Mma Ramotswe, who became engaged to Mr J.L.B. Matekoni at the end of the first book, is still engaged. She wonders when a day for the wedding will be named, but she is anxious to avoid putting too much pressure on her fiance. For indeed he has other things on his mind - notably a frightening request made of him by Mma Potokwani, pushy matron of the Orphan Farm. Mma Ramotswe herself has weighty matters on her mind. She has been approached by a wealthy lady - whose fortune comes from successful hair-braiding salons - and has been asked to check up on several suitors. Are these men just interested in her money? This may be difficult to find out, but Mma Ramotswe is, of course, a very intuitive lady ...


Abstract Among immunocompromised individuals, members of the human Herpesviridae family are frequently encountered pathogens. Cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex virus 1 and 2, varicella zoster virus, Epstein–Barr virus, and human herpesvirus-6, -7, and -8 all establish latency after infection and can reactivate during periods of immunosuppression, leading to both direct and indirect adverse effects on the host including severe organ dysfunction as well as allograft rejection and loss after transplantation. While not all herpesviruses are primary respiratory pathogens, many of their manifestations include involvement of the respiratory tract. This article discusses the individual viruses, their epidemiology, and clinical manifestations as well as recommended treatment and preventive strategies.


The stegosaurian forelimb is usually portrayed with the metacarpals slanted and distally spread. However, manual manipulation of stegosaurian metacarpals reveals that in that configuration they do not articulate with each other nor with the rest of the forelimb. Rather, they do articulate with each other and with the rest of the forelimb when posed vertically and arranged in a compact, semi-tubular configuration, as in sauropods. This configuration agrees with data from articulated specimens and trackways. As with sauropods, this metacarpal configuration makes retention of phalanges awkward for locomotion and may be functionally related to the vestigiality of the manual phalanges of the outer digits.


Prescribing medications is an integral part of the Nurse Practitioner (NP) role. Review of the literature revealed a considerable amount of evidenced-based practice recommendations related to prescribing with accuracy. Petty (2012) suggested using evidence-based data to drive prescribing decisions; knowing the patient's medications; involving the patient in the decision making process; being knowledgeable about drug interactions; remembering that every patient is unique and listening to their story; avoiding polypharmacy; and reviewing the need for continuing a medication and monitoring appropriate labs/diagnostics related to usage. The purpose of this study was to explore the confidence level of the NP related to prescribing medications. The survey used to examine prescribing confidence levels was a 10-question survey entitled Measuring Confidence . This study used a quantitative descriptive design with one open ended question. The sample included a convenience sample of NPs from one organization. Results revealed that overall NPs were confident in prescribing practices. Four areas of low confidence included adjusting medications prescribed by other providers, recommendations for alternative therapies, identifying potential drug interactions, and identifying adverse drug interactions. The practitioners identified the need and desire for further education related to prescribing. Recommendations and implications for practice are discussed.


In this paper we provide a guiding framework for understanding and selecting visual representations in the knowledge management (KM) practice. We build on an interdisciplinary analogy between two connotations of the notion of "scaffolding": physical scaffolding from an architectural-engineering perspective and scaffolding of the "everyday knowing in practice" from a KM perspective. We classify visual structures for knowledge communication in teams into four types of scaffolds: grounded (corresponding e.g., to perspectives diagrams or dynamic facilitation diagrams), suspended (e.g., negotiation sketches, argument maps), panel (e.g., roadmaps or timelines) and reinforcing (e.g., concept diagrams). The article concludes with a set of recommendations in the form of questions to ask whenever practitioners are choosing visualizations for specific KM needs. Our recommendations aim at providing a framework at a broad-brush level to aid choosing a suitable visualization template depending on the type of KM endeavour. https://doi.org/10.34105/j.kmel.2015.07.012


Abstract Property rights are contentious in any jurisdiction. But the right to property in India, adopted as a fundamental right in Article 31 of the Constitution of the India, 1950 ("Article"), has had a particularly tumultuous legal and political history. It holds the distinction of being the second most debated Article in the Constituent Assembly, the most amended provision of the Constitution and the only fundamental right to ever be deleted. The history of the Article is commonly understood as arising from an ideological institutional conflict between a Parliament in pursuit of socialism and a judiciary safeguarding individual freedoms. However, looking at the Article and its initial amendments from a "law and development" perspective provides a critique of the current narrative of "conflict" and offers an alternative interpretation of the history of Article 31. The paper argues that rather than arising from the pursuit of either authoritarian socialist planning or an egalitarian social revolution, the travails of the Article came in the context of India's quest for economic modernity through a process of "passive revolution". The powers of eminent domain reinforced in the Article empowered the state to modernise economic relations in industry and agriculture by restructuring a semi-feudal pre-capitalist property rights regime established during colonialism along productive capitalist lines. In this process, the Article helped to consolidate the powers of the developmental state in the domain of economic policy; forged the relationship between state, market and the individual; and helped shape the regime of private property rights in India. Understanding the evolution of the fundamental right to property in India therefore, not only tells a key part of India's development story but also contributes to the "law and development" literature by assimilating diverse historical experiences within its framework, which, as critics have long argued, tends to have a strong Eurocentric bias.


A revision of (early) Burdigalian hyaline larger foraminifera based on the biometric study of miogypsinids, lepidocyclinids, and nummulitids from eastern Turkey provides new insights into their taxonomy and paleo-biogeography in the Tethys region. Data from the Adilcevaz Formation show a strong similarity to occurrences from Southeast Asia in that they include Cycloclypeus , Eulepidina , and "ribbed" Nephrolepidina , an assemblage not previously recorded from age-equivalent deposits in the circum-Mediterranean region. The association and the occurrences of these taxa in Lower Miocene deposits from the Indo–West Pacific areas have been widely reported. The species designation of Nephrolepidina and Eulepidina , in the absence of well-demonstrated comparable biometric and conflicting stratigraphic data from the Indo–West Pacific areas, is usually problematic. The Turkish taxa bear a close resemblance to N. sumatrensis and E. formosa , whilst Cycloclypeus is represented by C. eidae , which is widespread in the Indo-Pacific Early Miocene. These taxa are accompanied by Miolepidocyclina burdigalensis , a well-documented side branch of the main Miogypsina lineage in the circum-Mediterranean region; Miogypsina globulina , a worldwide tropical species common to both provinces; and Operculina complanata . Our data provide the first foraminiferal evidence from Turkey suggesting a main westward migration of several important groups from Southeast Asia to the eastern Mediterranean during the (early) Burdigalian. This faunal incursion is the most significant compared to other Late Oligocene–Early Miocene foraminiferal events in Turkey.


"Cutthroat" tells the full story of the genuine native trout of the American West. This new edition, thoroughly revised and updated after 20 years, synthesizes what is currently known about one of our most interesting and colorful fishes, includes much new information on its biology and ecology, asks how it has fared in the last century, and looks toward its future. In a passionate and accessibly written narrative, Patrick Trotter, fly fisher, environmental advocate, and science consultant, details the evolution, natural history, and conservation of each of the cutthroat's races and incorporates more personal reflections on the ecology and environmental history of the West's river ecosystems. The bibliography now includes what may be the most comprehensive and complete set of references available anywhere on the cutthroat trout. Written for anglers, nature lovers, environmentalists, and students, and featuring vibrant original illustrations by Joseph Tomelleri, this is an essential reference for anyone who wants to learn more about this remarkable, beautiful, and fragile western native.


With the increase in losses from the use of derivatives, it can be expected that insures will claim under various types of bonds While the 1995 collapse of Barings PLC focused the media's and public's attention on another massive loss sustained from trading in "derivatives," the insurance industry has braced itself for a new round of claims by financial institutions and investors that have incurred these losses and other liabilities.(1) One type of insurance that may be the subject of claims is the fidelity bond. But there are coverage issues that arise in claims involving derivatives-trading losses. A "derivative" generally is defined as a financial agreement whose value depends on, or is "derived from," the performance of an underlying financial asset such as a bond, currency, or an index of securities.(2) The term is commonly used to describe a broad range of instruments such as futures, options on securities, options on futures, forward contracts, structured notes, swap agreements, and mortgage pool participations. While some derivative instruments are traded on exchanges or through organized markets, as is the case with futures and options on futures, over-the-counter derivatives, such as swaps and structured notes, are individually negotiated between the parties. An entity or individual usually invests in a derivative to reduce risk, known as hedging," or as an alternative to investing in more traditional securities.(3) Employee Dishonesty Insuring Agreements Generally speaking, there are two types of fidelity bonds available in the commercial insurance market: (1) the financial institution bond and (2) the commercial crime bond. The financial institution bond covers banks, brokerage houses, investment banks, and savings and loan associations. The commercial crime bond is usually purchased by corporations or other business entities. Although fidelity bonds, whether issued to financial institutions or corporations, provide coverage to the insured entity for losses caused by such perils as forgery, certain counterfeited documents, "on-premises" losses, or damage to property, the main insuring agreement provides coverage for losses caused by "dishonest and fraudulent acts" or, as in the case with some commercial crime bonds, "theft," committed by "employees" of the insured entity.(4) Since the mid-1970s, most financial institution bonds have contained an employee dishonesty insuring agreement covering: Loss resulting directly from dishonest or fraudulent acts of an employee committed alone or in collusion with others. Dishonest or fraudulent acts as used in this insuring agreement shall mean only dishonest or fraudulent acts committed by such employee with the manifest intent (a) to cause the insured to sustain such loss, and (b) to obtain financial benefit for the employee or for any other person or organization intended by the employee to receive such benefit, other than salaries, commissions, fees, bonuses, promotions, awards, profit sharing, pensions or other employee benefits earned in the normal course of employment.(5) Under this language, the insured entity generally must show four main elements in order to demonstrate a covered claim. First, the insured show that it has sustained a "loss." Fidelity bonds are not liability policies; they are generally considered to be indemnity policies that reimburse only the insured's out-of-pocket loss.1 Second, the insured must show that the loss was caused by dishonest or fraudulent acts committed by an "employee" of the insured.1 Third, the employee's dishonest or fraudulent acts must have been committed with a "manifest intent" to cause the insured to sustain a loss.1 Fourth, the employee's dishonest or fraudulent acts must have been committed with the "manifest intent" to obtain an improper benefit for the employee or, under some bonds, a third party.(9) The commercial crime bond often contains similar language. …


Background: Adolescent is a period of age group from 10-19 years and are more prone to develop stress and depression because of hormonal changes, conflicts, negative behavior, and parental disapproval. Aims and Objective: To study the prevalence of stress and depression among adolescents in Udupi taluk, Karnataka. Material and Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among adolescents within the age group of 14-17 years. Two stage stratified random sampling technique was employed. Stratification was done among schools into government, aided and private schools in first stage. In the second stage, proportional allocation was done among study participants of schools. The total sample size was 1058 respondents. A validated tool was used to collect data. Data was analyzed by SPSS 16.0. Results: Prevalence of stress and depression was 30.5% and 40% respectively. The prevalence of stress and depression was higher in girls and among adolescents of 15 years of age group. Age of adolescent, type of school and stream were found to be statistically significant with stress and father's education was found to be statistically significant with depression. Conclusions: There is a scope of making policies to tackle stress and depression among adolescents.


We investigate active galactic nuclei (AGN) candidates within the FourStar Galaxy Evolution Survey (ZFOURGE) to determine the impact they have on star formation in their host galaxies. We first identify a population of radio, X-ray, and infrared-selected AGN by cross-matching the deep K-s-band imaging of ZFOURGE with overlapping multiwavelength data. From this, we construct a mass-complete (log(M-*/M-circle dot) = 9.75), AGN luminosity limited sample of 235 AGN hosts over z = 0.2-3.2. We compare the rest-frame U - V versus V - J (UVJ) colours and specific star formation rates (sSFRs) of the AGN hosts to a mass-matched control sample of inactive (non-AGN) galaxies. UVJ diagnostics reveal AGN tend to be hosted in a lower fraction of quiescent galaxies and a higher fraction of dusty galaxies than the control sample. Using 160 mu m Herschel PACS data, we find the mean specific star formation rate of AGN hosts to be elevated by 0.34 +/- 0.07 dex with respect to the control sample across all redshifts. This offset is primarily driven by infrared-selected AGN, where the mean sSFR is found to be elevated by as much as a factor of similar to 5. The remaining population, comprised predominantly of X-ray AGN hosts, is found mostly consistent with inactive galaxies, exhibiting only a marginal elevation. We discuss scenarios that may explain these findings and postulate that AGN are less likely to be a dominant mechanism for moderating galaxy growth via quenching than has previously been suggested.


Deadlocks are an important issue in the design of interconnection networks. A successful approach is to restrict the routing function such that it satisfies a necessary and sufficient condition for deadlock-free routing. Typically, such a condition states that some (extended) dependency graph must be a cyclic. Defining and proving such a condition is complex. Proving that a routing function satisfies a condition can be complex as well. In this paper we present the first algorithm that automatically proves routing functions deadlock-free for store-and-forward networks. The time complexity of our algorithm is linear in the size of the resource dependency graph. The algorithm checks a variation of Duato's condition for adaptive routing. The condition and the algorithm have been formalized in the logic of the ACL2 interactive theorem prover. The correctness of our algorithm w.r.t. the condition is formally checked using ACL2.


We have investigated the role of Ca2+ accumulation and neuronal injury in cerebellar granule neurons after glutamate receptor overactivation. After the removal of the free cytosolic Ca2+ we identified an extensive second Ca2+ fraction (SCF) that is retained within the neurons after glutamate receptor overactivation. The SCF reaches a plateau within 10 min with the magnitude of this SCF accumulation reflecting the extent of the neuronal injury that occurs within the neurons. The existence of this SCF is sensitive to both NMDA receptor antagonists and mitochondrial inhibitors but is unaffected by agents that deplete endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+, indicating that this Ca2+ fraction may be located within the mitochondria. Through the isolation of mitochondria from cerebellar granule neurons treated with glutamate we have shown that the majority of the SCF is mitochondrial in location. On the removal of the glutamate stimulus the SCF recovers at a slower rate than the free Ca2+ concentration within the neuron. This is intriguing, as it implies a capacity to remember previous excitatory events. Most significantly we have shown that a short pre‐application of subthreshold glutamate or kainate blocks both SCF Ca2+ accumulation and extensive neuronal injury in response to high concentrations of glutamate. These findings may be relevant to the observations of pre‐conditioning in the brain and heart.


Pinot noir grapevines (self-rooted Pommard clone) were grown in a pot-in-pot sand culture vineyard to examine the impact of low N, P, and K supply on vine growth and physiology. Four-year-old vines were given either full nutrition (Control) or reduced levels of each N, P, and K supplied at 50%, 20%, or 10% of the Control rate with all other nutrients held constant over three years (2006–2008). Vine growth, nutrient status, photosynthetic parameters, yield, and berry quality were monitored. The N, P, and K status of vines was reduced by each of the intended treatments, although N and P concentrations in leaf blades and petioles were reduced earlier and to a greater extent than K. Low N treatments reduced dormant season cane weights in all years, shoot lengths and leaf area in 2008, and fruit yield in 2008. Yield reduction under low N supply in 2008 was primarily a result of reduced berry size. Low N also reduced single leaf photosynthesis and quantum efficiency of photosystem II in 2008, while low P and K did not. Juice YAN (yeast assimilable nitrogen) levels were greatly reduced by low N supply in 2007 and 2008, although YAN was lower in 2007 across all treatments. Low P and low K supply did not alter growth or yield. Low P supply reduced juice P concentrations, but low K supply did not alter juice K. Reduced yield, growth, and juice YAN levels in low N treatments provide a framework to refine leaf blade and petiole N standards for Pinot noir grown in the region, but limiting levels of P and K were not as clearly defined.


Many of the best and brightest citizens of developing countries choose to emigrate to wealthier societies, taking their skills and educations with them. What do these people owe to their societies of origin? May developing societies legitimately demand that their citizens use their skills to improve life for their fellow citizens? Are these societies ever permitted to prevent their own citizens from emigrating? These questions are increasingly important, as the gap between rich and poor societies widens, and as the global migration of skilled professionals intensifies. This volume addresses the ethical rights and responsibilities of such professionals, and of the societies in which they live. Gillian Brock and Michael Blake agree that the phenomenon of the brain drain is troubling, but offer distinct arguments about what might be permissibly done in response to this phenomenon.


This note concerns with the problem of achieving minimum settling time in linear systems with one or two real right half plane (RHP) zeros subject to the condition that undershoot does not exceed a given threshold. Such problem is of great practical significance, but it has not been formally addressed, to our knowledge. Time optimal control solutions for such systems are readily available based on the well known optimal control theory, but it does not address the practical consideration that the "wrong way response," i.e., undershoot, must be limited. To be sure, the relationship between the minimum settling time and the undershoot constraint for systems with one or two real RHP zeros has already been given in the literature. How to find the control signal that achieves the minimum settling time, however, is still an open question. In this paper, such control signal is obtained constructively and, combined with feedback, is shown to be rather effective in controlling the system in the presence of model uncertainties and external disturbances, as shown in simulation.


Bacteria lack rigid cell walls and must respond rapidly to salt-induced gradients in osmotic pressure. In Escherichia coli, the mechanosensitive channel proteins MscL and MscS open in response to pressure applied perpendicularly to the membrane, which has the effect of pulling laterally on the membrane-embedded proteins. Bass et al. (see the Perspective by Bezanilla and Perozo) provide the crystal structure of MscS and describe how the transmembrane helices might reorient themselves as a result of being pulled sideways. The authors also propose how changes in transmembrane electrical potential might trigger movement of positively charged arginines and voltage-gate the osmolyte flux. R. B. Bass, P. Strop, M. Barclay, D. C. Rees, Crystal structure of Escherichia coli MscS, a voltage-modulated and mechanosensitive channel. Science 298, 1582-1587 (2002). [Abstract] [Full Text] F. Bezanilla, E. Perozo, Force and voltage sensors in one structure. Science 298, 1562-1563 (2002). [Summary] [Full Text]


Research on strategic human resource (HR) management and organizational ambidexterity has assumed that organizational ambidexterity originates from operational managers that pursue both exploratory and exploitative activities. Yet, multilevel insights are absent about how and through which mechanisms HR practices may actually facilitate operational manager ambidexterity and how their ambidexterity may result into organizational ambidexterity. Our multisource and multilevel data from 467 operational managers and 104 senior managers within 52 firms reveals that the top-down effects of ability- and motivation-enhancing HR practices on operational manager ambidexterity are partially mediated by their role breadth self-efficacy and intrinsic motivational orientation. Furthermore, we find that the bottom-up relationship between operational manager and organizational ambidexterity is contingent on firm opportunity-enhancing HR practices. With that, our study provides important new multilevel insights into the effectiveness of strategic HR systems in supporting individual and organizational ambidexterity.


Direct measurements of gas composition by drilling at a few hundred meters below seafloor can be costly, and a remote sensing method may be preferable. The hydrate occurrence is seismically shown by a bottom-simulating reflection (BSR) which is generally indicative of the base of the hydrate stability zone. With a good temperature profile from the seafloor to the depth of the BSR, a near-correct hydrate phase diagram can be calculated, which can be directly related to the hydrate composition. However, in the areas with high topographic anomalies of seafloor, the temperature profile is usually poorly defined, with scattered data. Here we used a remote method to reduce such scattering. We derived gas composition of hydrate in stability zone and reduced the scattering by considering depth-dependent geothermal conductivity and topographic corrections. Using 3D seismic data at the Penghu canyon, offshore SW Taiwan, we corrected for topographic focusing through 3D numerical thermal modeling. A temperature profile was fitted with a depth-dependent geothermal gradient, considering the increasing thermal conductivity with depth. Using a pore-water salinity of 2%, we constructed a gas hydrate phase model composed of 99% methane and 1% ethane to derive a temperature depth profile consistent with the seafloor temperature from in-situ measurements, and geochemical analyses of the pore fluids. The high methane content suggests predominantly biogenic source. The derived regional geothermal gradient is 40°C km-1. This method can be applied to other comparable marine environment to better constrain the composition of gas hydrate from BSR in a seismic data, in absence of direct sampling.


Purpose : Following an first-time opportunity to run a face-to-face workshop with Computer Science First Years the self-imposed brief was to use activities that captured their imagination, be innovative, yet within the author's technical capabilities. A course wiki, or mass collaborative authoring tool, was an obvious choice for this community.  Methodology/approach : The paper reports on observations of two groups; the first observation discusses students use of a course wiki in a face-to-face information literacy session, the second discusses use of a separate wiki by a group of information professionals at a CPD event. Findings : The Computer Science students engaged with the wiki and associated activities and posted some very interesting comments. Encouraging reflection in class following an activity allows a teacher to gauge understanding and just as importantly, to elicit student views. The ability to post anonymously is welcomed by students and teacher alike and mitigates against a cohort going mute when a question has been posed. Whilst using a wiki with Computer Science First Years was extremely successful, mixed results were achieved with a much less homogenous group of information professionals at a CPD event. Originality/value of paper : Wikis are increasingly being used in education and in libraries and in some cases in library education or information literacy. Whilst examples of these can be easily found there is an apparent dearth of writings on how wikis might be used in a face-to-face information literacy session. This article reports on the experience of using a wiki in two different IL scenarios.


This paper reviews the literature on vegetarianism (veg) and meat-eating (nonveg) in India. My central aim is to explore how vegetarianism and meat-eating are addressed in existing research in order to identify gaps and pave the way for a new research agenda on the complex and changing relationship between vegetarianism and meat-eating at different levels—consumers, markets and regulators—in contemporary India. Why and how Hindus eat meat is not well understood and much of the existing literature often assumes that not only does the concept of ahimsa (noninjury to all living creatures), cow veneration and banning of cow slaughter prevent Hindus from eating meat, but also that the relationship between vegetarianism and meat-eating is relatively simple and stable among Hindu groups. What is more, India is a major exporter of meat and water buffalo beef in particular. In Hindu nationalist discourses, as well as scholarly studies, Hindu meat-eating is often seen as exceptional and/or due to spiritual, ritual or religious circumstances, rather than as an everyday practice. However, the complex and contested relationship between vegetarianism and meat-eating is as topical as ever: in 2011, the Indian state made it mandatory that all processed food products should bear marks to indicate whether products are vegetarian (green) or non-vegetarian (brown) and with the rise of consumer culture in super/hypermarkets, these logos are ubiquitous on packagings throughout India. I argue that the above aspects have been central in the making of a powerful vegetarian ideology that has seduced much of the scholarship on vegetarianism into suggesting that vegetarianism in India is dominant among Hindus. The central research question concerns why and how a vegetarian ideology IJAPS, Vol. 15, No. 1, 1–32, 2019 Veg or Non-veg? 2 has created the hegemonic view of vegetarianism as proper Hindu practice and how Hindus respond to and are affected by this over time. In the last part of the paper, I report on fieldwork conducted in the city of Hyderabad and using this local setting I explore veg and non-veg among consumers, markets and regulators.


In the history of the Catholic Church, cardinals have exercised a degree of influence almost as vital as that of the pope himself. Standing at the summit of the pontifical administrative system, they typically held a dual role as papal and courtly sovereigns and also served as the pope9s electors and main counselors. To date, however, their substantive role in the patronage of sacred music in sixteenth-century Italy has attracted comparatively little musicological attention, largely because the familial archives of cardinals are more difficult to locate and less likely to be catalogued than those of kings, dukes, and popes. Newly discovered correspondence and musical sources serve to establish the significance of Cardinal Giulio Feltro della Rovere as a patron of sacred music. The letters addressed to Giulio Feltro provide new information on the musical careers of Costanzo Porta and other composers working under the cardinal9s ecclesiastical sway. These letters also contribute to our understanding of mid-sixteenth-century printing practices and provide concrete evidence of the influence of the Council of Trent on sacred music.


Barbara Jones Hogu was a founding member of AfriCOBRA, a collective of painters, photographers, printmakers, textile designers, and sculptors that Jeff Donaldson founded in 1968 in Chicago. This interview covers Jones Hogu's participation in AfriCOBRA and deals with questions about the group's formation and daily operations, its aesthetic principles, and how Jones Hogu sees the members' work and activities affecting the present and future for black artists.


Achieving high performance with grand challenge applications on today's large-scale parallel systems requires tailoring applications for the characteristics of the modern microprocessor architectures. As part of the US Department of Energy's Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing (SciDAC) program, we studied and tuned the Gyrokinetic Toroidal Code (GTC), a particle-in-cell code for simulating turbulent transport of particles and energy in burning plasma, developed at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. In this paper, we present a performance study of the application that revealed several opportunities for improving performance by enhancing its data locality. We tuned GTC by performing three kinds of transformations: static data structure reorganization to improve spatial locality, loop nest restructuring for better temporal locality, and dynamic data reordering at run-time to enhance both spatial and temporal reuse. Experimental results show that these changes improve execution time by more than 20% on large parallel systems, including a Cray XT4.


All five classes of vertebrates use the geomagnetic field for spatial orientation. The geomagnetic field can be used to derive both 'map' and 'compass' information. There is evidence for two different mechanisms used to sense the magnetic field, the radical pair mechanism (RPM) and the magnetite based mechanism (MBM). C57BL/6 laboratory mice can rely on directional information from the magnetic field to position their nests and to solve a water maze task. The primary objective of this research was to characterize the magnetic compass of C57BL/6 laboratory mice in the plus water maze task. These experiments explored sources of variation in magnetic responses and investigated the underlying magnetic compass orientation mechanism in C57BL/6 mice. The results provide evidence that the mouse magnetic compass is sensitive to low-level radiofrequency fields, consistent with the use of the RPM for magnetic orientation. Surprisingly, the results also suggest that C57BL/6 mice have a polarity sensitive compass, consistent with the use of a MBM for magnetic orientation. These experiments confirm that mice have a specialized magnetic compass sense. Furthermore, despite the controlled environment in which these laboratory experiments were conducted, a variety of factors can increase the variability in the response. Future experiments are needed to further characterize the mouse magnetic compass, as there is a possibility of a hybrid magnetic response where both magnetoreception mechanisms could be used for spatial


In�ammatory bowel disease (IBD) affects almost 7 million people worldwide and is increasing in incidence. While the precise pathogenesis of IBD remains unknown, the production of in�ammatory cytokines and chemokines play a central role. We have previously found that N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMA), a widely used non-toxic drug excipient, suppresses cytokine and chemokine secretion in vitro and prevents in�ammation-induced preterm birth in vivo. Using sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), we tested whether DMA attenuates cytokine and chemokine secretion from LPS- or TNFa-stimulated human intestinal epithelial cells and human monocytes and HMGB1 release from RAW 264.7 cells. To test our hypothesis that the mechanism of DMA's effects in in-vitro and in-vivo models of IBD is inhibition of the NF-kB pathway, we used western blotting to track levels of the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB) inhibitory molecule I kappa B alpha (IkBa) in THP-1 human monocytes in the absence or presence of DMA. Finally, we induced colitis in C57Bl/6 mice with dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) and then tested whether daily i.p injections of DMA at 2.1 g/kg/day attenuates clinical and histopathologic signs of colitis. DMA attenuated cytokine and chemokine release from human intestinal epithelial cells and human monocytes and HMGB1 release from RAW 264.7 cells. Importantly, DMA prevented degradation of IkBa in THP-1 cells, thereby suggesting one mechanism for DMA's effects. Finally, we show here, for the �rst time, that DMA attenuates clinical and histologic features of DSS-induced colitis. Based on these data, DMA should be further explored in preclinical and clinical trials for its potential as novel drug therapy for IBD. two focal


Globalization of trade and finance has gone a long way over the last half-century. But it is less impressive than most non-economists think, judged either by the standard of 100 years ago or by the hypothetical standard of perfect international integration. The paper documents the extent of globalization, and some reasons for the barriers that remains. It then briefly considers the implications for economic growth and the implications for goals not measured by GDP equality and the environment. The conclusion is that globalization is not the primary obstacle to efforts to address such concerns.


Frequency and amplitude dependency of velocity distribution and head loss of oscillatory flow in a rectangular duct have been studied experimentally with a model tunnel system.Tests were carried out with the duct of both smooth and rough walls. The smooth wall was made of Plexiglas. Sand roughness was used for the rough wall. Velocity, pressure and differential pressure of stationary flow, pure oscillatory flow and combined oscillatory flow were measured. The combined oscillatory flow was classified as oscillation dominant flow, stationary dominant flow, and oscillation-and-stationary balanced flow. Various oscillating frequencies, amplitudes and steady flow percentages were tested for oscillatory flows. The oscillating frequencies tested were varied from 0.01 Hz to 1.00 Hz. Oscillatory amplitude and stationary part were varied from 10 to 100%. Velocity of the flow was measured with a 2D PIV (Particle Image Velocimetry) and a 2D LDV (Laser Doppler Velocimetry) respectively at different test stages. The maximum mainstream velocity was ranged from 0.05 m/s to 1.1 m/s. Data of pressure variations along the tunnel were collected with differential pressure sensors. Flow rate and instant wall pressures at multiple points along the test tunnel were measured simultaneously. The static pressure in the test tunnel was about 1.0 mWC. The differential pressure along the tunnel was less than 20 mmWC per meter.Examples of velocity distribution in the test rig from LDV measurement are presented, for both stationary flow and oscillatory flow. The dimensionless velocity distributions of stationary flow are in good agreement with the universal velocity distribution law. Deviations are obvious between the velocity distributions of oscillatory flow and the universal velocity distribution law, when the measured velocity is scaled to dimensionless by friction velocity from Clauser chart. Examples of PIV velocities of different flow regimes are presented in the forms of velocity profile and velocity waveform. Generally, the velocity distributions are in good agreement with the results from LDV, in agreement with the normal turbulent velocity distribution in a duct, if the velocity magnitude is not too small. Dimensionless velocity profiles at various phase angles of the same oscillatory flow regime have quite consistent distribution. The annular effect is observed in some cases. Its occurrence depends on the complex actions of oscillating frequency, amplitude and stationary flow percentage. The velocity waveform confirms the characteristics of mass oscillation of the flow. No significant phase shift is displayed between the velocity waveform of the boundary and centreline in most cases tested. The vertical velocity, which is normal to the mainstream, is quite small and has similar features to the mainstream velocity.The velocity profiles got from both LDV and PIV show that the flows in the test tunnel were typical turbulence, with typical velocity distribution of turbulence. No transition between laminar and turbulence is observed even at the turning point of oscillation.Pressure variations measured along the tunnel of different flow regimes are presented. The accelerative heads of oscillatory flow are calculated. The friction head losses along the tunnel are evaluated. The dependencies of pressure variation and friction head loss on oscillatory frequency and amplitude are investigated for both pure oscillatory flow and combined oscillatory flow. It is proven that the friction head loss of oscillatory flow increases along with the increase of frequency if the mean flow rate is kept constant. The peak friction head loss increases along with the increase of oscillatory amplitude. Comparison of pressure variation and friction head loss between stationary flow and oscillatory flow shows that the friction head loss of unsteady flow is much bigger than that of steady flow. This is in good agreement with the expectancy based on the experimental results of laminar flow. The head loss of pure oscillatory flow was greater than that of the stationary flow for dozens or more times for various flow regimes running at equivalent flow rate. The ratio of head loss of combined oscillatory flow to stationary flow running at equivalent flow rate is smaller than that of pure oscillatory flow to stationary flow, several times to dozen times. In general, the frequency dependency of head loss on oscillatory frequency and amplitude is clear, though the measuring length is only 9 metres and the absolute magnitude of pressure variation is less than 0.20 mWC.


This article reflects on the EU's strategy towards the Western Balkans. It identifies the lack of a coherent and consistent strategy intended for stabilization and integration. In principle, the Western Balkan states' road towards Europe is driven by the belief that regional stabilization and EU membership are mutually constitutive and reinforcing objectives. Progress in one is expected to lay the ground for advancements in the other. In practice, however, we claim the Union capitalizes on the prospect of accession to attain transformation. The problem is that it has so far failed to set out what is the ultimate aim and stake of its strategy. It appears both reluctant to concert its declarations with its intentions and unprepared and unable to implement its pronounced will. As a result, it finds much difficulty in relating means to achieve the ends in view, and this strips its current strategy of an important part of its value.


Integrating virtual objects into real environments presents a number of technical and aesthetic challenges which limit the impressiveness of current augmented reality applications. Although some of these challenges have recently been addressed, others are still active areas of research. The quality of the models and textures used, accurate geometric world alignment and the quality of illumination correspondence all need to be considered. Literature shows the latter to be the least mature field and is the focus of this paper. This paper introduces a new photometric registration technique that makes use of image interest points. The technique attains illumination correspondence without the need for pre-calibration or unnatural calibration objects, instead natural image features such as shadow and object interest points are use. The operational complexity of the technique is low and real-time processing of live data is achieved. Current progress and future work are discussed in the paper.


Scholars have previously investigated country and organizational-level factors associated with the incidence of female directors on boards. These studies, however, cannot explain why, in countries with strong gender equality and pressure for female directorships, firms are still hesitant to promote new women to their boards. To address this issue we – in this study – introduce the cognitive and affective processes related to directors' identification with the traditional corporate elite as an explanation for the slow organizational response to pressure for gender diversity on boards. We bridge the social identity and critical mass theory to further show how these responses may vary with the current composition of the board. Viewing the board as a locus for the maintenance of the positive distinctiveness of the established corporate elite, we conjecture that new female appointments will not only depend on the current share of women on board but also on the current (minority) share of board positions held by male directors who are not prototypical of the established elite. We also uncover how this relationship is moderated by the share of institutional investors' ownership. We test and support these propositions on a sample of 387 publicly traded Nordic corporations during 2001-2008.


th , 2013; revised April 6 th , 2013; accepted April 14 th , 2013 Copyright © 2013 Zhixiong Liao. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. This paper is partially to refute the submissions by Gulati's article recently published on Beijing Law Review which proposes abandoning the requirement of proving intention to create legal relations for the formation of an enforceable contract. After a critical analysis of the abandonists' arguments, this paper argues that intention to create legal relations is the "marrow of contractual relationships" and the arguments for abandoning such a requirement because of the existence of consideration and/or offer and acceptance as test(s) of contractual enforceability is untenable and unconvincing. Consideration and/or offer and acceptance may be evidence of serious intention to be bound somehow but unnecessary intention to be bound legally. For a number of reasons, the doctrine of consideration is very unlikely to work any better than the intention to create legal relations test. If a test of contractual enforceability must be abandoned, that should be the doctrine of consideration rather than the intention to create legal relations. This paper compares the current positions of some common law jurisdictions, upholds the needs of stability, consistency, and the harmonisation of contract law in the modern global era, and proposes a conservative approach of contract law reform regarding the intention requirement and the related presumptions, that is, all common law jurisdictions should "go back" to the orthodox English position.


Background: If treatment with intravenous steroids fail, inflammatory bowel disease patients with acute severe colitis face systemic anti–tumor necrosis factor biologic rescue therapy or colectomy. Interleukin (IL)-27 is a cytokine with an immunosuppressive role in adaptive immune responses. However, the IL-27 receptor complex is also expressed on innate immune cells, and there is evidence that IL-27 can impact the function of innate cell subsets, although this particular functionality in vivo is not understood. Our aim was to define the efficacy of IL-27 in acute severe colitis and characterize novel IL-27–driven mechanisms of immunosuppression in the colonic mucosa. Methods: We assessed oral delivery of Lactococcus lactis expressing an IL-27 hyperkine on the innate immune response in vivo in a genetically intact, noninfective, acute murine colitis model induced by intrarectal instillation of 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid in SJL/J mice. Results: IL-27 attenuates acute severe colitis through the reduction of colonic mucosal neutrophil infiltrate associated with a decreased CXC chemokine gradient. This suppression was T cell independent and IL-10 dependent, initially featuring enhanced mucosal IL-10. IL-27 was associated with a reduction in colonic proinflammatory cytokines and induced a multifocal, strong, positive nuclear expression of phosphorylated STAT-1 in mucosal epithelial cells. Conclusion: We have defined novel mechanisms of IL-27 immunosuppression toward colonic innate immune responses in vivo. Mucosal delivery of IL-27 has translational potential as a novel therapeutic for inflammatory bowel disease, and it is a future mucosal directed rescue therapy in acute severe inflammatory bowel disease.


—Supervised machine learning (ML) is revolutionis- ing healthcare, but the acquisition of reliable labels for signals harvested from medical sensors is usually challenging, manual, and costly. Active learning can assist in establishing labels on-the-fly by querying the user only for the most uncertain –and thus informative– samples. However, current approaches rely on naive data selection algorithms, which still require many iterations to achieve the desired accuracy. To this aim, we introduce a novel framework that exploits data augmentation for estimating the uncertainty introduced by sensor signals. Our experiments on classifying medical signals show that our framework selects informative samples up to 50% more diverse. Sample diversity is a key indicator of uncertainty, and our framework can capture this diversity better than previous solutions as it picks unlabelled samples with a higher average point distance during the first queries compared to the baselines, which pick samples that are closer together. Through our experiments, we show that augmentation-based uncertainty makes better decisions, as the more informative signals are labelled first and the learner is able to train on samples with more diverse features earlier on, thus enabling the potential expansion of ML in more real-life healthcare use cases.


How to address empirically the calculative character of markets without dissolving it? In our paper, we propose a theoretical framework that helps to deal with markets without suspending their calculative properties. In the first section, we construct a broad definition of calculation, grounded on the anthropology of science and techniques. In the next sections, we apply this definition to three constitutive elements of markets: economic goods, economic agents and economic exchanges. First, we examine the question of the calculability of goods: in order to be calculated, goods must be calculable. In the following section, we introduce the notion of calculative distributed agencies to understand how these calculable goods are actually calculated. Thirdly, we consider the rules and material devices that organize the encounter between (and aggregation of) individual supplies and demands, i.e. the specific organizations that allow for a calculated exchange and a market output. Those three elements define concrete markets as collective organized devices that calculate compromises on the values of goods. In each, we encounter different versions of our broad definition of calculation, which we illustrate with examples, mainly taken from the fields of financial markets and mass retail.


'Organizational wellness' has become a high profile issue for businesses. We argue that a 'wellness movement' has sprung up around a particular coalescence of economic, ideological and organizational interests. In this article we re-read the discourse of this 'movement' through the lens of 'organized embodiment'. We argue that organizational wellness operates as a rhetorical device which masks contradictory power relations. It serves to hide differential occupational effects and opportunities for workers, and obscures the relationship between wellness and its necessary Other, unwellness. The article suggests that employee unwellness is often produced—and required—by the different forms of organized embodiment that arise directly from occupations and employment. It analyses this corporeal 'occupation' in terms of the extortion, exchange and embrace of our bodies to the coercive, calculative and normative power of the organization. Thus, our organizational experiences produce an embodied individual who is 'fit' for purpose in a rather more circumscribed fashion than prevailing discourses of wellness might suggest.


This thesis includes the analysis of musical effects and their realization with the Simulink program tool. Different groups of musical effects are described, along with the descriptions of effects within the group and their digital realization. Descriptions are supplemented with screenshots of models in Simulink program tool. Each model was tested with a sound file and evaluated afterwards. Graphs of signals before and after the simulation are given. Simulink program tool enables the user to simulate and design dynamic systems. It also generates programming code of those systems. This code can be transferred to embedded hardware systems and thus verified in real time. Methods of work and problems with the usage of Simulink program tool are presented. The described groups of effects are octaving, distortion, delay, modulation and filtering. The Chapter on octaving effects contains theoretical background of octave phenomenon, along with some electronic realizations which significantly influenced digital ones. Distortion effects primarily imitate the sound of overdriven audio amplifiers, so various simulations of that specific sound are emphasized. Different values of delay parameter were analyzed in the group of delay effects, with accentuation on the impact of that value on hearing the result in time and frequency domains. The group of modulation effects includes the descriptions of most commonly used effects, while the chapter on filtering contains the explanation of how some less used electronic realization of filtering is digitally simulated. At the end of this thesis a list of options for further analysis of this topic is added.


PURPOSE
Currently, there is no effective way to automate the treatment planning process. The most common approach is to use criteria from a selected plan from a database and apply those configurations to the plan you want to work with. We proposed a direct mapping between any two given plans. We found a way to cleverly use information from one plan to the next, regardless of how different or similar they are.

METHODS
We have broken the entire automation process into two stages. In the first stage, we find a transformation between the two given patient. We find this transformation using the prescribed dose for the new plan and calculated dose from template plan. We apply this transformation and as a Result provide a coarse tuning. In the second stage, we use a voxel-based penalty scheme to provide a finer tuning. The rationale behind this fine-tuning stage is no matter how similar two plans are, there are inevitable differences we cannot account for. We evaluate this novel knowledge based system against manual planning for assessment.

RESULTS
We implemented a Visual Studio interface that automatically controls the Varian Eclipse's Beam Treatment Planning. No user intervention is needed for the entire planning duration. We compared the dose volume histogram between the automated plans and manual plan and observed nearly identical results. We also achieved up to 86x speed up between using knowledge from another plan versus starting completely from scratch.

CONCLUSION
Knowledge based system would transform the treatment planning process into a completely automated procedure. This work has the potential to be a promising platform for developing treatment plans and afford a powerful way to reliably automate the treatment planning process. It could have major predictive value to save clinical time in developing a cancer treatment plan.


NiAl single crystals with small deviation from stoichiometry and low impurity content were grown by a modified Bridgman technique. The starting material was melted in a vacuum induction furnace with a composition slightly hyper-stoichiometric in Al. The adjustment of stoichiometry was effected by preferred Al evaporation during a preceding vacuum treatment of the melt in the Bridgman apparatus. Theoretical and experimental investigations of the Ni and Al distribution in the single crystals revealed macro-segregations with increasing concentration of the surplus element in the length direction as well as near the crystal surface. Crystals with low deviation from stoichiometry had a nearly constant composition over most of their length and significant macro-segregations only in the last-solidifying part, whereas crystals with larger deviations from stoichiometry showed a gradual increase in concentration of the surplus element with increasing slope as a function of the length co-ordinate. The macro-segregations caused corresponding variations of the microhardness HV0.05 in both the axial and radial directions. Room temperature compression tests of soft-oriented single crystals (sample axes in the -, - and -direction) exhibited values of yield strength and critical resolved shear stress comparable with those of high purity single crystals reported in the literature and ductilities of the order of ≥25 %.


Summary
The studies and experiments presented in this paper may be summarized as follows:
1.
Observations were made upon the action of carbarsone on rat trichomonads in vivo utilizing some 550 rats. All the animals were infected with a culturable trichomonad, probably T. parva, but T. muris was also present in some of the animals.
2.
It was found that a quantity of carbarsone of 150 mgm. per kilogram of body weight was the minimal effective dose when given by mouth to rats each day for five consecutive days.
3.
By subcutaneous injection the minimal curative dose was larger, 200 mgm. per kilogram of body weight for five consecutive days.
4.
A single dose of the arsenical, 1000 mgm. per kilogram of body weight, was found to be curative when administered orally or intravenously.
5.
The cures of the trichomonad infection produced by carbarsone in the rat were considered to be "permanent."
6.
The presence of carbarsone was demonstrated in the feces and contents of the large intestine of rats to which the drug was given orally.
7.
It was found that solutions injected by catheter into the stomach of rats which had been without food for twelve hours reached their ceca in half an hour and were uniformly distributed in it in two hours, and that trichomonadicidal quantities of carbarsone were occasionally present in the large intestine of these animals as long as forty-eight hours after its oral administration.
8.
The percentage concentration of carbarsone in the large intestine after oral administration was estimated to be 0.47 when the quantity given was 150 mgm. per kilogram of body weight, and 3.2 when the dose given was 1000 mgm. per kilogram of body weight. In these dilutions, the trichomonads in regard to the time required for their destruction, behaved so similarly to those exposed to corresponding concentrations of the arsenical in vitro, that it was concluded that the action of carbarsone in vivo and in vitro is probably the same, i.e., direct.


This paper seeks to expand understanding by providing a wider and more integrated approach to the problem of palaeobathymetric reconstructions of the Palaeogene for the northern North Sea. This has been achieved by combining published and unpublished micropalaeontological studies from 12 wells between 58°N and 62°N, with regional reconstructed sections. These estimates were further integrated with regional seismic isopach maps to produce palaeobathymetric maps. The present results differ from previously published works in that they were integrated spatially, based on the type of regional depositional sequence they represent. The East Shetland Platform was uplifted and acted as a source area of sediment in the Palaeogene, with a palaeobathymetry of 800 m in the Viking Graben early in this period. During the Eocene, the deeper part of the generally N–S trending basin became narrower. A significant shallowing took place in the Oligocene, which was in part controlled by tectonic uplift of the basin.


We report 2.1 W of unidirectional single-frequency laser output from a novel Nd:YAG ring laser longitudinally pumped by a laser diode bar. The resonator requires only a single discrete optic and magnet, in addition to the laser medium, for stable multiwatt single-frequency operation. Undoped YAG is diffusion bonded to the Nd:YAG laser crystal at the pump face to eliminate residual spatial hole burning and improve thermal conductivity. This new laser design can be scaled to higher powers through more facile diode access and is useful for cw intracavity doubling.


Creating a Mashup, a web application that integrates data from multiple web sources to provide a unique service, involves solving multiple problems, such as extracting data from multiple web sources, cleaning it, and combining it together. Existing work relies on a widget paradigm where users address those problems during a Mashup building process by selecting, customizing, and connecting widgets together. While these systems claim that their users do not have to write a single line of code, merely abstracting programming methods into widgets has several disadvantages. First, as the number of widgets increases to support more operations, locating the right widget for the task can be confusing and time consuming. Second, customizing and connecting these widgets usually requires users to understand programming concepts. In this paper, we present a Mashup building approach that (a) combines most problem areas in Mashup building into a unified interactive framework that requires no widgets, and (b) allows users with no programming background to easily create Mashups by example.


Daigle has published a series of papers in which he has applied the turbulent scattering theories of Chernov and Karavainikov to sound propagation over hard and finite impedance grounds. In these papers, Daigle has introduced the decorrelation in phase and amplitude due to turbulence along the direct and reflected path into the spherical wave reflection analysis for a nonrefracting atmosphere. The phase and amplitude decorrelation terms have been incorporated into the evaluation of the spectral integral of a fast field program for propagation in a refracting atmosphere. Although the calculation involves two significant approximations it reproduces Daigle's results for homogeneous atmospheres and compares well with the upward refraction measurement of Parkin and Scholes and with measurements taken under a variety of refractive conditions at Bondville, Illinois by the U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory.


Direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation using partly calibrated arrays composed of multiple
subarrays is employed in various practical applications, such as radar, sonar, and
seismic exploration. The state-of-the-art DOA estimation algorithms require the measurements
of all sensors to be available at a processing center (PC). The processing
power of the PC and the communication bandwidth of the subarrays increase with
the number of sensors. Thus, such centralized algorithms do not scale well with the
number of sensors. In this thesis, decentralized DOA estimation algorithms for partly
calibrated arrays are introduced to avoid the drawbacks of the centralized algorithms.
In decentralized DOA estimation, each subarray is assumed to possess modest processing
power and to be able to communicate with the subarrays in its vicinity. Rather than
sending the raw measurement to the PC, the subarrays process their measurements and
communicate among each other to achieve the estimation task. In this dissertation,
decentralized DOA estimation from the second order statistics of the measurements in
two processing schemes, namely, coherent and non-coherent processing is considered.
In coherent processing, the whole array covariance matrix including the inter-subarray
covariance matrices is available, whereas only the subarray covariance matrices are
available in non-coherent processing. The DOA estimation performance of coherent
processing is superior to that of non-coherent processing, since more data is available
in coherent processing, that is the inter-subarray covariance matrices. However, coherent
processing is more restrictive than non-coherent processing, e.g., for coherent
processing the subarrays must be synchronized in time.
For coherent processing, decentralized DOA estimation is achieved based on the recently
introduced decentralized power method for the eigendecomposition of the sample
covariance matrix. Performance analysis of the decentralized power method is
presented. An analytical expression of the second order statistics of the eigenvectors
and eigenvalues obtained from the decentralized power method, which is required
for computing the mean square error (MSE) of subspace-based estimators, is derived.
Further, the decentralized ESPRIT algorithm, which yields fully decentralized DOA
estimates based on the decentralized power method, is introduced. An asymptotic
analytical expression of the MSE of DOA estimators using the decentralized ESPRIT
algorithm is derived. Similar to the conventional ESPRIT algorithm, the decentralized
ESPRIT algorithm requires a shift-invariant array structure. Using interpolation,
the decentralized ESPRIT algorithm is generalized to arbitrary array geometries. The
decentralized ESPRIT algorithm inherits the following shortcomings of the decentralized
power method: (1) the large communication cost required by the power method to
compute each eigenvector, (2) the power method is a batch-based algorithm, whereas in tracking applications, online algorithms are favored. To mitigate the aforementioned
shortcomings, two decentralized eigendecomposition algorithms are proposed, which
achieve lower communication cost and online update of the eigenvectors and eigenvalues
of the measurement covariance matrix. The decentralized ESPRIT algorithm
requires the number of sources to be available beforehand. A decentralized source
enumeration algorithm is introduced, which in contrast to the conventional source enumeration
algorithms, does not require the computation of all the eigenvalues of the
measurement covariance matrix. As an alternative, for fully calibrated arrays, the decentralized
Root-MUSIC algorithm is introduced, which exploit the structure of the
array. An asymptotic analytical expression of the MSE of DOA estimates obtained
from the decentralized Root-MUSIC algorithm is derived.
For non-coherent processing, two DOA estimators are presented, namely, the Maximum
Likelihood estimator (MLE) and a computationally simpler approach based on
sparse signal representation (SSR). A sufficient condition for the unique identifiability
of the sources in the non-coherent processing scheme is presented, which shows
that under mild conditions, the number of sources identifiable by the system of subarrays
is larger than the number identifiable by each individual subarray. This property
of non-coherent processing has not been investigated before, where the state-of-theart
non-coherent DOA estimation algorithms fail if the individual subarrays can not
identify the sources. Moreover, the Cramer-Rao Bound (CRB) for the non-coherent
measurement model is derived and is used to assess the performance of the proposed
DOA estimators. The behaviour of the CRB at high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is
analyzed. In contrast to coherent processing, the in this case CRB approaches zero
at high SNR only if at least one subarray can identify the sources individually. Finally,
the conventional non-coherent DOA estimation scenario, where all the subarrays
are uniform linear and can identify the sources, is considered. Two DOA estimation
algorithms, which outperform the state-of-the-art non-coherent DOA estimators, are
presented.


We have developed a geometric design method based on generalizations of IFS. We have shown that it is possible to extend the properties of fractal shapes to forms used in classical modeling (e.g Bezier or Splines). We have developed and studied a new formalism, which we named BCIFS (Boundary Controlled Iterated Function System), which could serve as basis for development of a computer aided design software called modeler. The resulting figures verify planarity constrains in order to facilitate their physical construction out of planar construction material. Finally, a series of tools has been worked out in order to convert the geometry data into a set of constructional elements, ready for integrated manufacturing.


Background: Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) accounts for an estimated 15 690 deaths in the US each year. The 5-year mortality is 80% unless the disease is caught early. Barrett's esophagus (BE) is the primary risk for developing EAC, therefore, the best method for early detection is identification of patients with BE. In addition, recent advances in the treatment of high-grade dysplasia and early esophageal carcinoma have provided safe effective alternatives to esophagectomy. Endoscopy is the current standard to screen patients with BE. This method is cost prohibitive, invasive, and requires specialty training making it unfit as a tool for screening at risk populations. The Cytosponge coupled with trefoil factor 3 (TFF3) is a novel diagnostic test used in identifying Barrett's esophagus. Is the Cytosponge coupled with TFF3 expression an effective method to diagnose patients with Barrett's esophagus in comparison to endoscopy with biopsy? Methods: An exhaustive literature search using MEDLINE-Ovid, Web of Science, and Evidence Based Medical Review Multifile was conducted. The keywords used in the search included: "Barrett's esophagus" and "Cytosponge." Search results were subsequently scanned and eligibility criteria were applied. Studies were included if they directly compared the efficacy of Cytosponge coupled with TFF3 to endoscopy with biopsy. Other inclusion criteria required the studies to include human subjects and be in the English language. Studies were evaluated for quality using GRADE criteria. Results: A total of 13 studies were screened. After duplicates were removed and eligibility criteria were applied, two studies remained and are contained in this systematic review. One study included 504 participants and was a prospective cohort design. The second study was a multi-center case-control design and included 1110 participants. Both studies evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of the Cytopsonge-TFF3. One study demonstrated the sensitivity and specificity to be about 80% and 92% respectively. Conclusion: In conclusion, the Cytosponge-TFF3 possesses significant potential in its ability to be used as a cost effective, patient accepted, and accurate method for screening primary care populations for Barrett's esophagus. Further clinical studies will be needed to determine the applicability and accuracy of the Cytosponge across primary care populations. Furthermore, additional steps need to be taken to improve the sensitivity of the Cytosponge, such as improvements related to bettering the reliability of specimen collection. Degree Type Capstone Project Degree Name Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies First Advisor AJ Sommers


The emergence and spread of carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative pathogens is a global public health problem. The acquisition of metallo-b-lactamases (MBLs) such as NDM-1 is a principle contributor to the emergence of carbapenemresistant Gram-negative pathogens that threatens the use of penicillin, cephalosporin and carbapenem antibiotics to treat infections. To date, a clinical inhibitor of MBLs that could reverse resistance and re-sensitize resistant Gram-negative pathogens to carbapenems has not been found. Here we have identified a fungal natural product, aspergillomarasmine A (AMA), that is a rapid and potent inhibitor of the NDM-1 enzyme and another clinically relevant MBL, VIM-2. AMA also fully restored the activity of meropenem against Enterobacteriaceae, Acinetobacter spp. and Pseudomonas spp. possessing either VIM or NDM-type alleles. In mice infected with NDM-1-expressing Klebsiella pneumoniae, AMA efficiently restored meropenem activity, demonstrating that a combination of AMA and a carbapenem antibiotic has therapeutic potential to address the clinical challenge of MBL-positive carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative pathogens.


In this thesis we explore how knowledge management is performed in open source projects. Open source projects are often perceived as informal, even unmanaged. Still, they appear to manage knowledge acquisition and sharing sufficiently well to successfully develop software in such a distributed environment as the Internet. This thesis aims to explore that apparent contradiction, and thus complement the currently limited research in this field. The thesis consists of a literature study of knowledge management theory and open source development, resulting in the analysis of open source practices from a knowledge management perspective. Currently the field of knowledge management maintains several, partially opposing doctrines. Apart from the business aspect, two main schools of thought are present. The commodity school approaches knowledge as a universal truth, an object that can be separated from the knower. The community school emphasises knowledge as something internal to the human mind, but which can be shared as experiences between people. In the analysis presented, we have applied an analysis method which considers both the commodity and the community perspectives. The analysis is based on previous research studies of open source, and open source practices, and is furthered by a cursory case study using examples from a selected set of open source projects. Our conclusions are that knowledge management indeed is present in open source projects, and that it is supported by an ecology like interaction of project practices.


This thesis presents an algorithm that uses a new dataflow model, variable-
rate phased dataflow, to compute buffer capacities that guarantee satisfaction
of timing and resource constraints for task graphs that have inter-task synchro-
nisation behaviour that is dependent on the processed data stream and that
have tasks that are scheduled by run-time schedulers that guarantee resource
budgets. This is an important extension of data
ow analysis techniques, which
allows to model a larger class of applications and allows to include the effects
of a larger class of run-time schedulers. This is exemplified by the case study
with an MP3 playback application, for which we are not aware of alternative
approaches to compute buffer capacities that are sufficient to satisfy the timing
constraints. Furthermore, we improved the accuracy with which the effects of
run-time schedulers that guarantee tasks a minimum resource budget are mod-
elled in data
ow graphs. Instead of capturing the effects of run-time scheduling
using response times, we capture these effects with a model that has a latency
and a rate parameter. Response times do not capture that multiple task exe-
cutions can occur subsequently in the same allocated budget. This is captured
with the model with a latency and a rate parameter, which results in improved
accuracy of the derived bounds on the temporal behaviour. Further, our algo-
rithm has an attractive computational complexity. Every cyclo-static dataflow
graph that is an intuitive model of a task graph is a variable-rate phased dataflow
graph, i.e. every cyclo-static data
ow graph in which no actor has any auto-
concurrency. The algorithm that computes buffer capacities has a polynomial
complexity in the size of the cyclo-static dataflow graph. The validity of our
analysis is confirmed by simulation in both a data
ow simulator as well as in a
cycle-accurate simulator.


Post-transcriptional control of mRNA transcript processing by RNA binding proteins (RBPs) is an important step in the regulation of gene expression and protein production. The post-transcriptional regulatory network is similar in complexity to the transcriptional regulatory network and is thought to be organized in RNA regulons, coherent sets of functionally related mRNAs combinatorially regulated by common RBPs. We integrated genome-wide transcriptional and translational expression data in yeast with large-scale regulatory networks of transcription factor and RBP binding interactions to analyze the functional organization of post-transcriptional regulation and RNA regulons at a system level. We found that post-transcriptional feedback loops and mixed bifan motifs are overrepresented in the integrated regulatory network and control the coordinated translation of RNA regulons, manifested as clusters of functionally related mRNAs which are strongly coexpressed in the translatome data. These translatome clusters are more functionally coherent than transcriptome clusters and are expressed with higher mRNA and protein levels and less noise. Our results show how the post-transcriptional network is intertwined with the transcriptional network to regulate gene expression in a coordinated way and that the integration of heterogeneous genome-wide datasets allows to relate structure to function in regulatory networks at a system level.


Some of the most challenging tasks in building a software system are capturing, refining, and analyzing requirements. How well these tasks are performed significantly impacts the quality of the developed software system. The difficulty of these tasks is greatly exacerbated for the software of embedded systems as these systems are commonly used for critical applications, have to operate reliably for long periods of time, and usually have a high degree of complexity. Current embedded systems software development practice, however, often deals with the (requirements) analysis phase in a superficial manner, instead emphasizing design and implementation. This research investigates how an approach similar to the well-known design patterns, termed object analysis patterns, can be applied in the analysis phase of embedded systems development, prior to design and coding. Specifically, our research explores how object-oriented modeling notations, such as the Unified Modeling Language (UML), can be used to represent structural and behavioral information as part of commonly occurring object analysis patterns. This work also investigates how UML-based conceptual models of embedded systems, based on the diagram templates in the object analysis patterns, can be automatically analyzed using the Spin model checker for adherence to properties specified in linear-time temporal logic (LTL) using a previously developed UML formalization framework. We have applied these patterns to several embedded systems applications obtained from the automotive industry. This paper describes one of our case studies and illustrates how our approach facilitates the construction of UML-based conceptual models of embedded systems and the analysis of these models for adherence to functional requirements.


We introduce a model of generalized Hebbian learning and retrieval in oscillatory neural networks modeling cortical areas such as hippocampus and olfactory cortex. Recent experiments have shown that synaptic plasticity depends on spike timing, especially on synapses from excitatory pyramidal cells, in hippocampus, and in sensory and cerebellar cortex. Here we study how such plasticity can be used to form memories and input representations when the neural dynamics are oscillatory, as is common in the brain (particularly in the hippocampus and olfactory cortex). Learning is assumed to occur in a phase of neural plasticity, in which the network is clamped to external teaching signals. By suitable manipulation of the nonlinearity of the neurons or the oscillation frequencies during learning, the model can be made, in a retrieval phase, either to categorize new inputs or to map them, in a continuous fashion, onto the space spanned by the imprinted patterns. We identify the first of these possibilities with the function of olfactory cortex and the second with the observed response characteristics of place cells in hippocampus. We investigate both kinds of networks analytically and by computer simulations, and we link the models with experimental findings, exploring, in particular, how the spike timing dependence of the synaptic plasticity constrains the computational function of the network and vice versa.


As one of the most promising strategies in chemical process intensification, membrane reactor (MR) technology has attracted considerable worldwide researches in the last three decades, and this subject is still currently undergoing rapid development and innovation. Nevertheless, inorganic MRs such as perovskite MRs have not achieved any large-scale commercial applications, which implies that there are still a lot challenges to their practical applications. In contrast, several novel perovskite membranes and MRs have been developed in recent years. Therefore, this chapter addresses research and development of perovskite MR applications, in which can permeate oxygen and hydrogen at high temperatures. Indeed, in this chapter, is introduced the structure, transport mechanisms, and performance of various perovskite membranes, followed by evaluation of employing perovskite membranes for both oxidative and non-oxidative reactions. In this viewpoint, the perovskite membrane role of either removing a reactant to shift the equilibrium or adding a reactant to control the reaction mechanism and associated side reactions is significant. Furthermore, the advantages and disadvantages of perovskite MRs are mentioned as a developed technology compared to the traditional reactors and the main challenges that must be overcome for industrial startup of MR technology.


The University of Saskatchewan (U of S) offers 2 courses in agribusiness planning where students form groups of 3 or 4 and prepare a complete business plan for an actual or planned agribusiness. Individuals or groups wishing to have a agribusiness plan completed can apply to the U of S and a student group will be assigned to their project. The components of a business plan includes the following sections; the executive summary, the introduction to the business being planned, the industry overview, the operations plan, the human resources plan, the marketing plan, and the financial plan which includes 10 years of financial projections. The paper also includes brief descriptions of a number of business plans completed by the students in the last number of years.


The protection order has proven to be a very effective tool in the war against domestic violence, but its value is only as broad as its enforceability. Enforceability can be a problem for people who work, travel, and live in different jurisdictions. A protection order is, after all, a court order and often a temporary one at that, and enforcement of a court order outside the issuing court's jurisdiction can be tricky at best and impossible at worst. In an effort to address these enforceability problems, Congress included a full faith and credit provision in the omnibus Violence Against Women Act, requiring all states and all tribes to recognize and enforce protection orders issued by other states and other tribes. The full faith and credit provisions are both a boon and a burden for tribal governments. On the positive side, the statute reflects Congress' recognition that tribal governments are legitimate governments with court systems that issue protection orders. On the negative side, Congress has complicated the tasks for tribal governments and tribal courts by leaving the extent of tribal court authority over nonmembers ambiguous. This essay, published in the Kansas Journal of Law and Public Policy, explores the import of the VAWA's full faith and credit provisions and how tribal governments can take full advantage of those provisions to maximize the protection afforded to those shielded by protection orders.


One way of empowering women is through the provision of loans. There are gender stereotypical beliefs about abilities of women to effectively utilize only small loans and inability to engage in a profitable non-traditional self-employment. The study was conducted in order to examine the women empowerment in Kondoa District and recommend the appropriate ways in which women empowerment could be strengthened or achieved. The data were collected from 415 women among whom 214 were MFIs members whereas 201 were non-MFIs members. The empowerment of women engaged with MFIs was measured in five dimensions which are legal, economic, interpersonal, familial and political. The findings of the study show that women were empowered in economic, interpersonal and familial dimensions. There is no total empowerment among the surveyed women in Kondoa District. Based on the findings, it is recommended that more education should be provided to men in order to end the discriminatory practices in the society and patriarchal system of life. The women in the rural areas should be provided with financial services by the government in order to strengthen the operations of the SACCOS while financial institutions should expand their operations to the rural areas for more women to obtain loans.


Two studies, first qualitative and then quantitative, were conducted to investigate cognitive correlates of racial prejudice in Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) in Bangladesh - home to the decades-long interracial conflicts between indigenous Chakmas and settler Bengalis. The studies were guided by a theoretical framework comprised of cognitive behavioral perspective, indigenous psychology and grounded theory methodology.
The first study employed a grounded theory approach to examine cognitive factors, especially thinking patterns and perceptions, likely to be associated with racial prejudice. In-depth interviews (IDI) were conducted with 26 respondents (12 Chakmas, 14 Bengalis), of which 16 had high and 10 had low level of prejudice. Participants were recruited from two districts of CHT through a theoretical sampling strategy. Four key-informants were also interviewed to triangulate the IDI findings. The interview data, analyzed using the qualitative software NVivo, revealed 31 types of race-related thoughts and perceptions of which 24 were associated with racial prejudice (e.g., dehumanization, disapproving contact, apprehension of negative, and victim thinking). The qualitative findings were used to generate empirical hypotheses that were tested in the quantitative study. Thirty-one cognitive factors derived from the qualitative study were reduced to 28 by a number of mergers and divisions. Three contact-related and one emotional factor were later added, making a total of 32 constructs. Thirty-three brief instruments, specific to the CHT, were developed to assess racial prejudice and all those constructs. All instruments demonstrated adequate face validity and internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha = .503 - .919; inter-item correlation r = .353 - .633) except for three (i.e., perception that opposite race is ethnocentric, apprehension of negative, and anchoring). Particularly notable was the 12-item racial prejudice scale that had high concurrent validity (r = -.791 with feeling thermometer), internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha .916; corrected item-total r = .471 - .789), and test-retest reliability (r = .979, two weeks gap). The quantitative study was conducted on 393 respondents, conveniently recruited from a number of suburban and rural locations of the Khagrachari district in CHT, almost equally represented by the two races (50.6% Chakmas, 49.4% Bengalis). With an age range of 18-87 years (average 37), the participants were mostly male (68.2%). Stepwise multiple linear regression revealed ten significant predictors explaining 86% of the variance in racial prejudice scores (F11,381 = 203.86, p < .01). Contact disapproval appeared to be the strongest predictor followed by dehumanization, progressive orientation, perspective taking, infrahumanization, overgeneralization, maximization-minimization, emotion towards other race, rumor susceptibility, and perceiving administration as biased. Of these ten factors, three (progressive orientation, rumor susceptibility, and perceiving administration as biased) were found to be quite novel as they were never studied before. Contrary to our general expectation, contact factors (direct-, extended-, and negative contact) failed to predict racial prejudice in the CHT context.
This research provides an in-depth examination of race-related attitudes and thoughts within the context of CHT. The four-tiered indigenization model used here should be considered as a methodological approach for future research, as should the large set of contextualized instruments. The results suggest practical implications for prejudice reduction strategies appropriate to the CHT.


This study describes how two second grade teachers along with a school counselor used bibliotherapy trade books with students within Literature Circles to build self-esteem in reading. Two second grade teachers and one school counselor worked collaboratively for two months. Twenty-six students participated in this study. The revised Tennessee Self-Concept Scale--Children's Form was administered at the beginning and again at the end of the study. No significant differences were found between the pre-test and post-test scores. A significant difference was found in only one score (Identify) when the two teachers were compared. ********** Schools provide many services to students, in addition to learning the basic skills of reading, writing, and arithmetic. Support personnel such as counselors, enrichment teachers, physical education teachers and other support personnel need time to work with students; yet classroom teachers are pressured to provide quality instruction in less time due to the need for time for these activities. Collaboration between teachers and counselors is a logical option, when scheduling time for group counseling especially when their goals overlap. One such area of potential for cooperation and collaboration is during reading class. Major emphasis is placed on reading in the classroom and when students lack in their ability to read, low self-esteem is certain to follow. Teachers who feel pressured to raise test scores and enhance the reading ability of their students tend to forget the need to work on self-esteem right along with reading. Self-concept is closely correlated with mathematics and reading achievement (Reynolds, 1997). Students who have higher scores in mathematics and reading were found to have correspondingly higher scores in most areas of self-esteem. Teachers and counselors have similar goals (Myrick, 1987). Lee (1993) sited many studies in which a positive link between classroom guidance and academic achievement were found. Both work toward the mental health of students, but they rarely collaborate. The National Standards for School Counseling Programs published by the American School Counseling Association states that, "The school counseling program has characteristics similar to other educational programs, including a scope and sequence; student outcomes or competencies; activities and processes to assist students in achieving these outcomes." (Campbell & Dahir, 1997, p. 9). The most effective way for counselors to help prevent academic problems is by discussing developmental problems during large group guidance in the classroom. Therefore, self-esteem issues such as; behavior, peer relationships, self-control, physical development, stress, dealing with feelings and emotions, and school success are most effectively discussed in classroom groupings. These concepts are also often included in the daily lessons presented by teachers, especially during reading classes. When counselors and teachers work together to co-teach academic subjects that directly impact self-esteem, more effective learning and high self-esteem for students can be accomplished. This project studied the results of a collaborative intervention by two-second grade classroom teachers and a school counselor using trade books with a self-esteem focus to teach reading in Literature Circles. Review of the Literature Self-esteem can be affected by the method of teaching. Cooperative learning enhances self-esteem as well as promotes student achievement (Lampe & Rooze, 1996). For example, the self-esteem of gifted students taught in heterogeneous cooperative learning groups increased (Johnson & Johnson, 1993; Melser, 1999). Cooperative learning involves the cognitive function of interaction with peers. Chandler, Lee, & Pengilly, (1997) found that expectations for success may have a causal relationship to self-esteem. In the Literature Circle environment students have opportunity for success while learning about interesting topics. …


SUMMARY The common bed bug, Cimex lectularius, feeds on the blood of mammal and bird hosts, and is a pest of global importance. Semiochemicals are chemicals involved in animal communication that may affect behaviour and/or physiology. Attractive semiochemicals that play a role in mediating bed bug behaviour could be exploited for the development of a highly effective novel monitoring device. Tracking software was used to record the response of bed bugs to volatiles from paper previously exposed to conspecific bugs in a still-air olfactometer illuminated by infrared lights, through a variety of activity variables. The effect of time of day as an extrinsic factor, and sex, stage, mating status and nutritional status as physiological factors on the response of bed bugs to the volatiles was examined. Bed bugs of both sexes and all stages responded to the volatiles from bed bug-exposed papers, showing significant attraction and orientation towards the volatile source whether they were starved or engorged. Confirmation that the physiological factors examined do not affect the response of bed bugs to the volatiles from bed bug-exposed papers provides evidence that these bed bug-derived volatiles contain aggregation cues, as semiochemicals that promote aggregation should by definition be detected by both sexes and all life stages. A device baited with such semiochemicals could play a major role in limiting the impact of the current bed bug resurgence by enabling timely detection of infestations, along with quantitative evaluation of control and effective surveillance of the geographical distribution of the pest species.


This paper is the second part of a review of the event study methodology, which has proved to be one of the most successful uses of econometrics in policy analysis. In this part we focus on the methodology's application to corporate law and corporate governance issues. Event studies have played an important role in the making of corporate law and in corporate law scholarship. The reason for this input is twofold. First, there is a match between the methodology and subject matter: the goal of corporate law is to increase shareholder wealth and event studies provide a metric for measurement of the impact upon stock prices of policy decisions. Second, because the participants in corporate law debates share the objective of corporate law, to adopt policies that enhance shareholder wealth, their disagreements are over the means to achieve that end. Hence, the discourse can be empirically informed. The paper concludes by sketching the methodology's use in evaluating the economic effects of regulation. While event studies' usefulness for policy analysis is now familiar in the corporate law setting, we hope that our two-part review will suggest appropriate applications to other fields of law.


The aim of this Article is to contribute to a better understanding of the international contracting process by unveiling the factors which influence international commercial actors when choosing the law governing their transactions.Based on the empirical study of more than 4,400 international contracts concluded by close to 12,000 parties participating in arbitrations under the aegis of the International Chamber of Commerce, the Article offers a method of measuring the international attractiveness of contract laws. It shows that parties' preferences are quite homogenous and that the laws of five jurisdictions dominate the international market for contracts. Among them, two are chosen three times more often than their closest competitors: English and Swiss laws. The Article then inquires which features made these laws more attractive than others and seeks to verify whether the postulate that international commercial parties are rational actors is true. It concludes that while some parties might have the resources to study the content of available laws before deciding which one to choose, others have no intention of investing such resources and are happy to rely on cheaper means to assess the content of foreign laws, including proxies. Furthermore, some parties suffer from cognitive limitations, the most important of which being the fear of the unknown and the correlative need for selecting a law resembling their own. Finally, unsophisticated parties might not fully appreciate the extent of their freedom to choose the law governing their transaction and might wrongly believe that it is constrained by largely irrelevant factors such as the venue of the arbitration.


In many wireless systems where multiuser detection techniques may be applied, the ambient channel noise is known through experimental measurements to be decidedly non-Gaussian, due largely to impulsive phenomena. The performance of many multiuser detectors can degrade substantially in the presence of such impulsive ambient noise. We develop robust multiuser detection techniques for combating multiple-access interference and impulsive noise in CDMA communication systems. These techniques are based on the M-estimation method for robust regression. Analytical and simulation results show that the proposed robust techniques offer significant performance gain over linear multiuser detectors in impulsive noise, with little attendant increase in computational complexity. We also develop a subspace-based technique for blind adaptive implementation of the robust multiuser detectors, which requires only the signature waveform and the timing of the desired user in order to demodulate that user's signal. The robust multiuser detection technique and its blind adaptive version can be applied to both synchronous and asynchronous CDMA channels.