Whangbo, Harris, and Kenyon investigated the role of EGL-20 (a nematode Wnt molecule) in the asymmetric cell divisions of specific lateral epidermal cells (V5), which exhibit an anterior/posterior polarity on division, leading to two different cell fates: epidermal syncytium or seam cell, respectively. In egl-20 mutant worms, V5 divides asymmetrically, but there is a reversal of the polarity of the V5 cell daughters, such that the anterior cell differentiates into a seam cell, and the posterior cell becomes part of the epidermal syncytium. Using genetic analysis, they determined that EGL-20 does not act through a classical Wnt pathway that involves LIN-17 (a Wnt receptor), BAR-1, MIG-1, and MIG-14. Furthermore, introduction of a lin-17 mutation into the egl-20 mutant suppresses the reversed polarity seen in the egl-20 mutants, suggesting that LIN-17 acts in the pathway that leads to the polarity reversal. Additionally, EGL-20 appears to counter a signal produced by neighboring posterior cells, because the reversed polarity in egl-20 mutants is eliminated if the two adjacent posterior cells are ablated. Thus, many layers of signaling exist that dictate asymmetric cell divisions and anterior/posterior polarity. Whangbo, J., Harris, J., and Kenyon, C. (2000) Multiple levels of regulation specify the polarity of an asymmetric cell division in C. elegans. Development 127: 4587-4598. [Online Journal]


This dissertation presents the research performed to develop innovative multivariate process monitoring and soft sensor approaches for industrial processes.
In the operation of modern industrial processes, it is attempted to improve product quality and yield in shorter periods of time while observing tighter environmental regulations and safety guidelines. Furthermore, these goals are tried to be accomplished facing a severe global competition and shorter product life cycles. The most reliable approach to achieve these goals is the development of first principle models (e.g. based on dynamic mass and energy balances) to describe the physics, chemistry, and the different phenomena occurring in the process. However, because industrial processes are generally quite complex to model and are characterized by significant inherent nonlinearities, a rigorous theoretical modeling approach is often impractical, requiring a great amount of effort. An alternative approach to address these aspects is using process data. In most modern industries, a large amount of variables are measured and stored automatically by the governing control system (e.g. DCS). The stored data corresponds to different measurement instruments that are used for closed-loop control or merely as indicators of different conditions in process units. The process data can be utilized to address several aspects. These include monitoring the process over time in order to detect special events (e.g. faults) and assign causes for them. Furthermore, the data can be used to predict key process variables that are difficult to measure online (e.g. quality) based on easy-to-measure process variables.
In the first part of this work (PART I), a new multivariate method to monitor continuous and batch processes is developed based on the statistics pattern analysis (SPA) framework. The SPA framework is developed to address challenges present in industrial data such as nonlinearities and multi-modal distributions, which are characteristics of process data that normally affect traditional multivariate monitoring methods. In addition, different unique characteristics of the SPA framework are discussed in detail. Also presented are comparisons of the monitoring performance based on SPA with the monitoring performance of different linear and nonlinear multivariate monitoring methods. The comparison results clearly demonstrate the superiority of the SPA-based monitoring in key aspects such as detecting and diagnosing different faults. The research findings indicate that the SPA-based monitoring is a promising alternative for monitoring industrial processes, especially where nonlinearities and multi-modal distributions are present.
In the second part of this work (PART II), the idea of obtaining quality estimates of key process variables using multivariate projection methods is explored. In many industrial processes, the primary product variable(s) are not measured online or not measured frequently, but are required for feedback control. To address these challenges, there has been increased interest toward developing data-driven software sensors (or soft sensors) using secondary measurements (e.g. variables easy-to-measure) based on multivariate regression techniques. The prediction of these key process variables not only provides a way to have real time measurements, but also aids in improving quality and preventing undesirable operating conditions.
In this work, the properties and characteristics of dynamic partial least squares (DPLS) based soft sensors are studied in detail. In addition, a reduced-order DPLS (RO-DPLS) soft sensor approach is proposed to address the limitation of the traditional DPLS soft sensor when applied to model processes with large transport delay. The RO-DPLS soft sensor is also extended to its adaptive version to cope with processes where frequent process changes occur. Also presented are alternatives to address practical issues such as data scaling and the presence of outliers off-line and online. The application of the proposed soft sensor is illustrated with various simulated and industrial case studies of a continuous Kamyr digester. In both simulation and industrial case studies, the proposed RO-DPLS soft sensor shows that it can provide quality estimates of key process variables in the presence of different disturbances, data outliers, and time-varying conditions.


Precise biostratigraphic constraints on the age of the Tal Group are restricted to (1) a basal level correlative with the Anabarites trisulcatus–Protohertzina anabarica Assemblage Zone of southwest China, (2) a level near the boundary of the lower and upper parts of the Tal Group correlative with the early Tsanglangpuan Stage (Drepanuroides Zone), and (3) an interval low in the upper part of the Tal Group correlative with later in the Tsanglangpuan Stage (Palaeolenus Zone). These correlations are based on small shelly fossil and trilobite taxa. Other chronostratigraphic constraints include the marked negative δ13C isotopic excursion coincident with the transition from the Krol Group to the Tal Group. This excursion is used as a proxy for the Precambrian–Cambrian boundary in several sections worldwide and, if applied to the Lesser Himalaya, indicates that the boundary is at or just above the base of the Tal Group. The upper parts of the Tal Group may be of middle or late Cambrian age and might form proximal equivalents of sections in the Zanskar–Spiti region of the Tethyan Himalaya. Both faunal content and lithological succession are comparable to southwest China, furthering recent arguments for close geographic proximity between the Himalaya and the Yangtze block during late Neoproterozoic and early Cambrian time. Trilobites from the uppermost parts of the Sankholi Formation from the Nigali Dhar syncline are described and referred to three taxa, one of which, Drepanopyge gopeni, is a new species. They are the oldest trilobites yet described from the Himalaya.


PURPOSE
To compare blood flow velocity changes within the middle cerebral artery (MCA) during hyperventilation, as measured with by both transcranial Doppler sonography and MR imaging, with the diameter of the MCA as measured with MR imaging alone.

METHODS
The studies were performed in six healthy volunteers ranging in age from 22 to 31 years (mean, 27 years). Transcranial Doppler sonography was carried out with a range-gated 2-MHz transducer. MR examinations were done on a 1.5-T imaging unit. MR angiography was performed using the time-of-flight technique. MR flow measurements were carried out by using the phase-mapping technique with an ECG-triggered phase-contrast sequence.

RESULTS
During hyperventilation, the mean blood flow velocity of the proximal MCA declined by 49.6% +/- 5.7 (mean +/- standard deviation) as measured with Doppler sonography, and by 47% +/- 4.6 as measured with MR flow calculation. The diameter of the MCA (3.4 +/- 0.3 mm) remained unchanged on MR imaging studies (3.3 +/- 0.3 mm).

CONCLUSION
We found a good correlation between relative flow velocity changes measured by transcranial Doppler sonography and MR techniques. MR imaging revealed no significant changes in the diameter of the proximal MCA during normal versus hyperventilation. Relative changes in flow velocity in the MCA would thereby reflect relative changes in cerebral blood flow, at least during hyperventilation.


The Reserve Bank of India has imposed a monetary penalty of Rs. 5.00 lakh (Rupees five lakh only) on Dharmapuri District Central Co-operative Bank Ltd., Tamil Nadu, in exercise of powers vested in it under the provisions of Section 47(A) read with Section 46 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (As applicable to Co-operative Societies), for non-adherence to Know Your Customers (KYC) norms and Anti Money Laundering (AML) guidelines. The Reserve Bank of India had issued a show cause notice to the bank in response to which the bank submitted a written reply. After considering the facts of the case, the bank's reply and personal submissions in the matter, the Reserve Bank of India came to the conclusion that the violation was substantiated and warranted imposition of the penalty.


Coleman, M.D., et. al. 2003. Production of Short-Rotation Woody Crops Grown with a Range of Nutrient and Water Availability: Establishment Report and First-Year Responses. Report. USDA Forest Service, Savannah River, Aiken, SC. 26 pp. Abstract: Many researchers have studied the productivity potential of intensively managed forest plantations. However, we need to learn more about the effects of fundamental growth processes on forest productivity; especially the influence of aboveground and belowground resource acquisition and allocation. This report presents installation, establishment, and first-year results of four tree species (two cottonwood clones, sycamore, sweetgum, and loblolly pine) grown with fertilizer and irrigation treatments. At this early stage of development, irrigation and fertilization were additive only in cottonwood clone ST66 and sweetgum. Leaf area development was directly related to stem growth, but root production was not always consistent with shoot responses, suggesting that allocation of resources varies among treatments. We will evaluate the consequences of these early responses on resource availability in subsequent growing seasons. This information will be used to: (1) optimize fiber and bioenergy production; (2) understand carbon sequestration; and (3) develop innovative applications such as phytoremediation; municipal, industrial, and agricultural wastes management; and protection of soil, air, and water resources.


Abstract:What explains the recent rise of radical voices—riots, mass demonstrations, the radicalization of centrist parties, and the popularity of illiberal extremist forces—in many East European EU-member states? Under the pressure of compliance with the Maastricht convergence criteria governments implement painful welfare state reforms. Pro-reform elite and middle class groups mobilize around radical neoliberal agendas, while their radical illiberal opponents respond with nationalist, ethnic, xenophobic, and anticommunist fundamentalist programs. In contrast, large groups of citizens have become dissatisfied with democracy and have chosen to refrain from participation in newly established democratic institutions.


We estimate average causal effects of early-life hunger on late-life health by applying instrumental variable estimation, using data with self-reported periods of hunger earlier in life, with famines as instruments. The data contain samples from European countries and include birth cohorts exposed to various famines in the 20th century. We use two-sample IV estimation to deal with imperfect recollection of conditions at very early stages of life. The estimated average causal effects may exceed famine effects by at least a factor three.


'The critical component in crisis management is communication', but somehow the vague concept of 'communication' is always cited as a problem in in-crisis situations. Furthermore, available corporate communication literature mainly focuses on pre- and post-crisis reputational communication, relying only on following lists or a linear one-way push of information for the in-crisis stages. The exploratory method of reflective or interpretive action research of a hazardous material emergency desk-top simulation exercise was used to examine (1) what is meant by the term communication in the in-crisis situation, and (2) the contribution that corporate communication and the corporate communication practitioner can make during an in-crisis situation. This study found that there is confusion regarding the term communication, but even more, that each person involved also interpreted the term slightly differently, which could easily lead to confusion and/or the creation of an unclear common operating picture. The extent of the contribution that the corporate communication practitioner, as conduit of the corporate communication discipline, can make is also discussed. This paper comes to the conclusion that the contribution of corporate communication to the in-crisis situation will greatly add to the successful clearing up of an emergency situation.


Neural architecture search (NAS) has shown great promise in designing state-of-the-art (SOTA) models that are both accurate and efficient. Recently, two-stage NAS, e.g. BigNAS, decouples the model training and searching process and achieves remarkable search efficiency and accuracy. Two-stage NAS requires sampling from the search space during training, which directly impacts the accuracy of the final searched models. While uniform sampling has been widely used for its simplicity, it is agnostic of the model performance Pareto front, which is the main focus in the search process, and thus, misses opportunities to further improve the model accuracy. In this work, we propose AttentiveNAS that focuses on improving the sampling strategy to achieve better performance Pareto. We also propose algorithms to efficiently and effectively identify the networks on the Pareto during training. Without extra re-training or post-processing, we can simultaneously obtain a large number of networks across a wide range of FLOPs. Our discovered model family, AttentiveNAS models, achieves top-1 accuracy from 77.3% to 80.7% on ImageNet, and outperforms SOTA models, including BigNAS, Once-for-All networks and FBNetV3. We also achieve ImageNet accuracy of 80.1% with only 491 MFLOPs. Our training code and pretrained models are available at https://github.com/facebookresearch/AttentiveNAS.


In search of materials for high-density optical data storage by irradiation with polarized laser light liquid crystalline polymers containing azobenzene functionalities in the side chains have attracted great attention. These azobenzene groups generate different photoisomerization phenomena which can be exploited for optical data storage by using holographic techniques.
In this PhD study a new strategy for the synthesis of side chain liquid crystalline block copolymers is employed. SC-LC block copolymers with different composition of the mesogenic block and with different side chain spacer lengths were synthesized. The first approach used was the recent and most accepted radical polymerization technique Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization (ATRP). A side chain azobenzene containing styrene monomer was synthesized and successfully polymerized by ATRP technique. The second method used was the synthesis of template polystyrene block polybutoxystyrene (PS-b-PBS) copolymers by living anionic polymerization technique and successive deprotection to give PS-b-PHS. These polymers were then functionalized with azobenzene containing bromo precursors attached through a flexible alkyl spacer. The mesogenic monomers and block copolymers were characterized by 1H-, 13C-NMR spectroscopy and also by DSC. The molecular weight of the polymers was determined by SEC. Furthermore, the stability of the induced anisotropy in the mesogenic block copolymers was studied by optical analysis.
In order to synthesize thermally stable SC-LC polymers highly fluorinated styrene polymers were used as templates. The highly fluorinated new monomer 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-4-methoxystyrene (TFMS) was synthesized by a nucleophilic substitution reaction between 2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorostyrene (FS) and sodium methoxide. This monomer was then successfully polymerized in high yield and with low PDI by the ATRP method. The homopolymers were functionalized by demethylation and successive alkylations under phase transfer catalysis reactions with bromo precursors bearing different substituents. The ATRP of TFMS was comparatively faster than that of styrene and its highly fluorinated analogue FS. These results and the potential nucleophilic substitution in the para position of FS prompted us to attempt the preparation of novel FS monomers with 4-fluoroalkoxy side chains and subsequently investigate their polymerization potential with a view to the self assembly process of these materials at surfaces.
In this context materials with a fluorine content varying in a large range have been synthesized and characterized by different techniques. The ATRP technique was found as a suitable tool to control the Mn and also the PDI of the polymers.
Materials with low fluorine content were synthesized by use of fluorine containing initiators leaving the fluorine cluster at one end. Highly fluorinated materials were prepared by use of fluorine rich monomers TFMS, 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-4-(2,2,3,3,3-pentafluoropropoxy)styrene [TF(F5)S] and 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-4-(2,2,3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,7,7,8, 8,8-pentadecafluorooctaoxy)styrene [TF(F15)S], resulting in both homopolymers as well as block copolymers. Materials with an intermediate fluorine content were achieved by copolymerization of these monomers with styrene. The TF(F5)S and TF(F15)S are another two new monomers subjected for ATRP. These monomers were synthesized by a nucleophilic substitution reaction between FS and its corresponding alcohol. The structures of the monomers were confirmed by 1H-, 13C-, 19F-NMR and also by FT-IR spectroscopy. The ATRP of these monomers results in fast polymerization and high yields. Polymers with relatively low PDI and in a broad range of Mn were synthesized. The block copolymers phase separate into PS/PFS phases as evidenced by two Tgs when the shortest block constitutes more than 10 mol %. A preliminary surface characterization of these polymers was performed by XPS and by measurement of the contact angle with water. Both analyses provide evidence for the segregation of fluorinated blocks resulting in low energy surfaces.


The paper begins with a discussion of the concepts "operations research" and "development." An overview is next given of the RDP (Reconstruction and Development Programme), which still embodies the vision of development in South Africa associated with the political transition in 1994. The efforts of ORSSA (the Operations Research Society of South Africa) to help with the implementation of the RDP are described. The international OR (Operations Research) community has been involved in various ways with the promotion of development, especially through IFORS (the International Federation of Operational Research Societies), and these are reviewed. Sustainable development, which deals specifically with a long-term view of development, is mentioned briefly. Lastly some suggestions are made as to how ORSSA and its members could help to promote development in South Africa. In the Appendix a summary is given of a paper by Gerhard Geldenhuys in which he analyzes the needs identified by the RDP as well as relevant OR methods.


Following the 'revolution' in April 2010, the subsequent interethnic violence in June and the recent international inquiry into these events, Kyrgyzstan is not in safe waters yet. The coming period leading up to the Presidential elections will be important for the country's stability. What is the current situation in the South of the country, which saw clashes between Kyrgyz and Uzbeks, and what are the expectations for the presidential elections? Is Kyrgyzstan on the road to democracy, and what role can external actors play?


A mathematical model has been developed to simulate the movement and fate of individual particles in a water column in an estuarine environment. The developed model not only keeps track of the locations of particles subject to complex movements, but also allows modeled particles to undergo various fates over time and space. Positions of particles are tracked on longitudinal and vertical directions within a channel grid. Theoretical and empirical equations are used to simulate the advective and dispersive movements of particles. Before the application of the developed model, therefore, it is necessary to have the one-dimensional flow field defined within channels through other means such as a one-dimensional hydrodynamics model. The one-dimensional flows within channels are expanded into a quasi two-dimensional plane within the developed model. Four fundamental kinetics are called on to describe the movement of particles in two dimensions: longitudinal advection, longitudinal dispersion, settling due to gravity (or rising due to buoyancy), and vertical mixing. The initial application of the model is made to simulate the fate and movement of Striped Bass eggs and larvae within the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. In this application, the fates as well as the transport of the eggs and larvae are simulated. Calibration and verification of the model with the use of field data are discussed. Future application of the model will be expanded to other estuarine species.


We study the coupling between quantum dots through the dipole–dipole interaction in photonic nanofibers manufactured by embedding a dielectric material into a photonic crystal. The embedded dielectric material is doped with an ensemble of three-level quantum dots. A probe field is applied to monitor the absorption, and a control field is applied to induce dipole moments in quantum dots. Dipoles are induced in quantum dots due to the external fields, and they interact with each other via the dipole–dipole interaction. Quantum dots also interact with the nanofiber through the electron–bound photon interaction. The absorption coefficient has been calculated using the density matrix method, and the dipole–dipole interaction has been evaluated in the mean field approximation. It is found that the absorption spectrum splits from one peak to two peaks by the dipole–dipole interaction. The splitting of peaks can be controlled by either the resonance energy of quantum dots or bound photon states of the nanofiber.


This paper aims at predicting businesses' past due in service accounts as well as determining the variables that impact the likelihood of repayment. Two binary classification approaches, logistic regression and the decision tree, were conducted and compared. Both approaches have very good performances with respect to the accuracy. However, the decision tree only uses 10 predictors and reaches an accuracy of 96.69% on the validation set while logistic regression includes 14 predictors and reaches an accuracy of 94.58%. Due to the large concern of false negatives in financial industry, the decision tree technique is a better option than logistic regression on the given dataset in terms of its relative lower false negative. Accuracy, false positive and false negative are all very important criteria in model selection and evaluation. Decision making should rely more on the research purpose, rather than on the exact values of these criteria. Keywords—Past Due, Binary Classification, Logistic Regression, Decision Tree


The assumption of log‐concavity is a flexible and appealing non‐parametric shape constraint in distribution modelling. In this work, we study the log‐concave maximum likelihood estimator of a probability mass function. We show that the maximum likelihood estimator is strongly consistent and we derive its pointwise asymptotic theory under both the well‐specified and misspecified settings. Our asymptotic results are used to calculate confidence intervals for the true log‐concave probability mass function. Both the maximum likelihood estimator and the associated confidence intervals may be easily computed by using the R package logcondiscr. We illustrate our theoretical results by using recent data from the H1N1 pandemic in Ontario, Canada.


We describe our system for the SeMantic AnsweR (SMART) Type prediction task 2020 for both the DBpedia and Wikidata Question Answer Type datasets. The SMART task challenge introduced fine-grained and ultra-fine entity typing to question answering by releasing two datasets for question classification using DBpedia and Wikidata classes. We propose a flexible framework for both entity types using paragraph vectors and word embeddings to obtain high quality contextualized question representations. We augment the document similarity provided by paragraph vectors with semantic modeling and sentence alignment using word embeddings. For the answer category prediction, we achieved a maximum accuracy score of 85% for Wikidata and 88% for DBpedia. For the answer types prediction, we achieved a maximum MRR of 40% for Wikidata and a maximum nDCG@5 of 54% for DBpedia datasets.


Scaling devices that can shrink or enlarge an object are designed using transformation optics. The electromagnetic scattering properties of such scaling devices with anisotropic parameters are rigorously analyzed using the eigenmode expansion method. If the radius of the virtual object is smaller than that of the real object, it is a shrinking device with positive material parameters; if the radius of the virtual object is larger than the real one, it is an enlarging device with positive or negative material parameters. Hence, a scaling device can make a dielectric or metallic object look smaller or larger. The rigorous analysis shows that the scattering coefficients of the scaling devices are the same as those of the equivalent virtual objects. When the radius of the virtual object approaches zero, the scaling device will be an invisibility cloak. In such a case, the scattering effect of the scaling device will be sensitive to material parameters of the device.


The papers presented in this volume were part of a joint symposium combining The Second International Young Scientists Forum on Soil and Water Conservation (WASWAC) and the International Commission on Continental Erosion (ICCE-IAHS) which was held on 27–31 August 2018, in Moscow. Contributions were invited on work that investigates fluvial processes including hillslope and gully erosion and sediment transport, as well as river channel changes and management, the influence of hydro-sedimentological processes operating at local to global scales, and those that compare the findings drawn from local and global studies. A particular focus of the papers in this new volume is to provide regional examples of sediment movement along the sediment cascade in Northern Eurasia. Most of these works report scientific studies across a territory which covers nearly one sixth of the land surface of the Earth. PIAHS volume permits wider dissemination of these regional studies. Collectively, the papers cover studies from the East European plain, Kola Peninsula Mountains, Central Siberian Plateau, and the Kamchatka peninsula, as well as river catchments in Japan and Italy.
This PIAHS volume continues the long-term tradition of stand-alone proceedings from meetings convened by the International Commission on Continental Erosion (ICCE-IAHS). Since 1981, ICCE has arranged a sequence of conferences and published 36 proceedings – and this volume discusses the ICCE story through a detailed scientometric analysis of past ICCE activities (Bondarev, in this volume).
The first part of this volume comprises regional studies of soil and gully erosion (Sharifullin et al., in this volume; Gafurov et al., in this volume; Garankina et al., in this volume). The section also includes examples of an integrated approach to the study of sediment origin (Chalov et al., in this volume).
The second part of the volume is devoted to river process and connections with sediment transport issues. It includes novel studies of sediment yield presented by case studies from Italy (Porto and Callegari, in this volume), the Kamchatka peninsula (Kuksina, in this volume), Caucuses mountains (Tsyplenkov et al., in this volume) and channel erosion research (Golovlyov et al., in this volume; Fingert et al., in this volume; Kuznetsova et al., in this volume).
The third part of the volume links sediment transport processes and lake sedimentation, as well as environmental impacts. It mostly includes studies on the reconstruction of the long-term dynamics of sedimentation (Konoplev et al., in this volume; Wakiyama et al., in this volume; Garankina et al., in this volume), but also focuses on river runoff processes and salmon migration (Moreydo, in this volume).
The editors wish to thank all the contributing authors for their efforts and the numerous reviewers who contributed to the production of quality papers. Special acknowledgement is also extended to IAHS and WASWAC for facilitating the participation of young scientists. Additionally, this review is supported by RFBR project 18-05-60219.


In this paper, we consider the problem of detecting whether a compromised router is maliciously manipulating its stream of packets. In particular, we are concerned with a simple yet effective attack in which a router selectively drops packets destined for some victim. Unfortunately, it is quite challenging to attribute a missing packet to a malicious action because normal network congestion can produce the same effect. Modern networks routinely drop packets when the load temporarily exceeds their buffering capacities. Previous detection protocols have tried to address this problem with a user-defined threshold: too many dropped packets imply malicious intent. However, this heuristic is fundamentally unsound; setting this threshold is, at best, an art and will certainly create unnecessary false positives or mask highly focused attacks. We have designed, developed, and implemented a compromised router detection protocol that dynamically infers, based on measured traffic rates and buffer sizes, the number of congestive packet losses that will occur. Once the ambiguity from congestion is removed, subsequent packet losses can be attributed to malicious actions. We have tested our protocol in Emulab and have studied its effectiveness in differentiating attacks from legitimate network behavior.


In recent years, there has been a growing interest in developing countermeasures against non zero-effort attacks for speaker verification systems. Until now, the focus has been on logical access attacks, where the spoofed samples are injected into the system through a software-based process. This paper investigates a more realistic type of attack, referred to as physical access or presentation attacks, where the spoofed samples are presented as input to the microphone. To detect such attacks, we propose a binary classifier based approach that uses long-term spectral statistics as feature input. Experimental studies on the AVspoof database, which contains presentation attacks based on replay, speech synthesis and voice conversion, shows that the proposed approach can yield significantly low detection error rate with a linear classifier (half total error rate of 0.038%). Furthermore, an investigation on Interspeech 2015 ASVspoof challenge dataset shows that it is equally capable of detecting logical access attacks.


In streets and intersections, identification of critical accident-prone points has an important role in using the acceptable model and method in order to decrease the probability of accident occurrence. for this purpose, deviate the factors affecting accidents and study each individually and collectively with the aid of the arithmetic operators is able to calculate and implement different extent of the effect and role of each of them. hence, different theoretical and practical solutions are provided in order to guarantee more safety and improve traffic conditions in transportation system, and the main factors affecting accidents in intersections are identified. so, in this paper, to help guarantee safety in mashhad transportation system, the capabilities of geographic information system are used in order to estimate and predict the probability of accident occurrence in intersections. in this respect, the statistical data obtained from traffic observations and urban transport are gathered, and, by using arithmetic and statistical operators such as density estimation and interpolation methods, the data preparation processes are exercised in accordance with the needs and standards. then, with the aid of an integrated model of the probability of accident occurrence and considering experimental opinions of the experts, the probability of accident occurrence in intersections is identified and evaluated. finally, the results obtained are compared with the frequency of accidents recorded in the control points, and the model validity level is determined. these results can improve transportation system and provide desirable solutions for control, monitoring, and management of accidents.


The PM2.5 standard proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has stimulated research on the relationships between particulate matter concentrations and the exposures and subsequent health responses of sensitive subpopulations, such as the elderly. Since individuals in these subpopulations may spend more than 90% of their time indoors, understanding the relationship between outdoor particle concentrations and those found in indoor microenvironments is critical. This research resulted in a time-dependent indoor air quality model incorporating all potential particle sources and loss mechanisms. Monte Carlo simulations of the model identified the mechanisms, such as particle loss during penetration through the building envelope, that modify the outdoor particle size distribution during transport into the interior of a building, calculated indoor-to-outdoor (I/O) concentration ratios, and estimated penetration factors as a function of particle size. Indoor particle generation and transport of outdoor particles through the HVAC system were the most important contributors to the indoor concentration in residential and commercial buildings, respectively. The most significant removal mechanisms included ventilation through and particle removal by the HVAC filter if an HVAC system was present, or particle deposition on indoor surfaces if an HVAC system was not present. The modeled I/O concentration ratios varied between 0.05 and 0.5, depending on particle size and type of ventilation system, and agreed well with published experimental results. Penetration factors less than unity were calculated for particles with aerodynamic diameters larger than 0.2 θ m if the air exchange rate and steady-state I/O concentration ratio were correlated during the simulations. An additional correlation between the air exchange rate and particle deposition velocity is required if penetration factors less than unity are to be modeled for particles with aerodynamic diameters smaller than 0.2 θ m. These results


In this paper hypotheses concerning the success of digital market places for agricultural inputs and products are tested. The hypotheses were derived from transaction cost considerations. Success of digital market places was measured in two ways: (i) the probability for a digital marketplace to survive the competition from conventional and other digital market places and (ii) various metrics of market activity such as the number of hits received, number of incoming links, and page views per visitor session. Data were obtained from a survey of 233 digital market places that had been installed to serve the agricultural and food industries.


Zinc oxide is an inorganic compound also known as zincite and occurs rarely in nature, generally in a crystalline form. It is usually orange or red in color due to presence of manganese impurity. It usually appears as a white crystalline powder, which is nearly insoluble in water. Most of ZnO which is used commercially is produced synthetically. ZnO is actually a wide bandgap semiconductor of the II-VI semiconductor group. The doping of the semiconductor is n-type which is due to oxygen vacancies. This has several favorable properties like high electronmobility, good transparency, wide bandgap for seni-conductivity, high room-temperature luminescence, etc. These properties are used in applications for electrodes in liquid crystal displays aswell as in energy saving and heat protectingwindows, electronic applications of ZnO as thin-film transistors and light emitting diodes. Because of its unique properties and versatile applications, it is used in transparent electronics, ultraviolet light emitters, piezoelectric devices and chemical sensors.


Background Research in traditional classrooms and laboratories has indicated that autonomy support by teachers is infrequent and focused on the narrow provision of choice. One explanation for the limited autonomy support in classrooms is that typical school resources and tasks limit the availability of experiences that are interesting, relevant, with meaningful choice. Accordingly, it is critical to extend observation to contexts that enhance the likelihood of detecting significant autonomy support. In this way, it will be possible to (a) determine whether existing conceptualizations map onto behaviors in real classrooms and (b) enrich our understanding of the variety of ways in which teachers provide autonomy when the curriculum is designed not to constrain it but to expand it. Objective In the current study, we extend and develop conceptualizations of autonomy support based on our observations within an inquiry context that offers a broad range of forms of autonomy, thus gaining access to a more elaborated understanding of how real teachers offer this support. We elaborate on and richly describe how classroom teachers support autonomy in ways that extend the range of current conceptualizations, with implications for lending validity to the construct and providing concrete description for practitioners. Research Design Qualitative analyses were conducted based on videotaped observations of four 7th-grade science teachers, each enacting five inquiry-based science lessons designed to encourage scientific reasoning. We developed a coding protocol grounded in theoretical conceptualizations organized around five autonomy-support dimensions (i.e., procedural and organizational support, rationale and relevance, responsiveness, feedback, cognitive autonomy support). We were exploratory in our use of content analysis in ways that evolved our initial codes, given our aim to enrich and extend available characterizations of autonomy-supportive practice to incorporate new conceptualizations of higher quality practice. Conclusions Observed enactments provide support for modifying our conceptualizations of the upper end points of autonomy support to include more academically significant forms as well as for making new distinctions in forms of autonomy support. This high quality and multifaceted enactment was possible because practice was embedded within an inquiry-based curriculum context that expanded opportunities for student agency. Implications for supporting educational leaders in facilitating teacher practice using this thick description and set of exemplars are discussed.


As noted in the introduction to Part I, we live in a world that manifests a complex and often confusing array of values, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors regarding human sexuality, particularly in the midst of the current context of postmodern thought. As Elaine Storkey (2001) observes, "For most social commentators, post-modernity marks the end of any single, unifying worldview that attempts to offer universally valid explanations" (p. 52). In the absence of such a "unifying worldview" and the lack, therefore, of "universally valid explanations," we find our society manifesting what was characterized in Deuteronomy 12:8 and Judges 17:6 as a time when "every man did what was right in his own eyes." Storkey goes on to quote Lars Johansson (1984) regarding the impact of such a philosophical approach to reality. The postmodern deconstructs the metanarratives of the Western tradition, leaving us with a plurality of narratives and values. One of the metanarratives that has been disclosed is reason. Central to the critique of reason is language. All thinking begins and ends with language. Philosophy is seen as rhetoric in disguise. There is no independent vantage point outside language. (p.216) As Storkey (2001) thereafter notes, "If language constructs reality, we can bring anything into being. Our words create politics, sexuality, history, God" (p. 53). But when words alone construct reality, then where can an anchor be found, which can guard individuals and society from drifting into the infinitude of human variation with its frequent destructive consequences? Again, the words of Scripture come to mind in the wise reflection of Solomon, "Every man's way is right in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the heart" (Prov. 21:2). One is reminded of a stormy sea on which a fleet of sailing vessels is being driven by the wind and tossed against waves with little regard to the efforts of those who man the tillers. In this regard, the Apostle Paul admonishes his readers as follows: "As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to gr ow up in all [aspects] into Him, who is the head, [even] Christ (Eph. 4:1415; NASB). For the committed Christian whose faith is grounded in the fear of the Lord and in the belief that the Bible is our primary source of Truth, speaking this truth is an imperative. So again, we seek to offer a limited sample of articles which are committed to a sound integration of biblical perspective and the latest understanding of biological, psychological, and social data, desiring to contribute to both an adequately informed Christian community and adequately prepared professionals who minister to this community via their respective roles. We begin Part II with the work of Douglas E. Rosenau and Erica S. N. Tan as they address the challenge of living single in our highly sexualized society. With messages and images that promote permissiveness and essentially non-consequential approach to sexual behavior, Christians find themselves clearly needing the anchor of truth, not only in our society but also around the world. Doug and Erica begin by recognizing the difficulty single individuals face and the fact that the church has not done a good job of assisting them with this challenge. They conclude by offering a practical and helpful model for living as single, committed Christians in their article entitled, "Single and Sexual: The Church's Neglected Dilemma." Another challenge faced by sincere Christians and neglected to an even greater degree by the church is the issue of disability in the context of sexuality. Coming from her own personal experience as one who suffers a debilitating medical problem in the context of her marriage to a husband who has experienced a significant and lifelong physical disability, Randi S. …


In efficient global labour markets for very high wage workers one might expect wage differentials between migrant and domestic workers to reflect differences in labour productivity. However, using panel data on worker-firm matches in a single industry over a seven year period we find a substantial wage penalty for domestic workers which persists within firms and is only partially accounted for by individual labour productivity. We show that the differential partly reflects the superstar status of migrant workers. This superstar effect is also apparent in migrant effects on firm performance. But the wage differential also reflects domestic workers' preferences for working in their home region, an amenity for which they are prepared to take a compensating wage differential, or else are forced to accept in the face of employer monopsony power which does not affect migrant workers.


Cow's milk allergy is the most common food allergy in children. Casein, whey, alpha-lactalbumin, beta-lactoglobulin and bovine gamma-globulin are the best known allergens in cow's milk. Herein, we present an infant who was diagnosed with severe cow's milk allergy, followed-up with an elimination diet, and experienced a life-threatening severe anaphylaxis after live attenuated measles vaccine containing alpha-lactalbumin hydrolysate. High levels of immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies were determined by specific IgE analysis and the sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) method. It might be dangerous to administer live attenuated measles vaccine to children diagnosed with cow's milk allergy or to children suspected of being highly sensitive to cow's milk proteins.


Systemic risk arises when shocks lead to states where a disruption in financial intermediation adversely affects the economy and feeds back into further disrupting financial intermediation. We present a macroeconomic model with a financial intermediary sector subject to an equity capital constraint. The novel aspect of our analysis is that the model produces a stochastic steady state distribution for the economy, in which only some of the states correspond to systemic risk states. The model allows us to examine the transition from "normal" states to systemic risk states. We calibrate our model and use it to match the systemic risk apparent during the 2007/2008 financial crisis. We also use the model to compute the conditional probabilities of arriving at a systemic risk state, such as 2007/2008. Finally, we show how the model can be used to conduct a macroeconomic "stress test" linking a stress scenario to the probability of systemic risk states. (JEL E13, E44, E52, G01, G21, G28)


In contrast to the common perception that the United Nations is, or should become, a system of collective security, this paper advances the proposition that the UN Security Council embodies a necessarily selective approach. Analysis of its record since 1945 suggests that the Council cannot address all security threats effectively. The reasons for this include not only the veto power of the five permanent members, but also the selectivity of all UN member states: their unwillingness to provide forces for peacekeeping or other purposes except on a case-by-case basis, and their reluctance to involve the Council in certain conflicts to which they are parties, or which they perceive as distant, complex and resistant to outside involvement. The Council's selectivity is generally seen as a problem, even a threat to its legitimacy. Yet selectivity, which is rooted in prudence and in the UN Charter itself, has some virtues. Acknowledging the necessary limitations within which the Security Council operates, this paper evaluates the Council's achievements in tackling the problem of war since 1945. In doing so, it sheds light on the division of labour among the Council, regional security bodies and states, and offers a pioneering contribution to public and governmental understanding of the UN's past, present and future roles.


Western Ecuador consists of a complex tectonic mélange of oceanic terranes accreted to the continental margin from Late Cretaceous to Eocene time. New geochemical data from these accreted terranes (arising from a 5 year British Geological Survey mapping programme) indicate that they comprise rocks from a variety of oceanic tectonic settings: from thickened (and relatively unsubductable) oceanic plateau basalts, through island-arc tholeiites, with occasional more calc-alkaline lavas, to back-arc basin basalt sequences. This study has enabled us to construct a new geodynamic model for the Cretaceous–Tertiary evolution of the Northern Andes, and has placed important new constraints on the extent of oceanic plateau sequences in Colombia and around the Caribbean. The age and nature of sediments, combined with evidence for the age of peak metamorphism, suggests that a prolonged (15–20 Ma) accretionary event occurred in Late Cretaceous time and involved the collision of an oceanic plateau (represented by the Pallatanga Unit) with the continental margin. This accreted unit can be correlated with similar oceanic plateau sequences from the Western Cordillera of Colombia and those within and around the Caribbean region. The Naranjal and Macuchi island arcs and the associated La Portada back-arc basin developed along the accreted margin from Late Campanian to Eocene time, and these arcs accreted to the continental margin along with oceanic plateau material (represented by the Piñon Unit and Pedernales–Esmeraldas sequences) during Eocene time. The development of island arcs, which separate the two accretionary events, implies that the most westerly (coastal) oceanic plateau sequences, both in Ecuador (Piñon and Pedernales–Esmeraldas) and in Colombia (Gorgona and Serranía de Baudó), cannot belong to the Caribbean–Colombian Oceanic Plateau (CCOP). It therefore appears that at least two different oceanic plateaux are preserved within the accreted oceanic terranes of the Northern Andes. It is possible that the CCOP formed over the Galápagos hotspot, as previously proposed, but the more westerly Coastal plateau was derived from a more southerly hotspot source region, such as Sala y Gomez, in the SE Pacific.


This paper investigates the role of dual information on the
 performances of heuristics designed for solving the set covering
 problem. After solving the linear programming relaxation of the
 problem, the dual information is used to obtain the two main
 approaches proposed here: (i) The size of the original problem is
 reduced and then the resulting model is solved with exact
 methods. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach on a rich
 set of benchmark instances compiled from the literature. We conclude
 that set covering problems of various characteristics and sizes may
 reliably be solved to near optimality without resorting to custom
 solution methods. (ii) The dual information is embedded into an
 existing heuristic. This approach is demonstrated on a well-known
 local search based heuristic that was reported to obtain successful
 results on the set covering problem. Our results demonstrate that
 the use of dual information significantly improves the efficacy of
 the heuristic in terms of both solution time and accuracy.


We explore how early-life shocks interact with subsequent human capital investments to influence children's long-term outcomes. Using large-scale administrative data from Colombia, we combine a difference-in-difference framework with a regression discontinuity design to exploit two sources of exogenous variation: i) early-life exposure to adverse weather shocks that affect children's initial skills and ii), the introduction of conditional cash transfers (CCT) that promote investments in children's health and education. We show that the timing and type of CCT-induced investments matter for both the effects of CCTs and their interactive effects with weather shocks. When the CCT-induced investments occur in sensitive periods of human capital formation (e.g., early childhood), the effects are large and their interactive effects with weather conditions suggest that the returns of the program are even larger for children exposed to "normal" weather conditions. In contrast, CCT-induced investments that come relatively late in childhood (e.g., adolescence), have a smaller "main" effect and a smaller or zero interactive effect with weather shocks. We also find that initial CCT-induced health investments tend to have larger returns than initial CCT-induced educational investments. These findings shed new light on the developmental production function for human capital and the role of social policies in closing gaps generated by early-life adversities.


Random geometric graphs are built by first sampling a set of points from some underlying distribution, and then connecting each point to its k nearest neighbors. In this project we investigated the behavior of distance functions on random geometric graphs when the sample size n goes to infinity (and the connectivity parameter k scales appropriately). It is well known that in graphs where the edges are suitably weighted according to their Euclidean lengths, the shortest path distance converges to the underlying Euclidean distance. However, it turned out this is not the case for unweighted kNN graphs [461]. In this case, the shortest path distance converges to a distance function that is weighted by the underlying density and takes wide detours to avoid high density regions (see left figure above). In machine learning applications, this behavior of the shortest path distance can be highly misleading. As an example, consider the Isomap algorithm and the data set shown in the middle figure. If we build an unweighted kNN graph based on this data and apply Isomap to recover the point configuration, we get the figure on the right. Obviously, it is grossly distorted and cannot serve as a faithful representation of the original data. The commute distance (aka resistance distance) between vertex u and v is defined as the expected time it takes the natural random walk starting in vertex u to travel to vertex v and back. It is widely used in machine learning because it supposedly satisfies the following, highly desirable property: Vertices in the same cluster of the graph have a small commute distance, whereas vertices in different clusters of the graph have a large commute distance to each other. We studied the behavior of the commute distance as the number of vertices in the graph tends to infinity [599], proving that the commute distance between two points converges to a trivial quantity that only takes into account the degree of the two vertices. Hence, all information about cluster structure gets lost when the graph is large enough. To alleviate this shortcoming, we proposed the family of p-resistances [497]. For p = 1 it reduces to the shortest path distance, for p = 2 it coincides with the resistance distance, and for p → ∞ it is related to the minimal s-t-cut in the graph. The family shows an interesting phase transition: there exist two critical thresholds p∗ and p∗∗ such that if p < p∗, then the p-resistance depends on meaningful global properties of the graph, whereas if p > p∗∗, it only depends on trivial local quantities and does not convey any useful information. In particular, the p-resistance for p = p∗ nicely reveals the cluster structure.


This work aimed at achieving two objectives; estimating unmet need for contraception and analysing socio-economic factors that are associated with unmet need for contraception in Mozambique. The 1997 Mozambique DHS data were used for this study. Both bivariate and multivariate analyses were applied. The results show that in Mozambique, despite considerable knowledge about modern methods of contraception, unmet need is 29.4 per cent. The estimate among married women is 31.1 percent while among unmarried women is 25.2 percent. Unmet need for contraception is also found to be higher for spacing rather than for limiting purposes. Variables like desired number of children, number of living children and age of women are significant variables for both unmet need for spacing and for limiting. Variables like number of dead children, place of residence and woman's occupation are significant among women who have unmet need for limiting purposes, while for spacing are more in religion. In order to address the issue of unmet need for contraception, planners and other interested parties should aim at the strategies and policies that reach those women who have unmet need for contraception especially women who are living in rural areas, women aged 20-29 and those who are working. In addition, women and their partners must reduce the negative factors that impede the use of contraception if they want to space or to limit their family size.


What are the characteristics of the Colombian business groups and how did they evolve between 1950 and 1985? How did the characteristics change during a period of deglobalisation? This paper provides a description of the Colombian business groups. It tracks the evolution of 25 groups since their consolidation in the 1950s, during a period of Industrialization by Substitution of Imports (ISI), until 1985, a year before the Colombian government considered for the first time trade liberalisation policies. By concentrating on descriptive variables such as size, ownership and control, foundation year, and diversification, this paper provides an overview of the consolidation, development and restructuring of the groups. The task implied answering the underlying questions of what and who the business groups are by relying extensively on secondary literature for the main concepts and primary sources, valued for their 'first-handedness', to illustrate and complement the arguments on their characteristics. Combining the analysis of the track record of 25 groups, this research places the business group as the unit of analysis, and also includes 428 group-affiliated firms. Despite their current importance and presence in the economy since the second half of the twentieth century, a profile of the largest Colombian business groups during this period has not yet been produced. Most of the variables used to characterise the groups are the ones set out by the literature, however, the paper also brings indexes to quantify the historical evolution of the characteristics.


This paper analyzes food consumption patterns of Vietnamese households, using a complete demand system and socio-demographic information. Demand elasticities are estimated using the AIDS model and the latest Vietnamese household survey data in 2006. The results indicate that food consumption pattern in Vietnam are affected by income, price as well as socioeconomic and geographic factors. All food has positive expenditure elasticities and negative own-price elasticities. In particular, rice has mean expenditure elasticity of 0.36 and mean own-price elasticity of -0.80. Thus, an increase in the price in rice by one percent will reduce rice consumption by 0.8 percent, on average. On the other hand, an increase in the income by 1 percent leads to an increase in rice demand by 0.36 percent. It indicates that food consumption in urban and rural areas, and among regions and income groups are different. It points out that targeted food policies should be formulated based on specific food demand patterns in the groups.


AIMS/BACKGROUND--The study aimed to determine the influence of increased intraocular light scatter on the contrast in scanning laser ophthalmoscope (SLO) images and to examine to what extent SLO images can visualise the fundus through media opacities due to cataract. METHODS--Intraocular light scatter was estimated from measurements of letter contrast sensitivity before and after cataract surgery in five eyes. SLO images were obtained before and after surgery using confocal apertures of 1, 2, 4, and 10 mm, at laser wavelengths of 633 and 780 nm. Visibility of the fundus was determined by measurements of retinal contrast. SLO images were compared with standard fundus photographs. RESULTS--SLO images obtained before surgery revealed details of the retina that were unresolvable in the fundus photographs because of light scattering. By using one of the three smallest apertures, image contrast was further improved. However, no simple relations between aperture size, estimated light scatter, and image contrast could be found. CONCLUSION--SLO imaging was found to be superior to fundus photography for viewing the retina in eyes with cataract. Owing to the inhomogeneous nature of cataracts, the optimal choice of confocal aperture and laser wavelength is not simple and must be individualised.


In this paper, we propose a joint dynamic pilot and data power allocation scheme for time division duplex (TDD) massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems, so as to both adaptively mitigate pilot contamination and balance the mutual interference. Due to the unknown of instant channel state information before pilots, we exploit the Gauss-Markov process of temporally-correlated channels and use the Kalman filter to not only filter out the pilot contamination but also provide the priori estimation values. Subsequently, the deterministic approximation of the rate is derived as a function of the priori channel estimation and the priori estimate errors, and accordingly the rate-profile maximization to achieve max-min fairness is formulated. To deal with this optimization coupled across the pilot power and data power as well as the users, we give an iterative alternating rate-suboptimal algorithm composed of two sub-problems, both of which are further solved by introducing the successive convex approximation (SCA) methods and slack variables. Numerical results confirm the improved rate provided by the proposed scheme.


The important life-supporting role of hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S) has evolved from bacteria to plants, invertebrates, vertebrates, and finally to mammals. Over the centuries, however, H(2)S had only been known for its toxicity and environmental hazard. Physiological importance of H(2)S has been appreciated for about a decade. It started by the discovery of endogenous H(2)S production in mammalian cells and gained momentum by typifying this gasotransmitter with a variety of physiological functions. The H(2)S-catalyzing enzymes are differentially expressed in cardiovascular, neuronal, immune, renal, respiratory, gastrointestinal, reproductive, liver, and endocrine systems and affect the functions of these systems through the production of H(2)S. The physiological functions of H(2)S are mediated by different molecular targets, such as different ion channels and signaling proteins. Alternations of H(2)S metabolism lead to an array of pathological disturbances in the form of hypertension, atherosclerosis, heart failure, diabetes, cirrhosis, inflammation, sepsis, neurodegenerative disease, erectile dysfunction, and asthma, to name a few. Many new technologies have been developed to detect endogenous H(2)S production, and novel H(2)S-delivery compounds have been invented to aid therapeutic intervention of diseases related to abnormal H(2)S metabolism. While acknowledging the challenges ahead, research on H(2)S physiology and medicine is entering an exponential exploration era.


To determine the dynamics of the spatial extent of gallery forest on Konza Prairie Research Natural Area (KPRNA), aerial photographs taken over a 46 year time frame were digitized into an ARC-INFO Geographic Information System (GIs). A Global Positioning System (GPS) was used to collect ground control points to co-register the photographs for each year. Gallery forest areas for the three major drainage boundaries (Kings Creek, Shane Creek, and White Pasture) were analyzed to assess the uniformity of change in the landscape system. Results indicated that the total gallery forest area on KPRNA has increased in area from 157 ha in 1939 to over 241 ha in 1985. During this time, there was an increase in the total number of patches and a decrease in the mean size of forest patches. However, the rate of increase was not consistent over this time period, nor was it uniform from one drainage basin or stream order to another. Detailed spatial analysis of the forested area with a geomorphology and digital elevation model of Konza Prairie showed that in 1985, 58% of the forest was on alluvial/colluvial soil, yet only 15% of that soil type was forested. In addition, over 70% of the forest was on the 0-15070 slope interval, but only 15-20'70 of that slope interval was forested. These results may be attributed to a variety of factors such as changing management practices (i.e., frequency of fires and herbicide spraying) and the temporal constraints on extent to which the gallery forest can expand across the landscape.


The simultaneous estimation method has overtaken the sequential approach as the preferred estimation method for hybrid discrete choice models. Notwithstanding, the computational cost of the simultaneous estimation can be prohibitive when models become more involved, and in such cases sequential estimation can still be a potent option. In previous work a theoretical analysis was conducted that led to the identification of a major bias affecting the sequential estimation method, and a correction term was proposed for the bias induced on the estimated parameters by the variability associated with the latent variables. However, no attempt was made to quantify that induced variability. In this study, an attempt was made to determine the nature of the variability induced through the latent variables as well as the viability of relying on the sequential estimation method as an alternative (second-best) estimation tool for cases in which the complexity of the specification makes relying on simultaneous estimation unfeasible. Results show that the sequential method behaves in an acceptable way (the bias can be avoided through the correction) when the variability associated with the latent variables is low in comparison with the error term of the discrete choice model. However, when this variability is considerable the bias correction becomes an intricate matter and appropriate results cannot be guaranteed.


This survey of consumers' perceptions and expectations regarding organic wine and viticulture in the selected case study countries of Italy (IT), France (FR), Germany (DE) and Switzerland (CH) was conducted within the framework of the EU research project ORWINE (Organic viticulture and wine-making: development of environment and consumer friendly technologies for organic wine quality improvement and scientifically based legislative framework).
The objectives of the study were to investigate consumers' knowledge and expectations regarding organic wine and viticulture, their preferences regarding different labelling concepts, and their perceptions regarding sulphites and/or the use of other additives. Consumers' perceptions of organic table grapes and of more general aspects of organic viticulture, e.g. environmental impacts, were also investigated. Two target groups were identified for the study, namely organic consumers and quality wine consumers. The method chosen to achieve the study's objectives was the qualitative market research method of focus group discussion.
The main findings of the consumer study are that consumers purchase wine according to geographical origin, grape variety and price. The price is often a benchmark for consumers regarding the quality of the wine on offer, even though some consumers doubt whether cheap wines are automatically poor quality wines or, conversely, whether expensive wines are always high quality wines.
Regarding the image of organic wine, it may be described as highly positive in terms of production and processing, with the main emphasis on the issue of pesticide treatments, which are prohibited in organic grape production. Organic wine, in contrast to conventional wine, is expected to come from small-scale production facilities. In addition, organic wines are considered to be purer wines with no additives or harmful residues compared with conventional wines. Thus, they are also considered as healthier and more salubrious by those consumers with experience of organic wine. Nevertheless, organic wine has a rather poor image regarding taste. One group of consumers is disappointed because they see no additional benefits regarding taste and think that organic wines taste worse than conventional wines in some cases, mainly due to too much acidity. Only very few consumers stated that they appreciate the more individual taste of organic wine. The consumer study indicates clearly that communication strategies have to take account of this negative image regarding taste in particular. However, one problem is that wine shops, which are visited to purchase high quality wines, do not usually offer organic wines. Thus, consumers tend to believe that no organic premium wines exist.
Consumer acceptance of a limited range of additives and processing aids commonly used in conventional wine processing was also investigated. Here, the emphasis was on acceptance of sulphites, wood chips, selected bacteria, yeasts and enzymes, as well as gelatines. Levels of acceptance of specific additives and processing aids in organic wine processing differ between consumers. Four strategies were identified in this regard:
1) ban substances that are a danger to health, regardless of whether they are necessary for making a good wine; 2) prohibit additives or processing aids which affect wine flavour and/or its naturalness or tradition, or 3) allow the same substances to be used as in conventional production, but introduce lower thresholds for organic wine than for conventional wine, and introduce a declaration of their use in organic wine processing. None of these three strategies seems to be the appropriate one. However, a combination of the strategies would match most consumers' interests. Clear contrasts to organic wine should be established here, especially in relation to critical and harmful substances. This would imply a threshold for sulphites as long as no alternatives are found. Wood chips should be forbidden or their use openly declared. Enzymes, yeasts and bacteria should not be genetically modified but derived by natural means.
Labelling requirements were also investigated. Four different strategies were identified:
1) a complete list of ingredients, additives and processing aids and methods to appear on the label with an indication of the quantities of additives and processing aids; 2) a reduced list of ingredients with the declaration of specific additives and processing techniques; 3) a declaration of those substances which were not used, and 4) no declaration other than the organic label which stands for unambiguous cellar regulations. The first suggestion would be the most transparent solution. However, it would entail unfair competition between conventional and organic wine if conventional wines were not subject to the duty of declaration. Besides this, a complete list would be too much for consumers and wine bottle tabs alike. The second strategy is aimed at informing consumers about organic wine processing methods, but the problem of unfair competition still exists if only organic wine has the duty of declaration. A declaration of those substances not used is probably a good way to inform consumers and to communicate the benefits of organic farming at the same time. Thus, this labelling concept is beneficial in terms of improving the marketing potential of organic wine. The last solution does not imply an unfair competitive situation for organic wine; however, consumers would need to take action themselves to find out the differences between organic and conventional wine. They would have to research which regulations are behind the organic label. This would certainly entail too much effort for some consumers if the benefits of organic wine are not clearly communicated.
The consumer survey has identified the most relevant areas, which have to be considered, when regulating wine in the European Union. These are on one hand the use of additives and processing aids and on the other hand the labelling.
If in the EU regulation for organic food and farming, or in European community rules, organic wine is taken up, consumers are expecting rules which fit to their expectations towards organic wine as being a "natural" product, which is as little as possible alternated. Therefore, the list of additives and processing has to be short. Additives are in general not a problem if no risk can be associated with them, e.g. the use of egg based additives or gelatine might be further restricted to plant-based sources and not animal derived substances. Consumers must be ensured that with the regulation the use of yeast and bacteria do not have a risk of GMO-contamination.
Regarding the use of sulphites, the results can be interpreted in 2 ways: either set a maximum level, which ensures no health risks but guarantees a good wine. There was no clear indication from the consumer study, that sulphites should be completely banned for organic wine production (with few exceptions), although for most consumers sulphites were seen as critical. However, a lower maximum sulphite level might be a solution,
which committed organic consumers would understand, although the exact level will not be so important. The second solution would be to forbid sulphites.
Regarding labelling, consumers want to know where the wine is coming. The new proposed draft for a new EU regulation for organic food and farming will be more demanding regarding labelling the origin, in particular if the products come from the EU or non EU areas. Although the requirement of labelling the origin is in the interest of the wine producer, it is clear that in particular for organic wine transparency regarding the origin is even more important than for non-organic wine. Regarding the use of wood chips two ways could be considered: the exclusion or the labelling of their use.
Other issues like restrictions of specific processing methods could not be clearly extracted from this consumer research. Therefore this seems for the time-being not a priority area for the EU commission, when regulating organic wine.
Regarding the private organic wine sector, producers should reinforce their presence at wine awards to prove the premium quality of their products and organize wine tasting events in order to improve contact to consumers and direct sales. Besides, the presence of organic wines in specialized wine shops should be reinforced. Wine makers should further work on the sensorial quality of organic wines.
Retailers should provide more information at the point of sale (leaflet, homepage, label) with information about the producer as well as about production and processing methods applied and the "terroir" of origin. Furthermore, wine tasting events at the point of sale would give consumers the opportunity to try organic wines. Besides, the organic label should not be at the front of the wine bottle as long organic wine has a negative quality image.
The consumer survey has also shown two areas, where also research could contribute with further research: Research which contributes to reduce the use of additives and processing aids corresponds to the expectation of many consumers. This does include lowering the level of the use of additives and especially sulphites, as researched in the ORWINE project. Although the health aspect was of second priority many consumers in the survey linked organic production with health attributes. Further research on health promoting substances such as secondary metabolites, e.g. resveratrol, would for them be of interest.
Advisory services should support wine producers and processors to improve the taste of their wines, by providing better knowledge about the different inter-acting factors regarding the production of high quality wines.
To conclude, the survey has shown interesting fields of action for policy makers, producers and their organizations, retailers as well as research.


The following brief summary seems justified from the large volume of accumulated data dealing with the reaction of the cardiovascular system in the anemic patient. There are four mechanisms operating in the anemic patient which may increase the supply of oxygen to the tissues when the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood is reduced. Under conditions of rest, a rapid velocity flow and tachycardia with an increase in minute volume of cardiac output is the first response to anemia. As compensation develops, tachycardia and increased velocity flow are largely replaced by selective shunting of blood and the removal of an increasing percentage of oxygen in the tissue capillaries from each gram of circulating hemoglobin. These later physiologic mechanisms are best illustrated by patients with chronic parasitic anemias. Under conditions of physical stress each of the four physiologic mechanisms contribute in meeting the demands for increased oxygen requirements. Compensation is, however, never perfect; the status of the patient is determined by the reduction in hemoglobin, the tissue oxygen requirements, the presence of physical changes in the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems, degree of oxygen abstraction from the blood, and the selective shunting of blood. In relatively acute anemia, dyspnea readily occurs on physical exercise. Reduction in the ventilatory capacity of the lung occurring in some anemic patients results from an over-all reduction in physical fitness due to the anemic state rather than to physical changes in the lung. In well compensated, chronic anemia, the vital capacity of the lungs is frequently above normal and similar to that observed in athletes and completely acclimatized, high altitude inhabitants. In the absence of cardiovascular disease or physical or metabolic factors requiring increased cardiac output, true congestive heart failure rarely results from the anemic state. Effort angina is uncommon in anemic patients and when present is usually related to underlying coronary artery disease. Cardiac hypertrophy under certain conditions results from prolonged anemia. Since cardiac hypertrophy is rightly placed in the category of organic heart disease, one is justified in classifying chronic anemia as one of the etiologic factors in the production of heart disease.


We propose three-dimensional fluorescence optical tomography imaging for small animals guided by simultaneous priors from positron emission tomography (PET). Using a sparsity regularization, the target prior from PET images was incorporated into the reconstruction algorithm for optical imaging. The method and algorithms are validated with numerical simulations and a phantom experiment performed on a combined optical-PET scanner based on a conical mirror geometry.


Introduction: Dental profession saw unprecedented change during the last century. Worldwide, patients have become more aware of their right-legal literacy including India. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the awareness of the Consumer Protection Act, practice of informed consent (IC), and the utilization of dental indemnity insurance among dental practitioners in Bengaluru city. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out among 310 dental practitioners in Bengaluru city. A prevalidated self-administered 30-item questionnaire was to assess the awareness about the Consumer Protection Act (CPA), knowledge and practice of IC, and utilization of professional indemnity insurance among practicing dentists. Results: There was an equal distribution between both the genders in the study. A total of 67% of the study participants were aware about CPA and only 50% of the participants responded that they had a practice of taking IC for every patient. Only 35% of participants had dental indemnity insurance. Age and qualification positively correlated with awareness of the CPA (P = 0.007); utilization of professional indemnity insurance is also associated with years of practice (P = 0.002). Conclusion: Majority had awareness regarding CPA but practice of taking consent and utilization of professional indemnity insurance among dental practitioners were less than adequate.


In the last quarter century, China has spearheaded a true economic revolution, becoming a leading international player, to such an extent that world economic stability depends to a great extent on its economy. Among the factors that explain this spectacular economic growth we point out the high level o investment (supported by an increased savings rate and a strong FDI (foreign direct investment) entry) and the clear export nature of its production. Nevertheless, and despite its extraordinary success, the country faces numerous challenges and threats, such as consolidating the reforms undertaken, making economic growth compatible with social and environmental development or guaranteeing resources that permit maintaining growth in the long term. Despite the magnitude of transformation and the spectacular nature of results as well as the unmistakeable influence in the world economy, it is not easy to accept the fact that we are confronting a new phase in the international division of labor since to do so we need more knowledge of the events that are taking place both inside Chinese economy and society as well as on the international scene.


Poor health is a risk factor for damaging behaviors, but the mechanisms behind this link are unknown. Injection of pigs with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) can be used to model aspects of poor health. Recent studies have shown that LPS-injected pigs perform more tail- and ear-directed behavior compared to saline-injected pigs and suggest that pro-inflammatory cytokines may play a role in these behaviors. The aims of this study were to test the effect of LPS on the social behavior of pigs and the neurotransmitters and modulators in their brains and to test the effect of a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug on the effects of LPS. Fifty-two female pigs (11–12 weeks) were allocated to four treatments comprising two injections: saline–saline (SS), saline–LPS (SL), ketoprofen–saline (KS), and ketoprofen–LPS (KL). Activity was scan-sampled every 5 min for 6 h after the last injection in the pen. Social behavior was observed continuously in 10 × 15-min bouts between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. 1 day before (baseline) and 1 and 2 days after the injection. Saliva was analyzed for cortisol and plasma for tryptophan and kynurenine. The frontal cortex, hippocampus, hypothalamus, and brain stem were sampled 72 h after the injection and analyzed for cytokines and monoamines. LPS activated the HPA axis and decreased the activity within 6 h after the injection. Ketoprofen lowered the effect of LPS on cortisol release and attenuated the behavioral signs of sickness in challenged pigs. SL pigs manipulated the ears of their pen mates significantly longer than SS pigs 2 days after the injection. LPS had no observed effect on IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-18. At 72 h after the injection, plasma tryptophan was depleted in SL pigs, and tryptophan and kynurenine concentrations in the frontal cortex and brain stem of SL pigs were significantly lower compared to those in SS pigs. Dopamine concentrations in the hypothalamus of SL pigs were significantly lower compared to those in SS pigs. Serotonin concentrations in the hypothalamus and noradrenaline concentrations in the hippocampus of SL pigs were significantly lower compared to those in KL pigs. In conclusion, LPS influenced the different neurotransmitters and modulators in the brain that are hypothesized to play an important role in the regulation of mood and behavior.


This article uses the example of flood recovery after the 2008 Midwest floods to propose a more effective way for federal, state, and municipal governments to join forces against the effects of climate change. Our analysis draws from our work with President Obama's Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force, in which the Environmental Protection Agency took part in a pilot project lending technical assistance to vulnerable cities in eastern Iowa. The lessons learned through this experience have relevance to many climate change adaptation efforts around the country. Experts in adaptation policy often point to three major challenges: (1) coordinating efforts across government sectors, (2) coordinating efforts among levels of government, and (3) developing an action model that can successfully move forward in the context of great uncertainty. One promising way to address these concerns, we believe, is to pay close attention to what we metaphorically call "footholds" and "rope lines." A foothold is a preexisting law or standard that, while not specifically intended to abet adaptive efforts, may be successfully used that way, thus allowing the integration of important climate concerns into an existing public or private mission. A rope line refers to the dynamic network of public and private stakeholders (across many relevant sectors and levels of government) that can support the adaptive effort and guide it flexibly through a process of evolutionary learning in the face of uncertainty. The lessons we glean from the Iowa Pilot Project are necessarily tentative, but trends are emerging that shed light on future endeavors. The first section of the article describes how climate change is increasing the risk of catastrophic events and notes the structural challenges of scope, scale, and uncertainty. The second section describes the federal government's recent efforts toward climate adaptation. The third introduces the ideas of footholds and rope lines, which we believe helps conceptualize the coordination problems inherent in adaptation policy; as a bonus, the reader is apt to learn a little about ice climbing too. The next section then describes the process and findings of the Iowa Pilot Project, emphasizing the challenges of scope, scale, and ncertainty. The final section concludes with a summary of lessons learned and our thoughts about next steps.


As early as 2010, at the outset of the sovereign debt crisis, Daniel Gros and Thomas Mayer argued that Europe needed a European Monetary Fund (EMF). In the meantime, the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) has been created, which performs the function of an EMF. It was critical in containing the cost of the crisis and four of its five country programmes have been a success. But the case of Greece shows that one needs to be prepared for failure as well. They propose in this paper to keep the ESM essentially as it is, but would empower it to set conditions on countries receiving its financial support. Such support would have a limit, however, to prevent situations in which the ESM would 'own' a country. The authors conceive of the ESM/EMF literally as a financial stability mechanism, whose main function is to ensure that a bailout is no longer "alternativlos", as Chancellor Angela Merkel used to say. In 2010, the rescue of Greece was presented as TINA (There Is No Alternative) because the stability of the financial system of the entire euro area appeared to be in danger. With financial stability guaranteed by the ESM/EMF in combination with the Banking Union, default becomes an alternative that should be considered dispassionately. Whether the debt of a country is sustainable is rarely known with certainty beforehand. Accordingly, they argue that it is proper that the Union, in the 'spirit of solidarity', initially gives a country the benefit of the doubt and provides financial support for an adjustment programme, but caution that the exposure should be limited. If the programme goes awry, the ESM/EMF could be of great help, as it could provide bridge financing to soften the cost of default.


This article provides a critical, cautionary stance toward the future structure of "Internet studies" as a field. A social constructionist reading of the process of organizing reveals the ways in which apparently obdurate structures are constructed and negotiated through everyday discursive practices. Subsequent structures and practices function ideologically to control organizational members in a concertive fashion by shaping and directing the conceptual frameworks for inquiry and action in a seemingly natural way. Definitions and metaphors construct conceptual boundaries of meaning for the field of inquiry, delimiting and protecting over time what counts as Internet and Internet studies. Over time, origins of knowledge are hidden within the structure of the organizations and a culture of unobtrusive control emerges. Unless radical measures are taken to reflexively interrogate everyday routines and habitual ways of talking in academic environments, the future field of Internet studies will not transcend the traditions of the academy but will be entrenched in and reproduce traditional structures and a traditional scholarly enterprise.


Information rights include rights to create and communicate information (e.g., freedom of expression, freedom of association), to control others' access to information (e.g., privacy and intellectual property), and rights to access information (e.g., freedom of thought, the right to read). This paper focuses on those rights related to free access to information and argues that access to information is indeed a fundamental human right. It is further argued that the right to access is not merely a liberty right, but also a welfare right. That is, individuals' information rights place duties on governments to provide access to information.


Two simple possibilities, one for the origin of sound patterns of languages and one for the origin of their linkage with concepts, are suggested, both based on behaviors observable today. The sound patterns may have been those of present-day babbling, definable as one or more instances of a rhythmic alternation of a closed and open mouth, produced by a mandibular elevation/depression cycle, accompanied by vocal fold vibration, and linguistically meaningless, though giving the perceptual impression of a consonant-vowel (CV) sequence. An example is bababa . Babbling is one of innumerable instances of "fixed action patterns" in nature – innate behavior repertoire components with "form constancy" (e.g. rodent grooming, mating rituals), which provide an initial framework for species-wide motor adaptations. Babbling may have evolved in the manner of many other adaptations noted by the discipline of evolutionary developmental psychology ("Evo Devo") whereby a genetically determined change in development (ontogeny) in effect "formulates new phylogeny" (Goodman & Coughlin 2000, p. 2445). The simple possibility for the initial linking of sound patterns with concepts is that it occurred in the context of a particular language-related genre present today: "baby talk," a communicative matrix specific to the parent-infant dyad. The key to understanding this putative development lies in an explanation for the consistent presence across the world's languages of nasal consonants in maternal terms and non-nasal forms in paternal terms, both in baby talk (e.g. mama, papa ) and in the probably derived parental terms of language proper (e.g. mother, father ). The maternal term may have been invented when the female parent decided that a mother-directed infant nasalized demand vocalization stood for her, and the paternal term may have developed later with a necessarily perceptually contrastive non-nasal structure.


This cross-sectional study of 540 homeless ex-offenders exiting prisons and jails assessed sociodemographic, childhood, and drug-related differences. Older ex-offenders from prison were more likely to have been married, come from a two-parent family, and used crack, whereas younger ex-offenders from prison were more likely to have used methamphetamine. Older ex-offenders from jail were more likely to be African American, have children, and report a history of crack and injection drug use, whereas younger ex-offenders from jail were more likely to have engaged in binge drinking and be in a gang. Our findings showcase the need to understand unique correlates of younger and older incarcerated populations.


Much research in computational argumentation assumes that arguments and counterarguments can be obtained in some way. Yet, to improve and apply models of argument, we need methods for acquiring them. Current approaches include argument mining from text, hand coding of arguments by researchers, or generating arguments from knowledge bases. In this paper, we propose a new approach, which we call argument harvesting, that uses a chatbot to enter into a dialogue with a participant to get arguments and counterarguments from him or her. Because it is automated, the chatbot can be used repeatedly in many dialogues, and thereby it can generate a large corpus. We describe the architecture of the chatbot, provide methods for managing a corpus of arguments and counterarguments, and an evaluation of our approach in a case study concerning attitudes of women to participation in sport.


Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr.) has been the most common forestry species in UK plantations for many decades. It is generally fast grown in short rotation, which has implications for quality. The harvested timber has a number of end-use applications. Of these, sawn construction grade timber is at the high end of market value. Currently, under one third of home grown sawn timber processed by sawmills achieves the required C16 or higher grading for construction class timber. Presently there is significant standing stock of 40 years old or under. Improvements in timber quality would create significant benefits for growers and processors.
Distortion in kiln dried sawn timber is a considerable barrier to improving grading classification and marketability. Twist in particular accounts for around six percent of the rejections after kiln drying. Additional twist when timber dries further; in storage, at construction sites or in-service, is perceived as a marketing issue. The focus of this work was to better understand the evolution of twist during the drying process and seek to improve quality by examining the key properties in sawn timber that contribute to the formation of twist.
Samples of regularly processed full size (3 m in length) sawn timber were kiln dried with no restraint to promote maximum twist. This was done in three stages to assess the impact of intermittent drying. Measurements of twist, moisture content, acoustic velocity and basic dimensions were taken before and after each drying cycle. The results showed highly significant differences between battens containing the pith and those that did not. Drying in stages did not seem to affect the linearity of the moisture content against twist relationship. Twist was seen to develop at a consistent rate throughout the process regardless of the final amount of twist accrued or the position from which the batten was sawn. Where timber is likely to dry to lower moisture content after sale it is therefore possible to predict the additional twist from the moisture content expected and allow for it by stricter grading than the twist standard demands.
Twist was seen to decrease slightly during a lengthy period of storage in controlled conditions between drying cycles. This may allude to a relaxation effect which could have implications for timber distortion in-service but this would require a more extensive study before any such conclusions could be drawn.
A second batch of unrelated samples, were kiln dried to 12% MC under restraint. All of these samples contained the pith along their length and all developed significant amounts of twist. This suggests that battens containing the pith will twist regardless of restraint.
A method was developed to measure longitudinal shrinkage. This required the batten size to be reduced to fit the method and battens were sawn into 3 x 1 m sections. Battens were re-saturated and measured daily throughout air drying until an equilibrium moisture content was achieved. Measurements of transverse shrinkage were also taken concurrently. No relationship could be found between the longitudinal and transverse results. When plotted against the data for twist a positive relationship was found with longitudinal shrinkage.
Acoustic tools were used to calculate dynamic stiffness. As the values for acoustic velocity squared correlated well with dynamic stiffness, other possible relationships were explored. Good agreement was found with twist and longitudinal shrinkage. This suggests it may be possible to predict twist in sawn timber directly or as a function of microfibril angle, using acoustic tools.
A simple method for measuring grain angle was devised. Discs taken from the trees used in the drying experiment were measured for grain angle to compare with other measured properties. The measurement method worked well but the sample size was small and the discs too thin to provide good quality data quality. The results were not as instructive as expected. A vague relationship with twist was found. A repeat of the experiment with an improved method could yield more conclusive results.
A method was developed to measure radial and tangential shrinkage in discs. Discs of Sitka spruce from a different source were used. Discs were saturated and allowed to dry with the expectation of cracks developing. The intention was to explore the nature of internal stresses present in intact discs and why tangential and radial shrinkage differs. As only one disc cracked the scope of comparison was limited but it was apparent that the greater shrinkage tendency in the tangential direction was responsible for radial cracking.