The tremendous rate with which data is generated and analysis methods emerge makes it increasingly difficult to keep track of their domain of applicability, assumptions, limitations and consequently, of the efficacy and precision with which they solve specific tasks. Therefore, there is an increasing need for benchmarks, and for the provision of infrastructure for continuous method evaluation. APAeval is an international community effort, organized by the RNA Society in 2021, to benchmark tools for the identification and quantification of the usage of alternative polyadenylation (APA) sites from short-read, bulk RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) data. Here, we reviewed 17 tools and benchmarked eight on their ability to perform APA identification and quantification, using a comprehensive set of RNA-seq experiments comprising real, synthetic, and matched 3'-end sequencing data. To support continuous benchmarking, we have incorporated the results into the OpenEBench online platform, which allows for continuous extension of the set of methods, metrics, and challenges. We envisage that our analyses will assist researchers in selecting the appropriate tools for their studies, while the containers and reproducible workflows could easily be deployed and extended to evaluate new methods or datasets.


Blindness is an obstacle that is not even comprehendible for the non-blind. Many day-to-day activities may become challenging, complicated and may require much more labor for those with eye-sight problems or blindness. One of the major problems they face is understanding visual or text information which are not in the Braille form. Not every written or printed document that a blind person would like to read is available in Braille. A blind cannot read any of the handwritten documents. They feel it very difficult, while someone has to read it for them. This is the fundamental issue that we deal with, and try to solve, with a new piece of technology, which is essentially an automated text-to-audio converting pen. According to this keynote concept, any piece of text that a person would like to read/understand is converted to an audio signal. This audio signal is transmitted to the person's ears through wireless technology such as Bluetooth. Since this technology is in the form of a pen, it is very convenient to use and is also portable. This instrument is radical and can definitely be a empowering force in a blind person's life, and can be helpful in relieving them of their frustration of not being able to read whatever they want, thus making their life easier.


Artificial perception systems, like autonomous cars and augmented reality headsets, rely on dense 3D sensing technology such as RGB-D cameras and LiDAR scanners. Due to the structural simplicity of man-made environments, understanding and leveraging not only the 3D data but also the local orientations of the constituent surfaces, has huge potential. From an indoor scene to large-scale urban environments, a large fraction of the surfaces can be described by just a few planes with even fewer different normal directions. This sparsity is evident in the surface normal distributions, which exhibit a small number of concentrated clusters. In this work, I draw a rigorous connection between surface normal distributions and 3D structure, and explore this connection in light of different environmental assumptions to further 3D perception. Specifically, I propose the concepts of the Manhattan Frame and the unconstrained directional segmentation. These capture, in the space of surface normals, scenes composed of multiple Manhattan Worlds and more general Stata Center Worlds, in which the orthogonality assumption of the Manhattan World is not applicable. This exploration is theoretically founded in Bayesian nonparametric models, which capture two key properties of the 3D sensing process of an artificial perception system: (1) the inherent sequential nature of data acquisition and (2) that the required model complexity grows with the amount of observed data. Herein, I derive inference algorithms for directional clustering and segmentation which inherently exploit and respect these properties. The fundamental insights gleaned from the connection between surface normal distributions and 3D structure lead to practical advances in scene segmentation, drift-free rotation estimation, global point cloud registration and real-time direction-aware 3D reconstruction to aid artificial perception systems. Thesis Supervisor: John W. Fisher III Title: Senior Research Scientist, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Thesis Co-Supervisor: John J. Leonard Title: Samuel C. Collins Professor of Mechanical and Ocean Engineering


Using CPI micro data for 11 euro area countries covering about 60% of the euro area consumption basket over the period 2010-2019, we document new findings on consumer price rigidity in the euro area: (i) each month on average 12.3% of prices change, which compares with 19.3% in the United States; when we exclude price changes due to sales, however, the proportion of prices adjusted each month is 8.5% in the euro area versus 10% in the United States; (ii) differences in price rigidity are rather limited across euro area countries but much larger across sectors; (iii) the median price increase (resp. decrease) is 9.6% (13%) when including sales and 6.7% (8.7%) when excluding sales; cross-country heterogeneity is more pronounced for the size than for the frequency of price changes; (iv) the distribution of price changes is highly dispersed: 14% of price changes in absolute values are lower than 2% whereas 10% are above 20%; (v) the overall frequency of price changes does not change much with inflation and does not react much to aggregate shocks; (vi) changes in inflation are mostly driven by movements in the overall size; when decomposing the overall size, changes in the share of price increases among all changes matter more than movements in the size of price increases or the size of price decreases. These findings are consistent with the predictions of a menu cost model in a low inflation environment where idiosyncratic shocks are a more relevant driver of price adjustment than aggregate shocks.


This research is motivated by a drug discovery problem – the AIDS anti-viral database from the National Cancer Institute. The objective of the study is to develop effective statistical methods to model the relationship between the chemical structure of a compound and its activity against the HIV-1 virus. And as a result, the structure-activity model can be used to predict the activity of new compounds and thus helps identify those active chemical compounds that can be used as drug candidates. Since active compounds are generally rare in a compound library, we recognize the drug discovery problem as an application of the socalled statistical detection problem. In a typical statistical detection problem, we have data {yi,xi}i=1, where xi is the predictor vector of the ith observation and yi ∈ {0, 1} is its class label. The objective of a statistical detection problem is to identify class-1 observations, which are extremely rare. Besides drug discovery problem, other applications of statistical detection include direct marketing and fraud detection. We propose a computationally efficient detection method called LAGO, which stands for "locally adjusted GO estimator". The original idea is inspired by an ancient game known today as "GO". The construction of LAGO consists of two steps. In the first step, we estimate the density of class 1 with an adaptive bandwidth kernel density estimator. The kernel functions are located at and only at the class-1 observations. The bandwidth of the kernel function centered at a certain class-1 observation is calculated as the average distance between this class-1 observation and itsK-nearest class-0 neighbors. In the second step, we adjust the density estimated in the first step locally according to the density of class 0. It can be shown that the amount of adjustment in the second step is approximately inversely proportional to the bandwidth calculated in the first step. Application to the NCI data demonstrates that LAGO is superior to methods such as K nearest neighbors and support vector machines. One drawback of the existing LAGO is that it only provides a point estimate of a test point's possibility of being class 1, ignoring the uncertainty of the model. In the iii second part of this thesis, we present a Bayesian framework for LAGO, referred to as BLAGO. This Bayesian approach enables quantification of uncertainty. Non-informative priors are adopted. The posterior distribution is calculated over a grid of (K,α) pairs by integrating out β0, β1 using the Laplace approximation, where K and α are two parameters to construct the LAGO score. The parameters β0, β1 are the coefficients of the logistic transformation that converts the LAGO score to the probability scale. BLAGO provides proper probabilistic predictions that have support on (0,1) and captures uncertainty of the predictions as well. By avoiding Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithms and using the Laplace approximation, BLAGO is computationally very efficient. Without the need of cross-validation, BLAGO is even more computationally efficient than LAGO.


Background and Objectives: Preparation and evaluation of nanocomposite films have become prevalent in recent years. One of the most important methods for dispersing nanoparticles in polymers is the use of ultrasound radiation. Polyvinyl alcohol-montmorillonite (PVA-MMT) nanocomposite films were prepared via solvent casting method. Materials and Methods: The effects of different ultrasound times (0, 10, 20, 30, and 40 min) on the properties of nanocomposite films were evaluated in a completely randomized design (CRD) with five treatments and three replicates. The films were characterized by mechanical properties, opacity, water vapor permeability (WVP), and color. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were applied to investigate and prove the effects of ultrasound time. Results: Results revealed that the ultrasound time significantly affected the characteristics of the films. XRD and FTIR results were in accordance with the effects of sonication time. The changing trends of PVA film properties due to increasing the sonication times were not similar. Sonication time did not have any significant effect on some traits like a*, WVP, L*, and yellowness index (YI), while it affected b*, tensile strength, and opacity significantly. Conclusions: Depending on the target of using nanocomposite films, appropriate time of sonication should be used.


Based in a general structural pharmacophore model of suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (commercially known as Vorinostat©), we synthesized a series of new pyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole hydroxamic acid derivatives, 9a-c, to be tested as candidates for anti-cancer drugs. The evaluation of their possible biological activity was assessed in two ways: a) computational characterization from molecular calculations and quantum reactivity descriptors and b) biological assays. Molecular docking and density functional theory calculations were performed to assess the binding properties of our newly synthesized pyrrolo[3,4-c] pyrrole hydroxamic acid derivatives, employing as the biological target the histone deacetylase isoforms available in the protein data bank. Furthermore, to characterize the effect of changing the functional groups that we varied while designing our drug model, and to improve the assessment of the binding energy, conceptual density functional theory reactivity descriptors were calculated to rationalize the capability of the new drugs to interact with the histones active site. Our findings show that the newly synthesized derivative, 9c, display the best energetic coupling with the biological target and the more favorable values of the density functional theory descriptors to interact with the active site. The biological assay of the anti-cancer drug candidates was done using three different techniques: i) anti-proliferative activity on two breast cancer cell lines; ii) Histone H3 acetylation; and iii) DNA damage. Docking studies were performed on histone deacetylase enzymes. The biological function of these enzymes is the deacetylation of histones. We analyze the level of histone acetylation in two cell lines. The computational findings are in good agreement with the biological evaluation. Our main contribution is that one of our newly synthesized derivatives, 9c, performs better than the commercial reference suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid.


The purpose of this research was to examine the blended-learning primary teacher education course, the Higher Diploma in Arts in Education (HDAPE), offered by Hibernia College in Ireland with a view to ascertaining what can be learned from this unique course that might inform future practice at college and national levels.

An investigation of this blended-learning course is warranted as it has not been conducted previously and thereby this research adds to the bank of knowledge on teacher education. Hibernia College is unique because it is the only private provider of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) for primary and post-primary teachers in Ireland. Furthermore it is the only provider to utilise a blended-learning approach and now as the largest provider of primary teachers in Ireland, Hibernia College exerts a significant influence on the number of primary teachers trained using the consecutive model of ITE.

This researcher used a mixed methods approach gathering both qualitative and quantitative data. A qualitative investigation of the genesis of the college, the values underpinning the HDAPE programmes, how quality provision is assured and the opinions of external evaluators on the programme was undertaken through the use of interviews and document analysis. A questionnaire elicited the student experience of the programme. Finally school principals' views were sought on their opinions of graduates from Hibernia College as practising teachers.

A series of recommendations, arising from the findings, which have implications for Hibernia College (13) and for the wider education community (4) were posited along with possible future research enquiries.


Sex education is a controversial topic in many countries. Research on the effectiveness of sex education is optimistic, but the content of sex education learned by teenagers is often unknown. Using data from the National Child Development Study of Great Britain, this study examines the sex education lessons reported at age 16 by subjects and their school headteachers, and the subjects' report of teenage motherhood at age 23. Results show that sex education may be associated with teenage motherhood either positively or negatively, depending on the topic and the marital status of the individual when she became a teenage mother. Implications for continuing debates on the worth and effectiveness of sex education are discussed.


Used in wastewater treatment anaerobic dairy use modern methods of anaerobic reactors. Improvements are still sought methods that will enable faster and more efficient dairy wastewater. One of these improvements can be applied to microwave radiation. The solution presented in the article RBMC microwave reactor is used to stimulate the anaerobic digestion process. The obtained results allow to evaluate the potential use of microwaves to the development of thermal conditions in a reactor operating at an industrial scale. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the methane fermentation of whey at a temperature of 35 ° C using an anaerobic reactor with microwave heating system. In the course of the work carried out two related research objectives: the analysis of the efficiency of the fermentation reactor with an innovative hybrid design and study the impact of the method of heating the reactor to the process. Terms construction and reactor technology used RBMC allowed to conduct research in a convection heating and microwave. Conducted research aimed to validate or exclude the presence athermal effects of microwave effects on the process of wastewater treatment. In order to demonstrate the effect of microwaves on the process of anaerobic digestion of whey in mesophilic conditions, tests were carried out in two stages with different heating process of fermentation. In the first stage, the reactor was heated using a microwave generator, while the second uses a water jacket, and the heating takes place by convection. In each of the stages identi2766 M. Zieliński, M. Dębowski, M. Krzemieniewski, A. Grala, M. Dudek fied five series of different sizes of cargo delivered OLR organic compounds in the range of 5 to 25 kg COD/(m 3 ∙d). The analyzes carried out showed that the applied microwave heating significantly affect the efficiency of whey disposal, but this effect was observed in the higher ranges of the reactor load (series 3, series 4, series 5). The use of microwave radiation had a significantly higher number of resulting biogas and removal efficiency of chemical oxygen demand at a load of 15 g COD /(L∙d) and higher. The most effective in terms of technological operation of the reactor was load of 15 g COD /(L∙d) Under these conditions, resulting in high efficiency contaminant removal with a considerable amount of biogas rich in methane. At the same time the concentration of total suspended solids in the effluent did not exceed 1000 mg /L. The results show that the use of microwaves in wastewater treatment may be an effective improvement classic methods.


THE CRYSTAL DESERT is the third book in the Guardian Cycle, a sweeping fantasy epic from one of the best new storytellers in the genre. Terrel's destiny is far from clear. In exile from his home, he journeys through a hostile world, with only the spirits from an earlier life and his instincts to guide him. Having crossed two oceans, Terrel finds himself in Misrah. A harsh and barren desert land, survival there is a daily struggle for its nomadic tribes. But Misrah is also a place of many wonders, where superstition is as important as the constant search for water. For Terrel, his magical talents may be all that can save him. And lead him one step closer to discovering the truth of the mysterious prophecies in the Tindaya Code. For more information on this or any other Orbit book, visit the Orbit website at wwww.orbitbooks.co.uk


ABSTRACT Quantum Management brings to light the power of direct-intuitive practices – such as meditation, nature immersion, and countless others – to transform a leader's consciousness as the highest point of leverage for entrepreneurial creativity embedding social purpose. Layered on top of such practices are insights from quantum physics and related disciplines that offer a radically different view of organizational life. Such insights help managers understand how direct-intuitive practices work to change a person at the deepest level of their identity. Direct-intuitive practices give managers an experience of wholeness that heightens their awareness of how their actions impact others and the world. Such awareness leads managers to pursue business as a force for good not only because of the analytic business case for it, which remains important, but because of who they are being. Recent developments in science inform their experience by re-framing their understanding of the nature of reality.


The role of digital information in everyday life divides out activities in interacting with the physical and the digital world. There is no connection between these worlds that is easily accessible, even though physical objects, persons, and real world events often have digital counterparts. The physical reality is actually overlaid by an additional virtual or digital layer. As we are acting in the physical and the digital world it is desirable that we can use links that bridge the gap between both worlds. In this paper we describe our approach to narrow this gap. Starting from a scenario that shows the demand for such connections, we present an architecture that allows users to bookmark specific situations. Based on these contextual bookmarks the user can request additional digital information. Our first prototype enables the user to bookmark content shown on public displays by taking photos of the display using a mobile phone. Our system combines content analysis of the photo with context information such as position, creation time, etc. in order to form the basis to establish a link to the digital world. The presented architecture will serve as a flexible solution to find and integrate further connections between the physical and the digital world.


Inspired by the boom of the consumer IoT market, many device manufacturers, start-up companies and technology giants have jumped into the space. Unfortunately, the exciting utility and rapid marketization of IoT, come at the expense of privacy and security. Industry reports and academic work have revealed many attacks on IoT systems, resulting in privacy leakage, property loss and large-scale availability problems. To mitigate such threats, a few solutions have been proposed. However, it is still less clear what are the impacts they can have on the IoT ecosystem. In this work, we aim to perform a comprehensive study on reported attacks and defenses in the realm of IoT aiming to find out what we know, where the current studies fall short and how to move forward. To this end, we first build a toolkit that searches through massive amount of online data using semantic analysis to identify over 3000 IoT-related articles. Further, by clustering such collected data using machine learning technologies, we are able to compare academic views with the findings from industry and other sources, in an attempt to understand the gaps between them, the trend of the IoT security risks and new problems that need further attention. We systemize this process, by proposing a taxonomy for the IoT ecosystem and organizing IoT security into five problem areas. We use this taxonomy as a beacon to assess each IoT work across a number of properties we define. Our assessment reveals that relevant security and privacy problems are far from solved. We discuss how each proposed solution can be applied to a problem area and highlight their strengths, assumptions and constraints. We stress the need for a security framework for IoT vendors and discuss the trend of shifting security liability to external or centralized entities. We also identify open research problems and provide suggestions towards a secure IoT ecosystem.


The 19 century is considered the epitome of shipbuilding techniques employed in Iberian dockyards. The increasing need to carry products over longer distances at higher speeds promoted the building of vessels and challenged the basic rules of buoyancy and maritime safety. In parallel with the need to produce more advanced vessels, shipyards also had to respond to new commercial interests that increasingly exploited existing maritime trade routes. The preliminary conclusions presented here describe multicultural and multifunctional ports where crews, passengers, dockers and sometimes shipowners interacted in such a small space. Based on this socio-economic, maritime and cultural context, this paper will focus especially on the shipwreck of Tróia 1 which sunk in the second half of the 19 century, near the city of Setubal, Portugal.


This article focuses on discussion of ways to train music professionals and the development of music education models in Chinese universities. The article presents the history and development of higher music education in China, and argues that a diversifi ed education system has been established with music education in traditional professional conservatories of music, normal universities and comprehensive universities exist side by side in higher music education in China. The article also illustrates the module systems, teaching schedule, problems and confusion encountered during the past decade in the development of music education in Chinese universities, including undergraduates' diff erent music accomplishment before entering the university, learning outcomes, module systems, and evaluation systems of education. Finally, the article proposes some recommendations and ways in identifying objectives for the training of professionals and selectively use the teaching experience gained from universities outside China for reference. At the same time, it is hoped that this article can attract the attention from international scholars to attach great signifi cance on the development of music education in universities, so that they can provide benefi cial suggestions and instructions on the training of compound music professionals in Chinese universities.


Abstract The most significant debate regarding the applicability of international humanitarian law to cyber operations involves interpretation of the rules governing cyber "attacks", as that term is understood in the law. For over a decade, the debate has been a binary one between advocates of the "permissive approach" developed by the author and a "restrictive approach" championed by those who saw the permissive approach as insufficiently protective of the civilian population and other protected persons and objects. In this article, the author analyses that debate, and explains a third approach developed during the Tallinn Manual project. He concludes by suggesting that the Tallinn Manual approach best approximates the contemporary law given the increasing value which societies are attributing to cyber activities.


Introduction Twentieth century technology provides various communication means. The Internet is a powerful interactive and multimedia communication medium offering numerous activities. Many companies utilize the Internet for the enlargement of their business. They create websites for advertising, contact information, e-shopping, etc. Modern people use the Internet for diverse purposes such as information, education, entertainment, e-shopping, etc. All these services are useful, but at the same time can be misused, as well. There are a lot of cases of misuse, from malicious scripts causing various types of damage on user's hardware or software, to jeopardizing personality by misusage of personal data. The Internet users have very soon become aware of the risk of the Internet usage. They are worried, sometimes unnecessarily, but sometimes with a reason. Today almost every computer is equipped with some antivirus software providing several levels of protection. Complete protection is impossible because of the expanding skills of virus authors; still users may improve safety by acquiring new and updating current antivirus software. Regarding personality protection, users are not often aware of the danger, and ways of collecting their personal data. In many cases they do not sense the jeopardy, since personal data are not given directly. Websites can collect such data in different ways, without user's knowledge, and sometimes the user is compelled to provide own personal data in order to perform an activity on the Web. Website visitors may improve their personal safety by recognizing possibilities of misusing personal data and how they can protect themselves. In addition, there is a set of recommendations given by W3C organization about many web issues and one of them is the user's privacy. Possibilities of Misusing Personal Data Surfing the Web people are daily asked to fill out forms dealing with their personal data. They are mainly asked about their name, family name, home address, telephone number, date of birth, hobby, profession, business, loan, credit card number, etc. Unfortunately, there are numerous possibilities of misusing someone's personal data. We will mention several of them: * Spam. Sending undesired e-mails is a very common misuse of personal data. Companies use data collection and user tracking for finding out user habits and interests, which can be misused for sending spam. Moreover, companies often share collected personal data with other companies. For example, ("Privacy matters", 2001) the Double Click company claimed in January 2000 to exchange collected personal data with the Abacus Direct Company. The same source mentions also some companies with financial problems that tried to sell their personal data collection in order to survive on the market, like Toysmart.com in June 2000. Fortunately, the above mentioned company renounced the data selling, after solving their financial problems in another way. * The misuse of credit card numbers. Credit card numbers can be misused after security incidents. Such incidents happened for example, in 2000 at CreditCards.com, Eve.com and Amazon. com. An investigation made by Gartner and Harris Interactive, shows that among 1.000 adult online users in a period of 12 months, there were 7% of victims related to a credit card information misuse, (Knowledge Leader, 2006). One of several methods for credit card misuse is known as spoofing. Namely, criminal groups clone entire websites or their parts concerning credit card information and product purchasing, assuring clients to be the very legal website of a trademark company. They mainly offer products at a significantly lower price then the usual, which is an additional motive for people to purchase products at the false online store. After the collection of credit card information, the deceived clients are e-mailed about the successful transaction, so the clients can hardly understand they are misused. …


In the Norwegian Center for Excellence in IT education (Excited), there are 19 IT study programs across two universities with six campuses. One of the goals of Excited is to gain more knowledge about "learning through construction"(LtC) in IT studies. The paper presents preliminary findings on characteristics of courses with "learning through construction" in bachelor and master courses with project-based learning in the spring semester of 2017. The LtC courses are characterized through a number of variables from a categorization model of project courses: teaching context, range of implementation, learning context, institutional context, personnel composition, grading, project variety, degrees of freedom of the process and in the deliverables. Our findings show that "learning through construction" is often used as a learning method in higher IT education because constructive skills are a highly valued learning outcome, and to develop such skills, it is necessary to practice. At the same time, the teachers conclude that the learning method is motivating for students and is stimulating creative thinking, and that project work is useful because the students will be better prepared for project work also after their studies. Our findings also shows that there are "learning through construction" courses on all study years of the bachelor and master study programs, and that some study programs have a maker focus in each semester. Some projects are individual work, but the majority of the projects are group work, often in small (2-4) or medium-sized (5-10) teams. Most of the time, the students organize the teams themselves, but in some cases the teams are set up by the faculty. When it comes to student autonomy, the students experience more freedom further into their education, as there are more flexible project processes in the later study years. The products of the student projects are typically software prototypes and product documentation/software design, more specifically the main product types are games and web applications. Some courses with learning through construction use external stakeholders in the student projects. The study also shows that the implementation of learning through construction projects varies across study years and study programs.


ABSTRACT
TITLE: The Innovative Application of the Coated Glass Surface in Architecture
DEGREE: Doctor of Philosophy AUTHOR: Laura Johnston
The practice-led research is concerned with the changes to the material vocabulary available
to the glass artist as a result of developments in technology. Many stained glass artists
continue to use a one hundred year old vocabulary in the production of works for
contemporary buildings. In this research programme, the potential of a relatively new
material - dichroic glass - is explored and an appropriate aesthetic developed. Dichroic glass
is selected as focus in the research due to its unique qualities of reflection and transmission
of specific wavelengths of light. Thin films technology has resulted in its production and is
able to transform standard float glass into a magical material with enormous aesthetic
potential.
The approach to the application of the material is essentially a response as an artist to its
unique qualities, but this approach is informed by a study of historical precedence and
contemporary practice, which sets the context within which the research is carried out. The
vital importance of light as the phenomena with which artists designing glass for architecture
are primarily concerned, is revealed by this contextual study. The relationship of artistdesigned
glass to its architectural" context is examined and in-depth case studies reveal the
approaches of three contemporary artists. Personal practice is thus linked to contemporary
practice and historical precedent.
Developments in glass technology are reviewed and the current and developing functions of
glass in architecture are outlined. This ' study establishes the wider context within which the
artist, designing glass for contemporary architecture, is working. A study of thin film
technology places dichroic glass within its technical framework. In depth analysis of how
dichroics are produced and the subsequent production of a range of samples gives valuable
insight into the nature of the material.
The research uses a range of methods to address the artistic application of dichroic glass. To
utilise the unique qualities of the material, forms are developed both in experimental models
and in existing architectural settings. In seeking to enhance the experience of architectural
space, the design of forms are developed in response to the particular lighting conditions of
the chosen contexts.
The various strands of the research work together to uncover data which would assist artists
and designers in their approach to the architectural application of dichroic glass. The methods
explored and developed provide useful tools for other practitioners in their approach to
design.


"ETHICS FOR MANAGERS" BY D. PUPAVAC In November 2006, the University of Rijeka published a book by Drago Pupavac, PhD, entitled Ethics for Managers. Besides the introduction, an extensive bibliography and a short note on the author, the book is comprised of six chapters that the author uses to elaborate the results of his scientific thoughts on ethics in business practice. The main task of ethics is to define the ways of people's behaviour, and to contemplate the answers to the question of what should morals be like for an individual or society as a whole to fulfil their role. The task of ethics in management is to develop a new spirit and build it into voluntary standards, without expecting the legislative obligation. In order for companies to be successful and effective, they need to implement into their activity ethical codes and elect ethical committees or ethical representatives. The inclusion of Croatian business systems into modern globalisation processes imposes the necessity for the creation of a positive climate that will allow the promotion of ethical values as a pre-condition for a new and positive foundation for the development and respect of high standards in business and development. In such a scientifically theoretical and methodological amalgam, the author emphasises the importance of ethics in modern business practice since the image of the companies that do not comply with ethic principles (cheat on their customers, employees, stock-holders) is often smeared to the extent that it not only endangers growth and development, but also its very existence in the market arena. In the first part, Introduction, the author gives basic remarks on the reasons of the contemporary study of business ethics, reflections it has on macro, mezzo and micro levels, and explains the structure of the book. The second part, entitled Theoretical characteristics of ethics, morals and business ethics, is divided into three sub-sections: (1) theoretical characteristics of ethics, (2) basic characteristics of morals and (3) business ethics as part of ethics. Special attention is being given to the third sub-section where the author elaborates on business ethics, object, values and principles of business ethics. He further explores ethical dilemmas as morally problematic situations and states the arguments of those who support and those who oppose business ethics, as well as those who, for their suspicion regarding the implementation of ethics in business practice, could be categorised as non-believers. Max Weber states that the interest (both material and ideal), not the ideas, directly determines man's behaviour. However, views that were created from ideas work as a signalman and the behaviour, driven by the dynamics of interest, often chooses a certain rail. Accordingly, in the third part, entitled Practical ethics in important world religions, the author gives general characteristics of Confucianism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam as the main religions of the world and explores their influence to applied ethics. Main characteristics of a good society is the title of the fourth part. In this part of the book, the author systematically and concisely qualifies the characteristics of a good society: poverty, healthcare, good economy, good public management, security, social security, education, concern for environment, strong international position and migrations, etc. …


OBJECTIVES
To evaluate the effect of insertion torque on micromotion to a lateral force in three different implant designs.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Thirty-six implants with identical thread design, but different cutting groove design were divided in three groups: (1) non-fluted (no cutting groove, solid screw-form); (2) fluted (90° cut at the apex, tap design); and (3) Blossom(™) (Patent pending) (non-fluted with engineered trimmed thread design). The implants were screwed into polyurethane foam blocks and the insertion torque was recorded after each turn of 90° by a digital torque gauge. Controlled lateral loads of 10 N followed by increments of 5 up to 100 N were sequentially applied by a digital force gauge on a titanium abutment. Statistical comparison was performed with two-way mixed model ANOVA that evaluated implant design group, linear effects of turns and displacement loads, and their interaction.

RESULTS
While insertion torque increased as a function of number of turns for each design, the slope and final values increased (P<0.001) progressively from the Blossom to the fluted to the non-fluted design (M ± standard deviation [SD]=64.1 ± 26.8, 139.4 ± 17.2, and 205.23 ± 24.3 Ncm, respectively). While a linear relationship between horizontal displacement and lateral force was observed for each design, the slope and maximal displacement increased (P<0.001) progressively from the Blossom to the fluted to the non-fluted design (M ± SD=530 ± 57.7, 585.9 ± 82.4, and 782.33 ± 269.4 μm, respectively). There was negligible to moderate levels of association between insertion torque and lateral displacement in the Blossom, fluted and non-fluted design groups, respectively.

CONCLUSION
Insertion torque was reduced in implant macrodesigns that incorporated cutting edges, and lesser insertion torque was generally associated with decreased micromovement. However, insertion torque and micromotion were unrelated within implant designs, particularly for those designs showing the least insertion torque.


This overview report summarises the findings of five case studies on the likely impact of game changing technologies on production and employment in the manufacturing sector in Europe up to 2025: advanced industrial robotics; industrial internet of things; additive manufacturing; electric vehicles; and industrial biotechnology. The adoption of these new technological possibilities will not only have consequences for the production process, but also for the working conditions of those employed on the process and on employment demands at company level. The report highlights the increase in digitisation, the greater demand for highly skilled workers, the expansion of value added to both ends of the product cycle, the even greater importance of data security, the possible reshoring of some production back to Europe, and the need to develop and observe industry standards and protocols.


Mesocosms (i.e., outdoor, man-made representations of natural ecosystems) have seldom been used to study the impact of contaminants on terrestrial ecosystems. However, mesocosms can be a useful tool to provide a link between field and labo- ratory studies. We exposed juvenile lacertid lizards for a period of over one year to pesticides (herbicides and insecticides) in mesocosm enclosures with the intention of validating field observations obtained in a previous study that examined the effects of corn pesticides in Podarcis bocagei . Our treatments replicated field conditions and consisted of a control, an herbicides only treatment (alachlor, terbuthylazine, meso- trione and glyphosate) and an herbicides and insecticide treatment (including chlor - pyrifos). We used a multi-biomarker approach that examined parameters at an indi- vidual and sub-individual level, including growth, locomotor performance, standard metabolic rate, biomarkers of oxidative stress, esterases and liver histopathologies. Although mortality over the course of the exposures was high (over 60%), surviving individuals prospered relatively well in the mesocosms and displayed a broad range of natural behaviours. The low numbers of replicate animals compromised many of the statistical comparisons, but in general, surviving lizards exposed to pesticides in mesocosm enclosures for over one year, thrived, and displayed few effects of pesticide exposure. Despite the difficulties, this work acts as an important stepping-stone for future ecotoxicology studies using lizards.


This paper explores ideas of regulatory diffusion and transplant. I suggest that the existing literature, which focuses on channels of diffusion and macrocontextual variables of sectors and countries, insufficiently accounts for how the nature of institutional outcomes are shaped by the way regulatory agencies are adopted and embedded into national political economies. In particular, using the case of Indian electricity regulation, this paper suggests that when adoption is driven less by national policy choices, and more by the role of external actors, such as multilateral donor agencies, there is little scope for ex ante deliberation of the role regulatory agencies can and should play within national governance systems. Instead, the functioning of regulatory agencies are better explained by ex post adjustment, as agencies seek to accommodate existing political pressures, accompanied by efforts to explain and justify the foundational myth on which regulator adoption was based. Regulatory outcomes are then incompletely explained by macro-context and institutional form alone, but instead require understanding micro-details of local political and institutional arrangements. This argument is explicated with reference to the process through which regulatory agencies entered the Indian electricity sector, and further detailed with reference to tariff setting and public participation processes in three Indian states. While tariff setting illustrates ex post rationalization of decision making that remains deeply politicized – in contradiction to the founding narrative when regulatory agencies were created – public participation processes show that the introduction of regulators can introduce a 'policy irritant' that stimulates creation of a new political space in Indian electricity governance. Based on these discussions, the paper argues for attention to micro-politics and local specificities of the process through which regulatory agencies are embedded in national political contexts. This argument serves as a corrective to the literature that currently focuses dominantly on ex ante country and sector conditions in seeking to explain regulatory transplant and performance.


A parametric algorithm for identifying the Pareto set of a biobjective integer program is proposed. The algorithm is based on the weighted Chebyshev (Tchebycheff) scalarization, and its running time is asymptotically optimal. A number of extensions are described, including: a technique for handling weakly dominated outcomes, a Pareto set approximation scheme, and an interactive version that provides access to all Pareto outcomes. Extensive computational tests on instances of the biobjective knapsack problem and a capacitated network routing problem are presented.


Introduction: Some 35,000 ha has now been sown to ProgardesTM Desmanthus since its launch in 2012. It has been sown primarily across Queensland, but also into northern New South Wales and the Northern Territory. The targeted soil types have been Vertosols and related, mainly neutral to alkaline clay soils in semiarid environments. Progardes is a blend of typically 5 PBR registered varieties of Desmanthus (cv JCU 1-5).

Update information: Four new cultivars, JCU 6-9, are in seed increase. Agrimix Pastures and James Cook University are evaluating and selecting new accessions of Desmanthus, particularly those that have persisted through drought and grazing. Many of these are being evaluated across inland northern Australia through a CRC supported project. Cultivar JCU 2 has recently been shown to access soil moisture to >1.2 m and be productive in NSW. A Desmanthus breeding program that includes intraspecific and interspecific crosses is well advanced, with crosses undergoing field evaluation. There is interest also in other species to complement Progardes including new varieties of Stylosanthes, Clitoria and Centrosema that show considerable promise.

Research regarding new advanced strains of Rhizobia specifically for Progardes are also being undertaken, including isolating effective strains from the native legume Neptunia and from adventive and cultivated Desmanthus plants. Nodules from these plants have been collected from a wide geographic area across northern Queensland, particularly from semiarid neutral to alkaline soils. It's expected that these new strains from the native environment will be resilient to both abiotic and edaphic environmental factors and particularly to heat and alkalinity. Already some new strains have scored better in terms of plant growth than the existing recommended commercial inoculant.

Investigations regarding in vitro and in vivo antimethanogenic properties of JCU Desmanthus cultivars have or are currently being undertaken. Formal and informal producer paired paddock trials are investigating nutritive attributes and botanical composition of pastures with and without ProgardesTM . This work is expected to confirm liveweight gains in the order of an additional 40 kg/head per year over grass alone pastures and confirm the value of sown legumes for beef cattle production systems.


R~~ whl~pered to the conductor: "Cynductor, can 'you tell me how that brakeman lost his finger? He seems to be a very nice fellow. It seems a ' pity he ~hould be crippled." ''Tbat'~ just It, ma'am. He I~ 'a ~ood fellow. He Is so ohllglng that be just wore hl~ f1n~er oft' pointing out the scenery along the line."Den'l"er Newll, In a place In New JerRY the town officers had j~t put some fire extln. gnlmers In their big buildings. One day one of the buildings caught fire, and the extinguIshers tailed to do their work, A tew days later at the town 'meeting some cltlzen~ ,tried to learn the reason, After 'they had freely dlsenssed the sullject, one ot them Mid: "Mr. Chairman, I make a motion that the fire extlnguimen be examined ten dny~ before 'every fIre."-Phlladelphla PUblic Ledger. SEI.ECTIONS FOR MEMORIZING. Arranged by Avery Warner Skin. ner, supertntendent ot schools, Oneida, New York. New York: Sliver, Burdett & Co. Cloth. 115 pp. PrIce, 60 cents, In Ita ~yllabu~ for elementary schools pUbll~hed 1905, the poems collated In this volume were Included and authorized. The complier bas certainly made a happy selection. Here are "gems of purest ray serene." None of them are lengthy enough to make 'the commIttal to memory a task, All ot them are long enough to present some choice thought that will enrich the pupll'~ mind and heart. Brief biographleal sketches ot the authora whose producttons are u~ed are given, and are models of Information. A ~hort foreword to "the teachers" I~ of greate~t value as an InspiratIon as well M a direction. JOURNAL OF EDUCATION December 20, J906


First-degree relatives of people with type 2 diabetes are themselves at risk of developing the disease. While the transmission of genetic information from parents to offspring contributes to diabetes risk, there are other nongenetic risk factors that are shared by family members that can be amenable to intervention. These factors are likely to include sedentary behaviors such as television viewing and computer use. The extent to which family history influences the effects of sedentary behaviors on cellular energy metabolism and other markers of diabetes risk is poorly understood. An article by Hojbjerre et al. (1) in this issue of Diabetes examines the impact of 10-days' bed rest on young, nondiseased adults with or without a first-degree family history of diabetes. This commentary summarizes the findings from that study, places them in context with the findings of earlier studies, describes mechanisms of action, and identifies key areas where future research is required.

Ecological comparisons (2), cohort studies (3), clinical trials (4), and government guidelines (5) tell us that a healthy lifestyle should include regular, moderately intense physical activity. Physically active people are at lower risk of type 2 diabetes (6), heart disease (7), specific cancers (8), and early death (9). Conversely, sedentary behaviors during leisure time and at work have been associated with cardiovascular morbidity (6,10) and mortality (11). While these epidemiological studies have received considerable media attention, many are prone to confounding and reverse causality. Intervention studies where participants are confined to bed (12,13) or in other ways discouraged from exercising (14) provide some of the strongest mechanistic evidence that sedentary behaviors are harmful to health. A study by Hojbjerre et al. (1) in this issue of Diabetes is one such example.

Hojbjerre et al. (1) examined the effects of 10 days' bed rest on energy …


Background Light-induced relaxation depends on S-nitrosothiols. S-Nitrosothiols may also serve as endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factors, mediating the relaxant response of porcine coronary arteries (PCAs) to bradykinin. Here we compared the mechanism of light-induced and bradykinin-induced PCA relaxation. Methods PCAs were mounted in organ baths in the dark, preconstricted and exposed to polychromatic light (5 min) or 100 nmol/l bradykinin. Results Light relaxed PCAs by maximally 71 ± 1%. S-Nitrosothiol depletion abolished this relaxation. Relaxations diminished following repetitive light exposures, particularly if the dark periods between the light exposures were less than 10 min, and increased following endothelium removal or nitric oxide synthase blockade with Nω-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), despite the prevention of guanosine-3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate generation by the latter two procedures. Thus, reloading of the storage pools occurs in the dark, endothelial nitric oxide inhibits this process and photorelaxation does not depend on guanosine-3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate. Bradykinin relaxed PCAs by 69 ± 3%. The nitric oxide scavenger hydroxocobalamin and the Na+-K+ ATPase inhibitor ouabain abolished the responses to bradykinin and light. The guanylyl cyclase inhibitor 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one abolished the response to light, and, like L-NAME, blocked the response to bradykinin by more than 50%. On top of L-NAME, intermediate and small conductance Ca2+-dependent K+ channel (IKCa/SKCa) blockade further reduced the response to bradykinin and enhanced photorelaxation. Conclusion Photorelaxation depends on stored S-nitrosothiols and their release/synthesis is negatively affected by endothelial nitric oxide and IKCa/SKCa. S-Nitrosothiols activate endothelial IKCa/SKCa and, via guanylyl cyclase, smooth muscle Na+-K+ ATPase. Thus, they possess all properties of a bradykinin-induced endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor.


B7-H4, a recently described member of the B7 family of cosignal molecules, is thought to be involved in the regulation of cellular and humoral immune responses through receptors on activated T and B cells. Human islet cells express positive B7-H4 mRNA in RT-PCR assays, but not B7-H4 protein on cell surface in flow cytometric analyses. To investigate the regulatory effects of activation of the B7-H4 pathway on the function of activated T cells of patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D), we have used our in vitro human experimental system, including human beta-cell antigen-specific T-cell clones and human beta-cell lines CM and HP62, as well as primary islet cells. B7-H4.Ig protein was purified from the culture supernatant of 293T cells transfected by a B7-H4.Ig plasmid (pMIgV, containing a human B7-H4 cDNA and a mouse IgG2a Fc cDNA). Our preliminary studies showed that immobilized fusion protein human B7-H4.Ig (coated with 5 microg/ml for 2 h at 37 degrees C), but not control Ig, clearly inhibited the proliferation of activated CD4+ and CD8+ T cells of patients induced by anti-CD3 antibody in CFSE assays. B7-H4.Ig also arrested cell cycle progression of T cells in G0/G1 phase and induced T-cell apoptosis as measured by BrdU-7-AAD flow cytometric analysis. To determine the cytoprotective effects of B7-H4, we developed transfectants of human beta-cell lines CM and HP62 and islet cells transfected with the B7-H4.Ig plasmid, using empty vector transfectants as controls. The results demonstrate that cell-associated B7-H4.Ig expressed on human beta-cells clearly inhibits the cytotoxicity of the T-cell clones to targeted human beta-cells in 51Cr release cytotoxicity assays. Activation of the B7-H4 pathway may represent a novel immunotherapeutic approach to inhibit T-cell responses for the prevention of beta-cell destruction in T1D.


Due to low groundwater recharge rates and intensive agricultural land use, elevated nitrate concentrations in groundwater are measured in Lower Franconia, Bavaria (Germany). Analysis of cultivation practice in this region showed that crops with high nitrogen-surplus were cultivated to a significant extent. By the example of a catchment area where drinking water is extracted, an approach for a change in agricultural land use was tested. Fields were classified according to soil quality and the type of sub-soil. Measures like conversion of arable land into grassland or changes in type of crop that is grown, were adjusted to the local (field) conditions. Thus nitrogen surplus could be reduced to half by the extensification of one third of the agricultural land. Due to the classification system, the measures are realised in the most cost-effective way as well.


This research report examines the differing impacts of the Ebola outbreak in Liberia on women, men, girls and boys. Focusing on the areas of agriculture and livelihoods; gender-based violence; access to health services; and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), it looks at women's involvement in the national response to the outbreak, as well as community coping strategies. The report finds that women were disproportionately affected by the outbreak, and that gender, disability and geographical location were the most important factors in determining how people were impacted by the crisis. Women in rural areas were found to have particularly suffered. The research report draws conclusions regarding how the Liberian government, NGOs and civil society might improve the ongoing national response, including increasing the participation of women and broadening their education and skills.


INTRODUCTION: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a fast growing, highly invasive malignant brain tumour. Inhibition of tumour cell migration into normal brain tissue represents a major target for treatment. Glycogen synthase kinase (GSK-3) inhibition has been associated with reduced GBM invasion in in vitro and in vivo models. Targeting this pathway with established and/or novel drugs may elucidate more effective treatment combinations. METHOD: The effect of GSK-3 inhibitors BIO, AZD2858, AZ1293 and AZ1080 on GBM migration was assessed in patient derived GBM stem cells (GBM-1) and two established cell lines (U251 and U87) using a 3D collagen based assay. Multiple drug concentrations were investigated with up to 72 hours exposure. A migration index was determined using aggregate core size and cell migration area. Immunohistochemistry and immunocytochemistry were used to assess cell morphology and cytoskeletal changes. RESULTS: All compounds inhibit migration in this model. AZD2858 was the most potent, causing significant effects at 1 micro molar. All compounds were cytotoxic at between 10 and 20 micro molar. Cytoskeletal and nuclear abnormalities were noted following drug exposure in all cell lines. These data suggest that possible mechanisms for the anti-migratory effect of these compounds include effects on F-actin localization and microtubule polarity. Inhibition of migration and cell architecture changes occurred at non-toxic doses. CONCLUSION: Inhibition of GSK3 significantly reduced migration of this highly invasive tumour. It is evident from these data that inhibiting the complex biological mechanisms driven by GSK3 may aid treatment of GBM through a number of different mechanisms.


This article considers the kind of information that is relevant for determining argument structure, and how this information is encoded syntactically. The approach I take here, anchored largely in Reinhart's (2002) Theta System, contributes both to the widely discussed question of underspecification in argument structure and to our understanding of a specific construction in Lithuanian, the Transitive Impersonal. The Transitive Impersonal is a construction in which accusative appears on a predicate's Theme argument in the absence of a higher Agent. The Transitive Impersonal is one alternate in a systematic impersonalization alternation, in which the source of causation is crucially not fixed in the lexicon, but rather admits variable realization, either as a canonical (nominative) Agent or a non-volitional Causer, the latter marked by an oblique relation or not realized overtly in the syntax at all, but interpreted semantically. I advance a causative theory of accusative for which I adduce independent evidence from the Icelandic Fate Construction.


The client‐contractor bargaining problem addressed here is in the context of a multi‐mode resource constrained project scheduling problem with discounted cash flows, which is formulated as a progress payments model. In this model, the contractor receives payments from the client at predetermined regular time intervals. The last payment is paid at the first predetermined payment point right after project completion. The second payment model considered in this paper is the one with payments at activity completions. The project is represented on an Activity‐on‐Node (AON) project network. Activity durations are assumed to be deterministic. The project duration is bounded from above by a deadline imposed by the client, which constitutes a hard constraint. The bargaining objective is to maximize the bargaining objective function comprised of the objectives of both the client and the contractor. The bargaining objective function is expected to reflect the two‐party nature of the problem environment and seeks a compromise between the client and the contractor. The bargaining power concept is introduced into the problem by the bargaining power weights used in the bargaining objective function. Simulated annealing algorithm and genetic algorithm approaches are proposed as solution procedures. The proposed solution methods are tested with respect to solution quality and solution times. Sensitivity analyses are conducted among different parameters used in the model, namely the profit margin, the discount rate, and the bargaining power weights. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2009


This study explored what Taiwanese parents would educate their children about peace and what children retained from parental teaching, as well as children's reported communication with parents about peace. In-depth interviews were conducted with 60 parents and one of their children. Based on the perceptions of children, the most influential learning children received from their parents in peace education is the aspect of negative descriptions of peace (what peace is not). Unique findings suggest that Taiwanese parenting about peace focuses more on teaching children personal cultivation and interpersonal harmony than introducing the ideas of international collaboration or universal rights. The findings suggest that the specific macrosystem of Taiwan may influence how parents educate their children about peace. One important implication for family practitioners is the necessity to take into account the traditional cultural values particular to the group they work with and to connect those to peace education when designing programs.Key Words: children, parents, peace, peace education, perception.Wars currently exist in many countries worldwide. Research has shown that war and political violence have many negative effects on the family and family members living with veterans suffering from trauma-related disorders (Isovaara, Arman, & Rehnsfeldt, 2006). Qouta, Punamaki, and El Sarraj (2008) described various war impacts on families, including those with unstable social and parent-child relations, strict, rejecting, and hostile parenting style perceived by children of severe military trauma, and other types of family dysfunction. Numerous empirical studies have also examined negative war effects on the physical, psychological, and spiritual well-being of children and on their personal and social identity development (Barber, 2008; Zahr, 1996). Lasser and Adam (2007), in their review article regarding the effect of war on children, noted that the negative consequences of war, including disrupted stability, deleterious health effects, and disorganization of the family and community system, make war the most profound psychosocial Stressor on children and adolescent development. War and political violence can affect children in various ways because of the complexity of the phenomenon (Barber, 2008). Even children outside of a war zone are exposed to war through the media, and children routinely express confusion and negative emotions about war (Deng, 2008; Myers-Bowman, Walker, & Myers- Walls, 2005). It is not enough, however, just to examine war effects on children and apply remedial strategies. A preventative approach that aims at better preparing adults to educate children for a better, more peaceful world needs to be adopted. Mickel, Boyd-White, and Muldrow (2005) indicated that, "in order to achieve peace, intervention that results in the prevention of war and violence must begin at the level where learning and behavioral change occur most often - the family" (p. 30). Oyebamiji and Adekola (2008) also suggested that government and organizations should reequip the family with new knowledge so it is capable of its new role in maintaining peace in society through family life education. Walker, Myers-Bowman, and MyersWalls (2008) reported, however, that there are far fewer online guidelines available for parents to communicate with children about peace than there are for war. As family educators, we are interested in understanding how parents play a role in educating children about peace in family settings. Empirical studies including parent voices on this important issue are very rare. Further investigation could help parents and educators understand how parent messages might be received by their children. Vriens (1999) postulated a balanced concept of peace education, emphasizing the dialectical nature of the educational process, which sees children as both receivers and creators to reach the goal of a peaceful world. …


FPGAs are considered a valuable solution for embedded system applications thanks to their performance, energy efficiency and capability to face system failures. However, the number of available applications is limited due to the learning curve needed to customize FPGA-based accelerators. As proof of this, Xilinx recently released PYNQ, a platform for Zynq SoC that relies on Python and overlays to ease the integration of functionalities of the programmable logic into applications. In this work, we build upon this framework to implement an optimized embedded design for audio alignment and we integrated it in the Python applications workflow. In particular, we provide a custom accelerator designed for PYNQ and the software interface to transparently exploit the programmable logic from the Python code runs on the embedded CPU. We then compare the executions on two different devices: the PYNQ-Z1 and the Raspberry Pi 3. Our FPGA accelerated implementation is able to reach a speedup of 12.4x with respect to the PYNQ-Z1, when only the CPU is used, and a speedup of 5.5x with respect to the Raspberry Pi 3 version.


Autozygosity, meaning inheritance of an ancestral allele in the homozygous state is known to lead bi-allelic mutations that manifest their effects through the autosomal recessive inheritance pattern. Autosomal recessive mutations are known to be the underlying cause of several Mendelian metabolic diseases, especially among the offspring of related individuals. In line with this, inbreeding coefficient of an individual as a measure of cryptic autozygosity among the general population is known to lead adverse metabolic outcomes including type 2 diabetes (T2DM), a multifactorial metabolic disease for which the recessive genetic causes remain unknown. In order to unravel such effects for multiple metabolic facades of the disease, we investigated the relationship between the excess of homozygosity and the metabolic signature of T2DM. We included a set of heritable 143 circulating markers associated with fasting glucose in a Dutch genetic isolate Erasmus Rucphen Family (ERF) of up to 2,580 individuals. We calculated individual whole genome-based, exome-based and pedigree-based inbreeding coefficients and tested their influence on the T2DM-related metabolites as well as T2DM risk factors. We also performed model supervised genome-wide association analysis (GWAS) for the metabolites which significantly correlate with inbreeding values. Inbreeding value of the population significantly and positively correlated with associated with risk factors of T2DM: body-mass index (BMI), glucose, insulin resistance, fasting insulin and waist-hip ratio. We found that inbreeding influenced 32.9% of the T2DM-related metabolites, clustering among chemical groups of lipoproteins, amino-acids and phosphatidylcholines, whereas 80 % of these significant associations were independent of the BMI. The most remarkable effect of inbreeding is observed for S-HDL-ApoA1, for which we show evidence of the novel DISP1 genetic region discovered by model supervised GWAS, in the ERF population. In conclusion, we show that inbreeding effects human metabolism and genetic models other than the globally used additive model is worth considering for study of metabolic phenotypes.


Fluorescent-base analogues (FBAs) comprise a group of increasingly important molecules for the investigation of nucleic acid structure and dynamics as well as of interactions between nucleic acids and other molecules. Here, we report on the synthesis, detailed spectroscopic characterisation and base-pairing properties of a new environment-sensitive fluorescent adenine analogue, quadracyclic adenine (qA). After developing an efficient route of synthesis for the phosphoramidite of qA it was incorporated into DNA in high yield by using standard solid-phase synthesis procedures. In DNA qA serves as an adenine analogue that preserves the B-form and, in contrast to most currently available FBAs, maintains or even increases the stability of the duplex. We demonstrate that, unlike fluorescent adenine analogues, such as the most commonly used one, 2-aminopurine, and the recently developed triazole adenine, qA shows highly specific base-pairing with thymine. Moreover, qA has an absorption band outside the absorption of the natural nucleobases (>300 nm) and can thus be selectively excited. Upon excitation the qA monomer displays a fluorescence quantum yield of 6.8 % with an emission maximum at 456 nm. More importantly, upon incorporation into DNA the fluorescence of qA is significantly less quenched than most FBAs. This results in quantum yields that in some sequences reach values that are up to fourfold higher than maximum values reported for 2-aminopurine. To facilitate future utilisation of qA in biochemical and biophysical studies we investigated its fluorescence properties in greater detail and resolved its absorption band outside the DNA absorption region into distinct transition dipole moments. In conclusion, the unique combination of properties of qA make it a promising alternative to current fluorescent adenine analogues for future detailed studies of nucleic acid-containing systems.


In Pakistan, educational institutions function in parallel under three separate systems: public, private and madrassas. The incidents of 9/11 brought madrassas into the limelight and they emerged as the most controversial educational institutions of Pakistan. International scholarship is polarized on the madrassa issue and presents two opposing pictures about these institutes. For some, madrassas are the cause of radical ideology and militancy, while for others they are a source of free education for the underprivileged. This research compares the attitudes of students attending madrassas with those of students attending other types of school. A comparison of the world view of students coming from different schooling systems was made concerning socio-political and educational issues including an examination of attitudes towards jihad and Islamic militancy.
It is argued that students educated under different systems have divergent ideologies about the primary purpose of education, sectarian diversity, the status of women and non-Muslims in Pakistan and, most importantly, Islamic militancy. To determine the worldview of students about the aforesaid issues, both quantitative and qualitative approaches were used. The data were collected from the students of private and public schools and madrassas in South Punjab (N=500). It is argued that madrassas are stratified with some being more liberal than others. The questionnaire and interview tool used in the study attempted to find out the students' responses on armed Jihad, sectarian divide, the status of women, the position of non-Muslims in Pakistan and about the purpose of education. The analysis illustrated the ways in which Pakistani society is polarized along socio-economic lines and how different types of schooling are associated with distinct world views.
The results indicate that the students from madrassas are somewhat more aggressive and intolerant towards the religious minorities and women than the students of English medium and Urdu medium public schools. They are also less tolerant towards people of other sects and are more susceptible to sectarian prejudices than their counterparts in the English medium and Urdu medium schools. In the same vein, the students from madrassas are more supportive of militancy and jihadist activities than their counterparts. In this regard, the students from Shia and Brailvi madrassas are comparatively less inclined towards the Jihadi notion than that of Ahle Hadith, Deaoband and Jamaat-e-Islami madrassas.

While most previous studies of madrassas have presented them as homogeneous institutions, this study highlights the extent to which they are internally stratified and shows that the students studying in these schools have contradictory viewpoints with respect to certain socio-political and religious issues.


Community sport policy is characterised as complex and multi-faceted partly due to the number of agencies involved. This thesis explores the community sport policy process in England, specifically the significance of the relationship between CSPs and NGBs in the community sport policy process. The four key objectives of this study are (i) to analyse the significance of the relationship between CSPs and NGBs with regard to the national community sport policy process; (ii) to analyse the significance of the relationship between CSPs and NGBs in local-level policy making and policy implementation; (iii) to identify CSP and NGB attitudes and perceptions toward the community sport policy process; and as the study focuses on the meso-level of analysis, (iv) to evaluate the explanatory value of selected meso-level theories of the policy process in developing a better understanding of the community sport policy process.

This study uses a mixed method comprising a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. Initially, a quantitative questionnaire was used to gather information regarding CSPs and NGBs and support the selection of CSP cases. From this CSP-based case studies were developed involving semi-structured interviews with CSP, NGB and local authority representatives. The study draws attention to the hierarchical nature of the community sport policy process, the implications for collaboration, the mediating role of CSPs in national and local policy settings, and the associated challenges that agents face in implementing community sport policy. The study emphasises the value of theoretical pluralism in analysing the community sport field, particularly the combined used of meso-level frameworks such as the Advocacy Coalition Framework and the Policy Networks Approach with micro-level considerations from implementation theory and the partnership literature. It concludes that empirically, it is only by giving policy agents a voice that we can develop a more accurate understanding of the policy process and that practically only by harnessing the commitment and energy of the grassroots can we step toward a more effective policy community.


Electrocatalysis plays a key role in the energy conversion processes central to several renewable energy technologies that have been developed to lessen our reliance on fossil fuels. However, the best electrocatalysts for these processes—which include the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), and the redox reactions that enable regenerative liquid-junction photoelectrochemical solar cells—often contain scarce and expensive noble metals, substantially limiting the potential for these technologies to compete with fossil fuels. The considerable challenge is to develop robust electrocatalysts composed exclusively of low-cost, earth-abundant elements that exhibit activity comparable to that of the noble metals. In this review, we summarize recent progress in the development of such high-performance earth-abundant inorganic electrocatalysts (and nanostructures thereof), classifying these materials based on their elemental constituents. We then detail the most critical obstacles facing earth-abundant inorganic electrocatalysts and discuss various strategies for further improving their performance. Lastly, we offer our perspectives on the current directions of earth-abundant inorganic electrocatalyst development and suggest pathways toward achieving performance competitive with their noble metal-containing counterparts.


Since their emergence in the late eighteenth century, doctrines of universal individual rights have been variously criticized as philosophically confused, politically inefficacious, ideologically particular, and Eurocentric. Nevertheless, today the discourse of universal human rights is more internationally widespread and influential than ever. In Evidence for Hope, leading international relations scholar Kathryn Sikkink argues that this is because human rights laws and institutions work. Sikkink rejects the notion that human rights are a Western imposition and points to a wide range of evidence that she claims demonstrates the effectiveness of human rights in bringing about a world that is appreciably improved in many ways from what it was previously. We have invited a broad range of scholars to assess Sikkink's challenging claims.


A modified Bromhead ring shear apparatus is described, which incorporates vanes on the loading surfaces to improve torque transfer to the specimen. The specimen thickness is increased to accommodate the vanes. A method of specimen preparation is described that ensures a flat shear surface in the center of the specimen. Results are given for the residual failure envelope of Lias clay using the modified apparatus.


The endemic Azores Bullfinch or Priolo (Pyrrhula murina) is one of the most threatened European passerines, historically restricted to a single population in the Pico da Vara/Ribeira do Guilherme Special Protection Area (São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal). Annual census of this species started in 1991. It usually took one observer 1–2 months to complete the census and even then, it was not logistically reasonable to include some areas with very steep slope in the core of the protected area. In order to bypass these constraints, an alternative and ambitious monitoring scheme that would allow estimating the whole species throughout its entire range was proposed in 2007. The new scheme, which complemented and improved previous estimates, consisted in performing a thorough instantaneous census using a distance sampling approach, thus allowing a detailed snapshot of effective occupation, density, zores Bullfinch habitat preferences and distribution range of the Azores Bullfinch. The Priolo Atlas turned into a volunteered geographic information and citizen science-based ornithological initiative which every 4 years congregates more than 50 well-trained volunteers in the Azores. With the first two editions (2008 and 2012), this initiative has already established itself as a critical tool to monitor the population of this


Virtual spaces (worlds) applications are among the most complex of distributed applications. They are both distributed and open. Minimizing network latency, fault-tolerance, persistence, resource control, and security are also important aspects. Designing and implementing virtual spaces is currently difficult in that the already not insignificant complexities of program functionality, distribution, openness, and efficiency are interwound and cannot be tackled separately.

We present a distributed programming language, distributed-Oz, that greatly reduces the complexity of distributed programming by clearly separating the different aspects of distributed programming. The design and implementation of distributed-Oz is ongoing work, but considerable progress has been made. The current prototype demonstrates network transparency, that computations behave the same way regardless of how the computation is partitioned between different sites. This is the basis for realizing clean separation of the functionality aspect from other aspects. Network awareness allows the programmer to predict and control network communication patterns. The current system gives the programmer the means to tackle separately the aspects of openness, efficiency (minimizing latency), distribution, and functionality.

We have extended distributed-Oz with a tool for graphics in a distributed setting. This extends the idea of network transparency and network awareness to graphics. From the programmers point of view graphics programming for a multi-user application is virtually the same as programming for a single-user application. The differences are necessary extensions for achieving network and site awareness, such as visualization control (deciding which users should see what).

Finally we consider virtual space applications, and propose a number of abstractions for use by developers of virtual spaces, relating them to the properties of distributed-Oz upon which they are based.


Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurological disease that not only affects the patient but also has a considerable impact on marital relationships and the quality of life of spouses. This study investigated marital quality in the spouses of men with MS. This descriptive comparative study included 82 men registered with the MS Association of Shiraz, Iran, and their spouses; and 82 healthy men and their spouses. The participants were selected using the convenience sampling method. Data on marital quality were collected using the Perceived Relationship Quality Components inventory. The validity and reliability of this inventory has been previously confirmed in Iran. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software, version 21. The significance level was set at p < 0.05. The mean (± standard deviation) age of the men with MS was 35.9 ± 9.69 years and the mean duration of the relationship with their spouse was 14.24 ± 3.85 years. The total score for the Perceived Relationship Quality Components inventory and scores for the components satisfaction, passion, intimacy, and love were significantly lower in the spouses of men with MS compared with the spouses of healthy men (p < 0.001). For spouses of men with MS, the disease negatively impacts the marital relationship quality, particularly in terms of satisfaction, passion, intimacy, and love. Therefore, to improve the quality of life and marital relationships in MS patients and their spouses, it is important to include couple-based educational programs and marital therapy in rehabilitation programs for MS.


We performed a detailed theoretical study of the magneto-optical polar Kerr effect in magnetoplasmonic heterostructures consisting of a plasmonic film and a ferromagnetic layer with a corrugated top surface. Explicit analytical expressions allowing us to calculate the modifications of the polar Kerr effect in dependence on the thickness of the plasmonic and ferromagnetic layers as well as on the period and depth of the corrugation were derived. Interestingly, when applied to the test system of an Au/Co bilayer, our calculations show that the presence of corrugations is beneficial, as it allows us to tailor the magneto-optical response in a magnetoplasmonic composite in a resonant manner. This opens the possibility to enhance the strength of the Kerr effect by several orders of magnitude, which is beneficial for the investigation of systems in which magneto-optical responses are rather small, i.e., for characterization of biological or medical systems.


The long-term properties of continuous fiber reinforced composite materials are increasingly important as applications in airplanes, cars, and other safety critical structures are growing rapidly. Performance of composite materials is altered by the initiation, accumulation and interaction of discrete micro-fracture events. While a strong foundation of understanding has been established for damage initiation and accumulation during the life of composite materials and structures, an understanding of the nature and details that define fracture path development at the end of life has not been established. In the present research we analyze nonlinear deformation and damage development in a model composite microstructure by deforming it using nonlinear, conformal incremental mechanics analysis followed by conformal dielectric simulation set on the deformed state. Our studies reveal inflection points in the predicted global dielectric response vs. strain that are related to changes in local damage growth rates and modes that clearly indicate impending fracture. Capabilities of the new method are discussed.


Iran is currently experiencing serious water problems. Frequent droughts coupled with over-abstraction of surface and groundwater through a large network of hydraulic infrastructure and deep wells have escalated the nation's water situation to a critical level. This is evidenced by drying lakes, rivers and wetlands, declining groundwater levels, land subsidence, water quality degradation, soil erosion, desertification and more frequent dust storms. This paper overviews the major drivers of Iran's water problems. It is argued that while climatic changes and economic sanctions are commonly blamed as the main drivers of water problems, Iran is mainly suffering from a socio-economic drought—i.e. "water bankruptcy," where water demand exceeds the natural water supply. In theory, this problem can be resolved by re-establishing the balance between water supply and demand through developing additional sources of water supply and implementing aggressive water demand reduction plans. Nevertheless, the current structure of the water governance system in Iran and the absence of a comprehensive understanding of the root causes of the problem leave minimal hope of developing sustainable solutions to Iran's unprecedented water problems.


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: CSF fluid dynamics in healthy subjects and patients with Chiari I have been characterized during rest with phase-contrast MR imaging and CFD. CSF flow velocities and pressures in the nonresting state have not been adequately characterized. We used computer simulations to study CSF dynamics during increased heart rates in the normal and Chiari I subarachnoid space. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cyclic CSF flow was simulated for multiple cycles in idealized 3D models of the subarachnoid space for normal and Chiari I malformation subarachnoid spaces, with flow cycles corresponding to 80 or 120 heart beats per minute. Flow velocities and pressures were computed by the Navier-Stokes equations. Synchronous bidirectional flow and flow patterns were displayed in Star-CD and inspected visually. Peak velocities and pressure differences in the 2 models were compared for the 2-cycle frequencies. RESULTS: Elevating the cycle rate from 80 to 120 cpm increased peak superior-inferior pressure gradients (top-bottom) by just 0.01% in the normal model and 2% in the Chiari model. Corresponding average pressure gradients increased by 92% and 100%, respectively. In addition, in both models, the range of synchronous bidirectional flow velocities increased. Systolic velocities had smaller increases with faster cycling. For each cycle rate, peak and average pressure gradients in the Chiari model were greater than in the normal model by 11%–16%. CONCLUSIONS: Raising the cycle rate from 80 to 120 cpm increased superior-inferior average pressure gradients and the range of synchronous bidirectional flow velocities in the normal and Chiari I models.


The use of a traditional coursebook in preparatory university programs presents a predicament for students who go on to study science-based degrees, as there is often a bias toward social sciences and away from natural sciences. Nevertheless, setting up an 'English for Specific Purposes' course is not something that every tertiary level institution can easily manage. Indeed, the journey towards implementing such a course often requires a number of duties that go beyond the classroom walls and need to be defined long before anything happens in the classroom (Basturkmen, 2010). In my presentation I offered a model of how such courses can be created by focusing on every stage of the process, thus delivering a set of 'guiding principles' for those seeking to initiate a university level ESP program from scratch.


A male of Avicularia rickwesti Bertani & Huff, 2013 from Pedernales province, Dominican Republic in the Greater Antillean island of Hispaniola is, herein, described and figured. The males of Avicularia rickwesti differ from all other congeners by the presence of well-developed keels on the embolus of the palpal bulb. The species is rediagnosed.


A number of studies for industrialized countries assess how a transition to a sustainable, low-carbon economy might affect employment. These typically find overall job gains compared to "business-as-usual" scenarios. The more detailed of these studies address not just changes in the total number of jobs, but also underlying job movements as well as the quality of jobs. Such knowledge is vital to informing policies that enable a just transition to a green economy, yet there are few comparable studies for developing countries. A key bottleneck is the scarcity of information, particularly employment and production data on green jobs as well as on linkages with the rest of the economy. As part of the ILO's Global Green Jobs Programme, this guide provides practical solutions tailored to the considerations of developing countries that can help fill these information gaps. The guide adopts a menu approach, providing policy-makers with a range of options that take into account time and resource constraints as well as policy priorities. Though meant to stand on its own, the guide also serves as a companion to a series of country studies published separately by the ILO, which provide country-specific details on how the guide can be applied.

The guide was developed by GHK Consultants and the ILO headquarters and regional office in Bangkok in the context of the national green jobs mapping study carried out in Bangladesh in 2010.


Purpose/objective: The purpose of this article is to investigate the relationship between value- and life-orientation and job satisfaction, as well as determining the influence of gender, age and cultural group within the selected South African organisational context. Problem investigated: The success of a diverse organisation in a complex globalised world is largely dependent on the values of managers, their life-orientation and their level of job satisfaction. Managers and employees, in a multicultural and diverse South African organisational context, need to be aware of and manage their similarities and differences in these aspects to contribute to overall organisational success. Design and/or research methodology and/or approach: In this exploratory research, use is made of a quantitative perspective in the positivist research paradigm. Value-orientations of managers (N = 30) at a selected parastatal organisation in the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa were measured by making use of the Schwartz Value Survey (SVS) (Schwartz, 1992,1994); life-orientation, also referred to as Sense of Coherence (SOC), was assessed by using Antonovsky's (1997) Life Orientation Questionnaire as well as job satisfaction (JS) using Smith, Kendall and Hulin's (1969)'s Job Descriptive Index. Data were analysed using the R statistical software package (R Development Core Team, 2010). Each of the three research instruments (SVS, SOC & JS) considered in this study were used to calculate descriptive statistics and univariate statistical methodologies were used to test the various hypotheses. Findings and/or implementations: In terms of value-orientation, the value of benevolence (preservation and enhancement of the welfare of others) was scored the highest by the managers, and a significant difference was found in the average value scale score of stimulation (excitement, novelty, and challenge in life) and age. The findings with regard to life-orientation indicated that manageability and comprehensibility were more important to managers than meaningfulness. A significant difference was found between meaningfulness and gender. In terms of cultural groups, significant differences between the average African and Indian and White and Indian meaningfulness scale scores were found. With regard to job satisfaction, there was generally a highly satisfied response to co-workers and a moderate satisfaction with work and supervisors. However, respondents were dissatisfied with pay and promotion. Additionally, significant relationships were found between some of the life- and value-orientation scales; the value-orientation and job satisfaction scales; and life-values and job satisfaction scales. Originality and/or value of research: This paper is based on original research and contributes to a better understanding of the relationship between value- and life-orientation and job satisfaction in a South African organisational context, as well as contributing towards empirical evidence of such relationships. Even though there seems to be a theoretical relationship between value and life-orientation, no empirical evidence to support this assertion has been found, highlighting the importance of this exploratory research. It has also been found that value-orientation is related to job satisfaction, and that life-orientation is related to job satisfaction. However, the theoretical link between life-orientation and job satisfaction has received relatively little research attention in South Africa, and empirical evidence to support this within a South African perspective is required. The findings of this exploratory research will also be of value to the selected organisation, and will provide information that can be used to develop intervention strategies. Conclusion: Managers in this parastatal highly value socially orientated values, indicating a strong in-group, mutual support and a concern for society, reflecting the vision and nature of the organisation. Referring to life-orientation, a stronger sense of meaningfulness could positively influence organisational meaning and managerial satisfaction. Greater job satisfaction could increase the value of life-orientation for managers. In terms of the relationship between value- and life-orientation, negative and positive linear relationships were found. Negative linear relationships were found between value-orientation and job satisfaction, while a positive linear relationship was found between life-orientation and job satisfaction.


ARTICLE INFO In most of the chemical engineering processes, the phenomena of mass and heat transfer are among their inseparable parts. In the present paper, simultaneous heat and mass transfer has been studied experimentally by a laboratory setup. In this apparatus, the existence of condensation and evaporation created due to heat transfer causes mass transfer and finally influences the coefficient of heat transfer. Also, mass transfer changes heat distribution in heat transfer phenomena that causes total change in heat flux. Thus, in this apparatus, some experiments have been carried out through changing different parameters such as temperature and flow rate for two fluids, water and air. Also in this paper, it is tried to compare the function of these systems with each other and the results acquired from the experiments as well as the capacity of these systems in analyzing the results were studied through artificial neural networks. From among the neural networks used in this paper, we may refer to RBF, MLP networks. The studies indicate that the MLP network is not able to predict properly due to lack of any facility for noise filtration and RBF network has the best function due to having a stronger theoretical basis.


This study has focused on investigating the initiation, propagation and effects of damage in fibre-metal laminates (FMLs) specifically Glare® 4B under buckling, postbuckling and high cycle fatigue through the use of novel numerical and experimental techniques.
In terms of numerical analysis, a 3D user-defined cohesive zone model (CZM) has been generated to simulate delamination initiation and growth in specimens under static compressive stresses, using the software Abaqus. The generated models have been validated using a comprehensive literature review in order to gather reliable mechanical properties for the Glare® material constituents. Following this, a modified cohesive zone model (CZM) based on a trapezoidal traction-separation law has been developed by the author to simulate damage evolution under high cycle fatigue loading. This model was implemented through a user-written VUMAT subroutine working through the interface of Abaqus/Explicit software. This model is able to simulate elastic-plastic interfacial damage behaviour and as such is suitable for ductile adhesives including toughened epoxy unlike bilinear cohesive zone models which can only accurately simulate damage in brittle adhesives. This makes it suitable for modelling any material interface which incorporates ductile adhesives.
The numerical buckling results were validated using a series of experimental tests conducted on Glare® 4B specimens containing splice and doubler features in addition to flat specimens containing artificial circular delamination manufactured by Airbus Germany, demonstrating the ability of the models developed to predict the onset and propagation of damage. Experimental fatigue tests were then implemented on Glare® 4B specimens containing splice and doubler features manufactured in-house, to
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obtain fatigue life for these types of joints, with fatigue parameters extracted from literature on similar grades of Glare® used to validate the trapezoidal traction-separation law based cohesive zone model. Static tests were monitored using Digital Image Correlation (DIC) to provide full-field displacement data and Acoustic Emission (AE) for the detection and location of the damage using traditional AE analysis and novel Delta-T techniques respectively, with Acoustic Emission (AE) using traditional AE analysis technique being used for damage detection under fatigue loading.
Finite element models were also generated to model the buckling and postbuckling behaviour of Glare specimens containing splice and doubler joints and showed good agreement with experiments in terms of in-plane and out-of-plane displacements. In experiments, artificial delaminations representative of those which could potentially be generated during manufacturing had a negligible effect on the compressive strength of specimens. Acoustic Emission (AE) was successfully used to detect and locate damage initiation and propagation under buckling loads.
Of particular importance in this body of work are the implementation of a trapezoidal traction separation model to predict the initiation and propagation of damage in elastic-plastic materials such as the resin used in the Fibre Metal Laminate Glare under high cycle fatigue and the detection and location of this damage using a bespoke mapping algorithm for the interpretation of Acoustic Emission data.