The significant increase in the available computational power that took place in recent decades has been accompanied by a growing interest in the application of the evolutionary approach to the synthesis of many kinds of systems and, in particular, to the synthesis of systems like analog electronic circuits, neural networks, and, more generally, autonomous systems, for which no satisfying systematic and general design methodology has been found to date. Despite some interesting results in the evolutionary synthesis of these kinds of systems, the endowment of an artificial evolutionary process with the potential for an appreciable increase of complexity of the systems thus generated appears still an open issue. In this thesis the problem of the evolutionary growth of complexity is addressed taking as starting point the insights contained in the published material reporting the unfinished work done in the late 1940s and early 1950s by John von Neumann on the theory of self-reproducing automata. The evolutionary complexity-growth conditions suggested in that work are complemented here with a series of auxiliary conditions inspired by what has been discovered since then relatively to the structure of biological systems, with a particular emphasis on the workings of genetic regulatory networks seen as the most elementary, full-fledged level of organization of existing living organisms. In this perspective, the first chapter is devoted to the formulation of the problem of the evolutionary growth of complexity, going from the description of von Neumann's complexity-growth conditions to the specification of a set of auxiliary complexity-growth conditions derived from the analysis of the operation of genetic regulatory networks. This leads to the definition of a particular structure for the kind of systems that will be evolved and to the specification of the genetic representation for them. A system with the required structure — for which the name analog network is suggested — corresponds to a collection of devices whose terminals are connected by links characterized by a scalar value of interaction strength. One of the specificities of the evolutionary system defined in this thesis is the way these values of interaction strength are determined. This is done by associating with each device terminal of the evolving analog network a sequence of characters extracted from the sequences that constitute the genome representing the network, and by defining a map from pairs of sequences of characters to values of interaction strength. Whereas the first chapter gives general prescriptions for the definition of an evolutionary system endowed with the desired complexity-growth potential, the second chapter is devoted to the specification of all the details of an actual implementation of those prescriptions. In this chapter the structure of the genome and of the corresponding genetic operators are defined. A technique for the genetic encoding of the devices constituting the analog network is described, along with a way to implement the map that specifies the interaction between the devices of the evolved system, and between them and the devices constituting the external environment of the evolved system. The proposed implementation of the interaction map is based on the local alignment of sequences of characters. It is shown how the parameters defining the local alignment can be chosen, and what strategies can be adopted to prevent the proliferation of unwanted interactions. The third chapter is devoted to the application of the evolutionary system defined in the second chapter to problems aimed at assessing the suitability in an evolutionary context of the local alignment technique and to problems aimed at assessing the evolutionary potential of the complete evolutionary system when applied to the synthesis of analog networks. Finally, the fourth chapter briefly considers some further questions that are relevant to the proposed approach but could not be addressed in the context of this thesis. A series of appendixes is devoted to some complementary issues: the definition of a measure of diversity for an evolutionary population employing the genetic description introduced in this thesis; the choice of the quantizer for the values of interaction strength between the devices constituting the evolved analog network; the modifications required to use the analog electronic circuit simulator SPICE as a simulation engine for an evolutionary or an optimization process.


This work reports the synthesis and characterization of a hybrid molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) membrane for removal of methylene blue (MB) in an aqueous environment. MB-MIP powders were hybridized into a polymer membrane (cellulose acetate (CA) and polysulfone (PSf)) after it was ground and sieved (using 90 µm sieve). MB-MIP membranes were prepared using a phase inversion process. The MB-MIP membranes were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Parameters investigated for the removal of MB by using membrane MB-MIP include pH, effect of time, concentration of MB, and selectivity studies. Maximum sorption of MB by PSf-MB-MIP membranes and CA-MB-MIP membranes occurred at pH 10 and pH 12, respectively. The kinetic study showed that the sorption of MB by MB-MIP membranes (PSf-MB-MIP and CA-MB-MIP) followed a pseudo-second-order-model and the MB sorption isotherm can be described by a Freundlich isotherm model.


Using a nationally representative British survey, this article explores the extent to which adults are using the internet for learning activities because they choose to (digital choice) or because of (involuntary) digital exclusion. Key findings suggest that reasons for (dis)engagement with the internet or the uptake of different kinds of online learning opportunities are somewhat varied for different groups, but that both digital choice and exclusion play a role. Thus, it is important for policy initiatives to better understand these groups and treat them differently. Furthermore, the more informal the learning activity, the more factors that play a significant role in explaining uptake. Policies designed to support individuals' everyday interests, as opposed to more formal kinds of learning, are likely to be more effective in increasing people's productive engagement with online learning opportunities.


In 2006, two skeletons were analysed that were previously excavated from the periphery of a Scythian burial mound, near the village of Alexandropol in southern Ukraine. Dated to ca. 325 BC, both remains are male. The first is that of a youth in his late teens who exhibits indications of biological stress and degenerative changes to the spine in the form of a Schmorl's node. The second is a middle-aged individual with extensive healed lesions due to trauma to the right humerus and clavicle with associated bony changes of the elbow and spine. Stable isotope analyses indicate a diet based on C3 plants. Their skeletons suggest a rigorous life on horseback. Both may have served as sacrificial victims. Historical records document the strangulation of attendants and their placement around the periphery of royal burial mounds. Grave goods suggest that both were warriors, although the youth lacks the traumatic injuries exhibited by the older male. The individuals from Alexandropol may have served a Scythian king in life and in death. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Cowards die many times before their deaths. The valiant never taste of death but once. Of all the wonders that I yet have heard, it seems to me most strange that men should fear, seeing that death, a necessary end, will come when it will come. (William Shakespeare in the play Julius Caesar)


This study aimed to assess the Solid waste Management in Kinondoni Municipality in the year 2014. The sample comprised a total number of 50 households in which two wards of Sinza and Ubungo were purposively chosen to represent the rest of wards in Kinondono Municipality. Data on solid waste management were collected using direct observation, interview and questionnaires. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis. Data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 16.0.
Findings indicates that high solid waste are generated from the following sources households 80% (1618.8 t/day), informal sector waste 16% (322.2 t/day), market waste 2% (40.5 t/day) and commercial waste 1% (30.4 t/day). Furthermore, 76% of the respondents had no access to door to door solid waste collection services delivered by the municipality due to poor collection system (85%), poor road access (76%) and lack of community participation. Only 15% of the respondent had an acess to the service that collect and transfer their waste to disposal site. It can be concluded that, the overall solid waste management service is poor. Waste generated is in high quantity compared to the amount collected and transferred to disposal site. Insufficient methods of solid waste collection and transportation in kinondoni municipal are not improved and there is little access to municipal vehicle for solid waste transfer and transportation to the final disposal. It is recommended from this study that, for efficiency and effective solid waste management a cooperative effort involving all stakeholders, including citizens, businesses, community based organizations, nongovernmental organizations, government agencies, universities, and other research organizations is un avoidable.


This essay surveys the development of democracy in seven East and Southeast Asian states and its impacts on state capacity. The states covered are: South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore. In the first five of these states, democratic structures have been introduced only over the last two decades. In the last two, they remain profoundly constrained. The essay considers the impacts of this development on state capacity. State capacity is a complex variable. It can be subdivided into three primary components: political, policy, and organizational capacities. Within each of these components, specific elements that have been affected by, or that potentially gain new significance from, democratization are examined. Political capacity involves political culture, political parties, the formation of executives, and executive-legislative relations. Policy capacity entails the assimilation of new policy strategies. Administrative capacity involves bureaucratic politicization and interest aggregation. The essay concludes that state capacity in all seven countries draws mostly on old foundations. Democracy has introduced new forms and new dynamic elements. However, its consolidation is a work in progress. For the moment, democratic forms constitute primarily a varnish, beneath which older patterns of power and authority continue to flourish.


Citizen data collection by the majority RT still using manual way, the way it can be said not effective in terms of time of workmanship or quality of information produced.With the existence of SITAWAR can help update citizen data more effectively residing in area especially RT level.However, from the results of previous research, there are SITAWAR problems that have been built, can only be accessed by one RT only (stand alone) in one Rukun Warga area, SITAWAR has not been connected to RW level, so if the chairman of the RW is required to report demographic data that exist in the neighborhood to the village level, still done by call each existing RT in the environment or waiting for reports from each RTchairman.Looking at the issues already described, the existing SITAWAR built is developed using the concept of web application, where all RTs in one RW area are connected to the database. This research was conducted using Development Research. While the method of system development using prototype with system design tool using Object Oriented Approach and built using PHP language (Hypertext Preprocessor). With the development of SITAWAR can produce more qualified population information.


The teaching of law in South Africa today faces daunting challenges. One of these is the large number of underprepared students who lack skill in reading, writing and speaking English. Even after completing their studies, many law graduates lack the ability to apply legal principles and to solve problems. This parlous state of affairs is largely the result of government's deplorable policy decision to sacrifice the humanities on the altar of science and technology. The term "humanities" is taken to embrace the classics (Greek and, in particular, Latin), literature, ethics, classical philosophy and Roman law. Given the vital importance of the humanities at tertiary level, I argue that there is much we can learn from the educational ideas of the great seventeenth-century jurist Ulric Huber. There are striking similarities between the law students of Huber's time and those of our own age. Particularly students who seek a career in litigation need instruction in the humanities. Huber also insists on skill in public speaking and he regards the ongoing study of ethics as an essential feature of law studies, a feature of particular relevance to our modern conditions. In conclusion, I argue that the adoption of a law curriculum on the lines proposed by Huber is capable of producing a significant improvement in the literacy, self-confidence and competence of our modern law graduates.


Amino acid residues 283–297 from sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectin 9 (Siglec-9) form a cyclic peptide ligand targeting vascular adhesion protein-1 (VAP-1). VAP-1 is associated with the transfer of leukocytes from blood to tissues upon inflammation. Therefore, analogs of Siglec-9 peptide are good candidates for visualizing inflammation non-invasively using positron emission tomography (PET). Gallium-68-labeled 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-N,N′,N″,N‴-tetraacetic acid (DOTA)-conjugated Siglec-9 has been evaluated extensively for this purpose. Here, we explored two alternative strategies for radiolabeling Siglec-9 peptide using a 1,4,7-triazacyclononane-triacetic acid (NOTA)-chelator to bind [68Ga]Ga or [18F]AlF. The radioligands were evaluated by in vivo PET imaging and ex vivo γ-counting of turpentine-induced sterile skin/muscle inflammation in Sprague-Dawley rats. Both tracers showed clear accumulation in the inflamed tissues. The whole-body biodistribution patterns of the tracers were similar.


Global warming is facilitating the poleward range expansion of plant and animal species. In the Mediterranean Sea, the concurrent temperature increase and abundance of (sub)tropical non-indigenous species (NIS) is leading to the so-called 'tropicalization' of the Mediterranean Sea, which is dramatically evident in the south-eastern sectors of the basin. At the same time, the colder north-western sectors of the basin have been said to undergo a process of 'meridionalization', that is the establishment of warm-water native species (WWN) previously restricted to the southern sectors. The Gulf of Genoa (Ligurian Sea) is the north-western reach for southern species of whatever origin in the Mediterranean. Recent (up to 2015) observations of NIS and WWN by diving have been collated to update previous similar inventories. In addition, the relative occurrences of both groups of southern species have been monitored by snorkelling between 2009 and 2015 in shallow rocky reefs at Genoa, and compared with the trend in air and sea surface temperatures. A total of 20 southern species (11 NIS and 9 WWN) was found. Two WWN (the zebra seabream Diplodus cervinus and the parrotfish Sparisoma cretense) and three NIS (the SW Atlantic sponge Paraleucilla magna, the Red Sea polychaete Branchiomma luctuosum, and the amphi-American and amphi-Atlantic crab Percnon gibbesi) are new records for the Ligurian Sea, whereas juveniles of the Indo-Pacific bluespotted cornetfish Fistularia commersonii have been found for the first time. While temperature has kept on increasing for the whole period, with 2014 and 2015 being the warmest years since at least 1950, the number of WWN increased linearly, that of NIS increased exponentially, contradicting the idea of meridionalization and supporting that of tropicalization even in the northern sectors of the Mediterranean basin.


In 2011, Somalia experienced a devastating famine that killed over a quarter of a million people. Afterwards, leaders in the region made a commitment to end drought emergencies by 2022. The international community sought to ensure that there would be no repeat of the failures that led to famine. Next time, the world would heed the warnings and act early to avoid the crisis. But despite various warnings and alarms over the past two years, the commitment to anticipatory action has proven half-hearted. We are once again responding too late and with too little to avert the crisis. In this follow-up to their 2012 briefing A Dangerous Delay, Oxfam and Save the Children, supported by the Jameel Observatory, examine what has changed and what has not in the humanitarian system since 2011. They explain how it must evolve in order to enable and fully fund anticipatory action. With the climate crisis set to deepen, the current system must change quickly in order to meet the challenges we face in the years ahead.


What kind of a world does humankind want? If it is one that closely resembles the one we have it is essential to avoid the consequences of "business as usual." The biological diversity now present constitutes the biospheric life support system that has maintained conditions favorable to the genus Homo for approximately two million years. The precise location of both ecological and societal tipping points is not discernable until they have been passed. In short, the consequences, once tipping points have been passed, are not reversible in time frames of interest to humans. Taking precautions to avoid passing tipping points and thus avoiding the consequences that might well make the planet less habitable for humans seems prudent. All the consequences are interrelated and there are usually interactions between them, which means coping with the problems at a system level. When a tipping point is passed, some consequences are predictable; others are not. However, the consequences already seen are dangerous to humankind, and the dangers lurking beyond the next global, climatic tipping point are likely to be catastrophic.


In this paper, a method based on the theory of characteristics is presented for two-dimensional, supersonic nozzle design. Minimum length of the supersonic nozzle has been calculated for the optimum Mach number at the nozzle exit with uniform flow at the diverging section of the nozzle by developing a MATLAB program. Numerical solution is established for the two dimensional, steady, in viscid, irrotational and supersonic flow. It is rational to assume the flow holds the consistency in the converging section and, thereby, an arbitrary shape is assumed for the converging section of the supersonic nozzle. The design considerations are concentrated at the diverging section.


We provide a model that bridges de gap between the simplest variation of two benchmark models of strategic network formation: Bala and Goyal s one-way ow model without decay, where links can be unilaterally formed, and a variation without decay of Jackson and Wolinsky s connections model based on bilateral formation of links. In the model introduced here, a link can be created unilaterally, but when it is only supported by one player the ow through the link only occurs towards the player supporting it and su¤ers some degree of decay, while when it is supported by both the ow runs without friction in both directions. When the decay in links supported by only one player is maximal (i.e. there is no ow) we have Jackson and Wolinsky s connections model without decay, while when ow in those links is perfect towards the player supporting them, we have Bala and Goyal s one-way ow model. We study Nash, strict Nash and pairwise Nash stability for the intermediate models. E¢ ciency and dynamics are also discussed.


A subanalysis of the phase 3 clinical trial RESONATE showed that adherence to the recommended dose of ibrutinib in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who had received previous therapy improved extended progression-free survival (PFS) compared with patients who did not adhere to the treatment regimen, suggested Paul Barr, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Director of the Clinical Trials Office, Wilmot Cancer Institute, Rochester, NY, who presented the results at ASCO 2015.

The randomized, multicenter, international, head-to-head RESONATE trial included 373 patients with CLL and 18 patients with small lymphocytic leukemia. Patients were randomized to once-daily, 420-mg orally administered ibrutinib, a first-in-class inhibitor of Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor, or to intravenous ofatumumab, a CD20 antigen inhibitor. The most common nonhematologic adverse events observed in patients who received ibrutinib included diarrhea, fatigue, pyrexia, and nausea.

The goal of this subanalysis of RESONATE was to investigate the impact of adhering to the recommended dose of ibrutinib in patients with CLL. A total of 195 patients with previously treated CLL received 420 mg of ibrutinib for 8.3 months. At the end of the treatment period, the mean dose intensity—defined as the proportion of actually used doses versus planned doses of ibrutinib 420 mg—was 95%. Overall, the majority of dose interruptions reinstated the 420 dose after the dose reduction: 3.6% of the patients had 1 dose reduction and 0.5% had 2 dose reductions because of adverse events.

The PFS duration was longer among patients who used the recommended 420-mg dose of ibrutinib (median not yet reached at the time of the analysis) compared with 11 months for the patients who took lower doses. This had no relation to high-risk factors in this patient population (such as deletion 17p or p53 mutation).

Furthermore, patients who missed the recommended ibrutinib dose for ≥8 consecutive days had significantly more adverse events compared with patients who adhered to the recommended 420-mg dose (33% vs 13%, respectively).

"These data show that when patients take Imbruvica daily, at the recommended dose, it can improve their chance of achieving a sustained treatment response and delay disease progression," Dr Barr said. "As clinicians, it is important that we ensure that patients take this once-daily, oral medication as recommended in order to achieve the best possible outcome in treating their cancer."


We draw on a nationally representative sample of American adults who reported having participated in face-to-face deliberation (N = 756). We use structural equation modeling to first ask whether perceived political diversity differently influences follow-up engagement in various civic or political activities among strong, weak, and moderate ideologues. We also examine the processes-cognitive and affective-that lead from perceived diversity to follow-up engagement, and assess whether these processes depend on ideological strength. We find that follow-up political engagement among strong ideologues is primarily affected by their prior civic and political participation. Weak ideologues, in turn, are mobilized through cognitive reactions to perceived diversity, and moderates through affective reactions. Our results add to the debate on deliberative versus participatory democracy, suggesting that research should more closely attend to individual characteristics and underlying mechanisms.


The marine environment is facing the dual threats of rising temperature and ocean acidification. Coral reef ecosystems are thought to be especially sensitive to these threats due to evolving in a relatively stable thermal environment and the susceptibility of reef building corals to ocean acidification. For populations of marine organisms to persist under climate change conditions, they must be able to reproduce and produce offspring that will survive in the environment. This study examined the effects of ocean acidification and increasing temperature on reproduction in a coral reef fish, the cinnamon anemonefish (Amphiprion melanopus) and tested how parental effects influence the susceptibility of the offspring to these dual stressors.

Ocean acidification is predicted to negatively affect reproduction of marine organisms, but few studies have tested this prediction in marine fishes. In Chapter 2, I determined the effect of ocean acidification on reproduction of A. melanopus by exposing adult breeding pairs to near-future CO₂ levels for a period of 9-months. A current-day control (~400μatm) and two CO₂ treatments (moderate (~600μatm) and high (~1000μatm)) were used based on CO₂ projections for the year 2100. Contrary to expectations, high CO₂ conditions stimulated reproduction. Pairs exposed to high CO₂ produced twice as many clutches, 60% more eggs and had 80% higher reproductive output compared with controls. Despite the increase in fecundity there were no changes in egg or hatchling size. This suggests, that for some species, increased CO₂ may not be as stressful as previously thought. Further, it suggests that a relatively small increase in CO₂ could potentially have stimulatory effects (a hormetic response) in reef fish. While no negative effects of increased reproductive effort were detected for either the adults or the offspring, it is possible that there could be effects in the longer-term that were not possible to investigate in this study.

Increasing CO₂ is the main driver of rising temperature and ocean acidification; consequently these stressors will affect the marine environment simultaneously. In Chapter 3 I examined the interactive effects of increased temperature and ocean acidification on reproduction in fish using a current-day control (~400μatm) and two CO₂ treatments (moderate (~600μatm) and high (~1100μatm)) fully crossed with a current-day temperature control (+0.0°C (+28.5°C)), and 2 elevated temperature treatments (+1.5°C (30.0°C) and +3.0°C (31.5°C)). Reproductive activity was recorded throughout the breeding season and adult body condition was determined at the end of the breeding season. Elevated CO₂, by itself, only affected some hatchling traits, significantly reducing hatchling length at high CO₂ and reducing yolk area in both CO₂ treatments. Increased temperature, in contrast, had a more detrimental effect on reproductive performance. Notably there was a decline in reproduction with increasing temperature across all CO₂ treatments, with no reproduction occurring at +3.0°C. There was no effect of increasing CO₂ or temperature on adult body condition (Fulton's K) or hepatosomatic index, suggesting that the decline in reproduction was not due to increased energy expenditure at higher temperatures. Instead the decline in reproduction may be due to changes in hormone concentrations or efficacy. Plasma 17β-estradiol concentrations were highest in the treatment groups with the highest reproduction and were significantly lower with +3.0°C increase. However, whether this was a treatment effect or due to a correlation between hormone production and the stage of oocyte development is unknown. These results suggest that increasing temperature is a greater threat than ocean acidification to reproduction in reef fishes.

The impact of ocean acidification on marine organisms may depend on the strength and direction of intergenerational effects. In Chapter 4, I examined the potential intergenerational effects of increased CO₂ by comparing the performance of offspring reared at the same CO₂ as their parents (control, moderate and high), with the performance of offspring from control parents that were reared at high CO₂ from hatching. This design allowed me to examine the acute (within generation) effects of elevated CO₂ on juvenile growth and survival and to determine if parental effects altered this response. Offspring in each CO₂ treatment were also reared at 3 different temperatures to examine the interactive effects of ocean acidification and global warming. Juvenile survival, weight, length and routine metabolic rate were measured at 31-days post hatching. Juveniles from control parents that were reared under high CO₂ had significantly lower performance compared with juveniles reared in control conditions. However, offspring from elevated CO₂ parents performed as well, if not better under high CO₂ conditions than control offspring. A decline in performance was detected with increasing temperature irrespective of CO₂ treatment. These results show that there is scope for transgenerational acclimation to ocean acidification, with the parental effects appearing to prime the offspring for the environment they will experience, thereby improving performance in a high CO₂ environment. Studies that neglect parental or transgenerational effects may not provide a true representation of the effects of ocean acidification.

Recent studies have shown that increased CO₂ can increase otolith size in fish, however parental effects have not yet been investigated. In Chapter 5 I examined size and shape morphometrics of otoliths from juvenile A. melanopus using the same experimental design as Chapter 4. This allowed me to determine both the acute and parental effects of increased CO₂ on this important sense organ. I detected no significant differences in otolith size shape or asymmetry associated with acute or parental exposure to elevated CO₂ or increased temperature. These findings are consistent with earlier studies on coral reef fish otoliths and, combined, suggest that not all fish will be sensitive to elevated CO₂. I suggested reasons for differences in sensitive and provide caveats for interpretation and extrapolation of the literature on otolith calcification under elevated CO₂, and provide suggestions for future research.

This research is the first to examine the interactive effects of high CO₂ and elevated temperature on fish reproduction and to test the potential for acclimation to ocean acidification in coral reef fish. My research shows that life history traits of reef fish may be relatively resilient to ocean acidification as a result of the capacity for transgenerational acclimation. However, reef fish reproduction is very sensitive to increasing temperature. Future studies should examine interactions between multiple climate change stressors, include the potential for transgenerational acclimation, and investigate how reproduction may change over multiple generations of exposure to rising temperature and ocean acidification.


The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is mapping the sea floor offshore of major metropolitan centers. The New York-New Jersey metropolitan area is one of the most populated coastal regions in the United States. The New York harbor estuary and its offshore area are used for waste disposal, transportation, recreation, and commercial and recreational fishing. Interpretive maps of the sea-floor geology provide a fundamental framework for research and management in the coastal ocean. They show the composition of the seabed and the shape (topography) of the sea floor; they also show areas of present and past dumping of sediments and pollutants, as well as locations and impacts of other human activities. They provide information on the transport of sediment and help to define biological habitats. All this information can be used to develop predictive models to guide habitat and resource management, monitoring strategies, and other research studies.


Background: Soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt-1) is believed to be a prominent component in the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia, although the precise etiology has remained elusive. In this study, the etiological role of FLT1 variant was further validated in pre-eclampsia by examining this association in a Japanese sample population. Methods: The genotypes of three variants (rs4769613, rs12050029 and rs149427560) were examined in the upstream region of the FLT1 gene in placentas from pre-eclamptic (n=47) or normotensive control (n=49) pregnancy samples. Additionally, FLT1 mRNA levels in placenta were determined by qRT-PCR. ELISA was further used to detect circulating sFlt-1 levels in maternal sera. The intergroup comparisons were made using the Mann-Whitney U test or one way analysis of variance and P values of less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: First, the rs4769613 (C>T) and rs12050029 (G>A) genotypes were examined in placentas but no significant differences were found in the genotype or allele-type frequencies. Next, nearby short tandem repeat, rs149427560, was examined which manifested four size variants. In the genotypewise analysis, the frequency of the 474/476 heterozygote was significantly lower in pre-eclampsia (p<0.05). As expected, the FLT1 mRNA levels were significantly elevated in the pre-eclamptic placentas and sFlt-1 was higher in pre-eclamptic maternal sera. However, the genotype of these variants did not affect the FLT1 mRNA or serum sFlt-1 levels. Conclusion: Our findings did not support the hypothesis that genetic variations around the FLT1 gene affect the subtle expression changes underlying the etiologic pathway of pre-eclampsia. The hypothesis deserves further investigation through a larger sample size.


Reverse mathematics studies which subsystems of second order arithmetic are equivalent to key theorems of ordinary, non-set-theoretic mathematics. The main philosophical application of reverse mathematics proposed thus far is foundational analysis, which explores the limits of different foundations for mathematics in a formally precise manner. This paper gives a detailed account of the motivations and methodology of foundational analysis, which have heretofore been largely left implicit in the practice. It then shows how this account can be fruitfully applied in the evaluation of major foundational approaches by a careful examination of two case studies: a partial realization of Hilbert's program due to Simpson [1988], and predicativism in the extended form due to Feferman and Schutte.

Shore [2010, 2013] proposes that equivalences in reverse mathematics be proved in the same way as inequivalences, namely by considering only omega-models of the systems in question. Shore refers to this approach as computational reverse mathematics. This paper shows that despite some attractive features, computational reverse mathematics is inappropriate for foundational analysis, for two major reasons. Firstly, the computable entailment relation employed in computational reverse mathematics does not preserve justification for the foundational programs above. Secondly, computable entailment is a Pi-1-1 complete relation, and hence employing it commits one to theoretical resources which outstrip those available within any foundational approach that is proof-theoretically weaker than Pi-1-1-CA0.


Excessive transient forces arising from foot-ground during gait can be related to increased incidence of degenerative joint disease, residual limb blisters and ulceration, muscle tears, stress fractures, and chronic low back pain. For the lower extremity amputee with only residual capacity to attenuate transient forces, effective protective interventions are an essential element of the prosthetic prescription. To facilitate understanding of the components and design variables that may influence shock absorption, a lumped parameter model simulating the movement of the human body, prosthetic components, and footwear for the first 150 ms following initial foot-ground contact is developed in conjunction with a cost function relating dose, magnitude and frequency with adverse health effects. The prosthetic foot was found to have the greatest potential for attenuating impact forces compared to the pylon and socket liner. Using the model to explore the design space, optimal passive designs were able to reduce the adverse-health-effects, cost function by 20% from those of seven different, commercially available, prosthetic feet. Optimal passive designs at the pylon and socket liner produced smaller reductions in cost while at the same time creating undesirably large displacements that could potentially lead to asymmetrical gait and secondary disabilities. While optimal passive designs were able to provide a significant cost reduction over existing prosthetic feet, further exploration of the design space reveals active shock absorbing feet have the potential to reduce the adverse health effects cost function by 57%.Copyright © 2005 by ASME


This paper studies the role of culture in shaping unemployment outcomes. The empirical analysis is based on local comparisons across a language barrier in Switzerland. This Rostigraben separates cultural groups, but neither labor markets nor political jurisdictions. Local contrasts across the language border identify the role of culture for unemployment. Our findings indicate that differences in culture explain differences in unemployment duration on the order of 20%. Moreover, we find that horizontal transmission of culture is more important than vertical transmission of culture and that culture is about as important as strong changes to the benefit duration.


Abstract Infidelity can have a devastating effect on marriages and individuals. This qualitative study explores the process of healing from infidelity and therapist behaviors that facilitate this process. In-depth client interviews suggest that healing occurs as couples pass through a seven-step process: (1) exploration of emotions and thoughts surrounding the infidelity, (2) expression of these to their partner, (3) development of empathy, (4) softening of emotions, (5) acceptance of personal responsibility and reduction of blame, (6) establishment of accountability, and (7) restoration of trust. While initially these factors occur sequentially, the process gradually becomes non-linear. Therapist behaviors which facilitate healing from infidelity are discussed.


High-definition video streams' unique statistical characteristics and their high bandwidth requirements are considered to be a challenge in both network scheduling and resource allocation fields. In this paper, we introduce an innovative way to model and predict high-definition (HD) video traces encoded with H.264/AVC encoding standard. Our results are based on our compilation of over 50HD video traces. We show that our model, simplified seasonal ARIMA (SAM), provides an accurate representation for HD videos, and it provides significant improvements in prediction accuracy. Such accuracy is vital to provide better dynamic resource allocation for video traffic. In addition, we provide a statistical analysis of HD videos, including both factor and cluster analysis to support a better understanding of video stream workload characteristics and their impact on network traffic. We discuss our methodology to collect and encode our collection of HD video traces. Our video collection, results, and tools are available for the research community.


Tooth loss in adults over age 35 usually is attributed to periodontal diseases. However, certain adult populations are known to have high caries rates. It is not clear to what extent caries contributes to tooth loss in adults. This pilot study examined the causes of tooth loss in a veteran population residing in an 800-bed, primarily long-term care facility. The study retrospectively reviewed 572 patients' dental records and documented causes for dental extractions. Of the sample population, 168 teeth were extracted in 51 patients who had 860 teeth present before treatment. Mean age of the patients undergoing extractions was 57.7 years, lower than the sample population of 60.1 years. Of the 168 teeth extracted, 105 (63%) were attributed to caries and 33 (20%) were documented as root tips, suggesting the presence of root caries. Fifty-five (33%) were extracted due to periodontal disease and six (4%) were extracted for prosthodontic reasons. Of the maxillary teeth, 67 percent were extracted for caries and 25 percent of periodontal reasons. Caries accounted for 57 percent and periodontal disease accounted for 42 percent of the mandibular teeth extracted. The order in which teeth were most frequently extracted was maxillary anteriors, mandibular anteriors, maxillary and mandibular premolars, and maxillary and mandibular molars. This study supports the recent work of authors who have found caries contributing significantly to tooth loss in adult populations.


We present a finely-binned tomographic weak lensing analysis of the Canada-FranceHawaii Telescope Lensing Survey, CFHTLenS, mitigating contamination to the signal from the presence of intrinsic galaxy alignments via the simultaneous fit of a cosmological model and an intrinsic alignment model. CFHTLenS spans 154 square degrees in five optical bands, with accurate shear and photometric redshifts for a galaxy sample with a median redshift of zm = 0:70. We estimate the 21 sets of cosmic shear correlation functions associated with six redshift bins, each spanning the angular range of 1:5 < < 35 arcmin. We combine this CFHTLenS data with auxiliary cosmological probes: the cosmic microwave background with data from WMAP7, baryon acoustic oscillations with data from BOSS, and a prior on the Hubble constant from the HST distance ladder. This leads to constraints on the normalisation of the matter power spectrum 8 = 0:799 0:015 and the matter density parameter m = 0:271 0:010 for a flat CDM cosmology. For a flat wCDM cosmology we constrain the dark energy equation of state parameter w = 1:02 0:09. We also provide constraints for curved CDM and wCDM cosmologies. We find the intrinsic alignment contamination to be galaxy-type dependent with a significant intrinsic alignment signal found for early-type galaxies, in contrast to the late-type galaxy sample for which the intrinsic alignment signal is found to be consistent with zero.


Background/aim: An aneurysm is a pathological enlargement of an artery characterized by the thinning of the elastic fiber layer in the tunica media. Because the aneuritic artery wall is weakened, these vessels can rupture and cause serious bleeding. Surgical methods are often used for the treatment of aneurysms. However, cell-based therapies are less invasive and potentially safer alternatives. In this study, the therapeutic efficacy of rat adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) was investigated in a new carotid artery aneurysm model.Materials and methods: Arteries were pretreated with elastase to create aneurysms. Gelatin matrices containing MSCs were applied to the outer surface of the elastase-treated carotid artery sections.Results: Healing of the aneuritic arteries for which MSC applications were performed was significantly better than in the aneuritic group. The histological structure of the vessels was largely reconstituted, and the contractile force of the MSC-treated group was similar to the untreated healthy group.Conclusions: Application of MSCs facilitates the healing of aneurysms. Hereby, MSC application could be a promising approach for clinical applications after further validation processes are concluded.


This thesis presents an exploration of the "purpose and process? of doctoral education and has twin, equally valuable, purposes: to make an original theoretical contribution and to improve professional practice in this area. This work addresses the lack of pedagogical research into doctoral education at a time when changing perspectives are reshaping the doctoral education landscape. A number of alternatives to the traditional research PhD now exist and this has generated debate as to the specific differences between the various programmes. This research explores the purpose and process of doctoral education from the perspective of the traditional PhD and the professional doctorate and uses Northumbria University as the case study institution. This research is timely since at Northumbria new doctoral programmes are being established and existing professional doctorate programmes are undergoing significant revisions to try and provide distinctive alternatives to the PhD. The current debates regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the PhD and professional doctorates are presented and three key processes of doctoral study are critically reviewed; knowledge generation, supervision and assessment. A distinguishing feature of this research is my own position within the research setting: I am both a DBA student and a member of staff involved with the delivery of doctoral programmes. Furthermore, the product of the research itself is enmeshed with the research topic and I introduce the concept of "compounded insiderness? to describe this situation. Methodologically, this has lead to the adoption of a constructivist ontological stance coupled with an interpretivist theoretical perspective for analysis. The subjectivity of this research and my influence on the research process has been acknowledged as a central feature, demonstrated through reflexive behaviour. The research strategy is inductive in nature with data generated through twenty-two ethically conducted interviews with purposively selected participants in the doctoral research community at Northumbria University. Software has been used to store, organise and manipulate the data that were then analysed using a combination of concept driven and data driven coding structured using Nigel King's template analysis method. Student perceptions were analysed separately within PhD and professional doctorate subgroups and then compared across the two programmes whereas the staff interview data were analysed as a whole. I argue that this research is highly transparent and has the potential to be transferable to other higher education intuitions. This research makes an original theoretical contribution by concluding that, at a broad level of comparison, the taught stage of the professional doctorate separates the routes initially but once the research phase is underway, the PhD and professional doctorate at Northumbria University overlap considerably. Where differences exist, these are subtle and more likely to be related to the purpose of the programmes rather than any tangible differences that would be experienced by students in terms of process. Staff may see the programmes as "notionally different?, but the interpretation of the purpose of a professional doctorate is subject to debate, particularly with regard to "making an original contribution to knowledge? and the role of theory. As a consequence, this raises serious questions regarding assessment. Professional doctorates are caught in a difficult position, since they desire to be different to a PhD and to attract different candidates, but must maintain a level of academic parity in order to be attractive. This research aims to improve professional practice at Northumbria University by raising awareness of similarities and differences between the programmes and it has already made an impact in this respect.


A well-formed, upland soil profile, preserved beneath the Lower Pennsylvanian, Lykens Valley #2 coal in the Southern Anthracite Field of northeastern Pennsylvania, is geologically the oldest example of an Ultisol yet identified. The Lykens Valley paleosol is a complete soil profile that exhibits characteristics consistent with a sustained period of soil formation in a highly oxidizing and leaching upland environment. This paleosol provides evidence that an active and complex forest ecosystem occupied tropical uplands at a time when coal formation dominated the adjacent lowland environments. In addition, it provides insights for understanding the evolution of land plants, the development of oligotrophic, terrestrial ecological interactions, and global carbon cycling. The distribution of kaolinite, illite, chlorite, and aluminum and iron hydroxides within the profile shows that this paleosol formed in a warm, moist, oxidizing environment. Further, on the basis of modern analogs, this profile suggests that a stable substrate may have persisted for as long as a hundred thousand years. The formation of Ultisols during the Lower Pennsylvanian demonstrates that plant communities had complex rooting systems that were capable of collecting nutrients and surviving in a base-poor and well-drained environment at a much earlier time than previous Upper Pennsylvanian estimates. The existence of a viable, upland-forest plant community greatly increases the land area available for terrestrial primary productivity and carbon pumping in equatorial Pangea and should thus have a major impact on global climate during the Lower Pennsylvanian.


Objective: We evaluated lung injury following inhaled treatment with paclitaxel, and determined the potential mechanism underlying the lung injury and remodeling following inhaled treatment.
Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with paclitaxel (3 mg/kg), via tracheal intubation and mechanical aeration. Histopathological changes in lung tissue were determined by haematoxylin and eosin staining. In addition, activity of matrix MMP-2 and MMP-9 was measured by gelatin zymography.
Results: Significant lung injury was found in paclitaxel-treated rats of ≥ 3 mg/kg group, P<0.05. In contrast, lung injury was mild in<3 mg/kg group. Activity of MMP-9 and MMP-2 in lung tissue was significantly increased in all rats received inhaled treatment, P<0.05. However, the magnitude of increase was greater in ≥ 3 mg/kg paclitaxel-treated group compared to<3 mg/kg groups. In addition, the increase of MMP-9 activity appeared to be time-dependently suppressed, whereas the increase of MMP-2 activity was time-dependent exacerbated.
Conclusion: Inhaled chemotherapy with paclitaxel at dose 3 mg/kg and over may lead to significant lung injury. MMP-9 may play important role in lung injury, whereas MMP-2 may play important role in lung remodeling following inhaled treatment.


Evaluation of policy rules using empirical macroeconomic models is usually done on the assumption that the rules are perfectly credible. However, there are usually circumstances that cause the authorities to abandon any given rule. The public`s expectations reflect this possibility. In the paper, credibility is assumed to depend on the probability that the authorities will abandon a rule because the resulting utility exceeds that from maintaining the rule. Simulations of a disinflation policy leading to price stability are presented. Its credibility varies over time, depending on the paths for output and inflation.


Behavior is a main component of sexual selection theory in which male competition and female mate choice influence the evolution of a species. Relatedness commonly affects behavioral interactions, but the potential for relatedness to influence sexual selection is often overlooked. Here I show that relatedness affects mating behaviors in satin bowerbirds. Bowerbirds are a model species for non-resource based mating systems in which males provide only sperm to females, and females are free to mate with their preferred males, typically resulting in high skews in male mating success. Males build stick structures (bowers) on the ground to attract, and copulate with, females. Males compete, in part, by destroying neighboring males' bowers. Females search among multiple adjacent bowers and then select subsets of these males for courtship and then copulation. Automated video monitoring of bowers allows identification of males that destroy bowers and females that visit bowers for courtship or copulation. Using microsatellite genetic markers to estimate relatedness, I show that paternity assignments based on observed copulations match the genetic sires of offspring, supporting the hypotheses that copulations occur only at bowers and that male reproductive success can be reliably estimated from observed copulations. Next, I report that competing males are less aggressive, in the form of bower destructions, towards relatives than non-relatives and that this restraining effect of relatedness on aggression favors the close spatial association of relatives' bowers. These results support the hypothesis that relatedness affects male competition and ability to maintain attractive displays for females. Lastly, I investigate the influence of relatedness on female mate choice. I show that females do not actively prefer or avoid relatives in mate choice. However, females bias the areas in which they search for mates to be inclusive of relatives and then mate randomly with respect to relatedness within their search areas, resulting in tendencies to mate with relatives in some years. This effect of relatedness on female mate searching may be due in part to the spatial association of related males, and highlights the influence of mate searching rather than active mate preferences on overall mate choice patterns.


The literature on the evaporation of drops of pure liquids, drops containing solids and droplet sprays has been critically reviewed. An experimental study was undertaken on the drying of suspended drops of pure water and aqueous sodium sulphate decahydrate with concentrations varying from 5 to 54. 1 wt. %. Individual drops were suspended from a glass filament balance in a 26 mm I.D. vertical wind tunnel, designed and constructed to supply hot de-humidified air, to simulate conditions encountered in commercial spray driers. A novel thin film thermocouple was developed to facilitate the simultaneous measurement of drop weight and core temperature. The heat conduction through the thermocouple was reduced because of its unique design; using essentially a single 50μ diameter nickel wire. For pure water drops, the Nusselt number was found to be a function of the Reynolds, Prandtl and Transfer numbers for a temperature range between 19 to 79°C. Nu = 2 + 0.19 (1/B)0.24 Re0.5 Pr0.33 Two distinct periods were observed during the drying of aqueous sodium sulphate decahydrate. The first period was characterised by the evaporation from a free liquid surface, whilst drying in the second period was controlled by the crust resistance. Fracturing of the crust occurred randomly but was more frequent at higher concentrations and temperatures. A model was proposed for the drying of slurry drops, based on a receding evaporation interface. The model was solved numerically for the variation of core temperature, drop weight and crust thickness as a function of time. Experimental results were in excellent agreement with the model predictions although at higher temperatures modifications to the model had to be made to accommodate the unusual behaviour of sodium sulphate slurries, i.e. the formation of hydrates.


Recommendations for managing Verticillium wilt in cotton include planting a partially resistant cultivar at a high seeding rate. Previous work on seeding rates was done with non-transgenic cotton cultivars and did not include seed and technology cost or lint value. The objective of this study was to compare the profitability of different seeding rates within traditional row spacing in fields infested with Verticillium dahliae. Three seeding rates (6.5, 13.0, and 22.7 seed m -2 ) and three cultivars ('AFD 5065B2F', 'Americot (AM) 1532B2RF', and 'Fibermax (FM) 9063B2F') were planted in small plots arranged in a randomized complete block design. The test was conducted at one location in 2008 and three locations in 2009. Plant stands averaged 4.6, 8.4, and 14.3 plants m -2 for the low, intermediate and high seeding rates, respectively. Verticillium wilt incidence was negatively related to seeding rate. At the lowest seeding rate, Verticillium wilt incidence was lower for AFD 5065B2F than AM 1532B2RF or FM 9063B2F; whereas, disease incidence was similar for all three cultivars at the highest seeding rate. At the intermediate seeding rate, AFD 5065B2F had a lower incidence of wilt than FM 9063B2F. Lint yield was positively affected by seeding rate with yields averaging 1248, 1399, and 1490 kg lint ha -1 for the low, intermediate and high seeding rates, respectively. Crop value was reduced for the low seeding rate ($1260 ha -1 ) when compared to the intermediate ($1381 ha -1 ) and high seeding rate ($1360 ha -1 ). Producers with Verticillium wilt would benefit economically by planting at least 13 seed m -2 .


Background: To identify which extracellular matrix components modify retinal pigment epithelial cell migration and their interplay with matrix metalloproteinases in directing the behaviour of the cells in agarose droplets, an in-vitro model for cellular migration.
Methods: Migration of the cells from agarose droplets on coated tissue culture plastic (fibronectin, laminin and collagen types: I and IV) in the presence as well as absence of serum was evaluated by using phase contrast microscopy and computer analysis of captured images. Expression of metalloproteinases -1, 2 and 9 by retinal pigment epithelial cells was determined by immunocytochemistry and was confirmed by western blotting. In addition, the effect of metalloproteinases inhibitor, batimastat (BB-94), on the cell migration and expression of MMPs were studied.
Results: Retinal pigment epithelial cells migrated from agarose droplets in the presence of serum and fibronectin acted as an additional stimulus to migration, while laminin and collagen type IV inhibited migration in a dose dependent manner. Metalloproteinases -1, 2 and 9 were expressed by retinal pigment epithelial cells in culture as shown by immunocytochemistry and by western blotting. Expression of metalloproteinases on western blots was inhibited by use of BB-94. BB-94, also inhibited cellular migration from agarose droplets in a dose dependent manner.
Conclusions: Retinal pigment epithelial cells migrate in the presence of fibronectin while expression of metalloproteinases may reflect cellular behaviour during PVR in which migration of cells from their basement membrane on to retinal surfaces requires an interaction between ECM protein and enzymes such as metalloproteinases to permit cellular invasion.


Questions of legal extraterritoriality figure prominently in scholarship on legal pluralism, transnational legal studies, international investment law, international human rights law, state responsibility under international law, and a large number of other areas. Yet many accounts of extraterritoriality make little effort to grapple with its thorny conceptual history, shifting theoretical valence, and complex political roots and ramifications. This book brings together thirteen scholars of law, history, and politics in order to reconsider the history, theory, and contemporary relevance of legal extraterritoriality. Situating questions of extraterritoriality in a set of broader investigations into state-building, imperialist rivalry, capitalist expansion, and human rights protection, it tracks the multiple meanings and functions of a distinct and far-reaching mode of legal authority. The fundamental aim of the volume is to examine the different geographical contexts in which extraterritorial regimes have developed, the political and economic pressures in response to which such regimes have grown, the highly uneven distributions of extraterritorial privilege that have resulted from these processes, and the complex theoretical quandaries to which this type of privilege has given rise. The book will be of considerable interest to scholars in law, history, political science, socio-legal studies, international relations, and legal geography.


Purpose
The service sector is at an inflection point with regard to productivity gains and service industrialization similar to the industrial revolution in manufacturing that started in the eighteenth century. Robotics in combination with rapidly improving technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), mobile, cloud, big data and biometrics will bring opportunities for a wide range of innovations that have the potential to dramatically change service industries. The purpose of this paper is to explore the potential role service robots will play in the future and to advance a research agenda for service researchers.

Design/methodology/approach
This paper uses a conceptual approach that is rooted in the service, robotics and AI literature.

Findings
The contribution of this paper is threefold. First, it provides a definition of service robots, describes their key attributes, contrasts their features and capabilities with those of frontline employees, and provides an understanding for which types of service tasks robots will dominate and where humans will dominate. Second, this paper examines consumer perceptions, beliefs and behaviors as related to service robots, and advances the service robot acceptance model. Third, it provides an overview of the ethical questions surrounding robot-delivered services at the individual, market and societal level.

Practical implications
This paper helps service organizations and their management, service robot innovators, programmers and developers, and policymakers better understand the implications of a ubiquitous deployment of service robots.

Originality/value
This is the first conceptual paper that systematically examines key dimensions of robot-delivered frontline service and explores how these will differ in the future.


1. Plasma renin concentration (PRC) in newborns greatly exceeded PRC in children and adults. PRC in cord plasma of newborns was higher than peripheral venous PRC in their mothers. PRC in the newborns increased further in the first 48 h post partum and then gradually decreased. 2. The mean PRC of healthy children and adults on free sodium intake decreased with age by an exponential function. 3. The absolute increase of PRC in response to upright posture (PRC upright — PRC recumbent ) decreased with age. The relative increase of PRC in response to upright posture (PRC uprjght :PRC recumbent ) remained unchanged with age, the PRC in upright posture being about twice the basal PRC in all age groups.


This work deals with the current state of investment dispute resolution and analyzes the problems associated with investor-state arbitration. The author examines developments in the existing legal framework and looks at the mechanisms under existing domestic and international systems - such as judicial review and class actions - to see if these can be applied to investment dispute resolution. The author concludes that the features of traditional arbitration are not flexible enough to meet the needs of this modern form of international dispute resolution. Investment arbitration is now entering a new phase of its development. The traditional, typically arbitration-related issues of consent, privity, and confidentiality are making room for the now more important questions of disclosure, transparency, legal certainty, and consistency. The author calls for setting up a "model procedure," specifically created for international investment disputes as this would enable the establishment of a "tailor-made" process for this ever-growing area of law.


Comprehensive guide to creating Web sites with the open-source Joomla!1.5 Joomla! is an open-source content management system (CMS) for Web sites. While it is free and relatively easy to use, there are lots of tricks and functionality that may not be intuitive to new users or those switching from other systems. And the previous version is quite different from the new Joomla 1.5, for which documentation is sparse. Joomla! Bible is the complete, step-by-step guide you need to build and manage Web sites using the very newest version of this powerful and popular CMS. Walks you through obtaining the Joomla! 1.5 code and how to deploy it to a server, configure the site, create content, and manage content and user hierarchies Helps you get the most out of core modules that provide advanced functionality, including the Polls Module, the Banner Manager, the Media Manager, Galleries, Weblinks, Content Syndication, and Newsfeed Aggregation Vaults you into the world of Web 2.0 with extensive coverage of JomSocial, and shows you how to set up for e-commmerce with VirtueMart Get the most out of Joomla! 1.5 with this complete guide guide.


The submission is addressed to making a change in the reporting requirements for all funded schemes, which will make it a requirement of receiving the grant to deposit an electronic copy of any refereed research journal or conference articles deriving from the grant with the institution administering the grant. Minor changes are needed in the Funding Rules and the Funding Agreements. Precise wording is supplied to eliminate any concerns by publishers and to make the implementation easy.

The benefits to Australia are that Australia's ARC publicly funded research is made visible to all through the Internet, and in the majority of cases publicly accessible. This will raise Australia's research impact and is consistent with Australia's espousal of a level playing field in the dissemination of research, and with activities currently underway or implemented in the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the European Union.


Recommendation and personalization attempt to reduce information overload and retain customers. While research in both recommender systems and personalization grew mainly out of information retrieval, both areas have emerged from nascent levels to veritable and challenging research areas in their own right. Whereas no technical or sophisticated methodologies exist by which to build such systems, the field also lacks a comprehensive, yet manageable survey by which to study recommendation systems and personalization facilities. In this paper, we attempt to fill that gap by presenting a thematic approach toward studying recommendation and personalization. Specifically, we present three major representative personalization themes: recommendation; induction, exploration, and exploitation of social networks; and personalization of information access. We unify the presentation of the three themes which we have extracted from the rich landscape of recommender system and personalization research via a functional metaphor, where inputs and output to a function are identified in each theme and instantiated through a number of systems and projects visited. In addition, we examine how a number of systems implement the function through various operators and techniques. Finally, we cover several broadening aspects, such as targeting, privacy and trust, and evaluation, regarding recommendation and personalization and present visions of future directions and challenges.


The rhombohedral monotellurides, GeTe and SnTe, are non-centrosymmetric materials with ferroelectric behavior and potential applications in thermoelectricity and spintronics. In a previous computational study [E. Segev, U. Argaman, R. E. Abutbul, Y. Golan and G. Makov, CrystEngComm, 2017, 19, 1751–1761], it was found that the rhombohedral phase may also be the thermodynamically most stable phase in SnSe and GeSe at low temperatures. In the present study, we explore the mechanical and thermodynamic stability of the rhombohedral phase in these systems and its enhancement as a function of pressure and temperature using density functional theory calculations. Within the region of stability, we examine the structure, bonding and physical properties of the rhombohedral phase. This phase is a distorted rock-salt phase forming a non-spherical lone-pair with an opposite directionality to the chemical bond. The monochalcogenides in this phase exhibit ferroelectric behavior, and we calculate the electric polarization. Finally, the transition from a rhombohedral to rock-salt phase at high pressures is examined and found to be second-order at zero Kelvin.


Money has the advantage of presenting me immediately the lurid face of the social relation of value; it shows me value right away as exchange, commanded and organized for exploitation ... money has only one face, that of the boss. --Antonio Negri A PERVASIVE ATMOSPHERE of venality has often been noted in 1 Henry IV. The denizens of Eastcheap are not exceptional in their focus on pecuniary matters: the play opens with a dispute between the King and Hotspur over the payment of ransom that soon blossoms into rebellion. King Henry, as Hotspur reminds Blunt, "Knows at what time to promise, when to pay" (4.3.53), and Prince Hal uses the same language when he plans to "pay the debt I never promised" (1.2.204). (1) Worcester argues that the king's strict accounting makes reconciliation an impossibility: "The King will always think him in our debt ... Till he hath found a time to pay us home" (1.3.280-83). This language does more than suggest that certain characters are adept at calculating their debts--it connects the language of economic value to the question of disputed sovereignty. Rather than consider the admittedly obtrusive language of credit and debt, I want to examine a set of specifically numismatic images that serve to focus attention on the relationship between the monarch and economic value in a particularly acute manner. The language of coins and coinage, informed by the history of the English currency with its debasements, enhancements, and reforms as well as the daily practices associated with the circulation of coin, is animated by the peculiar and shifting nexus of sovereign power and economic value found in a coin. (2) As Posthumus remarks in Cymbeline:" 'Tween man and man they weigh not every stamp; / Though light, take pieces for the figure's sake" (5.4.24-25). (3) Though David Scott Kastan has observed, with some justice, that the play is "about the production of power," it is also about the production of value. (4) While the discourse of sovereignty and the proliferation of power are now familiar themes (especially in readings of the history plays), questions of value, particularly economic value, have been given less attention. (5) However, an examination of the relationship between power and value made visible by the language of coinage reveals 1 Henry IV, and the history play more generally, to be an aesthetic response to the crisis of value that roiled the world of late sixteenth-century England. The principal element in this crisis was an acceleration in inflation, an economic fact that had real consequences for all those who participated in monetary transactions. But to this mysterious and disorienting price spiral, one must add the dislocations caused by three changes in official religion all in the course of a single generation, an increasing awareness of what was called the New World, the early stirrings of modern science, and the advent of novel technologies. The playhouses themselves, where Shakespeare made his living by entertaining a paying audience, were both a product of this ferment and a contributor to it. "A collective Stock Exchange of ideas," as well as, "a laboratory of and for the new social relations of agricultural and commercial capitalism," the new professional theater was able to profit from make-believe. (6) It is not surprising, then, that the crisis in value that might be said to be the enabling condition of the theatrical enterprise became, at times, its subject. (7) Lacking a philosophical concept of value, never mind a fully formed theory of value, the culture of early modern England deployed the term value in a range of religious, ethical, economic, and political contexts. (8) The complexity of this situation is well illustrated by an example from the Geneva Bible. The Gospel of Matthew, which sets out to establish the transcendent value of the kingdom of heaven, the "perl of great price," consistently supplies marginal notes giving the English values of the coins mentioned. …


Foreword. Stellar rotation, dynamo, electromagnetic braking, age and lithium burning. The origin of the galactic magnetic field. Random flow as a fast dynamo. Parity selection in nonlinear dynamos. Convective turbulent dynamos without rotation. Fast dynamo action in three-dimensional chaotic maps. Plasma turbulence resulting from the interaction between the solar wind and the earth's magnetic field. Kelvin-Helmholtz instability: Non-linear evolution. Flux transfer events - The results of three dimensional time-dependent magnetic reconnection. On the origin of solar wind turbulence: Helios data revisited. Observation and simulation of MHD turbulence in the solar wind. Nearly incompressible MHD turbulence in the solar wind. Quasi-two-dimensional nearly-incompressible solar wind fluctuations. Generation of fine-scale structure in the solar magnetic field. Rapid excitation of higher harmonic waves in the parametric instability of Alfven waves. Simulation of MHD-convection as a test for mean field theories. Non-linear dynamics and relaxation phenomena in reversed field pinch plasmas. The dynamics of current channels with large self-generated magnetic fields. Turbulent MHD relaxation: Driven, steady states. A trigger for the internal (q=1) disruption model. A turbulent sawtooth disruption model. On the existence, structure and stability of MHD equilibrium states. The topology of field lines. From exact solutions in MHD to chaos. Isolated magnetohydrodynamic eddies moving in a rotating thin sperical shell. Magnetic field lines reconnection in MDH turbulence. Small scale dynamics of an incompressible MHD flow. Decay of fully developed anisotropic MHD turbulence. Turbulent relaxation in compressible two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamics. Simulation of magnetohydrodynamics using cellular automata: Initial results. Spiral structures in two-dimensional Navier-Stokes flows. Isocirculation flows. Generation of large scale structures by anisotropic kinetic alpha effect. Author Index. Subject Index. Contributors: J. Andreoletti, J. Bamber, B.J. Bayly, G. Belmont, M.A. Berger, A. Brandenburg, V. Carbone, G. Chanteur, H. Chen, S. Childress, J.L. Collett, M.A. Dubois, U. Frisch, W. Gekelman, S. Ghosh, A.D. Gilbert, M.L. Goldstein, R. Grappin, M. Hoshino, L.W. Klein, A.J. Klimas, F. Krause, R. Kulsrud, Y.-Q. Lou, R.L. Lysak, A. Mangeney, E. Marsch, W.H. Matthaeus, M. Meneguzzi, Z. Mikic, H.K. Moffatt, D. Montgomery, A. Nordlund, S. Ortolani, H. Pfister, H. Politano, A. Pouquet, P. Pulkkinen, D.A. Roberts, A. Roux, A.A. Ruzmaikin, E. Schatzman, D.D. Schnack, H. Scholl, Z.S. She, D.D. Sokoloff, Y. Song, R.F. Stein, R.L. Stenzel, P.L. Sulem, K. Tsinganos, I. Tuominen, G. Van Hoven, P. Veltri, Y. Zhou.


From the Publisher:
The demand for academic coursework and corporate training programs using the Internet and computer-mediated communication networks increases daily. The development and implementation of these new programs requires that traditional teaching techniques and course work be significantly reworked. This handbook consists of 20 chapters authored by experts in the field of teaching in the online environment to adult students enrolled in graduate university degree programs, corporate training programs, and continuing education courses. The book is organized to first lay a conceptual and theoretical foundation for implementing any online learning program. Topics such as psychological and group dynamics, ethical issues, and curriculum design are covered in this section. Following the establishment of this essential framework are separate sections devoted to the practical issues specific to developing a program in either an academic or corporate environment. Whether building an online learning program from the ground up or making adjustments to improve the effectiveness of an existing program, this book is an invaluable resource.


Patients often report a burning sensation when receiving intravenously delivered anesthetics, and respiratory irritation limits the dose of pungent inhalation anesthetics. Matta et al. show that the pungent volatile anesthetics isoflurane and desflurane, as well as the intravenous anesthetics propofol and etomidate (collectively referred to as the noxious general anesthetics), activated TRPA1 channels, which are members of the transient receptor potential family that are present on a large proportion of peripheral nociceptive sensory neurons. The nonpungent volatile anesthetics halothane and sevoflurane did not. Electrophysiology experiments revealed that the noxious general anesthetics activated TRPA1 channels, but not TRPV1 or TRPM8 channels, when the channels were heterologously expressed in cultured cells. Calcium imaging experiments on neurons cultured from dorsal root ganglia indicated that these noxious general anesthetics activated nociceptive neurons containing TRPA1. Cells isolated from TRPA1-null mice failed to respond to the noxious general anesthetics. The noxious general anesthetics activated the channels in cell-free patches, which suggests that these drugs may interact directly with the channel and do not require second messenger signaling for channel regulation. The pain response triggered by propofol administered to mice required TRPA1, and coadministration of a neurogenic irritant with isoflurane triggered more swelling than was observed with the irritant alone. Thus, although these central nervous system depressants are important for induction of surgical anesthesia, choosing a general anesthetic that does not activate TRPA1 may minimize postoperative pain and inflammation. J. A. Matta, P. M. Cornett, R. L. Miyares, K. Abe, N. Sahibzada, G. P. Ahern, General anesthetics activate a nociceptive ion channel to enhance pain and inflammation. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 105, 8784-8789 (2008). [Abstract] [Full Text]


A glacitectonite is defined as a brecciated sediment or a cataclastic sedimentary rock formed by glaciotectonic deformation (Pedersen 1988). The term tectonite was initially introduced by Sander (1912), mainly for tectonically brecciated metamorphic rocks in the Alps. In the classic work on cataclastic rocks, Higgins (1971) stated that the term covered all rocks with fabric displaying coordinated geometric features related to continuous flow during deformation.Therefore brecciated lithologies formed by glaciotectonic deformations can be termed tectonites. Banham (1977) suggested the prefix glaci- to clarify the relation to glacial dynamics. Furthermore, Pedersen (1988) suggested the application of the bedrock prefix. Thus, a chalk-glacitectonite is a brecciated chalk formed by shear deformation during a glacial advance over an exposed bedrock surface of chalk (Fig. 1). Hence the term describes a sedimentary rock in which the primary structures are so disturbed that they cannot be continuously traced, and a glacitectonic fabric developed as joint fractures or shear surfaces superimposed on the lithology. The significance of recognising chalk-glacitectonite from chalk and limestone bedrock is the difference in textural properties, which is fundamental in geological modelling. In areas dominated by glaciotectonic complexes, which include thrust sheets of pre-glacial sedimentary rocks, the sheets are subject to shearing and dragged along the sole of the ice during its movement over the glaciotectonic complex. Due to truncation and shear-drag, the glacitectonite forms at the base of the deformational layer in a lodgement till. From the source area, which typically is a detachment anticline, the glacitectonite thins out in the direction of transport from 1–2 m (Fig. 2) to a thin shear zone only a few centimetres thick over a distance of one to a few kilometres (Pedersen 1996). Moreover, brecciation of thrust sheets displaced by glacial thrusting occurs within glaciotectonic complexes. The deformation ranges from initially anastomosing jointing (Figs 1, 3) to brecciation with bedrock clasts in crushed bedrock matrix (Fig. 4). The tectonic breccia distributed from the décollement zone at the base to the truncating glacial unconformity at the top may additionally be termed glacitectonites. Here we describe the occurrence and identification of chalk-tectonites.


Quantitative determination of the mineralogical composition of hydrothermally altered rocks was performed by means of the Rietveld method using X-ray powder-diffraction data. Initially, experiments were carried out to minimize systematic errors arising from preferred orientation of particles as well as micro-absorption. The precision of the proposed method was tested by independent replicate sample-preparation and analyses. The closeness of the replicate phase-determinations showed that random within-laboratory errors were comparatively small. Expressed as chemical compositions, the quantitative results are in good agreement with the major oxide concentrations determined by X-ray fluorescence. The results indicate that the relative abundances of phases and refined element substitutions were accurately determined. The method developed was applied to hydrothermally altered rocks from the Waterloo volcanic-rock-hosted massive sulfide (VHMS) deposit in Queensland, Australia. Hierarchical cluster analysis led to the discrimination of several mineralogically distinct alteration-induced assemblages. These mineral assemblages are characteristic of specific zones of alteration. The strong spatial zoning with respect to the mineralized body and the distinct mineralogical assemblages of the alteration halo are interpreted to result primarily from varying degrees of hydrolytic decomposition and potassium metasomatism of the wallrocks. Based on these results, we suggest that quantitative phase-analysis by the proposed method represents a new powerful tool in studies of alteration halos.


Induction of apoptosis by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as celecoxib, is involved in their antitumor activity. An endoplasmic reticulum chaperone, 150-kDa oxygen-regulated protein (ORP150) is essential for the maintenance of cellular viability under hypoxia and is reported to be overexpressed in clinically isolated tumors. We here found that ORP150 was up-regulated by celecoxib in human gastric carcinoma cells. In conjunction with the suppression of tumor growth, orally administered celecoxib up-regulated ORP150 in xenograft tumors. Both the ATF4 and ATF6 pathways were activated by celecoxib, and suppression of ATF4 and ATF6 mRNA expression by small interfering RNA (siRNA) inhibited the celecoxib-dependent up-regulation of ORP150. Celecoxib administration led to an increase in the intracellular concentration of Ca2+, whereas 1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acid-acetoxymethyl ester, an intracellular Ca2+ chelator, inhibited the up-regulation of ORP150 and the activation of the ATF4 and ATF6 pathways. These results suggest that these Ca2+-activated pathways are involved in the celecoxib-mediated up-regulation of ORP150. Clones overexpressing ORP150 were less susceptible to celecoxib-induced, but not staurosporine-induced, apoptosis and displayed less up-regulation of C/EBP homologous transcription factor (CHOP), a transcription factor with apoptosis-inducing activity. In contrast, siRNA for ORP150 stimulated apoptosis and expression of CHOP in the presence of celecoxib but not staurosporine. These results suggest that up-regulation of ORP150 in cancer cells inhibits celecoxib-induced apoptosis, thereby decreasing the potential antitumor activity of celecoxib.


Although Antarctic dry valley soils function under some of the harshest environmental conditions on the planet, there is significant biological activity concentrated in small areas in the landscape. These productive areas serve as a source of C and N in organic matter redistributed to the surrounding biologically impoverished soils. We conducted a 3-yr replicated field experiment involving soil amendment with C and N in simple (glucose and NH4Cl) and complex (glycine and lacustrine detritus) forms to evaluate the resource limitations on soil microbial activity in an Antarctic dry valley. The respiratory response for all substrates was slow, with a significant but weak response to NH4Cl, followed by a more widespread response to all substrates after 2 yr and in laboratory incubations conducted 3 yr after substrate addition. This response suggests that the soil microbial community is N limited and, when that constraint is alleviated, the organisms are able to access a pool of stored C that they could not metabolize before. The effects of added C and N substrates on respiration rates under laboratory conditions were more rapid and significant than the response rates measured in situ. Because the spatial constraints that had probably limited access to soil resources by microorganisms in the field would have been removed in the laboratory incubation, this finding highlights the severe spatial constraints on access to resources in these soils.


Visual observations of clouds have been performed since the establishment of meteorological observatories during the early instrumental period, and have become more systematic and reliable after the mid-19th century due to the establishment of the first national weather services. During the last decades a large number of studies have documented the trends of the total cloud cover (TCC) and cloudy types; most of these studies focus on the trends since the second half of the 20th century. Due to the lower reliability of former observations, and the fact that most of this data is not accessible in digital format, there is a lack of studies focusing on the trends of cloudiness since the mid-19th century. In the first part, this work attempts to review previous studies analyzing TCC changes with information covering at least the first half of the 20th century. Then, the study analyses a database of cloudiness observations in Southern Europe (Spain) since the second half of the 19th century. Specifically, monthly TCC series were reconstructed since 1866 by means of a so-called parameter of cloudiness, calculated from the number of cloudless and overcast days. These estimated TCC series show a high interannual and decadal correlation with the observed TCC series originally measured in oktas. After assessing the temporal homogeneity of the estimated TCC series, the mean annual and seasonal series for the whole of Spain and several subregions were calculated. The mean annual TCC shows a general tendency to increase from the beginning of the series until the 1960s; at this point, the trend becomes negative. The linear trend for the annual mean series, estimated over the 1866–2010 period, is a highly remarkable (and statistically significant) increase of +0.44% per decade, which implies an overall increase of more than +6% during the analyzed period. These results are in line with the majority of the trends observed in many areas of the world in previous studies, especially for the records before the 1950s when a widespread increase of TCC can been considered as a common feature.


Over the last 150 years, human manual reaction times (RTs) have been recorded countless times. Yet, our understanding of them remains remarkably poor. RTs are highly variable with positively skewed frequency distributions, often modeled as an inverse Gaussian distribution reflecting a stochastic rise to threshold (diffusion process). However, latency distributions of saccades are very close to the reciprocal Normal, suggesting that "rate" (reciprocal RT) may be the more fundamental variable. We explored whether this phenomenon extends to choice manual RTs. We recorded two-alternative choice RTs from 24 subjects, each with 4 blocks of 200 trials with two task difficulties (easy vs. difficult discrimination) and two instruction sets (urgent vs. accurate). We found that rate distributions were, indeed, very close to Normal, shifting to lower rates with increasing difficulty and accuracy, and for some blocks they appeared to become left-truncated, but still close to Normal. Using autoregressive techniques, we found temporal sequential dependencies for lags of at least 3. We identified a transient and steady-state component in each block. Because rates were Normal, we were able to estimate autoregressive weights using the Box-Jenkins technique, and convert to a moving average model using z-transforms to show explicit dependence on stimulus input. We also found a spatial sequential dependence for the previous 3 lags depending on whether the laterality of previous trials was repeated or alternated. This was partially dissociated from temporal dependency as it only occurred in the easy tasks. We conclude that 2-alternative choice manual RT distributions are close to reciprocal Normal and not the inverse Gaussian. This is not consistent with stochastic rise to threshold models, and we propose a simple optimality model in which reward is maximized to yield to an optimal rate, and hence an optimal time to respond. We discuss how it might be implemented.


Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy has been applied to perform elemental analysis of aluminum alloy targets. The plasma is generated by focusing a pulsed Nd:YAG laser on the target in air at atmospheric pressure. Such a plasma was characterized in terms of its appearance, emission spectrum, space-integrated excitation temperature, and electron density. The electron density is inferred from the Stark broadening of the profiles of ionized aluminum lines. The temperature is obtained by using Boltzmann plots of the neutral iron lines. Calibration curves for magnesium, manganese, copper, and silicon were produced. The detection limits are element-dependent but are on the order of 10 ppm.


In this study we examine reasons that professionals become and remain members of professional associations. We looked at tangible and symbolic benefits that an association can provide to attract members. Satisfaction with these benefits was linked to overall membership satisfaction and intent to renew the membership. We also considered the role of customer service in shaping members' attitudes. Based on the responses of 1,980 members of a large international accounting association, we found that members who were satisfied with their benefits and with the quality of customer service reported higher membership satisfaction and intent to renew. We also found that professionals who were more involved in the association were more satisfied with it. Contrary to predictions, younger professionals were less concerned with the value of the benefits of membership. As expected, longer-tenured members were more likely to consider maintaining their memberships. We conclude with a discussion of practical and research implications for the management of professional associations.


This paper reports on the investigation of the main phenomenon which limits the lifetime of capacitive RF MEMS : dielectric charging. To understand this effect, we have developed specific test set which measures the electrical (at both low and microwave frequencies) and electromechanical performances of RF MEMS to investigate their reliability. Several experiments have thus been performed such as DC bias stress and cycling under different actuation waveforms and environment conditions. These tests have shown that the dielectric charging creates a drift of the threshold voltages and we propose an appropriate figure of merit regarding the lifetime of capacitive RF-MEMS and a key parameter to determine the type of the failure which occurs.


Active transportation refers to modes of travel that incorporate physical activity as part of the trip. Examples include walking and bicycling, as well as transit, since walking or bicycling is typically required for transit station access and egress. The Nashville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization has recently restructured its regional transportation policies and programming priorities as part of the development of the 2035 Regional Transportation Plan to enable more active transportation by encouraging the implementation of infrastructure such as sidewalks, bikeways, and transit. The result is a significant increase in the number of federally-funded transportation projects in the greater Nashville region that provide opportunities for active transportation trips.


The aim of this study was to engage small-scale timber growers in the development of national principles, criteria, indicators and standards (PCI&S) for sustainable forest management (SFM) in South Africa (SA). To ensure effective participation of small-scale timber growers in the development PCI&S, an overview of sustainable and small-scale forestry was explored. Furthermore, because of the importance of globalisation on the SFM concept, its conceptual framework and small-scale forestry development in relation to SFM were investigated. Participatory rural appraisal (PRA) methods, and PCI&S evaluation and development processes were used to engage small-scale timber growers by identifying and integrating their perceptions into the process of SFM standards development. These small-scale timber growers' perceptions focused on social, economic, environment and policy issues. The stUdy indicates that the views of small-scale timber growers regarding SFM do not vary significantly from those held globally. However, they demonstrate that local conditions determined issues of relevance and importance to this specific group. The results further support the view that there is value in combining both top-down and bottom-up approaches in developing an appropriate set of PCI&S. This is critical because the perceptions of small-scale timber growers for SFM are scale sensitive. Finally, the results supported the view that there is a need to give attention to and strengthen socio-economic issues versus those of the physical environment to improve inequalities of the past, and influence future decisions.


An attempt was made from October 2008 to March 2009 in a fish processing industry of Bangladesh (the Sea Resource Limited, Sadarghat, Chittagong) to determine microbial quality of Tenualosa ilisha at different stages of processing. During this investigation Escherichia coli, fecal coliform, vibrio cholerae, Salmonella and total load of bacteria were identified from 5 stages of processing. Those stages were receiving, primary washing stage with 5PPM chlorine water, final washing stage with 10 PPM chlorine water, after blast freezing at -40 ± 2 0 C and finally after one month storage at -18 ± 2 0 C. It was observed that 80.69 % of total bacterial load, 77.29% of total coliform and 58.33 % of fecal coliform were destroyed during different processing stages. There was no evidence of presence of Salmonella and Vibrio cholera at any stages of processing.


The selective application of technological and related procedural safeguards is an important responsibility of every organization in providing adequate security to its electronic data systems. Now as the world is moving towards high speed of communication (larger data rate),more secure and fast algorithms are required to keep the information secret. In the present work, a new model is proposed and implemented, which is very similar to the conventional AES. The fundamental difference in the AES and proposed model is in block size which has been increased from 128 bits in conventional AES to 200 bits in proposed algorithm[1-4].The proposed algorithm is giving very good randomness and hence enhances the security in comparison to conventional AES. The performance is measured based upon Power Consumption at Encryption/Decryption time, and Strict Avalanche Criteria of various AES Standards. In this paper, we showed the effect in security increment through AES methodology.


High grade gliomas are the commonest intrinsic brain tumours and account for more average years of life lost than all the common cancers. It has become the commonest cause of cancer death in men under the age of 45 and women under the age of 35. Although surgical resection can greatly reduce tumour bulk, complete excision is virtually impossible due to the infiltrative nature of these tumours. In an attempt to treat the infiltrating tumour cells, there has been much interest in using local therapies inserted at the time of surgery. The authors report a case of fatal cerebral edema unresponsive to aggressive medical and surgical assessment that finally evolved to premature death in the early postsurgical period, after the craniotomy and implantation of Gliadel wafers. They note that high doses of dexamethasone were insufficient to prevent cerebral edema and death. A search for corticosteroid use and dosing for patients treated with Gliadel wafers in the published literature revealed no recommendations on the doses of steroids to be administered. In our opinion this is a very important issue and maybe the key point for the treatment of this disease, and may need to be addressed with treatment guidelines in the near future in order to ensure better results on patient's survival. Prior to this case review there had been two similar report but a later presentation. So we think that this is the first case report of acute fulminant cerebral edema secondary to gliadel wafers in the early period.


Using a well-developed transient photocurrent model, we combine theoretical and numerical studies on the production of terahertz (THz) radiation in laser-induced air plasma. Air molecules are excited and then ionized by the laser-pulses mixing the fundamental and second harmonic fields. As a result, a non-vanishing directional photoelectron current emerges, radiating the THz pulse wave. We mainly discuss the influences of optical wavelength on THz radiation in five different cases. Results show that the fundamental-pulse width (50 fs), energy, and relative phase between two pulses are invariant. When the laser wavelength (from 400 nm to 1.25 \mu m) becomes longer, the emitted THz fields are significantly enhanced, with a linear dependence on the optical wavelength.