data of any kind. With this book, you'll learn how to work with CouchDB through its RESTful web interface, and become familiar with key features such as simple document CRUD (create, read, update, delete), advanced MapReduce, deployment tuning, and more. Understand the basics of document-oriented storage and manipulation Interact with CouchDB entirely though HTTP using its RESTful interface Model data as self-contained JSON documents Handle evolving data schemas naturally Query and aggregate data in CouchDB using MapReduce views Replicate data between nodes Tune CouchDB for increased performance and reliability


Analytical solutions for the effect of chemical reaction on the unsteady free convection flow past an infinite vertical permeable moving plate with variable temperature has been studied. The plate is assumed to move with a constant velocity in the direction of fluid flow. The highly nonlinear coupled differential equations governing the boundary layer flow, heat and mass transfer are solved using two-term harmonic and non-harmonic functions. The parameters that arise in the perturbation analysis are Prandtl number (thermal diffusivity), Schmidt number (mass diffusivity), Grashof number (free convection), modified Grashof number, Chemical reaction parameter (rate constant), Skin friction coefficient and Sherwood number (wall mass transfer coefficient). The study has been compared with available exact solution in the literature and they are found to be in good agreement. It is observed that: The concentration increases during generative reaction and decreases in destructive reaction. The concentration increases with decreasing Schmidt number. The effect of increasing values of K leads to a fall in velocity profiles. The velocity decreases with increasing values of the Schmidt number. An increase in modified Grashof number leads to an increase in velocity profiles. The skin friction increases with decreasing Schmidt number. In generative reaction the skin friction decreases and in destructive reaction the skin friction increases.


An oriented graph $\overrightarrow{G}$ is said weak (resp. strong) if, for every pair $\{ u,v \}$ of vertices of $\overrightarrow{G}$, there are directed paths joining $u$ and $v$ in either direction (resp. both directions). In case, for every pair of vertices, some of these directed paths have length at most $k$, we call $\overrightarrow{G}$ $k$-weak (resp. $k$-strong). We consider several problems asking whether an undirected graph $G$ admits orientations satisfying some connectivity and distance properties. As a main result, we show that deciding whether $G$ admits a $k$-weak orientation is NP-complete for every $k \geq 2$. This notably implies the NP-completeness of several problems asking whether $G$ is an extremal graph (in terms of needed colours) for some vertex-colouring problems.


Knowing the extent to which we rely on technology one may think that correct programs are nowadays the norm. Unfortunately, this is far from the truth. Luckily, possible reasons why program correctness is difficult often come hand in hand with some solutions. Consider concurrent program correctness under Sequential Consistency (SC). Under SC, instructions of each program's concurrent component are executed atomically and in order. By using logic to represent correctness specifications, model checking provides a successful solution to concurrent program verification under SC. Alas, SC's atomicity assumptions do not reflect the reality of hardware architectures. Total Store Order (TSO) is a less common memory model implemented in SPARC and in Intel x86 multiprocessors that relaxes the SC constraints. While the architecturally de-atomized execution of stores under TSO speeds up program execution, it also complicates program verification. To be precise, due to TSO's unbounded store buffers, a program's semantics under TSO might be infinite. This, for example, turns reachability under SC (a PSPACE-complete task) into a non-primitive-recursive-complete problem under TSO. This thesis develops verification techniques targeting TSO-relaxed programs. To be precise, we present under- and over-approximating heuristics for checking reachability in TSO-relaxed programs as well as state-reducing methods for speeding up such heuristics. In a first contribution, we propose an algorithm to check reachability of TSO-relaxed programs lazily. The under-approximating refinement algorithm uses auxiliary variables to simulate TSO's buffers along instruction sequences suggested by an oracle. The oracle's deciding characteristic is that if it returns the empty sequence then the program's SC- and TSO-reachable states are the same. Secondly, we propose several approaches to over-approximate TSO buffers. Combined in a refinement algorithm, these approaches can be used to determine safety with respect to TSO reachability for a large class of TSO-relaxed programs. On the more technical side, we prove that checking reachability is decidable when TSO buffers are approximated by multisets with tracked per address last-added-values. Finally, we analyze how the explored state space can be reduced when checking TSO and SC reachability. Intuitively, through the viewpoint of Shasha-and-Snir-like traces, we exploit the structure of program instructions to explain several state-space reducing methods including dynamic and cartesian partial order reduction.


The hypothesis testing behaviors of 50 boys with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) were compared to those of 50 boys without ADHD. The two groups were randomly assigned to one of two feedback conditions: a) boys in the "instruction and rule" condition learned additional strategies to aid their performance on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST); b) children in the "verbal only" condition learned no additional strategies. There were no significant group or condition differences between the boys on the primary dependent measures used. The results from the WCST were also evaluated according to five aspects of problem solving: (a) selective attention, (b) stimulus differentiation, (c) response generation, (d) response execution, and (e) responding appropriately to feedback. The study showed a tendency for the children with ADHD to respond according to a position or hypothesis set. Similarly, children in the "verbal only" condition tended to respond to feedback less appropriately than did children in the instruction and rule condition. These tendencies however, did not differentiate between the boys with ADHD and boys without ADHD.


Soil wettability affects hydrological processes like infiltration, percolation, preferential flow, and surface runoff. Wettability is related to the soil-water contact angle, which in turn depends on the solid surface free energy. Little is known, however, about contact angles and their dependence on soil water potential. The main objective of this study was therefore to investigate the dynamics of contact angle due to variation of the water potential. Aggregate fractions of 2- to 4-, 1- to 2-, and <1-mm diameter and corresponding homogenized material of a subcritical water repellent Orthic Luvisol were studied at water potentials of -1000, -154, -30, and -0.14 MPa. Wettability was assessed in terms of the advandng contact angle by the capillary rise method (CRM). Additionally, we calculated the surface free energy. Results showed, that the contact angle increased as water potential increased to a specific level. It was found for several soil samples, that above this water potential level, the contact angle decreased again. The change of contact angle due to variation of water potential reached nearly 90° for one sample. Contact angles of homogenized fractions were slightly larger than those measured for the aggregate surfaces. Surface free energy was consistently between 55 and 65 mJ m -2 with relative contributions of the dispersion and polar components to surface free energy of approximately 1/3 and 2/3, respectively. We conclude, that the assessment and physical description of the specific water potential for which a surface becomes wettable is a key factor for a better understanding of soil wetting.


In this paper we present a method for designing ideal and optimal 2-D concentrators when the collector is placed inside a dielectric tube for the particular case of a bifacial collector. The method, based on the extreme ray principle of design, avoids the use of differential equations by means of a proper application of Fermat's principle. One advantage of these concentrators is that they allow the size to be small compared with classical CPCs.


ABSTRACT
 Dioryctria (Zeller 1846) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae: Phycitinae) moths, commonly known as coneworms, are a group of important coniferous pests. Interspecific overlap of molecular, morphological, and behavioral traits has made identification and delimitation of these species problematic, impeding their management and control. In particular, delimitation of members of the Dioryctria zimmermani species group, a diverse group of Nearctic species, is notoriously difficult. To clarify the species boundaries in this species group we examined two independent molecular markers (cytochrome c oxidase I and II and elongation factor 1&agr;), larval host plant association, geographic distribution, and pheromone attraction in an integrated taxonomic framework. Congruence between these diagnostic traits and established species limits in the zimmermani group was variable. Some species showed well-supported congruence between established taxonomic limits and mitochondrial DNA gene tree topology, whereas other species showed little phylogenetic resolution, little correspondence with diagnostic traits, and incongruence with previously described species limits. Gene tree-species tree discordance may be caused by several evolutionary processes, such as imperfect taxonomy, incomplete lineage sorting, or introgression. Additional information, such as highly variable molecular markers, morphometrics, and larval host information, is needed to effectively evaluate and differentiate among these alternative hypotheses and fully resolve the species limits among D. zimmermani species group members.


Establishing a standard Raman spectral database for minerals and related inorganic crystals is a very important basis for further increasing the applications of Raman spectroscopy in the geosciences. However, the Raman spectral pattern of a crystal is a function not only of its composition and structure but also of the scattering geometry during the measurement. Therefore, the standard Raman spectrum of a crystal must be measured under well-defined standard conditions. It would be of great interest to establish a standard measuring configuration with which the characteristic Raman spectra of all mineral crystals could be obtained. Factor-group analysis of the main types of minerals indicates that almost all of them possess a Raman-active totally symmetric (TS) vibrational mode. Therefore, we propose a scheme to measure standard Raman spectra under a scattering geometry set up on the basis of these TS modes. Using this scheme, we were able to establish a database for standard Raman spectra of minerals and related inorganic crystals.


Standards of review dominate personal liberties practice, and we must take them seriously if we heed calls to take (constitutional) lawyering seriously. Standards are poorly articulated and undertheorized. They must be properly fashioned by exploring and reconciling the logic and purpose of each of their components. We do this with strict scrutiny both to energize an important standard of review and model a proper approach. Our analysis is primarily within the context of higher education affirmative action cases because they typify the ambiguity of strict scrutiny; one such case – Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin -- could return to the Court next term.We derive a preferred articulation of strict scrutiny with six achievable but rights-protective requirements. Strict scrutiny is especially energized by separating its "ends question" about compellingness from its "means question" about interest advancement. Then state interests are compelling only if of a special nature, analogous to requiring fundamental rights to have special attributes irrespective of any intrusion.The preferred version of strict scrutiny is applied to Fisher, which involves a university program that considers race as one diversity factor combined with a top ten percent law. Our contrarian conclusion is that the law is unconstitutional, but that the Court should save the university program by severing it from the law. It is contrarian because most authorities - whether invoking an anti-subjugation, anti-classification, or antibalkanization perspective -- accept supposedly racially neutral top ten percent laws. We invoke a nuanced conception of antibalkanization applicable in Fisher's unique circumstances. Our conclusion is also based on a rich conception of academic freedom with two complementary aspects that place it at the foundation of freedom of speech. These aspects combine to protect universities from external impositions such as the Texas law, allowing them to accommodate diversity and demonstrated academic capacity.


Clostridium difficile is one of the key bacterial pathogens that cause infectious diarrhoea both in the developed and developing world. Isothermal nucleic acid amplification methods are increasingly used for identification of toxinogenic infection by clinical labs. For this purpose, we developed a low-cost microfluidic platform based on the SlipChip concept and implemented real-time isothermal recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA). The on-chip RPA assay targets the Clostridium difficile toxin B gene (tcdB) coding for toxin B, one of the proteins responsible for bacterial toxicity. The device was fabricated in clear acrylic using rapid prototyping methods. It has six replicate 500 nL reaction wells as well as two sets of 500 nL control wells. The reaction can be monitored in real-time using exonuclease fluorescent probes with an initial sample volume of as little as 6.4 μL. We demonstrated a limit of detection of 1000 DNA copies, corresponding to 1 fg, at a time-to-result of <20 minutes. This miniaturised platform for pathogen detection has potential for use in resource-limited environments or at the point-of-care because of its ease of use and low cost, particularly if combined with preserved reagents.


This doctoral thesis is an examination of the possibility of ascribing objectivity to
aesthetic judgements. The aesthetic is viewed in terms of its being a certain kind of relation between the mind and the world; a clear understanding of aesthetic judgements
will therefore be capable of telling us something important about both subjects and
objects, and the ties between them. In view of this, one of the over-riding aims of this
thesis is the promotion of an 'aesthetic psychology', a philosophical approach, that is to say, which emphasises the importance of the psychological processes involved in the making of aesthetic judgements. One of the aims of this thesis is to develop a revisionary account of the distinction
between objectivity and subjectivity in the domain of value. This revision will undertake
to dismantle some of the assumptions implicit in a metaphysical framework which
traditionally ascribes objectivity only to judgements about facts, and not to judgements
about values and other concerns such as norms and emotions. Further, the thesis
examines the intricate ways in which aesthetic properties, the focus of aesthetic
judgements, depend on the (emotional and other) responses of the subjects of
experience. The particular role played by first-hand experience in the making of
aesthetic judgements is among the things critically investigated in the interests of
reaching a clearer understanding of the manner in which aesthetic judgements may be
objective in the sense of being justifiable. Eventually, a defence is outlined of the view
that aesthetic judgements can be supported by good reasons, but not in the same way as
ordinary cognitive judgements. Finally, I outline the main tenets of a proposed
'reasonable objectivism' for aesthetic judgements, an objectivism grounded on justifying reasons.Aesthetics


We observed narrow-linewidth lasing spikes in a coherent Brillouin random fiber laser, which uses a continuous-wave fiber laser as the pump source. In this random laser configuration, stimulated Brillouin scattering in a section of conventional single-mode fiber acts as the gain mechanism, while Rayleigh scattering in another section of the nonuniform fiber provides randomly distributed feedback. Above the lasing threshold, coherent random lasing spikes, with a linewidth of ~10 Hz, are measured at the top of the Brillouin gain spectrum. It results from high quality coherent resonance of the Brillouin Stokes light in this open laser cavity.


Satellite instruments are nowadays successfully utilised for measuring atmospheric aerosol in many applications as well as in research. Therefore, there is a growing need for rigorous error characterisation of the measurements. Here, we introduce a methodology for quantifying the uncertainty in the retrieval of aerosol optical thickness (AOT). In particular, we concentrate on two aspects: uncertainty due to aerosol microphysical model selection and uncertainty due to imperfect forward modelling. We apply the introduced methodology for aerosol optical thickness retrieval of the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on board NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) Aura satellite, launched in 2004. We apply statistical methodologies that improve the uncertainty estimates of the aerosol optical thickness retrieval by propagating aerosol microphysical model selection and forward model error more realistically. For the microphysical model selection problem, we utilise Bayesian model selection and model averaging methods. Gaussian processes are utilised to characterise the smooth systematic discrepancies between the measured and modelled reflectances (i.e. residuals). The spectral correlation is composed empirically by exploring a set of residuals. The operational OMI multiwavelength aerosol retrieval algorithm OMAERO is used for cloud-free, over-land pixels of the OMI instrument with the additional Bayesian model selection and model discrepancy techniques introduced here. The method and improved uncertainty characterisation is demonstrated by several examples with different aerosol properties: weakly absorbing aerosols, forest fires over Greece and Russia, and Sahara desert dust. The statistical methodology presented is general; it is not restricted to this particular satellite retrieval application.


Imagine that an American history teacher begins a lesson by telling the following story. In 1837, a youngboy named John lived on a farm in a beautiful, mountainous, wooded area in Eastern Tennessee. His family planted corn and raised animals for meat, milk and eggs. His father participated in the legislative branch of government. His mother taught English in a local school. He had four brothers and three sisters. The family appeared happy and prosperous. In 1839, the family moved to a treeless, dry, flat prairie. [Because they were b]arely able to raise enough food to feed the family, two of John's brothers and one of his sisters died. The father remained a member of the legislature. The mother helped publish the local newspaper. John and his family missed their beautiful home in the mountains. Following the telling of this puzzling story, the teacher poses the question: "Why did John and his family leave their beautiful home in Tennessee and take a hard journey to a hot and barren land?" Rather than conduct an open-ended discussion, students engage in a strategy called a discrepant event inquiry. Students work, individually and in small groups, to figure out the story by asking questions that the teacher can answer with a "yes" or a "no." Because of the structure of the questioning, students must focus their probes and think through the problem. The questioning begins. Student: Did John's dad move to get a better job? Teacher: No. Student: Why did they move? Teacher: I can't answer that; please rephrase it so I can answer with a yes or no. Student: Did they move because of a natural disaster? Teacher: No. Student: Did they have to move? Teacher: Yes. The questioning continues until the teacher pauses to allow students to confer in small groups. They discuss what they know, come up with hypotheses, and formulate new questions. Questions build on questions and answers build on answers until the students begin to formulate their hypothesis. (1) Discrepant Event Inquiry In the mid-1980s, I first came across discrepant event inquiry, a teaching strategy built around intellectual confrontation. Although I found some similarities to the more traditional open-ended inquiry that is well-known to social studies educators, I discovered distinct advantages to this strategy. To begin with, it is motivating. From my senior high school government and economic classes to my seventh-grade history classes, it is one of the most motivational teaching strategies that I have used and a natural for social studies and history classes. It involves not only teacher-to-student but also student-to-student communication, with students analyzing, focusing, structuring their questions and thoughts, and hypothesizing. Teachers can use anything in their curriculum that has a surprising outcome, is unexpected, is paradoxical, or is a mystery. The story must somehow conflict with what would normally be expected. Additionally, because the goal is to have students inquire and develop possible explanations, the puzzle should be solvable. (2) Although discrepant event inquiry became an integral part of my teaching strategy repertoire, I initially struggled with the development of the inquiry stories and puzzling statements. My use of this strategy received a boost when I came across a book titled Learning Social Studies through Discripant Event Inquiry by William C. and Jean K. Bruce. (3) The book contained more than seventy discrepant event stories, such as the one cited at the beginning of this article, for use in the social studies classroom. Although considerable crossover exists among the themes, the seventy stories were grouped by social studies discipline (i.e., sociology, American history, economics, political science, anthropology). …


The Nairobi Stock Exchange (NSE) has, as of 2007, 50 companies listed. In general, the NSE
does not seem to be a major factor in the economy of the country. In this study we examined the
factors that might have motivated the managers of NSE listed companies to pay dividends. This
was done through multiple regression analysis of dividends paid as well as by a survey of company
mangers. Dividends are strongly related to net income and to liquidity and they are negatively
related to the existence of investment opportunities. These findings are in accord with received
finance theory, but they have not previously been examined in the Kenyan context.


India's membership of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) affects strategic balance in South Asia particularly, Pakistan. India's membership of the group would aid India's missile and space programmes, providing it access to technologies and missile systems hitherto unavailable to it. This may include Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) like Global Hawk and Predator, which the US has employed for reconnaissance and counter-terrorism along Pakistan Afghanistan border to strike targets within Pakistan's territory, violating its sovereignty. India's acquisition of these systems will pose a threat to Pakistan. The MTCR membership would accelerate India's missile programme, thereby, exacerbating an arms race in South Asia. It would also further tilt the regional balance of power in India's favour. However, the bigger threat is the quest to win India a place at the high tables in the world and to build it up as a regional and global power. After looking into the pros and cons of Pakistan joining the MTCR, this article concludes that presently it is not in Pakistan's favour to join the group since it may help the US and the West to hinder or curtail Pakistan's missile programme.


Playing for the highest stakes of all...In the 1960s, four ambitious new MPs take their seats at Westminster. Over three decades they share the turbulent passions of the race for power with their wives and families, men and women caught up in a dramatic game for the highest stakes of all. But only one man can gain the ultimate goal - the office of Prime Minister...'We haven't had a better novel about Parliament since "Anthony Trollope"' - "Scotsman". 'Another example of the author's mastery of the pure art of storytelling' - "Daily Telegraph".


This project examines impromptu gathering of 20-30 year old urban dwellers. We examine current products in the space, and look to Voice User Interfaces to provide highly interactive interfaces in the mobile context. We summarize data from a diary study and focus groups into a set of design principles for this product space. Finally, we propose our design for Gather, a system that meets the communication and coordination needs for impromptu activity planning. By utilizing multiple interaction modes, this system facilitates and rapidly promotes the formation and commencement of activities.


This keynote address gives an overview of
some of the key factors in developing a strong
research base for design and technology
education. In particular, the deconstruction and
reconstruction of the conceptual basis of
design and technology as a subject, securing
and making accessible the records of the work
of past researchers, establishing a strong
framework for the on-going international
conversations that will generate progress, and
ensuring that new researchers are supported in
establishing their place within this framework.
These are illustrated through a discussion of
the ideas culture that has shaped design and
technology as a school subject in the UK, and
the weaknesses of current models of designing
and representations of technological
knowledge. Recent contributions are noted,
such as Doyle's concept of 'technicity', which
might provide a stronger basis for future
developments. Recent research agendas are
restated and the key refereed research
publications are noted. Arguments are put
forward for the merits of looking back to the
1970s, when design and technology was
emerging, in order to cast new light on current
positions. Reference is made to three new
publications targeted at supporting this agenda
and, in particular, Designerly Activity and
Higher Degrees, which was based on a seminar
series given by Professor L Bruce Archer.


In an industry characterised by fierce competition, cell phone network providers find it increasingly difficult to retain their customers after service failure. It is therefore essential for cell phone network providers to offer effective service recovery when they attempt to restore customer satisfaction following service failure. As it has been argued that relationships between customers and service providers should be considered a key determinant of the service recovery required to restore post-recovery attitudes and behavioural intentions, the purpose of this study was to determine the relationships between South African cell phone customers' relationship intentions, their perceptions of service recovery and their satisfaction following service recovery. Personal in-home interviews were conducted to collect data from 605 cell phone customers residing in the Johannesburg metropolitan area. In addition to the significant positive relationships found between cell phone users' relationship intentions, perceived service recovery and satisfaction after service recovery, this study found that perceived service recovery played a mediating role in the relationship between relationship intention and satisfaction following service recovery. The study concludes that, although a direct relationship exists between relationship intention and satisfaction following service recovery, perceived service recovery plays an additional indirect complementary role in this relationship. It is recommended that, in addition to focusing their relationship efforts on customers with relationship intentions, cell phone network providers also offer positively perceived service recovery to these customers, as this would lead to greater satisfaction following service recovery.


Abstract Brewer spruce is an endemic of the Klamath and Siskiyou Mountains in southwestern Oregon and northwestern California. Three species of dwarf mistletoes (Arceuthobium spp.) have been reported to parasitize Brewer spruce, but the susceptibility of this spruce to infection by these parasitic plants has received no attention since the late 1960s. The objective of this study is to improve estimates of the susceptibility of Brewer spruce to these parasitic plants in select areas currently supporting highly infected dominant and co-dominant trees. Three mixed conifer stands infested with one of the three dwarf mistletoes known to infect Brewer spruce (nine stands total) were sampled to evaluate the relative susceptibility of this conifer to each mistletoe species. At each of the nine study sites, 10 to 20 temporary circular plots with a 6-m radius (0.012 ha) were established around large, severely infected trees. The following data were collected for each live tree within a plot: species, diameter, and dwarf mistletoe rating. Based on the incidence of infection (% of trees ≥ 5 cm in diameter infected), Brewer spruce was assigned to host susceptibility classes. Based on our findings, Brewer spruce is more susceptible to dwarf mistletoe infection than previously reported. It is a principal host of both western white pine and Wiens' dwarf mistletoes, and a secondary host of mountain hemlock dwarf mistletoe. Infection of Brewer spruce was frequently severe in the nine stands we sampled, however, additional research is needed on the distribution of dwarf mistletoes on Brewer spruce and the effects these parasites have on mortality, growth, and regeneration of this rare tree.


This paper focuses on the relation between word order, verb types and clause types in Old and Middle English, with reference to the change of English from a language with a verb-second constraint to a verb-medial language. The word order patterns dicussed are the XVS, SVX and XSV patterns, and the verb categories operated with are verbs with complement, verbs without complement, copulas and existential verbs. A distinction is made between coordinate clauses; i.e., clauses introduced by a coordinating conjunction, and non-coordinate clauses. The results show that there is a difference between the two clause types and between the word order patterns in the distribution of verbs. Furthermore, there is a clear development from Old and Middle English as regards verb distribution in the clause types and word order patterns, and this development is especially noticeable in the XVS pattern. It may thus be deduced that word order is not only determined on the basis of syntactic rules, but is also related to the information content of the sentence. Consequently, studying word order and word order change from a functional perspective is highly relevant.


Purpose: The self‐developing Gafchromic EBT2 film (International Specialty Products, Wayne, NJ) is a radiochromic film widely used for relative photon dosimetry. Different from the traditional radiochromic film, EBT2 is colored, hence the dose response sensitivity of EBT2 film will be different when the film is scanned by different light source. The dosimetry software FILMQA provides the function to separate 48 bits color image into three 16 bits gray maps corresponding red, green and blue scanner light respectively. We focused on studying the dose response characteristic of EBT2 film when it was scanned by red, green and blue light source. Methods: The EBT2 film was placed in solid water phantom, radiated with 6MV photon beam. Delivered dose to the film spanned from 0 to 280 cGy. The film was scanned with flatbed color scanner and the scanned images were separated into red, green and blue channels respectively. The characteristic of image's dose response was analyzed. Results: The dose response sensitivity of the EBT2 film is different when it was scanned by different light source. The sequence of dose response sensitivity is 109.8, 88.1 and 29.9 (Apixel value/AcGy)corresponding to scanner light source in red, green and blue. Cubic polynomial fitting method can satisfy the requirement of dose response curve. Conclusion: Dose response sensitivity of EBT2 films descended with the increased of absorption dose. The dose response ability appears different when it is scanned in different light source.


What lies on the two sides of the linguistic divide is fairly clear: On one side, you have organisms
 buffeted about to varying degrees, depending on their degree of autonomy and plasticity, by the states of affairs
 in the world they live in. On the other side, you have organisms capable of describing and explaining the states
 of affairs in the world they live in. Language is what distinguishes one side from the other. How did we get here
 from there? In principle, one can tell a seamless story about how inborn, involuntary communicative signals and
 voluntary instrumental praxis could have been shaped gradually, through feedback from their consequences,
 first into analog pantomime with communicative intent, and then into arbitrary category names combined into
 all-powerful, truth-value-bearing propositions, freed from the iconic "shape" of their referents and able to tell all.
 The attendant increase in speed and scope in acquiring and sharing information can be demonstrated in simple
 artificial life simulations that place the old and new means into direct competition: Symbolic theft always beats
 sensorimotor toil, and the strategy is evolutionarily stable, as long as the bottom-level categories are grounded in
 sensorimotor toil.


Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) has replaced whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) as standard therapy for most patients with four or fewer brain metastases due to improved cognitive outcomes and more favorable health related quality of life (QoL). Whether SRS or WBRT is the optimal radiation modality for patients with five to fifteen brain metastases remains an open question. Efforts are underway to develop prospective evidence to answer this question. One of the planned trials is a Canadian Cancer Trials Group (CCTG)-lead North American intergroup trial. In general cancer treatments must have two basic aims: prolonging and improving QoL. In this vein, the selection of overall survival and QoL metrics as outcomes appear obvious. Potential secondary outcomes are numerous: patient/disease related, treatment related, economic, translational, imaging, and dosimetric. In designing a trial, one must also ponder what is standard WBRT—specifically, whether it should be associated with memantine. With the rapid accrual of an intergroup trial of hippocampal-sparing WBRT, we may find that the standard WBRT regimen changes in the course of planned trials. As up-front radiosurgery is increasingly used for more than 4 brain metastases without high level evidence, we have a window of opportunity to develop high quality evidence which will help guide our future clinical and policy decisions.


This study investigates the use of strategic competence (SC) by L2 learners in referential communication within the framework of "IL-conformity", a process which is believed to be partly responsible for SLA. It explores the extent to which IL SC conforms to the similarities of this competence in the performance of speakers of different native languages (Lls). It also examines whether the IL-conformity, if any, is task-in/dependent and relates to L2 proficiency levels. Strategic competence refers here to the knowledge/ability to use compensatory (problem-solving) strategies to solve communication problems and to achieve the intended goals. Although studies on SLA have shown that IL conforms to the general (universal) properties of human language, they have focused on the grammatical aspects of language. The communicative aspects of language, particularly SC, have not been touched upon within this framework to date. In this study, as a point of departure, two hypotheses are tested: (1) IL SC will conform more or less to the general properties (or similarities) of SC observed in the performance of speakers of different Lls across various tasks. That is, if particular strategies are used similarly by the speakers of different Lis in performing a given task, such strategies will be used by IL speakers for the same task to a certain extent, and if task variability causes various performance of SC, IL-conformity will occur across various tasks. (2) Degree of IL-conformity corresponds to the degree of L2 proficiency level. The performance of SC of 30 English and 30 Persian adult L1 speakers, and two groups of 30 Farsi-speaking ESL university students of different L2 levels was studied. The subjects communicated three different tasks to their interlocutors. The results appeared to be in support of the hypotheses. The possible reasons for the speakers' strategic language behaviour are discussed along with the theoretical and pedagogical implications for instructed SLA.


When annual migration data lack reliability, scholars apply alternative methods for estimating international migration. Yet, researchers note that alternative approaches have primarily been tested on developed countries, rather than developing countries that usually have dramatic migration shifts. I close this research gap. I use the example of 15 former Soviet republics to demonstrate several conclusions. First, I show that such alternative approaches as immigration-by-origin data of receiving countries do not result in reliable and valid estimates of post-Soviet migration, given the large variation that exists in how former Soviet republics define ''migrant''. Second, I demonstrate that population censuses, while a more superior alternative, fail to capture temporary migrants. In developing countries, the international emigration is mainly due to temporary (undocumented labour) migration. Third, I suggest that scholars and policy-makers should apply household surveys as a possible alternative. However, while this method seems promising, given the limited use of household surveys in migration measurement in the post-Soviet republics, future research by both scholars and applied researchers should explore the advantages and limitations of household surveys as an alternative source for estimation of migration. Finally, I outline methodological guidelines that researchers and scholars can advance on migration issues in the post-Soviet region.


The undocumented-migrant journey across Mexico has become a site of intense violence, exploitation, and profit making within the logics of capitalism. While transnational migration is often conceptualized from the perspective of sending and receiving communities and borderlands, I suggest the liminal spaces between these zones are crucial sites for understanding how structural forms of violence are reconfigured in local settings. Drawing on my ethnographic fieldwork in migrant shelters located along the journey, I trace how Central American migrants' bodies, labor, and lives are transformed into commodities within economies of smuggling, extortion, and humanitarian aid. I argue that everyday violence along the journey is produced by historical trajectories of political and criminal violence and by local and global economies that profit from human mobility. As violence is rearticulated at the local level, new tensions and social dislocations emerge between and among social groups.


This paper describes the design and construction of what is believed to be the first raw water storage reservoir to be built in the Republic of South Africa using hydraulic asphaltic concrete for its waterproof lining. The reservoir is situated in the Eastern Transvaal and provides water storage for the Electricity Supply Commission's Matla power station. The oval reservoir has external plan dimensions of approximately 390 m by 530 m, an 8 m water depth and comprises two equal compartments having a total capacity of 885 000 m3.
The entire internal slopes and floors, having a total area of 140000 m2, are lined with hydraulic asphaltic concrete to provide waterproofing. The various components of the lining comprise a 75 mm base course, overlain successively by a 50 mm bituminous bound drainage layer, two 40 mm layers of hydraulic asphaltic concrete and finally a 2 mm seal coat.
The lining selection is discussed and details of the lining components are given with special reference to laboratory testing and construction procedure.


This document specifies the Host Access Protocol (HAP). Although HAP
was originally designed as the network-access level protocol for the
DARPA/DCA sponsored Wideband Packet Satellite Network, it is intended
that it evolve into a standard interface SATNET and TACNET (aka
MATNET) as well as the Wideband Network. HAP is an experimental
protocol, and will undergo further revision as new capabilities are
added and/or different satellite networks are suported.
Implementations of HAP should be performed in coordination with
satellite network development and operations personnel.


In 2018, Agrium and PotashCorp merged to become the world's largest manufacturer of potash, from which potassium is extracted for use as one of the three main nutrients in agricultural fertilizer. The merged firm held a 60 percent share of North American capacity, suggesting the merger may have been close to the enforcement margin. This paper studies the effects of the merger on North American potash prices relative to offshore prices and other crop nutrients. The evidence does not indicate that the firms were able to impose an anti-competitive price increase in the wake of the merger.


The idea of HITS and PageRank models, which are well known in web mining, can be used in ranking scientific publications by noting the similarity of World Wide Web and the scientific citation networks. PaperRank, an extension of HITS and PageRank model, is introduced in this paper to evaluate the scientific publications. It retrieves the indirect relationships between papers using relativity measurements in stead of the simple direct citations between papers. The new method provides more valuable knowledge by controlling the relativity functions and weights. The experimental results on a large set of papers in biology show that the proposed method can find more authoritative papers than those approaches based on the traditional methods. The PaperRank can be considered as an efficient complementary tool for ranking scientific publications.


Abstract. This study reports the first systematic measurements of nitric acid (HNO 3 ) uptake in contrail ice particles at typical aircraft cruise altitudes. During the CIRRUS-III campaign cirrus clouds and almost 40 persistent contrails were probed with in situ instruments over Germany and Northern Europe in November 2006. Besides reactive nitrogen, water vapor, cloud ice water content, ice particle size distributions, and condensation nuclei were measured during 6 flights. Contrails with ages up to 12 h were detected at altitudes 10–11.5 km and temperatures 211–220 K. These contrails had a larger ice phase fraction of total nitric acid (HNO 3 ice /HNO 3 tot = 6%) than the ambient cirrus layers (3%). On average, the contrails contained twice as much HNO 3 ice as the cirrus clouds, 14 pmol/mol and 6 pmol/mol, respectively. Young contrails with ages below 1 h had a mean HNO 3 ice of 21 pmol/mol. The contrails had higher nitric acid to water molar ratios in ice and slightly higher ice water contents than the cirrus clouds under similar meteorological conditions. The differences in ice phase fractions and molar ratios between developing contrails and cirrus are likely caused by high plume concentrations of HNO 3 prior to contrail formation. The location of the measurements in the upper region of frontal cirrus layers might account for slight differences in the ice water content between contrails and adjacent cirrus clouds. The observed dependence of molar ratios as a function of the mean ice particle diameter suggests that ice-bound HNO 3 concentrations are controlled by uptake of exhaust HNO 3 in the freezing plume aerosols in young contrails and subsequent trapping of ambient HNO 3 in growing ice particles in older (age > 1 h) contrails.


Several studies have pointed out the importance of the product development process in terms of improving the performance of the construction industry. Product development management is difficult because it involves thousands of decisions with numerous interdependencies, under a highly uncertain environment. This has led to the development of a number of initiatives in research and practice aiming at improving the product development process. Process models have been devised, which are useful in understanding how the process develops and suggesting ways of controlling it. Unfortunately, the implementation of these models and methodologies in practice is very slow and until now there are no major improvements resulting from these solutions. One of the reasons for this is the lack of understanding that any new product development process needs to be managed as part of a change programme within companies. The aim of this article is to present an analysis on the application of lean construction principles to product development modelling in real life settings. This discussion is based on empirical data collected in one case study that focused on the importance of integrating any new product development process within a change management framework. The case study involved the assessment of the development and implementation of a product development process model within a construction company from different perspectives, including the utilisation of information technology.


This dissertation is written in the context of sustainable urban development, the importance of transport infrastructure and railway stations as a potential growing structural element in the on-going urban redevelopment of the city. The base of this claim is that through effective land use and good connectivity to other modes of transport railway stations becomes an important mean to influence the use of common and environmental friendly means of transport. They are an important component both for the functional value of the transport system and the access to the city. In reverse they also create a link to the region and a therefore a doorway to a wider market of work, business, leisure and service. The purpose of this thesis is thus to study and show how a national infrastructure project affects the urban development on a local level. Every infrastructure development is unique and its impact can be viewed through different perspectives and on different geographical levels. In general a large infrastructure project will lead to a change in accessibility that may which may affect the localization of activities and land use development. In addition it can be followed by an impact on the economic and socio-spatial conditions as well as have environmental consequences. The target for this study is the expansion of the south railway line which is a national railway line running from Malmo to Stockholm. It has a central distributing role in the southern regional parts of Sweden. The south stretch between Lund and Malmo is the most trafficked railway line in Sweden, burdened with intense local, regional, national and international traffic. This makes a potential lack of capacity limiting for a continuous growth and an important matter in a local, regional and further on national perspective. The local impact of the South railway line is examined by studying the prospects of an additional train station in the south periphery of Lund in the district of Klostergarden to evaluate its practical use and spatial consequences. The general question is, in a local perspective, how to best make use of the current infrastructural change and how will this affect the future development of the district? The result is illustrated through a design proposal of the station and its surrounding area. The design work is of a schematic character, which means that the design will show, through diagrams and low detailed plans, the elements and functions of the area and how they are connected. It gives an idea of how the area can be structured and organized in terms of infrastructure, plots, functions and open spaces. In addition to a possible location and form of the train station, possible measures to reduce noise, vibration and the barrier effect are presented as a starting point for a continued urban development. An important conclusion of this study is that the development of a train station may help to create a mutual target point in the area and increase its availability to the local and regional transportation system. This in turn would mean that the barrier effect caused by the railway line may decrease and the spatial relationship on each side of the track is strengthened. A high effective land use development with housing, offices, education and mixed areas for services and commercial or public activities may provide the base for travelers to a station as well as users of a district center. Important to be aware of is that a dense urban structure may have an impact on the local environment creating more traffic with increased level of noise, pollution and safety hazardous as a consequence. Another issue is as a response to the design proposal, land that is presently used for valuable leisure and social activities have to be change and activities relocated. Important for a successful design of this area is to consider these issues and give them a central role in the development. This means that the design must enable low impact from the car traffic and good opportunity for movement and access for bicycles, pedestrian and buss traffic. Special attention also has to be taken to the green structure inside the area as well as a good connection to other surrounding green target points.


Abstract. A variant of the limb–nadir matching technique for deriving tropospheric NO2 columns is presented in which the stratospheric component of the NO2 slant column density (SCD) measured by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) is removed using non-coincident profiles from the Optical Spectrograph and InfraRed Imaging System (OSIRIS). In order to correct their mismatch in local time and the diurnal variation of stratospheric NO2, OSIRIS profiles, which were measured just after sunrise, were mapped to the local time of OMI observations using a photochemical box model. Following the profile time adjustment, OSIRIS NO2 stratospheric vertical column densities (VCDs) were calculated. For profiles that did not reach down to the tropopause, VCDs were adjusted using the photochemical model. Using air mass factors from the OMI Standard Product (SP), a new tropospheric NO2 VCD product – referred to as OMI-minus-OSIRIS (OmO) – was generated through limb–nadir matching. To accomplish this, the OMI total SCDs were scaled using correction factors derived from the next-generation SCDs that improve upon the spectral fitting used for the current operational products. One year, 2008, of OmO was generated for 60° S to 60° N and a cursory evaluation was performed. The OmO product was found to capture the main features of tropospheric NO2, including a background value of about 0.3 × 1015 molecules cm−2 over the tropical Pacific and values comparable to the OMI operational products over anthropogenic source areas. While additional study is required, these results suggest that a limb–nadir matching approach is feasible for the removal of stratospheric NO2 measured by a polar orbiter from a nadir-viewing instrument in a geostationary orbit such as Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) or Sentinel-4.


Abstract
Objective – This article describes how librarians systematically compared different e-book platforms to identify which features and design impact usability and user satisfaction.
Methods – This study employed task-based usability testing, including the "think-aloud protocol." Students at the University of Colorado Boulder completed a series of typical tasks to compare the usability and measure user satisfaction with academic e-books. For each title, five students completed the tasks on three e-book platforms: the publisher platform and two aggregators. Thirty-five students evaluated seven titles on nine academic e-book platforms.
Results – This study identified each platform's strengths and weaknesses based on students' experiences and preferences. The usability tests indicated that students preferred Ebook Central over EBSCO and strongly preferred the aggregators over publisher platforms.
Conclusions – Librarians can use student expectations and preferences to guide e-book purchasing decisions. Preferences may vary by institution, but variations in e-book layout and functionality impact students' ability to successfully complete tasks and influences their affinity for or satisfaction with any given platform. Usability testing is a useful tool for gauging user expectations and identifying preferences for features, functionality, and layout.