Plants have evolved highly sophisticated light-harvesting mechanisms that allow for increased environmental tolerances and robustness, enhanced photo-efficiencies and prolonged lifetimes. These mechanisms incorporate the dynamic, cyclic self-assembly of proteins necessary for continual plant regeneration. Synthetic solar conversion devices, on the other hand, are designed to be static devices. Material and processing costs continue to be important constraints for commercial devices, and the earth abundance of requisite elements have become a recent concern. One potential solution to these problems lies in the development of biomimetic solar conversion devices that take advantage of the low material costs, negative carbon footprint, material abundance and dynamic self-assembly capabilities of photosynthetic proteins. Although research in this area is ongoing, this review is intended to give a brief overview of current biomimetic strategies incorporated into light-harvesting and energy-conversion mechanisms of synthetic solar devices, as well as self-repair and regeneration mechanisms adapted from plant-based processes.


Due to the crisis of 2007–2009, financial friction macro models are being used to provide a theoretical foundation for the evaluation of 'unconventional policy'. In these models, banks take deposits from households and lend to firms. Empirically, other financial channels that are missing in the models, such as corporate bonds and equity, are also important. This paper analyzes a model in which bank loans and equity are both feasible. Households have limited ability to enforce their claims. If either the bank or the equity market are undistorted, the equilibrium is socially efficient. If both are distorted, the equilibrium is inefficient. In that case, government policy aimed at the bank or at the firm can be helpful. Suitably chosen equity injections, loans, or interest rate subsidies can all work. Interest rate subsidies have the advantage that they occur later and there is less concern about cheating. Equity injections have the advantage that they minimize the necessary level of tax imposed on households that is needed to achieve optimality. Optimal equity injections and optimal loan subsidies induce reductions in household savings ('crowding out'). Optimal interest rate subsidies induce increases in household savings ('crowding in').


During a consultation at Delphi, one of Apollo's servants imagined, heard, intuited, or feigned Apollo's presence and then uttered Apollo's divine response to the human client who made inquiry of the god. Such inspired mimicry appears incomprehensible to the non-believing distant observer to whom Apollo no longer speaks. Scholars hear nothing at Delphi and, steadfast in their faith in positivism, claim Apollo said nothing. In a similar fashion, scholars have pronounced that the Pythia, like Apollo, did not speak at Delphi, or that her attendant prophets reformulated her utterances and converted them into comprehensible prose or verse. Such a reconstruction of the divinatory consultation at Delphi, however, finds no support in the ancient evidence. Not one ancient source suggests that anyone other than the Pythia issued oracular responses.


Context. Among the main effects that the Milky Way exerts in binary systems, the Galactic tide is the only one that is not probabilistic and can be deduced from a potential. Therefore, it is possible to perform an analysis of the global structure of the phase space of binary systems in the solar neighbourhood using the Galactic potential. Aims. The aim of this work is to obtain a simple model to study the collisionless dynamical evolution of generic wide binaries systems in the solar neighbourhood. Methods. Through an averaging process, we reduced the three-dimensional potential of the Galaxy to a secular one-degree of freedom model. The accuracy of this model was tested by comparing its predictions with numerical simulations of the exact equations of motion of a two-body problem disturbed by the Galaxy. Results. Using the one-degree of freedom model, we developed a detailed dynamical study, finding that the secular Galactic tide period changes as a function of the separation of the pair, which also gives a dynamical explanation for the arbitrary classification between "wide" and "tight" binaries. Moreover, the secular phase space for a generic gravitationally bound pair is similar to the dynamical structure of a Lidov-Kozai resonance, but surprisingly this structure is independent of the masses and semimajor axis of the binary system. Thus, the Galactic potential is able to excite the initially circular orbit of binary systems to high values of eccentricity, which has important implications for studies of binary star systems (with and without exoplanets), comets, and Oort cloud objects.


Oil exports play a major role in the economic development of Kazakhstan, the largest petroleum producer in Central Asia. But the country's vast plains also hold significant renewable energy potential that remains largely untouched, particularly solar and wind power. This major potential could help the country reach its ambitious goals of diversifying most of its electricity generation away from coal use while cutting harmful greenhouse gas emissions. Improving the country's ageing Soviet-era infrastructure also holds significant promise for advancing energy efficiency.
The International Energy Agency selected Kazakhstan as a key player in regional efforts to deploy low carbon technologies in Central Asia for a pilot study developed with the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development. This Clean Energy Technology Assessment Methodology programme aims to provide clear and transparent information about renewable energy and energy efficiency technology markets, with the goal of identifying the most promising technologies for policy support and investment and establishing metrics for tracking their deployment over time.
This report assesses a range of technological options in Kazakhstan on both the demand and supply side to determine which show the most potential for further development, in line with the country's policy goals and resource endowment. Appropriate policies and measures that support effective renewables deployment and grid integration would help Kazakhstan reach its diversification targets sooner. Phasing-out of energy subsidies and developing in-depth monitoring indicators would allow the country to better track the implementation of planned energy efficiency measures and optimise its energy savings potential.


Abstract Graph disaggregation is a technique used to address the high cost of computation for power law graphs on parallel processors. The few high-degree vertices are broken into multiple small-degree vertices, in order to allow for more efficient computation in parallel. In particular, we consider computations involving the graph Laplacian, which has significant applications, including diffusion mapping and graph partitioning, among others. We prove results regarding the spectral approximation of the Laplacian of the original graph by the Laplacian of the disaggregated graph. In addition, we construct an alternate disaggregation operator whose eigenvalues interlace those of the original Laplacian. Using this alternate operator, we construct a uniform preconditioner for the original graph Laplacian.


How disruptive is Covid-19 to everyday life? How is the French population experiencing the lockdown? Is it magnifying existing inequalities and affecting social cohesion? The CoCo project sheds light on these pres-sing questions by comparing living conditions in France before and after the lockdown. This is the first of a series of research briefs that we will publish in the forthcoming weeks. We will explore this new experience of "sheltering-in-place" and its impact on family life, schooling, work, health and well-being. This brief ex-plores how French society has coped with the first two weeks of the lockdown. We find that the virus has rapidly become a tangible threat, as more than forty percent of the population knows someone who has been infected. Despite this, three out of four persons say that they do not feel overly stressed out. In certain cases, the reaction has been almost philosophical -- long hours spent at home allow people to slow down and think about the meaning of life. More than anything else, it is having access to green spaces and nature which provides some relief to those attempting to cope with this home-based social organization. Still, some cracks have appeared. Women, foreign-born residents, and individuals facing financial hardship are subject to greater emotional strain than the rest of the population. Gender inequalities have been particularly rein-forced during the lockdown: women have been spending even more time than usual cleaning and taking care of others. Although the Covid-19 virus tends to disproportionately strike men, the consequences of the lockdown more intensely affect women.


Gender equity is increasingly being acknowledged as an essential aspect of sustainable development and more specifically, of health development. The Pan American Health Organization's Program for Women, Health, and Development has been piloting for a year now a project known as Equidad de genero en las politicas de reforma del sector de salud, whose objective is to promote gender equity in the health sector reform efforts in the Region. The first stage of the project is being conducted in Chile and Peru, along with some activities throughout the Region. The core of the project is the production and use of information as a tool for introducing changes geared toward achieving greater gender equity in health, particularly in connection with male-female disparities that are unnecessary, avoidable, and unfair in health status, access to health care, and participation in decision-making within the health system. We expect that in three years the project will have brought about changes in the production of information and knowledge, advocacy, and information dissemination, as well as in the development, appropriation, and identification of intersectoral mechanisms that will make it possible for key figures in government and civil society to work together in setting and surveying policy on gender equity in health.


-- "The space within the building is the reality of that building." So says Frank Lloyd Wright in "The Destruction of the Box, " an address in which he recalls for his audience the origins of hib break with previous architectural thought. According to Satler, Wright's approach, "organic architecture, " reveals space as a lived and living entity, one that achieves its full meaning only when it becomes inscribed with the actual practices of those who inhabit it.This sociological analysis of Wright's architecture examines the interaction between people and the spaces they create. Satler shows how Wright explored a new architectural dimension, the space in which we live.Focusing on the Larkin Building (1904) and Unity Temple (1907), works that Wright considered important but that have received little attention, Satler delineates the social nature of space. She provides an analytic framework through which to understand Wright's building and his writings, revealing how the history of such works and cultural landscapes offers a basis for making social, political, and spatial choices about the future.Wright's specific architectural works provide a framework for constructing social histories of places and people because his design represent a natural way to build and to live within a larger social landscape. This original study will appeal to sociologists, architects, urban and architectural historians, urban planners and anthropologists, and those interested in the work of Frank Lloyd Wright.


Optical flow estimation is discussed based on a model for time-varying images more general than that implied by Horn and Schunk (1981). The emphasis is on applications where low contrast imagery, nonrigid or evolving object patterns movement, as well as large interframe displacements are encountered. Template matching is identified as having advantages over point correspondence and the gradient-based approach in dealing with such applications. The two fundamental uncertainties in feature matching, whether template matching or feature point correspondences, are discussed. Correlation template matching procedures are established based on likelihood measurement. A method for determining optical flow is developed by combining template matching and relaxation labeling. A number of candidate displacements for each template and their respective likelihood measures are determined. Then, relaxation labeling is employed to iteratively update each candidate's likelihood by requiring smoothness within a motion field. Real cloud images from satellites are used to test the method. >


Economy-wide rebound is often presented as a necessary 'evil' accompanying economic expansion triggered by energy efficiency improvements. We challenge this position in two, inter-related ways. First, we question the emphasis on potential technical energy savings and losses due to rebound in energy efficiency policy evaluation. This abstracts from the wider economic and societal impacts of energy efficiency improvements that are often positive and valuable to policy makers. Second, we propose that economic expansion and economy-wide rebound need not be highly correlated. We argue that energy efficiency actions targeted at improving the competitiveness of less energy-intensive means of providing services, such as heat and transport, may provide opportunities to boost economic activity while minimising rebound effects. This perspective involves a change in current policy and research thinking, particularly in terms of the type of substitution possibilities that we should focus on in enhancing energy efficiency, economic expansion and rebound relations.


On 31 March 2011, the United Nations Secretary-General's panel of experts handed down a report on 'Accountability in Sri Lanka'. Among other things, the report observed that the Attorney-General's Department in Sri Lanka suffers from a lack of independence from the President. Further, the Department plays a dual role both advising the government and functioning as the public prosecutorial agency. The Sri Lankan Solicitor-General is part of this Department, and is therefore either paralysed by, or a product of, these institutional dichotomies. This article will seek to explain the role of the Solicitor-General in Sri Lanka, and the controversial relationship between the Attorney-General's Department and the President. It will briefly explore the historical context, identify the appointment process, and describe the current functions of the Sri Lankan Solicitor-General. It will argue that the Solicitor-General cannot be both public prosecutor and government advisor, and perform either role with integrity. Therefore, the Solicitor-General in Sri Lanka should be established as an independent statutory office, and the prosecutorial function should be transferred to a separate government agency, rather than under the President.


We have considered three two-dimensional (2D)
π-conjugated polymer networks (i.e., covalent organic frameworks, COFs)
materials based on pyrene, porphyrin, and zinc-porphyrin cores connected via diacetylenic linkers. Their
electronic structures, investigated at the density functional theory
global-hybrid level, are indicative of valence and conduction bands that have
large widths, ranging between 1 and 2 eV. Using a molecular approach to derive
the electronic couplings between adjacent core units and the electron-vibration
couplings, the three π-conjugated 2D COFs are predicted to have ambipolar
charge-transport characteristics with electron and hole mobilities in the range
of 65-95 cm2V-1s-1. Such predicted values rank
these 2D COFs among the highest-mobility organic semiconductors. In addition,
we have synthesized the zinc-porphyrin based 2D COF and carried out structural
characterization via powder X-ray diffraction and surface area analysis, which
demonstrates the feasability of these electroactive networks.


The aim of this research work is evaluating energy saving and environmental benefits of vegetal facades in comparison to traditional facades. In order to achieve this objective, a particular type of vegetal facade has been studied and installed in an experimental building. A similar facade without the vegetation layer has also been installed in the same building in order to compare both facade models. All the components of the two experimental facades are monitored by state probes that register temperature data of the layers that conform each experimental closing module in periods of five minutes. In addition, a weather station that has been installed in the same experimental building provides data about solar radiation, humidity, pluviometry, wind speed. Results show that during summer time the temperature of those layers of the facade with vegetation are lower than the one registered in the facade without vegetation. The reason of this fact is that the temperature of the leaves is similar to the one of the air, whereas the outside cladding is overheated due to the action of solar radiation. In the case of winter, the vegetation layer goes on with its role of a solar protection element and this means negative effects for the optimal use of solar radiation in walling. In conclusion, the optimal use of these prototypes of facades according to the climate of Colmenar Viejo (Madrid), whose climatic characteristics are hot summers and cold winters, carries important benefits related to comfort conditions in buildings. The way to optimize the system in winter consists on the incorporation of deciduous vegetation in the facades prototypes. cooling effect, thermal comfort, adiabatic space, monitoring method, state sensor. www.witpress.com, ISSN 1743-3541 (on-line) © 2009 WIT Press WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment, Vol 127,


Networks commonly exhibit a community structure, whereby groups of vertices are more densely connected to each other than to other vertices. Often these communities overlap, such that each vertex may occur in more than one community. However, two distinct types of overlapping are possible: crisp (where each vertex belongs fully to each community of which it is a member) and fuzzy (where each vertex belongs to each community to a different extent). We investigate the effects of the fuzziness of community overlap. We find that it has a strong effect on the performance of community detection methods: some algorithms perform better with fuzzy overlapping while others favour crisp overlapping. We also evaluate the performance of some algorithms that recover the belonging coefficients when the overlap is fuzzy. Finally, we investigate whether real networks contain fuzzy or crisp overlapping.


Although multicomputers are becoming feasible for solving large problems, they are difficult to program: Extraction of parallelism from scalar languages is possible, but limited. Parallelism in algorithm design is difficult for those who think in von Neumann terms. Portability of programs and programming skills can only be achieved by hiding the underlying machine architecture from the user, yet this may impact performance on a specific host.APL, J, and other applicative array languages with adequately rich semantics can do much to solve these problems. The paper discusses the value of abstraction and semantic richness, performance issues, portability, potential degree of parallelism, data distribution, process creation, communication and synchronization, frequency of program faults, and clarity of expression. The BLAS are used as a basis for comparison with traditional supercomputing languages.


Abstract Weakly peralkaline syenite ejecta within the plinian fall deposits of Agua de Pau volcano (São Miguel, Azores Islands) are divisible into (1) silica-undersaturated and (2) silica-saturated/oversaturated groups. The first group occurs in the pre-Fogo-A pyroclastic falls (15.2 ka) whereas the second occurs in the Fogo-A pumices (5 ka). The petrography indicates that the syenites of both groups crystallized at shallow depths and whole-rock geochemistry shows that they have compositions reflecting those of the Agua de Pau trachyte magmas. The syenites are inferred to be derived from solidification zones around the margins of the parental magma chamber. Mineral parageneses in both syenite groups permit distinction of three magmatic stages of crystallization: (1) an early crystallization stage; (2) a main crystallization stage during which most of the feldspar growth occurred; and (3) a late interstitial stage. Crystallization of the trachytic magmas yielded peralkaline residuals, highly enriched in volatiles, alkalis, HFSE and REE. In the silica-undersaturated syenites, the complex Zr-Ti silicate minerals, eudialyte and a låvenite-like mineral, crystallized interstitially from the residual magmas. In contrast, the zircono-silicate dalyite, and REE-rich minerals (chevkinite-(Ce), britholite-(Ce) and pyrochlore), together with thorite, were late-stage interstitial products of the silica-saturated/oversaturated syenites.


Amid the disintegration of the Kingdom of Italy in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, a new form of collective government—the commune—arose in the cities of northern and central Italy. This book takes a bold new look at how these autonomous city-states came about, and fundamentally alters our understanding of one of the most important political and cultural innovations of the medieval world. The book provides richly textured portraits of three cities—Milan, Pisa, and Rome—and sets them against a vibrant backcloth of other towns. It argues that, in all but a few cases, the élite of these cities and towns developed one of the first nonmonarchical forms of government in medieval Europe, unaware that they were creating something altogether new. The book makes clear that the Italian city commune was by no means a democracy in the modern sense, but that it was so novel that outsiders did not know what to make of it. It describes how, as the old order unraveled, the communes emerged, governed by consular elites "chosen by the people," and subject to neither emperor nor king. They regularly fought each other, yet they grew organized and confident enough to ally together to defeat Frederick Barbarossa, the German emperor, at the Battle of Legnano in 1176. This book reveals how the development of the autonomous city-state took place, which would in the end make possible the robust civic culture of the Renaissance.


In sensor networks, data traffic is concentrated towards a small number of base stations, and those nodes close to the base station have to relay large amount of data for the rest of the network. This would deplete the batteries of these nodes very quickly, and reduce the network lifetime. In order to alleviate this problem, a novel solution is proposed in this paper, where the transmission powers of the nodes in the network are determined based on their distance from the base station. This solution promises to balance the energy consumption in the network without periodically collecting network state information or using nodes with special capabilities. The optimal affine distance-based routing strategy is analytically determined, and it is shown that the proposed method can increase the network lifetime by more than twice of that in a network employing minimum energy routing scheme with constant transmission ranges. Finally, the optimal transmission ranges of the nodes are characterized with respect to the network size and the energy costs due to transmit amplifier and transceiver electronics.


We present a plug-in replacement for batch normalization (BN) called exponential moving average normalization (EMAN), which improves the performance of existing student-teacher based self- and semi-supervised learning techniques. Unlike the standard BN, where the statistics are computed within each batch, EMAN, used in the teacher, updates its statistics by exponential moving average from the BN statistics of the student. This design reduces the intrinsic cross-sample dependency of BN and enhances the generalization of the teacher. EMAN improves strong baselines for self-supervised learning by 4-6/1-2 points and semi-supervised learning by about 7/2 points, when 1%/10% supervised labels are available on ImageNet. These improvements are consistent across methods, network architectures, training duration, and datasets, demonstrating the general effectiveness of this technique. The code will be made available online.


Hardware distortions (HWDs) render drastic effects on the performance of communication systems. They are recently proven to bear asymmetric signatures; and hence can be efficiently mitigated using improper Gaussian signaling (IGS), thanks to its additional design degrees of freedom. Discrete asymmetric signaling (AS) can practically realize the IGS by shaping the signals' geometry or probability. In this paper, we adopt the probabilistic shaping (PS) instead of uniform symbols to mitigate the impact of HWDs and derive the optimal maximum a posterior detector. Then, we design the symbols' probabilities to minimize the error rate performance while accommodating the improper nature of HWD. Although the design problem is a non-convex optimization problem, we simplified it using successive convex programming and propose an iterative algorithm. We further present a hybrid shaping (HS) design to gain the combined benefits of both PS and geometric shaping (GS). Finally, extensive numerical results and Monte Carlo (MC) simulations highlight the superiority of the proposed PS over conventional uniform constellation and GS. Both PS and HS achieve substantial improvements over the traditional uniform constellation and GS with up to one order magnitude in error probability and throughput.


Bifurcating phylogenies are frequently used to describe the evolutionary history of groups of related species. However, simple bifurcating models may poorly represent the evolutionary history of species that have been exchanging genes. Here, we show that the history of three well–known closely related species, Drosophila pseudoobscura, D. persimilis and D. p. bogotana, is not well represented by a bifurcating phylogenetic tree. The phylogenetic relationships among these species vary widely between different genomic regions. Much of this phylogenetic variation can be explained by the potential of different genomic regions to introgress between species, as measured in laboratory studies. We argue that the utility of multiple markers in species–level phylogenetic studies can be greatly enhanced by knowledge of genomic location and, in the case of hybridizing species, by knowledge of the functional or linkage relationships among the markers and regions of the genome that reduce hybrid fitness.


Factors which modify the excretion profiles of acute kidney injury biomarkers are difficult to measure. To facilitate biomarker choice and interpretation we modelled key modifying factors: extent of hyperfiltration or reduced glomerular filtration rate, structural damage, and reduced nephron number. The time-courses of pre-formed, induced (upregulated), and filtered biomarker concentrations were modelled in single nephrons, then combined to construct three multiple-nephron models: a healthy kidney with normal nephron number, a non-diabetic hyperfiltering kidney with reduced nephron number but maintained total glomerular filtration rate, and a chronic kidney disease kidney with reduced nephron number and reduced glomerular filtration rate. Time-courses for each model were derived for acute kidney injury scenarios of structural damage and/or reduced nephron number. The model predicted that pre-formed biomarkers would respond quickest to injury with a brief period of elevation, which would be easily missed in clinical scenarios. Induced biomarker time-courses would be influenced by biomarker-specific physiology and the balance between insult severity (which increased single nephron excretion), the number of remaining nephrons (reduced total excretion), and the extent of glomerular filtration rate reduction (increased concentration). Filtered biomarkers have the longest time-course because plasma levels increased following glomerular filtration rate decrease. Peak concentration and profile depended on the extent of damage to the reabsorption mechanism and recovery rate. Rapid recovery may be detected through a rapid reduction in urinary concentration. For all biomarkers, impaired hyperfiltration substantially increased concentration, especially with chronic kidney disease. For clinical validation of these model-derived predictions the clinical biomarker of choice will depend on timing in relation to renal insult and interpretation will require the pre-insult nephron number (renal mass) and detection of hyperfiltration.


In order to prepare students to be globally competitive, teachers must equip them with the knowledge and skills to be successful in the 21 century. To this aim, school spending on ebooks and e-readers is at an all-time high, but evidence indicates teachers are not fully integrating them into the reading classroom. This qualitative study was grounded in sociocultural theory and explored veteran primary teachers' knowledge of and persistent attitudes about using e-books in reading instruction. Within a collaborative inquiry group, five teachers explored the way to best use e-books in their primary reading classrooms. Through the cyclical process of planning, observing, acting, and reflecting, the teachers explored e-books during the meetings and then took them into the classroom to use with their students. Data sources included semi-structured interviews, participant observation notes, transcribed audio recordings, and reflective journals. Thematic and directed content analyses were used on the data, and findings of both analyses were presented in a pleated text that framed analytical texts with researcher notes. Findings demonstrated that there was an emotionality to reading books in traditional and electronic format, but by experimenting with the e-books in the supportive, dialogic context of the collaborative inquiry meeting, teachers changed both their knowledge of and persistent attitudes about electronic books. Important implications were noted for professional development coordinators, administrators, and policy-makers. INDEX WORDS: Electronic books, Teacher perceptions, Collaborative inquiry OPENED EYES, OPENED MINDS: THE STORY OF A COLLABORATIVE INQUIRY INTO ELECTRONIC BOOK USE IN THE PRIMARY READING CLASSROOM


We consider the problem of linear regression from strategic data sources with a public good component, i.e., when data is provided by strategic agents who seek to minimize an individual provision cost for increasing their data's precision while benefiting from the model's overall precision. In contrast to previous works, our model tackles the case where there is uncertainty on the attributes characterizing the agents' data -- a critical aspect of the problem when the number of agents is large. We provide a characterization of the game's equilibrium, which reveals an interesting connection with optimal design. Subsequently, we focus on the asymptotic behavior of the covariance of the linear regression parameters estimated via generalized least squares as the number of data sources becomes large. We provide upper and lower bounds for this covariance matrix and we show that, when the agents' provision costs are superlinear, the model's covariance converges to zero but at a slower rate relative to virtually all learning problems with exogenous data. On the other hand, if the agents' provision costs are linear, this covariance fails to converge. This shows that even the basic property of consistency of generalized least squares estimators is compromised when the data sources are strategic.


Economists have long believed that government's tax and expendi- ture policy either is, or can readily be made to be, neutral to the market. Free-market economists have advocated such neutrality of government, and even economists favoring redistributive actions by government have believed that the service activities and the re- distributive activities of government can easily be distinguished, at least in concept. The purpose of this paper is to examine the nature and implications of fiscally neutral government; the paper argues that all government activities necessari(y divert incomes, re- sources, and assets from the market, and therefore that the quest for a neutral tax or expenditure policy is an impossible one and the concept a myth...


Abstract. As part of the GlobColour project, daily chlorophyll a observations, derived using remotely sensed ocean colour data from the MERIS, MODIS and SeaWiFS sensors, are produced. The ability of these products to be assimilated into a pre-operational global coupled physical-biogeochemical model has been tested, on both a hindcast and near-real-time basis, and the impact on the system assessed. The assimilation was found to immediately and considerably improve the bias, root mean square error and correlation of modelled surface chlorophyll concentration compared to the GlobColour observations, an improvement which was sustained throughout the year and in every ocean basin. Errors against independent in situ chlorophyll observations were also reduced, both at and beneath the ocean surface. However, the model fit to in situ observations was not consistently better than that of climatology, due to errors in the underlying model. The assimilation scheme used is multivariate, updating all biogeochemical model state variables at all depths. The other variables were not degraded by the assimilation, with annual mean surface fields of nutrients, alkalinity and carbon variables remaining of similar quality compared to climatology. There was evidence of improved representation of zooplankton concentration, and reduced errors were seen against in situ observations of nitrate and pCO2, but too few observations were available to conclude about global model skill. The near-real-time GlobColour products were found to be sufficiently reliable for operational purposes, and of benefit to both operational-style systems and reanalyses.


After studying fine arts in the United Kingdom, David settled in Australia. Here, he worked for large advertising agencies and design studios before starting his own practice.

David's work has appeared in numerous Australian and European graphic design publications. He is a multiple award recipient, including from the prestigious Goethe Institute. David is one of only five Australian designers admitted to Alliance Graphique Internationale.

In 1999 he was admitted to the Victorian Government Design Hall of Fame.

David has directed projects for Australian National Council of the Arts in Kakadu National Park. Included were the Bowali Visitor Centre and the Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre. Most recently David directed design of the Bunjilaka Aboriginal Centre at Melbourne Museum.

David draws inspiration for his works on paper from the artifacts and ancient rituals of indigenous Australians.

In this lecture he discusses his work.


This chapter overviews the current state of the emerging discipline of DNA nanorobotics that make use of synthetic DNA to self-assemble operational molecular-scale devices. Recently there have been a series of quite astonishing experimental results—which have taken the technology from a state of intriguing possibilities into demonstrated capabilities of quickly increasing scale and complexity. We first state the challenges in molecular robotics and discuss why DNA as a nanoconstruction material is ideally suited to overcome these. We then review the design and demonstration of a wide range of molecular-scale devices; from DNA nanomachines that change conformation in response to their environment to DNA walkers that can be programmed to walk along predefined paths on nanostructures while carrying cargo or performing computations, to tweezers that can repeatedly switch states. We conclude by listing major challenges in the field along with some possible future directions.


The main purpose of this study is to know the improvement of teaching English speaking by using Communicative Language Teaching method. The method of this research is classroom action research (CAR). The data in this research is used percentages analysis. The respondents of this research are VII A students of Mts Ja-alhaq, Sentot Ali Basa Islamic Boarding School of Bengkulu which consist of 25 students. Based on result of data analysis there are improvements on students' speaking achievement in each cycle. The data shows that in pre-assessment students' speaking is 0% (excellent), 0% (very good), 20% (good) 36% (low) and 44 % (failed). In cycle I students speaking achievement is 0% (excellent), 8% (very good), 24% (good), 32% (low), 36% (failed). In cycle II the students speaking achievement is 0% (excellent), 16% (very good), 44% (good), 20% (low) and 20% (failed). In cycle III students' speaking achievement is 12% (excellent), 20% (very good), 56% (good), 8% (low) and 4% (failed). In cycle IV students' speaking achievement is 24% (excellent), 48% (very good), 28% (good), 0% (low) and 0% (failed). This research indicates that the using of Communicative Language Teaching method can improve students' speaking achievement at the first year students of Mts Ja-alhaq, Sentot Ali Basa Islamic Boarding School of Bengkulu academic year 20011/ 2012.


Reviewing the publications of the last three decades, this article demonstrates that the period in question has been predictably marked by sharply increased attention to the sexual aspects of the book of Judges, and especially by sustained attempts to discover sexuality in the texts that had been commonly read with little to no reference to it. Refreshing as it is in many respects, this trend suffers from multiple vulnerabilities, including the exegetes' tendency to stretch semantics of the biblical lexemes, ignore the syntactic layout and context of the discussed fragments, rely on problematic sexual symbolism, and produce interpretations that are less than edifying for contemporary Western audiences. As a result, much, although by no means all, of the recent quest for sexuality in Judges is unsustainable, as far as both the text and the reader are concerned.


Presenting both indoor and outdoor work, this volume examines the depth and breadth of George Rickey's sculptural oeuvre between 1950 and 2000 and its place in the history of American art. Trained originally as a painter, George Rickey turned to sculpture in 1949. In 1964 his kinetic piece Two Lines Temporal established him internationally as a major figure in the history of kinetic sculpture, according to art historian Nan Rosenthal. In 1966 he gave up teaching to devote himself entirely to his creative work. The recipient of 10 honorary doctorate degrees and many awards and honors, George Rickey built a stellar career as an exhibiting artist, author, and professor of art in the U.S. and abroad.


Artificial intelligence will transform medicine. One particularly attractive possibility is the democratization of medical expertise. If black-box medical algorithms can be trained to match the performance of high-level human experts — to identify malignancies as well as trained radiologists, to diagnose diabetic retinopathy as well as board-certified ophthalmologists, or to recommend tumor-specific courses of treatment as well as top-ranked oncologists — then those algorithms could be deployed in medical settings where human experts are not available, and patients could benefit.

But there is a problem with this vision. Privacy law, malpractice, insurance reimbursement, and FDA approval standards all encourage developers to train medical AI in high-resource contexts, such as academic medical centers. And put simply, care is different in high-resource settings than it is in low-resource settings such as community health centers or rural providers in less-developed countries. Patient populations differ, as do the resources available to administer treatment and the resources available to pay for that treatment. This development pattern will lead to decreases in the quality of the algorithm's recommendations, reflected in problematic care and increased costs. Perniciously, such quality problems in low-resource contexts are likely to go unrecognized for exactly the same reasons that promote algorithmic training in high-resource contexts.

Solutions are not trivial. Labeling products the same way that drugs are labeled is unlikely to work, and truly addressing the problem may require a combination of public investment in data to train medical AI and regulatory requirements for cross-context validation. Nevertheless, if black-box medicine is to achieve its goal of bringing excellent medicine to broad sets of patients, the problem of contextual bias should be recognized and addressed sooner rather than later.


The creation of music incorporating emergent technologies has occurred throughout
history across a range of styles. In the past fifty years advances in electronic and, more
recently, digital technologies have led to a range of new music making practices. Most
recently, rapid advances in computer technology have enabled the results of complex
digital manipulations of sound to be heard in real time, allowing the computer to
become a powerful live performance and composition tool. As new technologies
emerge, new musical forms based on various levels of synthesis of pre-composed and
improvisation based composition methods are developed. This research seeks to
identify, define, categorise, explore and develop compositional methods in which
traditional composition techniques and emergent technologies intersect.

The research has historical, analytical and personal practice components and is situated
in the fields of music analysis, music technology and composition. The deficiencies of
existing analytical methodologies are discussed with particular reference to emergent
technologies, music creation, recording practice, and interdisciplinary theoretical issues.
A text-based, parametric analysis method is developed and applied to thirty-six selected
key works in electronic/electroacoustic, improvised, rock and electronic dance music
(EDM) genres. The works analysed originate from the USA, Europe and the UK and
span the past seventy years. The analytical method considers the processes, shaping
factors (i.e., contextual or extramusical elements) and inputs (i.e., textual or musical
elements) involved in the creation of works and is intended to address both conserved
and emergent technological elements. Observations made by the researcher are included
alongside those from the literature.

The detailed analyses of the thirty-six selected key works are included as an Appendix,
with a summary mapping of genre terrain included in the thesis. Whilst some
generalisations about works within genres and between genres are made, the
compositional methods identified constitute a complex and diverse set of music making
practices. In general terms, in electronic, rock and EDM genres, traditional roles of
composer, performer, producer and engineer are blurred, with individual artists moving
between such roles. In improvised works a distinction between performer/composer and
engineer is apparent. In more specific terms, the use of historically emergent sound
sources distinguishes most of the electronic works at a timbral level. In some cases in
the electronic genre, the sound source is an important conceptual driver for the structure
of the works. In other genres, emergent sound sources often lead to an expansion of
existing forms or used to supplement, or substitute for, traditional instrumentation.

The research makes a direct and explicit link between music analysis and music
creation. The insights gained from the analyses are applied to the creation of eight new
musical works: four genre-specific studies and four major works. Recordings of the
practical works are presented, alongside video documentation of the rehearsal,
performance and recording of the major works, on an accompanying DVD. A
compartmentalised and hybridised approach to composition is utilised, drawing directly
from the parametric analysis method. The practical works feature both solo and group
ensembles and incorporate traditional instrumentation and digitally sampled and
synthesised elements. A range of individual and collaborative 'top down' and 'bottom
up' processes are explored. A computer based performance instrument (CBPI) is
developed using the software Max/MSP. The CBPI embeds compositional elements
identified in the analyses (relating to sound source, sound processing, rhythm, pitch, texture, and spatial elements), and is utilised in the creation of the major works. The
compositional approach crystallises and extends many aspects of past personal practice.
The eight practical works represent some of the possibilities of both the CBPI and the
analysis/creation model.


Although FCC policy has mostly focused on broadcasters, the digital transition of television has involved a variety of other players, notably cable television, DBS, and other multi-channel video providers (MVPDs). We assemble an historical database of consumer spending, advertising revenue and related data to argue that non-broadcast suppliers of TV programming, especially cable operators, have been able to take much greater economic advantage of the digital television transition than have broadcasters. Cable and DBS systems have used digital technology to greatly expand the amount of programming available and to more efficiently price discriminate on the basis of program quality—including the direct sale to consumers of broadcast and other HD programming. The result has been rapidly raising cable and DBS revenues since the mid-1990s, and a general shift from advertiser to direct payment support for television services. Overall, digital transition has enhanced the economic viability of cable and DBS delivery, and decreased that of broadcasting. It is evident that consumers have much higher quality and variety of programming available as a result, though usually at higher prices. In conclusion, we speculate on the effects of emerging Internet video services.


A continuous flow microreactor method for generating and carrying out reactions on pyridyllithiums has been developed based on Br/Li exchange reactions of bromopyridines and dibromopyridines. The reactions can be carried out without using cryogenic conditions by virtue of short residence times and efficient heat transfer, while very low temperatures such as –78 or –110°C are required for conventional batch macro methods. Moreover, sequential introduction of two different electrophiles has been successfully achieved using dibromopyridines in an integrated flow microreactor system composed of four micromixers and four microtube reactors.


The googleVis package provides an interface between R and the Google Visualisation API to create interactive charts which can be embedded into web pages. The best known of these charts is probably the Motion Chart, popularised by Hans Rosling in his TED talks. With the googleVis package users can easily create web pages with interactive charts based on R data frames and display them either via the local R HTTP help server or within their own sites.


Philip Kitcher's new book is very ambitious in scope, more ambitious, certainly, than any of his previous books. Unlike Kitcher's Abusing Science: The Case against Creationism (1982), this is not a book that focusses on just one single issue in contemporary science or educational policy; nor is it, like his The Nature of Mathematical Knowledge (1983) and Vaulting Ambition: Sociobiology and the Quest for Human Nature (1985), a book that emphasizes just one relatively narrow philosophical topic. The Advancement of Science presents a complete, and quite general, position within the philosophy of natural science. Its purpose is much closer to Popper's The Logic of Scientific Discovery (1959) or even to Nagel's The Structure of Science (1961) than it is to any of Kitcher's earlier books. Kitcher starts off with an explicit epistemology, moves to a "goal" for science based on that epistemology, and then uses this epistemic goal as the target for the various methodological and social or institutional strategies that he offers.


This article examines certain motifs from Luis Bunuel's late bourgeois trilogy-- The Discreet Charm of the Bourgoisie ( Le Charme Discret de la Bourgeoisie, 1972),  The Phantom of Liberty ( Le Fantome de la Liberte, 1974), and That Obscure Object of Desire ( Cet Obscur Objet du Desir , 1977)--in order to show how they anticipate key trends in contemporary post-Marxian philosophy. In doing so, it draws upon the work of Slavoj Žižek, whose Lacanian revision of Hegel has provided a model of ideology critique that preserves the structure of dialectical thought while avoiding the impulse to project a closed vision of subjectivity and historical change. In particular, such a model offers a means of reconsidering Bunuel's concern with the perverse . Rather than having a singular ideological content (i.e., the repressed desire for freedom within bourgeois consciousness), the perverse in Bunuel's films serves as a more volatile index of ideological conflict: freedom becomes perverse from the perspective of law, and law becomes perverse from the perspective of freedom. To recognize these dialectical reversals not only offers a means of appreciating Bunuel's sense of humor, but also sheds light on how the late films situate "bourgeois" and "revolutionary" impulses in a much more complex, interdependent, and dynamic relationship with one another.


SUMMARY w The prospects for nuclear arms control appear dim following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Instead of continued reliance on nuclear deterrence, the resulting new awareness of nuclear risks should inform bold nuclear disarmament measures in the long term. Drawing on previous debates on 'minimal nuclear deterrence', this paper argues that nuclear deterrence is possible at low numbers, and hence reliance on nuclear deterrence is not an obstacle to significant progress in nuclear disarmament. In particular, there is scope for reducing the vast Russian and United States nuclear arsenals, which risk planetary-scale destruction and stand in the way of multilateral nuclear disarmament. At the same time, recent military-technological evolution has raised the bar for minimal nuclear deterrence by questioning the survivability of nuclear forces. In addition to making recommendations on how to address such strategic challenges, the paper addresses some conceptual dilemmas traditionally associated with minimal nuclear deterrence.


Childhood obesity is a growing and alarming problem, associated with several short-term and long-term metabolic and cardiovascular complications. In addition, it has also been suggested that excess adiposity during childhood influences growth and pubertal development. Several studies have shown that during pre-pubertal years, obese patients present higher growth velocity and that this pre-pubertal advantage tends to gradually decrease during puberty, leading to similar final heights between obese and non-obese children. Excess body weight might also influence pubertal onset, leading to earlier timing of puberty in girls. In addition, obese girls are at increased risk of hyperandrogenism and polycystic ovary syndrome. In boys, a clear evidence does not exist: some studies suggesting an earlier puberty associated with the obesity status, whereas other have found a delayed pubertal onset. Overall, the existing evidence of an association between obesity and modification of growth and pubertal patterns underlines a further reason for fighting the epidemics of childhood obesity.


Renewable energy integration is accompanied by highly volatile energy generation, which urges energy suppliers to use costly countermeasures to prevent energy imbalances, grid instabilities and power outages. Therefore, using demand-side approaches to shift flexible demand over time is a promising opportunity. In the case of electric vehicles, research papers mostly discuss vehicle drivers' individual charging strategies based upon pricing information. The objective of this paper is to quantify the aggregate economic benefit of an advanced metering approach wherein electric vehicle drivers simply provide information about the start of the next trip to the energy supplier, who can then optimize the charging strategy for all drivers based on this information. By using a quantitative model and a multi- agent simulation for evaluation, we analyze original data from Germany to conclude that advanced metering can enable significant savings. Finally, we present a pricing scheme that would incentivize the drivers to provide truthful information.


IC packages have been greatly improved over the past several years. With the adoption of Cu wires and new green EMC (Epoxy Molding Compound), the suppression of lead, the use of Cu pillars and the increased number of dies, the verification of the quality of the assembly and failure analysis becomes critical. Starting twelve years ago, LASER ablation was introduced as a means to facilitate the pre-decapsulation of packages aiming at a completion by wet chemistry (acids) or dry chemistry (plasma). The decapsulation process with acid at medium temperature (75°C) does not permit to keep the Cu wires intact. Our studies and work in the past several years has consisted in lowering the temperature of acid use in order to minimize the effect of acid attack on the Al pads and Cu wires. Currently the thinnest wires used are 0.6 mil in diameter (approximately 15µm). In this article we will demonstrate that decapsulations at sub-ambient temperatures are now possible and give expected results. Moreover, openings at near ambient temperature reduce the component deformation and also the deformation of its constituents compared to decapsulations at medium or high temperature.


Hydropower is the world's most important renewable electricity source. More than 40% of European hydroelectric energy is produced in Alpine countries. High-head storage hydropower plants (HPP) contribute significantly to peak energy production as well as electricity grid regulation. Future plant management is faced with several challenges concerning modified availability of water resources due to climate change as well as new economic constraints associated with legal, political and electricity market issues. HPP operation results in unsteady water release to the downstream river system. Hydropeaking is the primary factor of flow regime alteration, impacting the river ecosystem. Even when the biological response to hydropeaking is not fully understood, the recently adapted law on water protection prescribes its mitigation in Switzerland. In this research project, a novel integrative approach to model and assess the impact of the operation of a complex hydropower scheme on the downstream river system is developed. It contains (1) a precipitation-runoff model extended for long-term simulations of glacierized Alpine catchment areas, (2) an operation tool for high-head storage HPP, (3) flow regime generation with cost estimation of hydropeaking mitigation measures and (4) a habitat model of reference river morphologies for a target species. The upper Aare River (Hasliaare) in Switzerland is an Alpine stream, affected by hydropeaking from a complex hydropower scheme with several storage volumes and power houses. Since the 1930s, seasonal water transfer from summer to winter and the amplitude and frequency of daily peak discharge have been continuously increased. Furthermore, the dynamic braided river network with various mesohabitats gave way to a mainly monotonous channel. Although diversity of species and biomass of aquatic biota have drastically decreased, the potential of redevelopment remains. Investigations to improve the river morphology and the flow regime are under discussion. The upper Aare River catchment is therefore an appropriate case study for analysis of the interactions between climatic, hydrological, hydraulic, economic as well as ecological parameters. The simulation of runoff in Alpine catchment areas is essential for optimal hydropower exploitation under normal flow conditions, but also for the analysis of flood events. The semi-distributed conceptual modeling approach Routing System contains a reservoir-based precipitation-runoff transformation model (GSM-SOCONT), extended by dynamic glacier simulation tool. Spatial precipitation and temperature distributions are taken into account for simulating the relevant hydrological processes, such as glacier melt, snowpack constitution and melt, soil infiltration and runoff. The model development, calibration and validation are illustrated for the 2005 flood event, where the flood reduction capacity of the HPP is discussed, as well as future long-term runoff estimations. Climate change scenarios, based on a reference climate period, take into account intra-annual temperature and precipitation variations as well as their long-term tendencies. Runoff series of daily resolution are produced by hourly updating of the meteorological, glaciological and hydrological parameters. An almost complete deglacierization of the upper Aare River basin is simulated for the late 21st century. The resulting reduction of glacier melt in summer and earlier snowmelt in spring change the runoff regime from glacio-nival to nival. The implemented heuristic hydropower modeling tool in Routing System allows simulation of the operating mode of complex HPP. Within the case study of the upper Aare River catchment and despite the complexity of the HPP network, the influence of climate change, electricity market issues, plant enhancements as well as hydropeaking constraints is simulated and assessed. Despite the reduction of future runoff, increased flexibility due to new turbine and pumped-storage capacities allows compensation, especially in the case of volatile electricity prices, and could even partially restore the natural flow regime. Several operational and construction measures to reduce hydropeaking are implemented in the model. Resulting flow regimes as well as the related costs are defined. Operational constraints, such as limitation of turbine discharge, increase of residual flow or limited drawdown range, generate relatively high costs compared to their environmental effectiveness. Better ecological and economic response is achieved by construction measures, such as flow deviation systems or compensation basins installed downstream of the power house outflow where the water is temporarily stored and then released to the river by a guided system. The simulated flow regimes are rated by a river specific habitat model for representative morphologies and three life stages of the target species brown trout (Salmo trutta fario). This is based on results from a 2D hydrodynamic model and in situ investigations undertaken in the framework of a joint project of EAWAG. Steady and dynamic indicators quantify fish habitat suitability and allow comparison through economic indices of the implemented mitigation measures. For the Hasliaare River, investments for mitigation of hydropeaking are only justified by morphological improvements. The developed approach is useful for the enhancement of complex storage hydropower schemes regarding mitigation of altered flow regimes. Despite several uncertainties, it allows operators, authorities and researchers to define and rate the impact of HPP operation on the river network, to ecologically and economically assess mitigation measures and thus to address hydropeaking in a straightforward manner.


The complex three-dimensional unsteady flow developing in the draft tube of a Francis turbine is responsible for pressure fluctuations, which could prevent the whole hydropower plant from operating safely. Indeed, the Francis draft tube is subjected to inlet swirling flow, divergent cross section, and the change of flow direction. As a result, in low discharge off-design operating conditions, a cavitation helical vortex, so-called the vortex rope develops in the draft tube and induces pressure fluctuations in the range of 0.2–0.4 times the runner frequency. This paper presents the extensive unsteady wall pressure measurements performed in the elbow draft tube of a high specific speed Francis turbine scale model at low discharge and at usual plant value of the Thoma cavitation number. The investigation is undertaken for operating conditions corresponding to low discharge, i.e., 0.65–0.85 times the design discharge, which exhibits pressure fluctuations at surprisingly high frequency value, between 2 and 4 times the runner rotation frequency. The pressure fluctuation measurements performed with 104 pressure transducers distributed on the draft tube wall, make apparent in the whole draft tube a fundamental frequency value at 2.5 times the runner frequency. Moreover, the modulations between this frequency with the vortex rope precession frequency are pointed out. The phase shift analysis performed for 2.5 times the runner frequency enables the identification of a pressure wave propagation phenomenon and indicates the location of the corresponding pressure fluctuation excitation source in the elbow; hydroacoustic waves propagate from this source both upstream and downstream the draft tube.


European attitudes towards China and its Belt and Road Initiative are changing. While the People's Republic under Xi Jinping is the only country in the world pursuing a global vision, distrust of China's expanding influence is growing. As a consequence, the European debate about China is becoming increasingly emotional with interpretations fluctuating between alarmism and reassurance. Ideas about the 'essence of China' and expectations that the country should fit into the liberal order according to Western standards, however, threaten to limit Europe's scope of action in dealing with the People's Republic. In order to develop strategies for a confident German and European policy, China's current global political approach should be considered systematically. Based on the features of China's 'connectivity politics' (Konnektivitätspolitik), Germany and the EU could formulate policy options that go far beyond the realm of infrastructure.


This paper presents an algorithm for real-time building of a local grid-based elevation map from noisy 2D range measurements of the Hokuyo URG-04LX miniature laser scanner. The terrain mapping module supports a foothold selection algorithm, which employs a polynomial-based approximation method to create an adaptive decision surface. The robot learns from simple simulations, therefore no a priori expert-given rules or parameters are used. The acquired terrain map and planned footholds enable the robot to walk more stable, avoiding slippages and fall-downs.


In January 2005, mild mosaic and chlorosis were observed on leaves of shallot ( Allium cepa var. aggregatum ) cv. Red Prisma growing in Marlborough, New Zealand. Leaves from 100 plants were collected and bulked into groups of ten. Three composite samples tested positive for Shallot mite-borne latent virus (ShMbLV) using polyclonal antiserum (supplied by Dr. E. Barg, Biologische Bundesanstalt, Germany) in an antigen-coated plate enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ACP-ELISA). Similar symptoms were seen in shallot cv. Jermor in the same region in December 2007. Leaves from these plants also tested positive for ShMbLV by ACP-ELISA. To confirm the identification of the samples from 2007, dried tissue of the type isolate of ShMbLV was obtained (Van Dijk & van der Vlugt, 1994). RNA was extracted from diseased shallot samples and the ShMbLV type isolate and tested by RT-PCR using primers that amplify a ca . 750 bp fragment between the coat protein (CP) and ORF6 region of allexiviruses (Chen et al ., 2004). For both samples, amplicons of the expected size were obtained and sequenced directly. Analysis showed a 93 to 95% nucleotide identity with Shallot virus X (ShVX) (GenBank Accession No. M97264). RT-PCR was then done using specific primers designed to amplify a 912 bp fragment of ShVX including the CP gene (ShVX-CPF: 5 '?-ATTTAGGGGTGAAGGTCTGT- 3 '?; ShVX-CPR: 5 '?-GAGTTTTGAGGTCGTTGG-3 '?). Amplicons of the correct size were obtained from both diseased shallot samples and the ShMbLV type isolate. Subsequently, one-step immunocapture RT-PCR was performed using the ShMbLV antiserum and the ShVXspecific primers, and bands of the correct size were obtained for both samples. The amplicons were cloned and sequenced. A BLAST search showed that the sequence from shallot (EU835197) and that of the type isolate of ShMbLV (EU835196) showed 93 and 95% nucleotide identity, respectively, with ShVX (M97264). According to the criteria demarcating species in the genus (Adams et al ., 2004), it is suggested that ShMbLV should be considered a synonym of ShVX as previously proposed (Van Dijk & van der Vlugt, 1994). This is the first report of ShVX in New Zealand and until these findings it was considered a regulated pest. However, no phytosanitary measures will be imposed to eradicate the virus and it is likely to spread in the future, especially as the vector, Aceria tulipae , is present in New Zealand. Allexiviruses, including ShVX, often infect allium crops in combination with carlaviruses and/or potyviruses and cause significant yield losses (Van Dijk & van der Vlugt, 1994; Chen et al ., 2004)


In this paper we prove the topological uniqueness of maximal arrangements of a real plane algebraic curve with respect to three lines. More generally, we prove the topological uniqueness of a maximally arranged algebraic curve on a real toric surface. We use the moment map as a tool for studying the topology of real algebraic curves and their complexiflcations.


The popular children's television series, The Powerpuff Girls, was originally conceived by animator Craig McCracken under the name The Whoopass Girls in 1992. Following a name change and three alternative pilot episodes, the series was picked up by the Cartoon Network and ran from 1995 through to 2005. During this time the show won several awards, including two Primetime Emmy awards for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation (2000 and 2005), and two Annie awards for Production Design and Musical Score in an Animated Series (2001). In this article I will be exploring The Powerpuff Girls from a feminist perspective, focusing on what is unique about this series and where it is positioned in popular media culture, before addressing some of the common criticisms of the show and identifying some of its major strengths. It will be my contention that The Powerpuff Girls embraces third-wave feminist ideology, with its focus on "Girl Power" and consumerism, while also abandoning the more individualistic aspects of this brand of feminism by exploring the meaning of sisterhood and female empowerment through community.


The paper attempts to analyze the impact of structural adjustment policy reforms on aggregated and disaggregated public expenditure. The study investigates the extent to which structural adjustment reforms were able to reshape public expenditure in developing countries as expected. A comparative analysis has been made of aggregated and disaggregated public expenditure before and after implementing structural adjustment reforms. The model is tested using panel data of sixteen developing countries for the period of 1975-95. The fixed effects technique was used to control for country-specific differences. It was found that although some of the developing countries from our sample have shown a downward trend in total public expenditure, the results become statistically insignificant when we use panel data for total public expenditure. There is evidence that the downward trend in total public expenditure may be due to a cut in public spending on health and education.


Metal matrix composites are engineered materials with a combination of two or more dissimilar materials to obtain enhanced properties The widwspread acceptance of particulate metal matrix composites(mmc) for engineering application has been hindered by the high cost of producing components Advance composite materials metal matrix composite is gradually becoming very important materials in manufacturing industries e.g. aerospace, automotive and automobile industries due to their superior properties such as light weight, low density, high strength to weight ratio, high hardness. In the present investigation Al(6061) alloy was used as the matrix and rice husk ash and copper as reinforcements. The RHA used here because it is the only agricultural waste containing largest amount of silica in it. And it is abundantly produced in india every year. For increasing wettability between metal matrix and reinforcing particles magnesium is used here. The hybrid metal matrix composite was produced using stir casting techniques. The rice husk ash were added in 8%, 16%, 24%, 32% by weight and copper 3% by weight to the molten metal. The MMCs bars are prepared with varying the reinforced particles by weight fraction and with/without copper. It was observed that specimens containing copper shows improved values for hardness than specimens containing only rice husk ash. The hardness increased linearly with increasing the weight percentage of reinforcing particles.


Charity corruption scandals cause sharp declines in donations. When deciding about charitable contributions, donors are influenced by the actual share that ultimately goes to the intended recipients; however, they are also impacted by the potential veiled cost that may come from legitimate administration and advertisement costs or in some cases from unethical expenditures or corruption. Therefore, donors are confronted with a tradeoff between helping people in need and the possibility of being cheated. Individuals may justify not giving by using a self-serving biased belief that the fundraisers are corrupt. In a laboratory experiment, we find evidence that participants are more likely to exploit the shadow of fundraising cost to bias their belief and contribute less when the incentive for selfishness is greater. Further, the charitable contribution significantly increases when the moral excuse is removed by excluding the possibility of fundraisers' manipulation of the costs.


A nominal 1500 STP-L PAssively Cooled, Electrically heated hydride (PACE) Bed has been developed for implementation into a new Savannah River Site tritium project. The 1.2 meter (four-foot) long process vessel contains on internal "U-tube" for tritium In-Bed Accountability (IBA) measurements. IBA will be performed on six, 12.6 kg production metal hydride storage beds. IBA tests were done on a prototype bed using electric heaters to simulate the radiolytic decay of tritium. Tests had gas flows from 10 to 100 SLPM through the U-tube or 100 SLPM through the bed's vacuum jacket. IBA inventory measurement errors at the 95% confidence level were calculated using the correlation of IBA gas temperature rise, or (hydride) bed temperature rise above ambient temperature, versus simulated tritium inventory. Prototype bed IBA inventory errors at 100 SLPM were the largest for gas flows through the vacuum jacket: 15.2 grams for the bed temperature rise and 11.5 grams for the gas temperature rise. For a 100 SLPM U-tube flow, the inventory error was 2.5 grams using bed temperature rise and 1.6 grams using gas temperature rise. For 50 to 100 SLPM U-tube flows, the IBA gas temperature rise inventory errors were nominally one to two grams that increased above four grams for flows less than 50 SLPM. For 50 to 100 SLPM U-tube flows, the IBA bed temperature rise inventory errors were greater than the gas temperature rise errors, but similar errors were found for both methods at gas flows of 20, 30, and 40 SLPM. Electric heater IBA tests were done for six production hydride beds using a 45 SLPM U-tube gas flow. Of the duplicate runs performed on these beds, five of the six beds produced IBA inventory errors of approximately three grams: consistent with results obtained in the laboratory prototype tests.


Climate change and the continuous population growth increase the demand for water, which in arid and semiarid regions, like the Mediterranean, is considered a limited resource. Future demands will not be met by traditional water resources like surface and groundwater. In order to handle increased water demand, the treated wastewater originating from municipal wastewater treatment plants is offered to farmers for agricultural irrigation. Over pumping of fresh groundwater creates seawater intrusion that causes various problems, besides others, to the quality of recycled water used for agricultural purposes. The effects on soils irrigated with saline water are investigated. Actual investigations were carried out in land irrigated with salinity-affected wastewater and non-irrigated land nearby. Soil profile analyses are demonstrated and compared, showing very interesting results and adverse effects on soil resources. Irrigation with saline waters even at slightly above recommended values can have severe effects on soil resources. Various remediation scenarios for preventing seawater intrusion, as well for mitigation or control of soil salinity problems, are also suggested in this study. This case study was carried in the Larnaca district in Cyprus.


Assumptions about citizens and their behaviour in a crisis situation strongly influence emergency planning and decision-making. This article therefore aims to explore municipal crisis managers' views of citizens in relation to contingencies. We identified two dimensions in the municipal leaders' views of the general public, illustrating how these views can be characterized by two separate stages. They embrace individual prerequisites for preparing for and dealing with contingencies, as well as characteristics of the current crisis and its effects on the citizens. The article highlights public leaders' awareness of social vulnerability factors and demonstrates a more complex image of crisis managers' views of the general public than has generally been depicted.


African photography has emerged as a significant focus of research and scholarship over the last twenty years, the result of a growing interest in postcolonial societies and cultures and a turn towards visual evidence across the humanities and social sciences. At the same time, many rich and fascinating photographic collections have come to light.
This volume explores the complex theoretical and practical issues involved in the study of African photographic archives, based on case studies drawn from across the continent dating from the 19th century to the present day. Chapters consider what constitutes an archive, from the familiar mission and state archives to more local, vernacular and personal accumulations of photographs; the importance of a critical and reflexive engagement with photographic collections; and the question of where and what is 'Africa', as constructed in the photographic archive.
Essential reading for all researchers working with photographic archives, this book consolidates current thinking on the topic and sets the agenda for future research in this field.


The purpose of the article is to explore the concept of a trade development strategy and to identify its impact on cross-border trade and cooperation. The case focuses on the Murmansk region and cross-border trade with Finland. This study is designed as a qualitative, single-case, embedded study. Primary data collection was executed by means of a survey and semi-structured interviews. The acquired data were analyzed by developing a case description. In this study trade development strategy is understood from the practice theory perspective and is defined as a set of strategic activities initiated by formal and informal institutions. The concept of a trade development strategy includes activities related to (1) intelligent growth, (2) trade promotion, (3) infrastructure development, and (4) support for market access and international trade cooperation. This study reveals that the absence of a thoroughly devised international trade development strategy in the Murmansk region does not allow for the streamlining of strategizing activities related to trade development; therefore the activities tend to be uncoordinated and unbalanced.


Nanoporous gold (NPG) has a high surface area and excellent conductivity. It is an ideal supporting material for the electrocatalysis, e.g. in fuel cell applications. NPG is traditionally produced by etching a gold/silver alloy. This method has significant drawbacks, such as the introduction of silver into your NPG, and its multi-step fabrication. A method has been discovered for producing NPG as a thin film chemically. This bottom-up approach entails reduction of Au 3+ precursor using morpholinoethanesulfonic acid (MES). This produces a thin and highly porous gold film at the air-water interface 1 ( for details, see poster by Mikkel Christiansen) . This chemical reaction is far more complex than first expected and bi-products, intermediates and reaction mechanisms are the focus of the present work. The chemical reaction and its products have been examined using state-of-the-art nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis), fluorescence spectroscopy, density functional theory (DFT), mass spectrometry (MS) and Raman spectroscopy. The results illustrate a complex chain of reactions resulting in gold nanoparticles, NPG, and several previously unidentified Au-complexes. N-NMR presented three different environments for the N-atom in MES, while the UV-vis results points towards some interesting gold complexes. MS identifies several distinct molecular entities demonstrating the reactivity of MES and Au, and fluorescence spectroscopy suggests the formation of polynuclear Au complexes as previously reported where Au nuclei are bridged by C=N functionalities in small organic molecules 2 . This adds up to a complicated reaction mechanism involving some interesting


The effective management of non-point source nutrient pollution continues to prove elusive. Though the scientific literature is unequivocal that all anthropogenic land uses contribute to non-point source (NPS) pollution, variable levels of contribution over time and across location and complex relationships between cost and effect make finding technologically effective management solutions difficult. In addition, these solutions are implemented in a world of scarce resources, diverse and often competing concerns and values, and intense public scrutiny. Clearly, making the best possible decision about how to manage NPS pollution under these conditions is not simple. My overarching goal was to develop and test several practical approaches that provide insight into the implications of management decisions and the trade-offs facing water quality managers using the challenges of restoring Lake Champlain as a test case. I first demonstrate a simple spreadsheet-based method for (1) identifying the areas of greatest potential for further phosphorus reductions, (2) estimating the potential scale of those reductions, and (3) identifying the severe tradeoffs that exist between cost and effectiveness at high levels of management. Results of this method suggest that better and more extensive management of developed impervious surfaces and annual cropland and hayland represent the greatest potential for phosphorus reductions. Farmstead management, combined sewer overflows, and wastewater treatment present little opportunity under the current regulatory environment. Results also suggest that due to order-of-magnitude differences in cost-effectiveness between management practices for developed and agricultural lands, substantial tradeoffs exist between cost-efficiency and equity in the distribution of responsibility for management. Second, in an effort to quantify the variability of NPS contributions over time and space, I developed and applied a Bayesian hierarchical modeling approach to incorporate annual hydrologic variability and uncertainty about land use areas into estimates of land-use specific phosphorus loading rates and watershed-scale residual loading. The model was able to replicate both average load and the variability around that average with an acceptable degree of precision. The results of this approach suggest that for some watersheds, unmanageable sources of phosphorus are dominant. Third, I applied a Bayes network to predict the effects of alternative management scenarios on phosphorus loads. Using evolutionary optimization and a multiple-criteria decision analysis, I explored the tradeoffs between cost, effectiveness, and distributional equity in the burden of management. Results of this study indicate that the probability that phosphorus loads will comply with regulatory targets is, in some watersheds, small under any management scenario. More interestingly, it also appears that there are large differences between watersheds in the ability of management actions to raise those probabilities, and the significant and non-linear tradeoffs between cost, effectiveness, and equity will make decision-making – and achieving restoration targets – difficult. Together, these approaches provide a foundation for a fuller and more completely informed decision-making process that incorporates uncertainty and identifies key trade-offs for the State of Vermont as it implements a new management plan for Lake Champlain.


Antonin Artaud (1896-1948) was a stage and film actor, director, writer, drug addict, and visual artist. This volume presents two texts translated into English which describe Artaud's drawings and portraits. In one, Jacques Derrida examines the works that he first saw on the walls of Paule Thevenin's apartment. His text struggles with Artaud's language and is punctuated by footnotes and asides that reflect this strain ("How will they translate this?"). The more straightforward text of Paule Thevenin describes the history of Artaud's drawings and portraits. Due to a dispute between Artaud's heirs and Paule Thevenin, the book does not contain reproductions of Artaud's artwork. Instead, there is a series of photographs of Artaud by Georges Pastier. "We won't be describing any paintings," says Derrida in the text, which is addressed to that which underlies both language and art.


Purpose: Telomere length plays an important role in the maintenance of chromosomal stability and in tumorigenesis. We hypothesized that telomere length in peripheral WBC DNA obtained from healthy individuals would be a predictor of future risk of developing non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Experimental Design: Using a new assay to measure relative telomere length, monochrome multiplex quantitative PCR, which strongly correlates with telomere length measured by Southern blot (Spearman r = 0.91, P < 0.0001) and has high precision (coefficient of variation = 7%), we compared telomere length in peripheral WBC DNA in 107 incident male non-Hodgkin lymphoma cases and 107 matched controls within the prospective Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study cohort. Results: Median (10th, 90th percentile) telomere length was 1.10 (0.79, 1.43) in cases and 1.02 (0.78, 1.26) in controls (P = 0.0017, Wilcoxon sign test). There was a strong dose-response relationship between quartiles of telomere length and risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma overall [odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) by quartile: 1.0; 1.1 (0.4-2.7); 1.8 (0.7-4.9); and 3.6 (1.4-8.9); P trend = 0.003], and this association was similar across the most common non-Hodgkin lymphoma subtypes present in this study. Conclusion: These results suggest that longer telomere length may be a potential predictor for future risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. (Clin Cancer Res 2009;15(23):7429–33)


This paper seeks to investigate internal and external factors with relation
to regulations in order to predict difficulties which the banks are exposed.
The sample consists of 368 banks in 8 European countries for the period
2004-2007. The model was built primarily only on a set of ratios constituting
the CAMEL rating system (Capital adequacy, Asset qu ality,
Management quality, Earnings ability, Liquidity position). Secondly, we
added the variables related to the regulatory environment. The application
of the method panel logit shows that financial ratios relating to the
rating system (CAMEL) are correlated with the likelihood of problems
measured by binary variables. The probability of occurrence of problems
in these banks is positively correlated with the presence of an explicit
system of deposit insurance and negatively correlated with the presence of
auditors who provide information to regulators in the event of illegal activities
committed by managers. The ability to prosecute these regulators
for their actions has a negative effect on the probability of distress. The
role of the Central Bank in monitoring activity is also very important to
maintain system's stability.


Hidden Markov Model is elaboration of Markov chain, which is applicable to cases that can't directly observe. In this research, Hidden Markov Model is used to know trader's transition to broker forex online. In Hidden Markov Model, observed state is observable part and hidden state is hidden part. Hidden Markov Model allows modeling system that contains interrelated observed state and hidden state. As observed state in trader's transition to broker forex online is category 1, category 2, category 3, category 4, category 5 by condition of every broker forex online, whereas as hidden state is broker forex online Marketiva, Masterforex, Instaforex, FBS and Others. First step on application of Hidden Markov Model in this research is making construction model by making a probability of transition matrix (A) from every broker forex online. Next step is making a probability of observation matrix (B) by making conditional probability of five categories, that is category 1, category 2, category 3, category 4, category 5 by condition of every broker forex online and also need to determine an initial state probability (π) from every broker forex online. The last step is using Viterbi algorithm to find hidden state sequences that is broker forex online sequences which is the most possible based on model and observed state that is the five categories. Application of Hidden Markov Model is done by making program with Viterbi algorithm using Delphi 7.0 software with observed state based on simulation data. Example: By the number of observation T = 5 and observed state sequences O = (2,4,3,5,1) is found hidden state sequences which the most possible with observed state O as following : where X1 = FBS, X2 = Masterforex, X3 = Marketiva, X4 = Others, and X5 = Instaforex.


Abstract In this study, we contend that distinguishing individuals who support bans on minority religious symbols from those who want to ban all religious symbols improves our understanding of the roots of opposition to minority religious symbols in the public sphere. We hypothesize that both groups are likely driven by markedly different motivations and that opposition to the presence of minority religious symbols in the public sphere may be the result of an alliance between "strange bedfellows," clusters of individuals whose political outlooks usually bring them to opposite sides of political debates. Drawing on a survey conducted in the province of Quebec (Canada), we find that while holding liberal values and low religiosity are key characteristics of those who would ban all religious symbols, feelings of cultural threat and generalized prejudice are central characteristics of those who would only restrict minority religious symbols. Negative attitudes specifically toward Muslims, however, also appear to motivate both groups.


Data centers often hold tens to hundreds of thousands of servers in order to offer cloud computing services at scale. Ethernet switching and IP routing have their own advantages and limitations in building data center networks. Recent research, such as PortLand and BCube, has proposed scalable data center network designs. A common feature of these designs is that their addressing and routing are customized to specific topologies. In this paper, we propose a generic addressing, routing and forwarding protocol for data center networks, which works on arbitrarily "layered'' network topologies. We first form the network as a multi-rooted tree. Each network node (i.e., hosts and switches) is then assigned one or more locators, and each locator encodes a downward path from the roots to this node. Data center networks often have rich path diversity, so tracking all locators of a destination node will cause switches to have very large forwarding tables. We further use a new forwarding model to reduce the forwarding states. In addition, the multiple-locator mechanism brings built-in support for multi-path routing, load balancing and fault tolerance. Evaluations based on simulations and prototype experiments demonstrate that our proposal achieves our design goals.


We describe the preparation and use of a chiral ionic liquid (CIL) derived from L-leucine for chiral crystallization at CIL/water interfaces. We utilize the CIL/water interfaces for the crystallization of amino acids from solutions. Our study demonstrates the potential application of CIL/water interfaces to control chiral crystallization kinetics, where one enantiomer crystallizes faster on CIL/water interfaces. Although we did not observe chiral resolution by selective crystallization on CIL/water interfaces, our results show that the crystallization kinetics can be controlled. We believe that the approach of using CIL/water interfaces for chiral crystallization, which we present here, may provide further insight into chiral crystallization in general and chiral crystallization at chiral interfaces in particular.


Although often viewed as a dismal failure, the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) has been remarkably successful. While the decline in private sector unionization since the 1950s is typically viewed as a symbol of this failure, the NLRA has achieved its most important goal: industrial peace.Before the NLRA and the 1947 Taft-Hartley Amendments, our industrial relations system gave rise to frequent and violent strikes that threatened the nation's stability. For example, in the late 1870s, the Great Railroad Strike spread throughout a number of major cities. In Pittsburg alone, strikes claimed 24 lives, nearly 80 buildings, and over 2,000 railroad cars. State militias could not contain the violence, and President Hayes dispatched federal troops to six states. Even in the midst of World War II, continuing disputes led Presidents Roosevelt and Truman to seize over one-third of the top 100 U.S. corporations. Today's strikes look much different.In addition to industrial peace, the NLRA aimed to secure equal bargaining power and industrial democracy through greater union membership. This Article compares how these objectives have fared under four legal, political, and economic regimes established by reforms since the New Deal: the National Industrial Relations Act, the original NLRA, the NLRA modified by the Taft-Hartley Amendments, and the contemporary patchwork of employment laws.This Article argues that the NLRA's key accomplishment has not been recognized -- by giving workers the right to organize, the Act turned a violent, strike-prone nonunion sector into a vibrant one. The post-Taft-Hartley NLRA gave employers a choice: they could act opportunistically and see their workers unionize or they could treat their employees fairly and make unionization less attractive. By and large, employers have chosen the latter. Thus, the NLRA has achieved industrial peace and improved conditions for workers, but in a way that its drafters did not expect.


This document lays out a set of requirements related to trait-based
authorization for the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). While some
authentication mechanisms are described in the base SIP specification,
trait-based authorization provides information used to make policy
decisions based on the attributes of a participant in a session. This
approach provides a richer framework for authorization, as well as
allows greater privacy for users of an identity system. This memo
provides information for the Internet community.


The singer-songwriter Lhasa de Sela (1972-2010) launched her career and produced her three records in Montreal where she arrived in 1991. Not only did she change the face of migrant song in Quebec, but she also enjoyed international success, embarking on long world tours and selling more than a million records. This analysis will focus on the songs from her second album, The Living Road, and will show that Lhasa de Sela transcended linguistic and artistic frontiers by crossing the geographical border when she made Montreal her home and creative hub.


If copy number variants (CNVs) are predominantly deleterious, we would expect them to be more efficiently purged from populations with a large effective population size (Ne) than from populations with a small Ne. Malaria parasites (Plasmodium falciparum) provide an excellent organism to examine this prediction, because this protozoan shows a broad spectrum of population structures within a single species, with large, stable, outbred populations in Africa, small unstable inbred populations in South America and with intermediate population characteristics in South East Asia. We characterized 122 single-clone parasites, without prior laboratory culture, from malaria-infected patients in seven countries in Africa, South East Asia and South America using a high-density single-nucleotide polymorphism/CNV microarray. We scored 134 high-confidence CNVs across the parasite exome, including 33 deletions and 102 amplifications, which ranged in size from <500 bp to 59 kb, as well as 10,107 flanking, biallelic single-nucleotide polymorphisms. Overall, CNVs were rare, small, and skewed toward low frequency variants, consistent with the deleterious model. Relative to African and South East Asian populations, CNVs were significantly more common in South America, showed significantly less skew in allele frequencies, and were significantly larger. On this background of low frequency CNV, we also identified several high-frequency CNVs under putative positive selection using an FST outlier analysis. These included known adaptive CNVs containing rh2b and pfmdr1, and several other CNVs (e.g., DNA helicase and three conserved proteins) that require further investigation. Our data are consistent with a significant impact of genetic structure on CNV burden in an important human pathogen.


This ethnographic study deals with the ways people in Athens, Greece, use style to construct their social class identities. Including a rich dataset comprising ethnographic interviews with actual people who live in the stereotypically seen as leafy and posh northern suburbs and in the stereotypically treated as working class western suburbs of Athens coupled with data from popular literary novels, TV series and Greek hip hop music, it argues that the relationship between style and social class identity is mediated by complex social meanings encompassing features from and discourses relevant to both areas, which are structured across different orders of indexicality depending on the genre of speech in which they are created. As such, it will be of interest to scholars in sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, anthropology, sociology, Modern Greek studies, and to everyone who is interested in how social class is constructed via language.


yes. The presence of arborized crystals (ferning) in amniotic fluid is both sensitive (74%-100%) and specific (77%-100%) for diagnosing rupture of membranes in laboring women who report loss of fluid (strength of recommendation [SOR]: A, multiple prospective cohort studies). However, it is much less sensitive and specific for women with fluid loss who aren't in labor (SOR: B, 1 prospective cohort study). Gross contamination of amniotic fluid with blood or antiseptic solutions may decrease the diagnostic accuracy of ferning, whereas contamination with meconium doesn't (SOR: C, bench research).


We present SwitchBlade, a platform for rapidly deploying custom protocols on programmable hardware. SwitchBlade uses a pipeline-based design that allows individual hardware modules to be enabled or disabled on the fly, integrates software exception handling, and provides support for forwarding based on custom header fields. SwitchBlade's ease of programmability and wire-speed performance enables rapid prototyping of custom data-plane functions that can be directly deployed in a production network. SwitchBlade integrates common packet-processing functions as hardware modules, enabling different protocols to use these functions without having to resynthesize hardware. SwitchBlade's customizable forwarding engine supports both longest-prefix matching in the packet header and exact matching on a hash value. SwitchBlade's software exceptions can be invoked based on either packet or flow-based rules and updated quickly at runtime, thus making it easy to integrate more flexible forwarding function into the pipeline. SwitchBlade also allows multiple custom data planes to operate in parallel on the same physical hardware, while providing complete isolation for protocols running in parallel. We implemented SwitchBlade using NetFPGA board, but SwitchBlade can be implemented with any FPGA. To demonstrate SwitchBlade's flexibility, we use SwitchBlade to implement and evaluate a variety of custom network protocols: we present instances of IPv4, IPv6, Path Splicing, and an OpenFlow switch, all running in parallel while forwarding packets at line rate.