Abstract We installed nest boxes for Thorn-tailed Rayaditos (Aphrastrura spinicauda) and monitored their use in a Monterrey pine (Pinus radiata) plantation in the Maule Region, southcentral Chile. Thirty-four breeding pairs built nests in boxes, of which 75% began laying eggs. Nest establishment began in early September and construction lasted 12.8 ± 4.9 days (n  =  23). Rayaditos used mainly pine needles, together with mosses, epiphytes, herbs, and animal hair in their nests. Clutch size ranged from two to four eggs (mode  =  3) that were incubated for 15.8 ± 1.2 days. Brood size negatively affected mass of nestlings, but was positively related to mass of the parents. Adults had higher body mass and built larger nests than those reported previously for the species on Chiloé Island, where broods are larger and the incubation period is shorter. The provision of artificial cavities allowed Thorn-tailed Rayaditos to nest in the pine plantation. Nest boxes combined with other management tools, such as maintaining snags and understory enhancement, may be important factors in mitigation of negative effects of pine plantations on secondary cavity-nesting birds.


This paper describes the demonstration of a simple all-optical data format conversion scheme between return-to-zero (RZ) and nonreturn-to-zero (NRZ) that employs a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) in a nonlinear optical loop mirror. The format conversion has been performed between the most widely used data formats-NRZ and RZ formats. The format conversion scheme is based on gain variation by an intensity-dependent phase change in an SOA-loop mirror. The input data stream acts as a control signal that induces the phase differences between clockwise- and counterclockwise-propagating data inside an SOA-loop mirror. It is possible to change the data format of the output data stream by controlling the phase differences of the clockwise and counterclockwise pulse in an SOA-loop mirror appropriately. For the converted NRZ data from RZ data, 10-Gb/s error-free transmission up to 78 km over standard single-mode fiber has been obtained. By comparing the conventional NRZ transmission with the Mach-Zehnder modulation scheme, the proposed RZ-to-NRZ conversion shows an improved transmission performance. The NRZ-to-RZ conversion has clear eye openings up to 78 km. On the contrary, the conventional RZ binary data from a mode-locked laser has a nearly closed eye even at 52 km. The converted RZ data has a 2-dB conversion power margin to the injected NRZ data, which indicates an increase in the receiver sensitivity due to the signal format conversion. The improved transmission distance of the converted RZ signal is due to the duobinary coding effect of the SOA-loop mirror. The SOA has the possibility of high-speed operation over 40 Gb/s, and the SOA-loop mirror has the capabilities of format and wavelength conversions. Therefore, the SOA-loop mirror can be a universal building block in future all-optical networks. In addition, the proposed format conversion scheme can serve as an important format converter between the ultrafast optical-time-division-multiplexed networks and the lower line-rate wavelength-division-multiplexed networks.


The aim of this thesis is to compile a glossary of technical terms relevant to stock exchange mergers and alliances. Since technical communication can only be described meaningfully in the context of technical information, technical knowledge, and terminology, judgmental analysis will be applied to the literature on stock exchange mergers and alliances to identify management theories that are able to explain stock exchange mergers and alliances. One aim is to find out which general theories on mergers and alliances have a high explanatory value for stock exchange cooperation. In the first part of the thesis, the stock exchange world is examined. First a general overview of the theory of corporate growth is given next the changes in the environment of stock exchanges are examined. In the analytical part, fourteen general management theories are applied to stock exchange cooperation. The criteria used to identify the explanatory value of the different theories are the critical success factors of stock exchanges identified in the first part of the thesis. A point system is introduced in order to make the results of the analysis of the different theories more comparable. The final part of the paper consists of an English-German glossary containing the relevant technical terms of stock exchange mergers and alliances. (author's abstract)


Increased resolution and availability of remote sensing products, and advancements in small‐scale aerial drone systems, allows observations of glacial changes at unprecedented levels of detail. Software developments, such as structure‐from‐motion (SfM), now allow users an easy and efficient method to generate three‐dimensional (3D) models and orthoimages from aerial or terrestrial datasets. While these advancements show promise for current and future glacier monitoring, many regions still suffer a lack of observations from earlier time periods. We report on the use of SfM to extract spatial information from various historic imagery sources. We focus on three geographic regions, the European Alps, high Arctic Norway and the Nepal Himalayas. We used terrestrial field photographs from 1896, high oblique aerial photographs from 1936 and aerial handheld photographs from 1978 to generate digital elevation models (DEMs) and orthophotos of the Rhone glacier, Brøggerhalvøya and the lower Khumbu glacier, respectively. Our analysis shows that applying SfM to historic imagery can generate high quality models using only ground control points. Limited camera/orientation information was largely reproduced using self‐calibrated model data. Using these data, we calculated mean ground sampling distances across each site which demonstrates the high potential resolution of resulting models. Vertical errors for our models are ±5.4 m, ±5.2 m and ±3.3 m. Differencing shows similar patterns of thinning at lower Rhone (European Alps) and Brøggerhalvøya (Norway) glaciers, which have mean thinning rates of 0.31 m a−1 (1896–2010) to 0.86 m a−1 (1936–2010) respectively. On these clean ice glaciers thinning is highest in the terminus region and decreasing up‐glacier. In contrast to these glaciers, uneven topography, exposed ice‐cliffs and debris cover on the Khumbu glacier create a highly variable spatial distribution of thinning. The mean thinning rate for the Khumbu study area was found to be 0.54 ± 0.9 m a−1 (1978–2015). Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The Inter-American Development Bank is the largest source of development financing for Latin America and the Caribbean, with a strong commitment to achieve measurable results, increased integrity, transparency and accountability. We have an evolving reform agenda that seeks to increase our development impact in the region. The IDB Group is comprised of the Inter-American Development Bank, the Inter-American Investment Corporation and the Multilateral Investment Fund. This document contains a selection of IDB Group projects that had a significant impact in terms of economic development for the poorest through innovative and best practice methods.


Recently, the science and technology of sub-millimeter or terahertz (THz) waves have made progress by leaps and bounds. Applications in fields ranging from bio-medicine, 3D imaging, tomography, and characterization of materials have been demonstrated. Sub-THz radio-over- fiber communication at data rate exceeding 20 Gb/s over a 25 km fiber link was also demonstrated. To meet the demands of the exploding THz field, many novel quasi-optic components, such as phase shifter, phase grating, polarizers, and filters have been developed. In particular, a number of tunable THz devices employing liquid crystals (LCs) have attracted considerable attention. Partly, the unexpected large birefringence of liquid crystals and low attenuation in the THz frequency range is responsible for the realization of such advances.In this talk, we provide an overview of the field liquid crystal THz optics and discuss recent advances in the field. After a brief introduction to THz technology, the optical properties of liquid crystals in the THz frequency range will be presented. This is followed by an overview of various THz optical components with liquid-crystal-enabled functionalities, e.g., phase shifters, polarizers, birefringent filters of Lyot and Solc types, phase grating and beam deflectors, and so on.


According to the Chamley-Judd result, capital should not be taxed in the long run. In this paper, we overturn this conclusion, showing that it does not follow from the very models used to derive it. For the main model in Judd (1985), we prove that the long-run tax on capital is positive and significant, whenever the intertemporal elasticity of substitution is below one. For higher elasticities, the tax converges to zero but may do so at a slow rate, after centuries of high tax rates. The main model in Chamley (1986) imposes an upper bound on capital taxes. We provide conditions under which these constraints bind forever, implying positive long-run taxes. When this is not the case, the long-run tax may be zero. However, if preferences are recursive and discounting is locally nonconstant (e.g., not additively separable over time), a zero long-run capital tax limit must be accompanied by zero private wealth (zero tax base) or by zero labor taxes (first-best). Finally, we explain why the equivalence of a positive capital tax with ever-increasing consumption taxes does not provide a firm rationale against capital taxation. (JEL H21, H25)


Background Multiple Sclerosis is an autoimmune disease more prevalent in women than in men. Multiple Sclerosis Associated Retrovirus element (MSRV) is a member of type-W endogenous retrovirus family (HERV-W), known to be associated to MS. Most HERVs are unable to replicate but MSRV expression associated with reverse-transcriptase activity in MS would explain reported DNA copy number increase in MS patients. A potential link between HERV-W copies on chromosome X and gender differential prevalence has been suggested. The present study addresses MSRV-type DNA load in relation with the gender differences and clinical status in MS and healthy controls. Results 178 MS patients (62.9% women) and 124 controls (56.5% women) were included. MSRV env load (copies/pg of DNA) was analyzed by real time qPCR with specific primers and probe for its env gene, in DNA from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). MSRV load was more elevated in MS patients than in controls (p = 4.15e-7). MS women presented higher MSRV load than control women (p = 0.009) and MS men also had higher load than control men (p = 2.77e-6). Besides, women had higher levels than men, both among patients (p = 0.007) and controls (p = 1.24e-6). Concordantly, EDSS and MSSS scores were higher among female patients with an elevated MSRV load (p = 0.03 and p = 0.04, respectively). Conclusions MSRV increases its copy number in PBMC of MS patients and particularly in women with high clinical scores. This may explain causes underlying the higher prevalence of MS in women. The association with the clinical severity calls for further investigations on MSRV load in PBMCs as a biomarker for MS.


I will show that photometry -- if extending over a reasonable choice of passbands -- can give fairly precise information about young star clusters and their evolutionary state. Optical colors alone are known to leave severe ambiguities due to degeneracies between age, metallicity and extinction. High quality photometry including $U, B, V$ or $I$, and a NIR band, however, in combination with an extensive grid of evolutionary synthesis models for star clusters and a dedicated tool to analyse spectral energy distributions allows to assess and largely disentangle star cluster ages, metallicities, extinction values and, hence, to derive their masses. Gaseous emission contributions sensibly affect broad band colors during the youngest stages, depending on metallicity. Mass functions of young star cluster systems may considerably differ in shape from luminosity functions. An ESO ASTROVIRTEL project provides multi-color photometry for a large number of young, intermediate age and old star cluster systems. As a first example I show results obtained for NGC 1569.


The authors advise to hasten slowly in defining the successor framework to the MDGs. The review of progress in 2010 should not be intermingled with the intergovernmental discussions about the post‐2015 framework. The latter should not start until a UN panel of Eminent Persons has prepared a set of thoughtful options and suggestions. The worst decision would be to keep the same MDGs and add new Goals and more Targets. The panel will have to address the following topics: (a) new structure; (b) new Targets; (c) collective nature of global Targets; (d) type of benchmarks; (e) new time horizon; and (f) disaggregated monitoring. The world will miss the MDGs largely because disparities within the majority of countries have grown to the point of slowing down national progress. In order to overcome the 'tyranny of averages', this article proposes a method of incorporating equity in national statistics.


The spatial distribution of alpine snow covers is characterised by large variability. Taking this variability into account is important for many tasks including hydrology, glaciology, ecology or natural hazards. Statistical modelling is frequently applied to assess the spatial variability of the snow cover. For this study, we assembled seven data sets of high-resolution snow-depth measurements from different mountain regions around the world. All data were obtained from airborne laser scanning near the time of maximum seasonal snow accumulation. Topographic parameters were used to model the snow depth distribution on the catchment-scale by applying multiple linear regressions. We found that by averaging out the substantial spatial heterogeneity at the metre scales, i.e. individual drifts and aggregating snow accumulation at the landscape or hydrological response unit scale (cell size 400 m), that 30 to 91% of the snow depth variability can be explained by models that are calibrated to local conditions at the single study areas. As all sites were sparsely vegetated, only a few topographic variables were included as explanatory variables, including elevation, slope, the deviation of the aspect from north (northing), and a wind sheltering parameter. In most cases, elevation, slope and northing are very good predictors of snow distribution. A comparison of the models showed that importance of parameters and their coefficients differed among the catchments. A "global" model, combining all the data from all areas investigated, could only explain 23% of the variability. It appears that local statistical models cannot be transferred to different regions. However, models developed on one peak snow season are good predictors for other peak snow seasons.


Klebsiella are opportunistic pathogens that cause a wide spectrum of severe diseases. The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of biofield treatment on multidrug resistant strain of K. oxytoca with respect to antibiogram pattern along with biochemical study and biotype number. Clinical lab isolate of K. oxytoca was divided into two groups i.e. control and treated. Control group remain untreated and treated group was subjected to Mr. Trivedi's biofield. The analysis was done on day 10 after biofield treatment and compared with control group. Control and treated groups were analyzed for antimicrobial susceptibility pattern, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), biochemical reactions and biotype number using MicroScan Walk-Away® automated system. Experimental results showed the impact of biofield treatment on K. oxytoca and found alteration in both antimicrobial sensitivity and MIC values as compared with untreated group. Antimicrobial sensitivity of about 26.67% tested antimicrobials out of thirty was altered with respect to control. MIC results showed about 12.50% alterations in tested antimicrobials as compared to control. Biochemical study showed 24.24% alteration in tested biochemical reactions after biofield treatment. A significant change in biotype number (7713 5272) was identified after biofield treatment as compared to control (7775 4332). In treated group, a new species was identified as Kluyvera ascorbata, as compared to control, K. oxytoca. Study findings suggest that biofield treatment has a significant effect in altering the antimicrobial sensitivity, MIC values, biochemical reactions and biotype number of multidrug resistant strain of K. oxytoca. Biofield treatment could be applied to alter the antibiogram-resistogram pattern of antimicrobials.


Hypothesis Transtympanic steroid treatment will induce changes in ion homeostasis and inflammatory gene expression to decrease middle ear inflammation due to bacterial inoculation. Background Otitis media is common, but treatment options are limited to systemic antibiotic therapy or surgical intervention. Systemic glucocorticoid treatment of mice decreases inflammation and improves fluid clearance. However, transtympanic delivery of glucocorticoids or mineralocorticoid has not been explored to determine if direct steroid application is beneficial. Methods Balb/c mice received transtympanic inoculation of heat-killed Haemophilus influenzae (H flu), followed by transtympanic treatment with either prednisolone or aldosterone. Mice given PBS instead of steroid and untreated mice were used as controls. Four hours after steroid treatment, middle ears were harvested for mRNA extraction and 24 hours after inoculation middle ears were harvested and examined for measures of inflammation. Results H flu inoculation caused the increased expression of nearly all inflammatory cytokine genes and induced changes in expression of several genes related to cellular junctions and transport channels. Both steroids generally reversed the expression of inflammatory genes and caused ion and water regulatory genes to return to normal or near normal levels. Histologic evaluation of middle ears showed improved fluid and inflammatory cell clearance. Conclusion Improvement in middle ear inflammation was noted with both the glucocorticoid prednisolone and the mineralocorticoid aldosterone. This was due to reversal of inflammation-induced changes in middle ear cytokine genes, as well as those involved in ion and water homeostasis. Because glucocorticoids bind to the mineralocorticoid receptor, but not the reverse, it is concluded that much of the reduction of fluid and other inflammation measures was due to these steroids impact on ion and water transport channels. Further research is necessary to determine if this alternative mineralocorticoid treatment for otitis media will be clinically effective with fewer side effects than glucocorticoids.


Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it plans to draft new guidelines for testing and approving the use of multidrug treatments for diseases. For cancer treatment, the need for this approach and its attendant guidelines are based on an advanced understanding of the disease that has emerged from 30 years of research. If we are to achieve breakthrough cancer therapies, current FDA regulations must change.


CsxWO3 nanoparticles were dispersed in prepolymerized methyl methacrylate (PMMA) and filled in nanopores of delignified wood to prepare transparent wood. The wood-based composite showed excellent near-infrared (NIR, ranging from 780 to 2500 nm) shielding ability and high visible light transparency. The CsxWO3/transparent wood also showed excellent mechanical properties with a fracture strength up to 59.8 MPa and modulus up to 2.72 GPa. CsxWO3/transparent wood is expected to serve as a potential material for smart-window applications.


Nature produces a wide range of fibrous biopolymers with interesting mechanical properties that compare with the best man‐made polymer fibres. Several of these biopolymer fibres are almost entirely composed of proteins, which have self‐assembled to a hierarchical structure that in some case does not contain any chemical but only physical cross‐linking. Therein, at several different length scales from the molecule to the macroscopic scale there is order or structure imposed onto the components of the material. These structural hierarchies in the material impart its physical properties allowing it to fulfil its natural role or function. Understanding hierarchically structured proteins is a basis to create systems of new materials that either mimic the entire natural material or cherry‐pick the features that impart the specific function one desires in order to apply it to man‐made materials. In this chapter we will discuss hierarchical structures of fibrous proteins starting with the simplest, those with only one or a couple of structural levels, which tend to be formed from single proteins. We will then go to a higher level of complexity, those fibres that incorporate two or more proteins within their structure. These have more varied conformations and can incorporate multiple structural proteins, or a single structural protein with one or more chaperone like proteins that help in the assembly or stabilisation of the solution from which the fibre is formed such as in Lepidoptera silk. We will lastly go on to describe those threads that are multi‐component materials incorporating two or more basic fibres that are fundamental to the integrity of the material, or incorporate multiple different materials such as cell remnants.


This thesis presents research that combines the benefits of intelligent tutoring
systems (ITS), conversational agents (CA) and learning styles theory by constructing
a novel conversational intelligent tutoring system (CITS) called Oscar. Oscar CITS
aims to imitate a human tutor by implicitly predicting individuals' learning style
preferences and adapting its tutoring style to suit them during a tutoring
conversation.
ITS are computerised learning systems that intelligently personalise tutoring
based on learner characteristics such as existing knowledge and learning style. ITS
are traditionally student-led, hyperlink-based learning systems that adapt the
presentation of learning resources by reordering or hiding links. Research suggests
that students learn more effectively when instruction matches their learning style,
which is typically modelled explicitly using questionnaires or implicitly based on
behaviour. Learning is a social process and natural language interfaces to ITS, such
as CAs, allow students to construct knowledge through discussion. Existing CITS
adapt tutoring according to student knowledge, emotions and mood, however no
CITS adapts to learning styles.
Oscar CITS models a human tutor by directing a tutoring conversation and
automatically detecting and adapting to an individual's learning styles. Original
methodologies and architectures were developed for constructing an Oscar Predictive
CITS and an Oscar Adaptive CITS. Oscar Predictive CITS uses knowledge captured
from a learning styles model to dynamically predict learning styles from an
individual's tutoring dialogue. Oscar Adaptive CITS applies a novel adaptation
algorithm to select the best tutoring style for each tutorial question. The Oscar CITS
methodologies and architectures are independent of the learning styles model and
subject domain. Empirical studies involving real students have validated the
prediction and adaptation of learning styles in a real-world teaching/learning
environment. The results show that learning styles can be successfully predicted
from a natural language tutoring dialogue, and that adapting the tutoring style
significantly improves learning performance.


We investigate the zero-temperature phase diagram of the fully frustrated transverse-field Ising model on the square lattice both in the classical limit and in the presence of quantum fluctuations. At the classical level (the limit of infinite spin S), we find that upon decreasing the transverse field Gamma this model exhibits a phase transition from the fully polarized state into an eightfold degenerate translational symmetry breaking state. This phase can be identified to correspond to plaquette order in the dimer language and remains the lowest-energy state in the entire range of fields below the critical one, Gamma(c). The eightfold degenerate solution that corresponds to columnar order in the dimer language is a saddle point of the classical energy. It is degenerate with the plaquette solution at Gamma = 0 and is only slightly higher in energy in the whole interval 0 < Gamma < Gamma(c). The effect of quantum fluctuations is investigated in the context of a large S expansion both for the plaquette and columnar structures. For this purpose we employ an approximate method allowing to estimate from above the fluctuation-induced correction to the energy of a configuration which at the classical level is a saddle point of the energy, not a local minimum, and find that the harmonic quantum fluctuations show a clear tendency to overcome the energy difference between the two states. For relatively high fields, the transition from the plaquette to the columnar state takes place at values of S large enough to be in the domain of validity of the harmonic approximation.


Lizards and snakes (squamate reptiles) are the most diverse vertebrate group in Australia, with approximately 1000 described species, representing about 10% of the global squamate diversity. Squamates are a vital part of the Australian ecosystem, but their conservation has been hindered by a lack of knowledge of their diversity, distribution, biology and key threats.
The Action Plan for Australian Lizards and Snakes 2017 provides the first comprehensive assessment of the conservation status of Australian squamates in 25 years. Conservation assessments are provided for 986 species of Australian lizards and snakes (including sea snakes). Over the past 25 years there has been a substantial increase in the number of species and families recognised within Australia. There has also been an increase in the range and magnitude of threatening processes with the potential to impact squamates. This has resulted in an increase in the proportion of the Australian squamate fauna that is considered Threatened. Notably over this period, the first known extinction (post-European settlement) of an Australian reptile species occurred – an indication of the increasingly urgent need for better knowledge and management of this fauna. Six key recommendations are presented to improve the conservation management and plight of Australian squamates.
This Action Plan represents an essential resource for research scientists, conservation biologists, conservation managers, environmental consultants, policy makers from Commonwealth and State/Territory governments, and the herpetological community.


: The present paper is an attempt at examining the value configuration and the socio-demographical profiles of the local political elites in four countries of East-Central Europe: Romania, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, and Poland. The treatment is a comparative one, predominantly descriptive and exploratory, and employs, as a research method, the case-study, being a quite circumscribed endeavor. The cases focus on the members of the Municipal/Local Council in four towns similar in terms of demography and developmental strategies (i.e. small-to-medium sized communities of around 35,000 inhabitants, with economies largely based on food industry and commercial activities): Tecuci (Galați county, Romania), Česk| Lípa (Liberec region, Czech Republic), Targovishte (Targovishte province, Bulgaria), and Oleśnica (Lower Silesia province, Poland). Hypothesizing that the local elites of the former Sovietized Erurope tend to differ in outlook, priorities, and value attainment, as compared to their Western counterparts, the paper considers the former's attitudes and perspectives in regard to seven values: a series of values customarily connected with the concept of 'democracy' (i.e. citizen participation, political conflict, gradual change, economic equality), state intervention in economy, decentralization and increased local autonomy, cultural-geographical self-identification. The study uses, as well, five models of value attainment in what concerns the 'ideal portrait' of the local councilor (Putnam 1976): ethical, pragmatic, technocratic, political, and gender. According to the results of a study applying a standard written questionnaire among the local councilors of the three communities in the period December 2010-February 2013, the paper distinguishes among three corresponding types of local elites: (1) 'predominantly elitistic,' (2) 'democratic elitist,' and (3) 'predominantly democratic,' following two types of explanation accounting for the differences among the four cases: the legacy of the defunct regime and the degree of administrative decentralization


Abstract Quranic schools (QS) play a central role in the education system in the Islamic world. Despite their relatively small numbers, QS teachers play a major role in introducing Islamic values to the public. Thus, working with QS becomes a key strategy in influencing local Islamic discourse. This article introduces a case study of a program integrating peace, interfaith, and human rights education in QS in West Africa while drawing on the Islamic tradition in peace-building. Results suggest that this approach offers advantages for addressing the challenges inherent in engaging these schools.


OBJECTIVE To examine the mechanisms by which weight loss improves glycemic control in overweight subjects with NIDDM, particularly the relationships between energy restriction, improvement in insulin sensitivity, andregional and overall adipose tissue loss. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Hyperinsulinemic glucose clamps wereperformed in 20 subjects (BMI = 32.0 ± 0.5 [SEM] kg/m2, age = 48.4 ± 2.7 years) with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) (n = 10) or mild NIDDM (n = 10) before and on the 4th (d4) and 28th (d28) days of a reduced-energy (1,100 ± 250 [SD] kcal/day) formula diet. Body composition changes were assessed by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry and insulin secretory changes were measured by insulin response to intravenous glucose before and after weight loss. RESULTS In both groups, energy restriction (d4) reduced fasting plasma glucose (FPG) (ΔFPG: NGT = −0.4 ± 0.2 mmol/1 and NIDDM = −1.1 ± 0.03 mmol/1, P = 0.002), which was independently related to reduced carbohydrate intake (partial r = 0.64, P = 0.003). There was a marked d4 increase in percent of insulin suppression of hepatic glucose output(HGO) in both groups (ΔHGO suppression: NGT = 28 ± 15% and NIDDM = 32 ± 8%, P = 0.002). By d28, with 6.3 ± 0.4 kg weight loss, FPG was further reduced (d4 vs. d28) in NIDDM only (P = 0.05), and insulin sensitivity increased in both groups (P = 0.02). Only loss of abdominal fat related to improvements in FPG (r = 0.51, P = 0.03) and insulin sensitivity afterweight loss (r = 0.48, P = 0.05). In contrast to insulin action, there were only small changes in insulin secretion. CONCLUSIONS Both energy restriction and weight loss have beneficial effects on insulin action and glycemic control in obesity and mild NIDDM. The effect of energy restriction is related to changes in individual macronutrients, whereas weight loss effects relate to changes in abdominal fat.


Bayesian inference has become increasingly important in statistical machine learning. Exact Bayesian calculations are often not feasible in practice, however. A number of approximate Bayesian methods have been proposed to make such calculations practical, among them the variational Bayesian (VB) approach. The VB approach, while useful, can nevertheless suffer from slow convergence to the approximate solution. To address this problem, we propose Parameter-eXpanded Variational Bayesian (PX-VB) methods to speed up VB. The new algorithm is inspired by parameter-expanded expectation maximization (PX-EM) and parameterexpanded data augmentation (PX-DA). Similar to PX-EM and -DA, PX-VB expands a model with auxiliary variables to reduce the coupling between variables in the original model. We analyze the convergence rates of VB and PX-VB and demonstrate the superior convergence rates of PX-VB in variational probit regression and automatic relevance determination.


This report provides a summary of the results from recent wind integration studies. The studies address concerns about the impact of wind power's variability and uncertainty on power system reliability and costs as well as grid reinforcement needs. Quantifiable results are presented as summary graphs: results as a MWincrease in reserve requirements, or €/MWh increase in balancing costs, or results for capacity value of wind power. Other results are briefly summarised, together with existing experience on the issues. There is already significant experience in integrating wind power in power systems. The mitigation of wind power impacts include more flexible operational methods, incentivising flexibility in other generating plants, increasing interconnection to neighbouring regions, and application of demand-side flexibility. Electricity storage is still not as cost effective in larger power systems as other means of flexibility, but is already seeing initial applications in places with limited transmission. Electricity markets, with cross-border trade of intra-day and balancing resources and emerging ancillary services markets, are seen as promising for future large penetration levels for wind power.


Mass-bleaching events (in which corals and other symbiotic invertebrates lose their zooxanthellae) have been occurring every 3 to 4 yr since 1979. The last report of widespread mass-bleaching in the Pacific (which included bleaching around French Polynesia) was in February-April 1991. This paper reports on mass-bleaching along the outer reef slope of Moorea, French Polynesia, in April 1994. Mass-bleaching was extensive at all sites visited, with corals being bleached down to 25 m. Colour loss by corals was due to low areal densities of zooxanthellae and the percentage of live coral affected ranged between 39.6 (+/- 7.12, SEM) (NW sites) and 72.4 (+/- 7.11, SEM) (NE sites). Bleaching also varied as a function of depth and included a wide range of species. Acropora spp. showed the most severe bleaching (89.0 to 100 % of all colonies completely bleached) and Porites spp. showed the least amount of bleaching (12.9 to 42.5% of all colonies partly bleached). Pocillopora spp. showed intermediate bleaching (73.9 to 92.1% of all colonies either partly or completely bleached). The results of this report indicate that current bleaching is on a scale equal to that of the 1991 bleaching event. Temperatures recorded hourly at 14 m off the outer reef slope from July 1991 to August 1994 (and those from satellite sea surface temperature readings) indicate unusually warm sea temperatures in March 1994, which were approximately 1.0 degrees C higher than the highest temperatures recorded in 1992 and 1993, years in which bleaching on a massive scale did not occur. The appearance of warmer temperatures preceded the onset of bleaching by 2 to 3 wk, which strongly confirms the hypothesis that positive thermal anomalies are responsible for recent bleaching events in the Central and Western Pacific.


Organized crime is the greatest criminal phenomenon of our time. From Al Capone, who boldly claimed his bootlegging activities were a public service, to John Gotti, the "Teflon don" who died in prison, these criminals have garnered headlines and captured the public imagination with their flamboyant lifestyles and colorful attitudes. Immortalized in books, movies, and popular television shows like The Sopranos and Growing Up Gotti, these gangsters, godfathers, hitmen, and dons have taken their place in criminal mythology, but the reality of their underworld endeavors is something entirely different. The Mafia Encyclopedia, Third Edition provides a comprehensive survey of the mob's most influential perpetrators and personalities, including their hangouts and hideaways, their plays for power, their schemes and crimes, and their unique culture and jargon. More than 100 illustrations approximately 500 entries, and a chronology bust the Mafia myths with an unflinching look at the brutal, sin-laden, and bizarre culture and characters of organized crime.


This paper proposes a routing algorithm for the interconnection of multiple processors based on the shortest-path and deflection-routing principles. The routing algorithm, named SPDRA (Shortest Path and Deflection Routing Algorithm), is applied to multiprocessor systems with a single-stage shuffle physical topology. SPDRA is general-purpose, as opposed to the majority of routing algorithms for multiprocessor systems which are optimized for particular traffic patterns generated by a restricted class of parallel algorithms. The general-purpose nature of SPDRA allows perfomance comparisons with a wide class of routing algorithms for multiprocessor systems that, similar to the single-stage shuffle physical topology, have a fixed node-to-processor ratio. The paper compares SPDRA with hypercube algorithms for bidimensional meshes and torus physical topologies, routing algorithms for hierarchical tridimensional tori, and algorithms for routing permutations in shuffle networks, which constitute the most widely accepted approaches for multiprocessor interconnection. SPDRA exhibits a performance advantage for a broad range of network sizes and, in general, the performance advantage grows as the number of processors increases. However, this paper compares the SPDRA algorithm against a limited set of multiprocessor systems and does not demonstrate a general superiority of SPDRA over all systems with a fixed node-to-processor ratio and, especially, with a growing node-to-processor ratio, such as multistage networks.


Gossip-based protocols provide a simple, scalable, and robust way to disseminate messages in large-scale systems. In such protocols, messages are spread in an epidemic manner. Gossiping may take place between nodes using push, pull, or a combination. Push-based systems achieve reasonable latency and high resilience to failures but may impose an unneces-sarily large redundancy and overhead on the system. At the other extreme, pull-based protocols impose a lower overhead on the network at the price of increased laten-cies. A few hybrid approaches have been proposed— typically pushing control messages and pulling data— to avoid the redundancy of high-volume content and single-source streams. Yet, to the best of our knowledge, no other system intermingles push and pull in the other and in adaptively adjusting its rate of operation, further reducing overall cost and improv-ing both on delays and robustness. In this paper, we propose an efficient generic push-pull dissemination protocol, Pulp , which combines the best of both worlds. Pulp exploits the efficiency of push approaches, while limiting redundant messages and therefore imposing a low overhead, as pull protocols do. Pulp leverages the dissemination of multiple messages from diverse sources: by exploiting the push phase of messages to transmit information about other disseminations, Pulp enables an efficient pulling of other messages, which themselves help in turn with the dissemination of pend-ing messages. We deployed Pulp on a cluster and on PlanetLab. Our results demonstrate that Pulp achieves an appealing trade-off between coverage, message redundancy, and propagation delay.


Two fundamentally different types of orogenic belts may reflect the accretion and breakup of a Late Proterozoic supercontinent. Interior orogens (e.g., trans- Saharan fold belts) lie within the supercontinent after its amalgamation. Orogenic activity commenced with ca. 850-800 Ma Cordilleran-type subduction associated with contraction of interior oceans and terminated in ca. 650-600 Ma continent-continent collision and the amalgamation of an Afro-Brazilian supercontinent. Orogenic activity produced abundant calc-alkalic granitoid magmatism, crustal thickening, large-scale thrusting, uplift and exposure of medium-to high-grade metamorphic rocks, and regional angular unconformities with postorogenic sequences. In contrast, peripheral orogens (e.g., Avalonian-Cadomian belt, Arabian shield) lie at the extremity of the supercontinent following its amalgamation. Orogenic activity commenced with ca. 820-800 Ma subduction in an exterior, expanding ocean that generated a diverse assemblage of arcs and back-arc basins as the plate retreated from the subducting slab. Voluminous ca. 600 Ma ensialic tectonothermal activity in peripheral orogens may reflect renewed subduction at the periphery of the supercontinent following its amalgamation and the destruction of interior oceans. Peripheral orogenic activity produced synorogenic, low-grade volcanic-sedimentary successions, inter-arc and intra-arc rifts, localized and predominantly strike-slip deformation, limited uplift, and only local unconformities with postorogenic successions. Basin closure and termination of peripheral orogens may reflect supercontinent breakup and dispersal.


ABSTRACT Many studies have examined the determinants of ministerial selection. However, the effect of electoral incentives on government post allocation has so far not been studied in the literature. Drawing on data from the United Kingdom over the period 1992–2015, this article investigates the relationship between the selection of ministers and the electoral interests of the actors in this selection process – party leaders and members of parliament (MPs). The findings demonstrate that the greater the electoral safety of constituencies, the more likely are MPs to have a higher office. The results reveal a broader conception of party strategy in government formation than previously documented. The paper thus suggests that electorates can affect the allocation of ministerial positions in the UK.


Mutualistic interactions between ants and plants involve rewards offered by plants and services performed by ants in a mutually advantageous relationship. The rewards are principally food and/or nest sites, and ants in turn perform a number of services for plants: they disperse and plant seeds; they protect foliage, buds, and reproductive structures from enemies such as herbivores and seed predators; they fertilize plants with essential nutrients; and they may sometimes function as pollinators. In this book, initially published in 1985, Professor Beattie reviews the fascinating natural history of ant–plant interactions, discusses the scientific evidence for the mutualistic nature of these relationships, and reaches some conclusions about the ecological and evolutionary processes that mold them. This important work explores the natural history, experimental approach, and integration with contemporary evolutionary and ecological literature of the time will appeal to a wide variety of biologists.


As local communities face increasing pressure to address environmental concerns, town–gown partnerships are one avenue for improving environmental conditions and sustainability planning for the future. Partnerships between community leaders and university students, faculty, and staff can provide an avenue for exchanging knowledge, expertise, and resources that may benefit both parties. Based on survey results from highly sustainable U.S. cities, this paper outlines key lessons for practitioners and scholars interested in developing environmentally focused town–gown partnerships.


ABSTRACT Aflatoxin contamination of maize (Zea mays L.) grain caused by Aspergillus flavus is a serious health hazard to animals and humans. Resistance to infection by A. flavus is poorly understood. The objectives of this investigation were to identify potential candidate markers associated with resistance in maize kernels and pollen grains to A. flavus using a mapping population derived from a cross between Mp313E (resistant) and SC212m (susceptible) inbred lines. The parents, F1, and F2 plants, were planted in the field in 2005. Each F2 plant was self-pollinated to produce F2:3 seed. Fresh pollen collected from parental lines, F1, and each F2 plant was germinated on a growth medium in the presence of A. flavus conidia. Selfed seeds from parents, F1, and F2 plants, were challenged with A. flavus conidial suspension and incubated using a medium-free method. Percent kernels uninfected (PKU) and number of pollen grains germinated (NPG) were recorded. A linkage map was constructed with JoinMap 3.0 using DNA profiles of all F2 individuals produced from amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and target region amplification polymorphism (TRAP) markers. Interval mapping and multiple-QTL model (MQM) mapping analyses were performed using MapQTL 4.0 software. Three marker-QTL associations were observed for log-transformed PKU. Potential markers associated with this trait were also identified via discriminant analysis (DA). The markers identified via DA pointed to the same genomic regions as identified via the QTL-mapping strategy. For log-transformed NPG, five marker-QTL associations were detected. One QTL was associated with a TRAP marker. The DA confirmed the existence of three QTL. The QTL detected for NPG were different from the QTL detected for PKU. Thus, resistances of pollen and kernels to A. flavus appeared to be controlled by different genetic systems/mechanisms. Correlation between pollen germination and percent kernel infection was negligible (r = 0.067), suggesting that the two traits can be improved independently.


The Global Health Initiative (GHI) is a tripartite collaboration among Northwestern University, non-profit donors, and commercial diagnostics companies. GHI attempts to bridge the gap between the market for sophisticated medical diagnostics equipment in wealthy nations and the need for point-of-care diagnostics in resource limited settings. In 2006 GHI narrowed its focus to HIV diagnostics for underserved nations. The case examines the accuracy-access tradeoff related to the roll-out of infant HIV diagnostics in Tanzania. Tanzania has a prevalent HIV/AIDS problem, particularly in children. As of 2007, Tanzania had an estimated 140,000 children infected with HIV. Existing lab-based diagnostic equipment was either inaccurate for use in infants or required highly skilled health workers. Tanzania's limited infrastructure also forced healthcare providers to choose between providing advanced care to a minority of the population and offering minimal care to the majority with poor access. A Kellogg MBA student research team performed more than thirty in-country interviews to collect data on stakeholder perceptions of three infant test concepts: the strip test, the squeeze test, and the filter paper test. Across the three tests, access decreased as accuracy increased---rural labs could not find or afford health workers skilled enough to conduct the test. In general, interviewees closely affiliated with the government preferred accuracy over access. In contrast, private health facilities had to follow fewer regulations and preferred access over accuracy. The case focuses on the decisions facing Kara Palamountain, the executive director of GHI, in her roll-out recommendations for infant HIV tests in Tanzania. It examines key factors of working in a developing country, including the need to operate in the absence of sufficient market research, balance the competing agendas of different stakeholders, and mitigate external risks such as major international funding dry

This case was written to be used as a teaching case for students unfamiliar with how to approach and analyze a typical business school case. Unlike many cases used in specific classroom settings, this case is intended to be broad enough that any single student will not have a significant advantage because of his or her background. Moreover, the case is designed to guide students' thinking in a certain direction, using open-ended and more focused discussion questions provided at the case's end.


As the healthcare professional in closest contact with both the patient and the physician, nurses face biomedical ethical problems in unique ways. Accordingly, Case Studies in Nursing Ethics presents basic ethical principles and specific guidance for applying these principles in nursing practice, through analysis of over 150 actual case study conflicts that have occurred in nursing practice. Each case study allows readers to develop their own approaches to the resolution of ethical conflict and to reflect on how the traditions of ethical thought and professional guidelines apply to the situation. The Fourth Edition has been completely revised and updated. It includes two new chapters, one on Moral Integrity and Moral Distress which contains AACN model of moral distress and work and one on Respect which addresses several aspects of the general problem of showing respect for patients and others. It's also been updated with new case studies, new "Critical Thinking Questions" and "Research Briefs" boxes throughout, as well as citations, glossary, and web resources in health care ethics.


Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas' disease, preferentially infects cardiac and digestive tissues. Baboons living in Texas (Papio hamadryas) and cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) have been reported to be infected naturally with T. cruzi. In this study, we retrospectively reviewed cases of animals that were diagnosed with lymphocytic myocarditis and used a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based method (S36/S35 primer set) to amplify T. cruzi DNA from archived frozen and formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) cardiac tissues. We show that the PCR method is applicable in archived frozen and FFPE tissues and the sensitivity is in the femtogram range. A positive correlation between PCR positivity and lymphocytic myocarditis in both baboons and cynomolgus monkeys is shown. We also show epicarditis as a common finding in animals infected with T. cruzi.


The authors present the case for exploiting time-resolved x-ray absorption to study structural dynamics in the liq. phase. With this aim in mind and considering the large differences between absorption coeffs. in the optical and the x-ray domains as well as the x-ray absorption cross sections due to unexcited species, the authors have estd. the anticipated signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) under realistic conditions with femtosecond laser pump pulses and synchrotron radiation x-ray probe pulses. As a model system, the authors examine I- photodetachment in H2O and detect the appearance of laser-generated neutral I atoms by their x-ray near-edge absorption structure (XANES) and by their extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS). While the S/N ratio critically depends on the photolysis yield, which itself is governed by the optical absorption cross section, the optimum sample concn. varies in a complex fashion as a function of pump laser intensity and optical absorption cross section. However, concns. yielding near total absorption of the pump laser deliver quite optimum S/N ratios. The calcns. presented here provide guidelines for the implementation of time-resolved x-ray absorption expts. in condensed phase chem. systems. [on SciFinder (R)]


The effect of endotoxin on the tibial in vitro colony-forming cell (CFC) and the differentiated granulocyte compartment was evaluated. The injection of 5 µg of Salmonella typhosa endotoxin into CF 1 mice leads to elevated serum colony-stimulating factor (CSF) levels along with a transient granulocytopenia followed by the release of granulocytes from the marrow. The present study demonstrates that the number of tibial CFC, as assayed on soft agar, decreases within 20 min after endotoxin, reaches a nadir at 6 hr (65.8 ± 4.9% of control), and then returns to control values by 48 hr. Concomitantly, over the 48 hr after endotoxin, there are sequential increases in the marrow myeloblast-promyelocyte compartment (MPC), myelocyte compartment (MC), and the PMN compartment. Radioautographic studies utilizing 3 HTdR showed increased labeling indices and grain counts in the MPC and MC at 24 or 48 hr after endotoxin, indicating a shortening of generation time and perhaps of the DNA synthetic period in these compartments. The present data suggest that elevated CSF levels seen after endotoxin administration may lead to differentiation of the marrow CFC into the granulocyte pathway. There are also changes in the differentiated granulocyte compartment, suggesting a decreased generation time that may be due to CSF or a separate regulator such as antichalone.


This article proposes an algorithm for automatic analysis of attack data in IP telephony network with a neural network. Data for the analysis is gathered from variable monitoring application running in the network. These monitoring systems are a typical part of nowadays network. Information from them is usually used after attack. It is possible to use an automatic classification of IP telephony attacks for nearly real-time classification and counter attack or mitigation of potential attacks. The classification use proposed neural network, and the article covers design of a neural network and its practical implementation. It contains also methods for neural network learning and data gathering functions from honeypot application.


The search for a possible design question, or generative research, is problematic. Generative research in design often relies on an unseen, intangible spark of intuition that leads to a novel design approach, and not many scholars or clients appreciate (or trust) the abstract nature of this process. Gathering information like demographics is useful data, but it only provides comparative information. Though charts and graphs can make apparent what is already true in the numbers, they cannot reveal much more than that. They cannot, for example, reflect how a user population behaves, interacts, socializes, or moves. Consequently, the ways in which we navigate our world though visual communication, electronic or otherwise, is an increasingly challenging design problem. Seeing clear patterns for behavior is especially important in interaction design. Visual representations of pattern phenomena are possible with network science. The United States National Research Council defines network science as "the study of network representations of physical, biological, and social phenomena leading to predictive models of these phenomena." (Wikipedia, 2013). Most visualizations of complex networks are literally represented as lines connecting dots, the dots as data points and the lines as relationships. Careful- ly choosing the best data points, based on meaningful relationships, and applying good information design technique, makes a more comprehensive view of a designated design problem possible. A network visualization can be dynamic and three dimensional, though meaningful compositional view of a two-dimensional model can suffice. Because the data are visual, design decisions are more clearly communicated to both the designer and her audience. While it is possible to analyze the complex network with various mathematical functions—like density, clustering and connectedness—through these types of visualizations, a few simple examples show how powerful network science models can be.


This article addresses the concept of quality risk in outsourcing. Recent trends in outsourcing extend a contract manufacturer's (CM's) responsibility to several functional areas, such as research and development and design in addition to manufacturing. This trend enables an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to focus on sales and pricing of its product. However, increasing CM responsibilities also suggest that the OEM's product quality is mainly determined by its CM. We identify two factors that cause quality risk in this outsourcing relationship. First, the CM and the OEM may not be able to contract on quality; second, the OEM may not know the cost of quality to the CM. We characterize the effects of these two quality risk factors on the firms' profits and on the resulting product quality. We determine how the OEM's pricing strategy affects quality risk. We show, for example, that the effect of noncontractible quality is higher than the effect of private quality cost information when the OEM sets the sales price after observing the product's quality. We also show that committing to a sales price mitigates the adverse effect of quality risk. To obtain these results, we develop and analyze a three‐stage decision model. This model is also used to understand the impact of recent information technologies on profits and product quality. For example, we provide a decision tree that an OEM can use in deciding whether to invest in an enterprise‐wide quality management system that enables accounting of quality‐related activities across the supply chain. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 2009


The literature on organisational culture suggests that ceremonies or rituals reinforce control. By contrast, this article contributes to the literature on resistance, culture and ceremony by arguing that ceremony can also be understood as a form of resistance. It does so through drawing on ethnographic research, first, to explore how a ceremonial 1-day rally during an academic dispute was productive for frontline employee resistance (ceremony as resistance). Second, it considers how such resistance can also be productive in generating consent, for it is infused with and reproduces established norms, subjectivities and power relations (resistance as ceremony). Finally, it is asserted that resistance can be productive in fostering a subjectivity characterised by stability and instability and so practices such as a rally are necessary to try to stabilise both the organisation and the subjectivity of resistance. The article therefore illustrates the ambiguity of productive resistance which has been neglected to date. These insights and arguments indicate that all forms of workplace resistance are decaf, for they are imbued with the context and norms through which they arise. Nevertheless, resistance remains dangerous for those in positions of authority because it means that power is never totalising and so outcomes continue to be uncertain.


Abstract. We present a full-year online global simulation of tropospheric chemistry
(158 coupled species) at cubed-sphere c720 (∼12.5×12.5km2) resolution in the NASA Goddard Earth
Observing System Model version 5 Earth system model (GEOS-5 ESM) with
GEOS-Chem as a chemical module (G5NR-chem). The GEOS-Chem module within GEOS
uses the exact same code as the offline GEOS-Chem chemical transport model
(CTM) developed by a large atmospheric chemistry research community. In this
way, continual updates to the GEOS-Chem CTM by that community can be
seamlessly passed on to the GEOS chemical module, which remains state of the
science and referenceable to the
latest version of GEOS-Chem. The 1-year G5NR-chem simulation was conducted to
serve as the Nature Run for observing system simulation experiments (OSSEs)
in support of the future geostationary satellite constellation for
tropospheric chemistry. It required 31 wall-time days on 4707 compute cores
with only 24 % of the time spent on the GEOS-Chem chemical module. Results
from the GEOS-5 Nature Run with GEOS-Chem chemistry were shown to be
consistent to the offline GEOS-Chem CTM and were further compared to global
and regional observations. The simulation shows no significant global bias
for tropospheric ozone relative to the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI)
satellite and is highly correlated with observations spatially and
seasonally. It successfully captures the ozone vertical distributions
measured by ozonesondes over different regions of the world, as well as
observations for ozone and its precursors from the August–September 2013
Studies of Emissions, Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by
Regional Surveys (SEAC4RS) aircraft campaign over the southeast US. It
systematically overestimates surface ozone concentrations by
10 ppbv at sites in the US and Europe, a problem currently being
addressed by the GEOS-Chem CTM community and from which the GEOS ESM will
benefit through the seamless update of the online code.


Nineteenth-century American literature has always been part of the conversations that now comprise contemporary approaches to the field of western literary studies, specifically "critical regionalism" and the "New Western Criticism." The very issues at the heart of critical regionalist approaches—such as hybrid identities, third-spaces, contact zones, and the relationship between the local and the global—were anticipated in and by the literature of the nineteenth century. This claim comes into better view when nineteenth-century American literature is conceptualized through the US-Mexican War rather than the US Civil War. Defining the literary history of the United States through its hemispheric and international, rather than its internal and domestic, boundaries encourages the comparative practices and transnational methodologies called for by critical regionalist approaches. This conceptual remapping can lead scholars in the field today to ask further questions about indigenous literacies and cultural production in the nineteenth century, which will move nineteenth-century study and western literary studies forward in new and needed directions. Placing an emphasis on pedagogy and classroom strategies, this essay offers several approaches, texts, and authors that meld critical regionalism and a revitalized exploration of nineteenth-century American literature through the US-Mexican War.


Abstract This Article examines consumer law enforcement in the EU. It shows how the effectiveness of collective and individual redress is intrinsically linked to the interplay between administrative and judicial enforcement and alternative dispute resolution (ADR). It addresses the trends and the contradictions of EU enforcement policies and their impact on national systems by looking at the role of general principles and fundamental rights, in particular Article 47 of the European Charter of Fundamental Rights (CFR). It concludes with policy recommendations concerning how the various consumer enforcement mechanisms should be coordinated at the EU and national level to ensure comprehensive and effective protection in compliance with fundamental rights.


The use of three-dimensional (3D) surround sound systems has seen a rapid increase over recent years. In two-dimensional (2D) loudspeaker formats (i.e. two-channel stereophony (stereo) and 5.1 Surround), horizontal interchannel decorrelation is a well-established technique for controlling the horizontal spread of a phantom image. Use of interchannel decorrelation can also be found within established two-to-five channel upmixing methods (stereo to 5.1). More recently, proprietary algorithms have been developed that perform 2D-to-3D upmixing, which presumably make use of interchannel decorrelation as well; however, it is not currently known how interchannel decorrelation is perceived in the vertical domain. From this, it is considered that formal investigations into the perception of vertical interchannel decorrelation are necessary. Findings from such experiments may contribute to the improved control of a sound source within 3D surround systems (i.e. the vertical spread), in addition to aiding the optimisation of 2D-to-3D upmixing algorithms.

The current thesis presents a series of experiments that systematically assess vertical interchannel decorrelation under various conditions. Firstly, a comparison is made between horizontal and vertical interchannel decorrelation, where it is found that vertical decorrelation is weaker than horizontal decorrelation. However, it is also seen that vertical decorrelation can generate a significant increase of vertical image spread (VIS) for some conditions. Following this, vertical decorrelation is assessed for octave-band pink noise stimuli at various azimuth angles to the listener. The results demonstrate that vertical decorrelation is dependent on both frequency and presentation angle – a general relationship between the interchannel cross-correlation (ICC) and VIS is observed for the 500 Hz octave-band and above, and strongest for the 8 kHz octave-band. Objective analysis of these stimuli signals determined that spectral changes at higher frequencies appear to be associated with VIS perception – at 0° azimuth, the 8 and 16 kHz octave-bands demonstrate potential spectral cues, at ±30°, similar cues are seen in the 4, 8 and 16 kHz bands, and from ±110°, cues are featured in the 2, 4, 8 and 16 kHz bands. In the case of the 8 kHz octave-band, it seems that vertical decorrelation causes a 'filling in' of vertical localisation notch cues, potentially resulting in ambiguous perception of vertical extent. In contrast, the objective analysis suggests that VIS perception of the 500 Hz and 1 kHz bands may have been related to early reflections in the listening room.

From the experiments above, it is demonstrated that the perception of VIS from vertical interchannel decorrelation is frequency-dependent, with high frequencies playing a particularly important role. A following experiment explores the vertical decorrelation of high frequencies only, where it is seen that decorrelation of the 500 Hz octave-band and above produces a similar perception of VIS to broadband decorrelation, whilst improving tonal quality. The results also indicate that decorrelation of the 8 kHz octave-band and above alone can significantly increase VIS, provided the source signal has sufficient high frequency energy. The final experimental chapter of the present thesis aims to provide a controlled assessment of 2D-to-3D upmixing, taking into account the findings of the previous experiments. In general, 2D-to-3D upmixing by vertical interchannel decorrelation had little impact on listener envelopment (LEV), when compared against a level-matched 2D 5.1 reference. Furthermore, amplitude-based decorrelation appeared to be marginally more effective, and 'high-pass decorrelation' resulted in slightly better tonal quality for sources that featured greater low frequency energy.


Abstract. The near-global elevation product from NASA's Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) has been widely used since its release in 2005 at 3 arcsecond resolution and the release of the 1 arcsecond version in late 2014 means that the full potential of the SRTM DEM can now be realised. However the routine use of SRTM for analytical purposes such as catchment hydrology, flood inundation, habitat mapping and soil mapping is still seriously impeded by the presence of artefacts in the data, primarily the offsets due to tree cover and the random noise. This paper describes the algorithms being developed to remove those offsets, based on the methods developed to produce the Australian national elevation model from SRTM data. The offsets due to trees are estimated using the GlobeLand30 (National Geomatics Center of China) and Global Forest Change (University of Maryland) products derived from Landsat, along with the ALOS PALSAR radar image data (JAXA) and the global forest canopy height map (NASA). The offsets are estimated using several processes and combined to produce a single continuous tree offset layer that is subtracted from the SRTM data. The DEM products will be made freely available on completion of the first draft product, and the assessment of that product is expected to drive further improvements to the methods.


Background: Tactics in endurance disciplines is often considered by a analysis of distribution of velocity at a distance. Long-distance swimming (800m, 1500m) is a discipline perfectly located in the above definition. Thus the purpose of the paper is to deepen knowledge on sport tactics based on the distribution of velocity by athletes training swimming at the highest level. Material/Methods: The research material comprised finalists of the swimming race on the 800 meters at the Olympic Games in Beijing (2008) and the World Championships in Rome (2009). Data on the average speed for the entire distance and average speed for the 50-meter segments were analyzed. The average speed for the "halves" (350m and 400m) and "quarters" (150m, 200m, 200m, 200m) was calculated, and the specific "velocity differences index" was also identified (VDI). To illustrate the results better, a linear and non-linear regression equation was used. Results: The results show that the top athletes both of the Beijing Olympics and the World Championships in Rome maintain consistency of the pace; deviations from the average velocity are low, and increasing speed happens at the finish. The analysis of non-linear regression equation confirms this observation. The second "half" of the distance is covered by the best swimmer at higher speeds compared to the first part of the distance; the analysis of "quarters" indicates that the middle one is the slowest. The values of VDI for "halves" have the lowest values in both races for the best swimmers. Conclusions: The analysis of results justifies the conclusion that primarily it is the constant pace of the race that gives a chance to obtain a high result. The ultimate way in which the race is to be executed depends on athlete's individual predispositions; however, maintaining a constant high speed without speeding up at the finish proved to be an effective tactic in the case of one of the top athletes in both races.


Computational methods for intra-opus pattern discovery (discovering repeated patterns within a piece of music) and stylistic composition (composing in the style of another composer or period) can offer insights into how human listeners and composers undertake such activities. Two studies are reported that demonstrate improved computational methods for pattern discovery in music. In the first, regression models are built with the aim of predicting subjective assessments of a pattern's salience, based on various quantifiable attributes of that pattern, such as the number of notes it contains. Using variable selection and cross-validation, a formula is derived for rating the importance of a discovered pattern. In the second study, a music analyst undertook intra-opus pattern discovery for works by Domenico Scarlatti and Johann Sebastian Bach, forming a benchmark of target patterns. The performance of two existing algorithms and one of my own creation, called SIACT (Structure Induction Algorithm with Compactness Trawling), is evaluated by comparison with this benchmark. SIACT out-performs the existing algorithms with regard to recall and, more often than not, precision. A third experiment is reported concerning human judgements of music excerpts that are, to varying degrees, in the style of mazurkas by Frededric Chopin. This acts as an evaluation for two computational models of musical style, called Racchman-Oct2010 and Racchmaninof-Oct2010 (standing for RAndom Constrained CHain of MArkovian Nodes with INheritance Of Form), which are developed over two chapters. The latter of these models applies SIACT and the formula for rating pattern importance, using temporal and registral positions of discovered patterns from an existing template piece to guide the generation of a new passage of music. The precision and runtime of pattern discovery algorithms, and their use for audio summarisation are among topics for future work. Data and code related to this thesis is available on the accompanying CD or at http://www.tomcollinsresearch.net


OBJECTIVE
Twin and family studies suggest that genetic variants contribute to the pathogenesis of bulimia nervosa (BN) and anorexia nervosa (AN). The Price Foundation has supported an international, multisite study of families with these disorders to identify these genetic variations. The current study presents the clinical characteristics of this sample as well as a description of the study methodology.

METHOD
All probands met modified criteria for BN or bulimia nervosa with a history of AN (BAN) as defined in the 4th ed. of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994). All affected relatives met DSM-IV criteria for BN, AN, BAN, or eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS). Probands and affected relatives were assessed diagnostically using both trained-rater and self-report assessments. DNA samples were collected from probands, affected relatives, and available biologic parents.

RESULTS
Assessments were obtained from 163 BN probands and 165 BAN probands. Overall, there were 365 relative pairs available for linkage analysis. Of the affected relatives of BN probands, 62 were diagnosed as BN (34.8%), 49 as BAN (27.5%), 35 as AN (19.7%), and 32 as EDNOS (18.0%). For the relatives of BAN probands, 42 were diagnosed as BN (22.5%), 67 as BAN (35.8%), 48 as AN (25.7%), and 30 as EDNOS (16.0%).

DISCUSSION
This study represents the largest genetic study of eating disorders to date. Clinical data indicate that although there are a large number of individuals with BN disorders, a range of eating pathology is represented in the sample, allowing for the examination of several different phenotypes in molecular genetic analyses.


Intellectuals occupy a paradoxical position in contemporary American culture as they struggle both to maintain their critical independence and to connect to the larger society. In Anxious Intellects John Michael discusses how critics from the right and the left have conceived of the intellectual's role in a pluralized society, weighing intellectual authority against public democracy, universal against particularistic standards, and criticism against the respect of popular movements. Michael asserts that these Enlightenment-born issues, although not "resolvable," are the very grounds from which real intellectual work must proceed.

As part of his investigation of intellectuals' self-conceptions and their roles in society, Michael concentrates on several well-known contemporary African American intellectuals, including Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Cornel West. To illuminate public debates over pedagogy and the role of university, he turns to the work of Todd Gitlin, Michael Berube, and Allan Bloom. Stanley Fish's pragmatic tome, Doing What Comes Naturally , along with a juxtaposition of Fredric Jameson and Samuel Huntington's work, proves fertile ground for Michael's argument that democratic politics without intellectuals is not possible. In the second half of Anxious Intellects , Michael relies on three popular conceptions of the intellectual—as critic, scientist, and professional—to discuss the work of scholars Constance Penley, Henry Jenkins, the celebrated physicist Stephen Hawking, and others, insisting that ambivalence, anxiety, projection, identification, hybridity, and various forms of psychosocial complexity constitute the real meaning of Enlightenment intellectuality. As a new and refreshing contribution to the recently emergent culture and science wars, Michael's take on contemporary intellectuals and their place in society will enliven and redirect these ongoing debates.


The difference between a successful meeting and a futile one is in the preparation and the staging, explains Therese Meyer of Regus (Africa).
A good business meeting can leave you feeling energised, enthused and five years younger. A bad one can leave you wanting an immediate change of job or even career. We all complain about having too many meetings, but when they work, they generate new ideas, revenues, energy or goodwill. How can we make sure this happens?


Written by a distinguished group of Asian social scientists, this study summarizes and synthesizes the economic impacts of the crisis on individual countries and their policy response since 2008, and in particular carefully scrutinizes the immediate and remote causes of the crisis. It not only offers an assessment of its impacts, and identifies specific country measures that can be undertaken to stabilize the situation, but also looks at the crisis from three important economic perspectives: that of a healthy fiscal system, international trade, and the energy market.


Biogenic amines (BAs) are organic amines present in meat, fish, dairy produce and wine due to the breakdown of amino acids, catalysed by microbial decarboxylases. BAs determination in food is important not only because of possible toxicological effects such as nausea, sweating and headache but also due to their possible role as indicators of food spoilage. Chromatographic methods are traditionally applied for determination of BAs in food [1], which usually require preliminary operations for sample pre-treatment that are laborious and difficult to automate. On the other hand, screening analytical systems provide simple, low cost and rapid analysis with the possibility of subjecting high number of samples to the screening system in a short time [2]. In this work we present a novel method for screening determination of BAs using a microfluidic system with the detection by highly sensitive thermal lens microscope (μFIA-TLM).
Four biogenic amines (putrescine, cadaverine, histamine and tyramine) were subjected to enzymatic catalysis by transglutaminase, where ammonia was released as a product of acyl transfer reaction between the peptide bound glutamine (Gln) and the amino group of BAs. Ammonia was further transformed into indophenol blue by the Berthelot reaction. The coloured product was detected in batch (static) mode in a 100 μm sample cell or in μFIA (flowing) mode in a microchip with the same optical path length. The detection was performed on a TLM system applying a solid-state diode as an excitation source (660 nm). Organic solvents were tested for signal enhancement.
For evaluation of the sensitivity and determination of LOD values (S/N = 3 basis), the NH4Cl standard solution was applied in Berthelot reaction with further detection on TLM system. The LODs for NH4+ in batch mode and in μFIA were 24 μg/L and 109 μg/L, respectively. Both LOD values are lower than the LOD achieved with conventional spectrophotometry (180 μg/L). When mixtures of the indophenol standard solutions and EtOH in the ratio of 1:1 were prepared the LOD in batch mode was improved to 3 μg/L, achieving 60-times improvement compared to spectrophotometry.


Co-production is a term that has been used to describe arrangements where receivers of services are also involved in producing them. This type of arrangements can be found in a wide range of services and situations, which has stretched the concept of co-production to a point where its meaning is becoming less clear. This paper presents research on co-production from two very different service areas that will show both commonalities and differences in the interpretation of the concept. What is at the core of the concept and how can co-production be transferred from one service area to another? These are questions addressed in this paper, using existing research on childcare and addiction treatment and in Sweden.


In 1831, an unknown, horrifying and deadly disease from Asia swept across Continental Europe, killing millions in its path and throwing the medical profession into confusion. Cholera is a killer with little respect for class or wealth. When it arrived in Britain, its repercussions rocked Victorian England - from the filthy lanes of the Sunderland quayside and the squalid streets of Soho, to the great centres of power: the Privy Council, Whitehall and, the Royal Medical Colleges. One man - alone and unrecognised - uncovered the truth behind the pandemic and laid the foundations for the modern, scientific investigation of today's fatal plagues. John Snow was a reclusive doctor, without money or social position, who had the genius to look beyond the conventional wisdom of his day, and work out that cholera was spread through drinking water. The book draws extensively on 19th century medical, political and personal records in order to describe what is both an important breakthrough for medical science and also a dramatic story with a cast of colourful characters, from the heroic to the frighteningly incompetent. The book is also full of fascinating diversions into aspects of medical and social history - from Snow's tending of Queen Victoria in childbirth, to the Dutch microbiologist Leeuwenhoek's deliberately breeding of lice in his socks; and, from Dickensian children's farms to riotous 19th century anaesthesia parties.


Consumer trends towards shelf-stable, safe, more natural and free from additives foods drove the need to investigate the commercial application of non-thermal food processing technologies. High pressure processing (HPP) is one such emerging technology where foods are generally subjected to high pressure (100-1000 MPa), with or without heat. Similar to heat pasteurization, HPP deactivates pathogenic microorganisms and enzymes, extends shelf life, denatures proteins, and modifies structure and texture of foods. However, unlike thermal processing, HPP can retain the quality of fresh food products, with little or no impact on nutritional value and organoleptic properties. Moreover, HPP is independent of the geometry (shape and size) of food products. The retention of food quality attributes, whilst prolonging shelf life, are enormous benefits to both food manufacturers and consumers. Researches have indicated that the combination of HPP and other treatments, based on the hurdle technology concept, has potential synergistic effects. With further advancement of the technology and its large-scale commercialization, the cost and limitations of this technology will probably reduce in the near future. The current review focuses on the mechanism and system of HPP and its applications in the processing of fruit, vegetables, meat, milk, fish and seafood, and eggs and their derived products.


Cu(II) is an essential element for life but is also associated with numerous and serious medical conditions, particularly neurodegeneration. Structural modeling of crystallization-resistant biological Cu(II) species relies on detailed spectroscopic analysis. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) can, in principle, provide spin hamiltonian parameters that contain information on the geometry and ligand atom complement of Cu(II). Unfortunately, EPR spectra of Cu(II) recorded at the traditional X-band frequency are complicated by (i) strains in the region of the spectrum corresponding to the g(∥) orientation and (ii) potentially very many overlapping transitions in the g(⊥) region. The rapid progress of density functional theory computation as a means to correlate EPR and structure, and the increasing need to study Cu(II) associated with biomolecules in more biologically and biomedically relevant environments such as cells and tissue, have spurred the development of a technique for the extraction of a more complete set of spin hamiltonian parameters that is relatively straightforward and widely applicable. EPR at L-band (1-2 GHz) provides much enhanced spectral resolution and straightforward analysis via computer simulation methods. Herein, the anisotropic spin hamiltonian parameters and the nitrogen coordination numbers for two hitherto incompletely characterized Cu(II)-bound species of a prion peptide complex are determined by analysis of their L-band EPR spectra.


This thesis addresses the state of human alienation as a consciousness that pervades our destructive, perverse tendencies. This consciousness is readily viewable from the perspective of current environmental crisis. As such, it is proposed that an investigation into the alienated consciousness might reveal both why we dominate and destroy our environment and ourselves, as well as how we might resolve alienation and, by extension, begin to live harmoniously within our surroundings and neighbors on earth. Two texts, Crime and Punishment and Desolation Angels, by Fyodor Dostoevsky and Jack Kerouac, respectively, are exemplary of the type of human alienation discussed in this thesis: that is, the alienation that arises from our perceived existence as neither gods (stewardship) nor animals (beasts). This anomalous state is further revealed through the inclusion of Emmanuel Levinas' Totality and Infinity, which condemns our totalistic trajectory as reinforcing alienation by obstructing the trajectory of infinity, or the proper course of humanity marked by ethics of interconnectivity and diversity. Also included is Mikhail Bakhtin's Problems of Dostoevsky's Poetics, which helps reveal how ethics of interconnectivity and diversity are arranged in Dostoevsky's work. By reading these texts together, we reveal that alienation is a unique derivative of particular socio-cultural spaces, and that the modernizing human trajectory since the burgeoning of capitalism in 1860s Russia to postwar America has only served to reinforce alienation, thus linking perverse destruction to exploitative societies as marked by the pursuit of material gain. We therefore conclude that keen attention must be paid to the human ego as well as dedication to sustainability through the reduction of excess if we wish to resolve alienation and the domination and exhaustion of resources and diversity that ensues.


Abstract. Carbon dioxide emissions from urban road traffic mainly come from automobile exhaust. However, the carbon dioxide emissions obtained by the instruments are unreliable due to time delay error. In order to improve the reliability of data, we propose a method to correct the measured vehicles' carbon dioxide emissions from instrument based on the CMEM model. Firstly, the synthetic time series of carbon dioxide emissions are simulated by CMEM model and GPS velocity data. Then, taking the simulation data as the control group, the time delay error of the measured carbon dioxide emissions can be estimated by the asynchronous correlation analysis, and the outliers can be automatically identified and corrected using the principle of DTW algorithm. Taking the taxi trajectory data of Wuhan as an example, the results show that (1) the correlation coefficient between the measured data and the control group data can be improved from 0.52 to 0.59 by mitigating the systematic time delay error. Furthermore, by adjusting the outliers which account for 4.73 % of the total data, the correlation coefficient can raise to 0.63, which suggests strong correlation. The construction of low carbon traffic has become the focus of the local government. In order to respond to the slogan of energy saving and emission reduction, the distribution of carbon emissions from motor vehicle exhaust emission was studied. So our corrected data can be used to make further air quality analysis.


Radioactive waste treatment is planned in LWTF (Low-level radioactive Waste Treatment Facility, JAEA) for LLW generated from the Tokai-reprocessing facility. The target LLW consists of highly concentrated sodium nitrate (5 M NaNO3) containing low-level 90Sr. In this study, selective adsorption properties of Sr2+ for highly functional A type zeolites (A51-JHP, A51-J (Union Showa) and A-4, X type zeolite (F-9) and Titanic acid-PAN (polyacrylamide) were clarified by batch and column adsorption methods. The irradiation stabilities of these adsorbents were also evaluated.The distribution properties of Sr2+ on different adsorbents were compared in simulated waste solution (5 M NaNO3, 0.1 ppm Sr2+, 85Sr as tracer). The order of distribution coefficients (Kd,Sr) was Titanic acid-PAN > A51-JHP > A51-J > A-4 > F-9. The largest value of Kd,Sr for titanic acid-PAN was estimated to be 218 cm3/g, while the saturated capacity (Qmax) was very small. Titanic acid-PAN had also the largest uptake rate of Sr2+ ions and the uptake attained equilibrium within 8 h. On the other hand, A51-JHP had a relatively large Kd,Sr value above 100 cm3/g and a Qmax value of 0.65 mmol/g.The breakthrough properties of Sr2+ were examined by varying cations present (single and mixed solutions) and flow rate (0.08 and 0.17 cm3/min). The components for the single solution were 400 g/L NaNO3, 100 ppm Sr2+, 85Sr as tracer, and the mixed solution contains 200 ppm Cs+, 100 ppm Ca2+, 50 ppm Mg2+, 50 ppm RuNO3+ in addition to the single solution components. The breakthrough curve for Titanic acid-PAN column using single solution had an S-shaped profile, while the "concentration phenomenon" exceeding C/C0 (breakthrough ratio) = 1 was observed in the case of mixed solution. As for the A51-JHP column, the breakthrough curve for single solution was similar to that for mixed solution and the 5% breakpoint was enhanced by decreasing the flow rate.The A51-JHP was stable under 60Co-irradiation up to 2.54 MGy; Kd,Sr and Qmax values were almost constant. In contrast, Titanic acid-PAN was affected above 0.28 MGy, due to the radiolysis of PAN matrix, and this surface alteration led to the release of active component of titanic acid.The novel A type zeolite (A51-JHP) is thus expected for the selective removal of Sr2+ in LWTF. The optimization of particle size and flow rate should be examined before practical use.Copyright © 2014 by ASME


Communication, anxiety and satisfaction during pregnancy was examined. Ley (1977) presents a cognitive model to explain satisfaction and its links with understanding. Janis (1958, 1971) notes a curvilinear relationship between anxiety and post-operative coping and postulates that information, anxiety and cognitive preparation are the variables accounting for this. Kumar and Robson note that obstetric anxiety is related to concerns for maternal and infant well being rather than irrational anxiety. This study examined the experience of women, stressors, communication satisfaction, knowledge and information and looked at the extent to which these three theories could interrelate to provide a fuller explanation of the psychological experience of women. Five studies were undertaken. Initially a pilot study revealed many negative statements about communication when transcripts were analysed. Communication factors and anxiety laden instances were correlated. The next study was set up to examine knowledge levels as Ley predicts that these, together with misunderstandings could contribute to dissatisfaction. Desire for knowledge was high. Knowledge varied according to social class but not parity. Doctors felt parity would be a factor. Women had difficulty approaching their doctor for information yet still desired doctors as their primary information source. Doctors delegated much information imparting to classes. Study three examined anxiety, communications and satisfaction in labour with pain management (a noted stressor in study 1). Patients receiving Pethidine were dissatisfied. Their pain experience did not differ markedly,but their psychological preparation did. In study 4 anxiety and outcome was monitored, together with information gathering strategies. Linear, rather than curvilinear relationships were found (unlike those predicted by Janis). The course of anxiety was a useful measure and the impact of anxiety on caregivers in the cycle of communications and recovery were explored. The final study looked at the impact of intervention on anxiety and satisfaction in ante-natal care. Women were randomly allocated to groups receiving no intervention, information and information plus feedback. The latter group had significantly lower post-consultation anxiety and higher satisfaction than the other two. The role of knowledge and accuracy in relation to satisfaction was explored.

Kumar and Robsons propositions about anxiety were supported in these studies. Ley's cognitive model contributed much to the understanding but limitations in this model are explored, especially in relation to process and interaction factors and the routes to understanding. Janis' curvilinear relationship was not upheld, but his theoretical explanations involving the use of information and worry needs further testing.


This study uses experimental markets to investigate how moral reasoning influences auditor reporting under different levels of economic incentives. In each multiperiod market, auditor subjects could either (1) misreport low observed outcomes as high and thereby reap economic advantages at the expense of third-party investors, or (2) truthfully report low observed outcomes as low but thereby forgo the economic advantages of misreporting. We extend the Calegari, Schatzberg, and Sevcik 1998 experimental-markets setting to incorporate moral reasoning, and test hypotheses based on the economic model of Magee and Tseng 1990 and the neo-Kohlbergian moral reasoning framework of Rest, Narvaez, Bebeau, and Thoma 1999. We document a significant effect of moral reasoning on auditor behavior. Specifically, we find that misreporting and premium fees are more likely with higher than with lower moral reasoning subjects, and the moral reasoning effect diminishes as economic penalties increase in the market. These findings provide valuable insights for specifying the determinants of auditor misreporting, the observable behaviors that signal its existence, and the institutions that can prevent its occurrence in the market. We conclude that the relation between moral reasoning and behavior is more complex than commonly assumed in the accounting literature, and identify directions for future research.


The underlying transparency of the Bitcoin blockchain allows transactions in the network to be tracked in near real-time. When someone transfers a large number of Bitcoins, the market receives this information and traders can adjust their expectations based on the new information. This paper investigates trading volume and its relation to asymmetric information around transfers on the Bitcoin blockchain. We collect data on 2132 large transactions on the Bitcoin blockchain between September 2018 and November 2019, where 500 or more Bitcoins were transferred. Using event study methodology, we identify significant positive abnormal trading volume for the 15-minute window before a large Bitcoin transaction as well as during and after the event. Using public information about Bitcoin addresses of cryptocurrency exchanges as proxies for information asymmetry, we find that transactions with high levels of information asymmetry negatively affect abnormal trading volume once the event becomes public knowledge, while some effects are even opposite for transactions with lower information asymmetry. The results show that blockchain transaction activity is a relevant aspect of Bitcoin's microstructure, as informed traders make use of the information in general and adjust their expectations based on the degree of information asymmetry.


Increasing interest has been devoted to developing high-performance all-polymer solar cells (all-PSCs) owing to their specific advantages in light absorption and long-term stability. In this work, we systematically investigated the synergistic effects of processing solvents and molecular weight on the photovoltaic performance of all-PSCs, which consist of an n-type polymer N2200 and a p-type wide bandgap polymer PTzBI that are made up of benzodithiophene and imide-functionalized benzotriazole units. It is noted that increasing the molecular weight of N2200 can simultaneously enhance exciton generation and dissociation, reduce bimolecular recombination, and facilitate charge extraction. The films processed with the environmentally-friendly solvent 2-methyl-tetrahydrofuran (MeTHF) exhibit a more favourable film morphology than those processed with commonly used halogenated solvents. The all-PSC consisting of the high molecular weight N2200 and PTzBI processed with the environmentally friendly solvent MeTHF presents a remarkable power conversion efficiency of 9.16%, which is the highest value so far observed for all-PSCs. Of particular interest is that the PCE remains 6.37% with the active layer thickness of 230 nm. These observations imply the great promise of the developed all-PSCs for practical applications toward high-throughput roll-to-roll technology.


In Aspergillus nidulans, a fungus that possesses negligible, if any, levels of methylation in its genome, low concentrations of 5-azacytidine (5-AC) convert a high percentage of the cell population to fluffy phenotypic variants through a heritable modification of a single nuclear gene (M. Tamame, F. Antequera, J. R. Villanueva, and T. Santos, Mol. Cell. Biol. 3:2287-2297, 1983). This new 5-AC-altered locus, designated here fluF1, was mapped as the closest marker to the centromere that has been identified so far on the right arm of chromosome VIII. Of all mutagens tested, only 5-AC induced the fluffy phenotype with a significant frequency. Furthermore, we determined that the wild-type, dominant allele of the fluF gene was primarily accessible to modification by 5-AC at the initial stages of fungal vegetative growth. These results indicated that 5-AC does not act through random mutagenic action but, rather, that fluF constitutes a specific target for this drug during a well-defined period of fungal development. Alteration of fluF by 5-AC resulted in a dramatic modification of the developmental program of A. nidulans. The resulting fluffy clones were characterized by massive, uncontrolled proliferation of undifferentiated hyphae, a drastic delay in the onset of asexual differentiation (conidiation), and colonies with an invasive nature. These features are reminiscent of the malignant properties of tumor cells. We propose that the locus fluF plays a primary role in the control of cell proliferation in A. nidulans and that its alteration by 5-AC produces pleiotropic modifications of the developmental program of this fungus.