This paper presents solution of optimal power flow (OPF) problem of electrical power system via a genetic algorithm of real type. The objective is to minimize the total fuel cost of generation and environmental pollution caused by fossil based thermal generating units and also maintain an acceptable system performance in terms of limits on generator real and reactive power outputs, bus voltages, shunt capacitors/reactors, transformers tap-setting and power flow of transmission lines. CPU times can be reduced by decomposing the optimization constraints to active constraints that affect directly the cost function manipulated directly the GA, and passive constraints such as generator bus voltages and transformer tap setting maintained in their soft limits using a conventional constraint load flow. The algorithm was developed in an Object Oriented fashion, in the C++ programming language. This option satisfies the requirements of flexibility, extensibility, maintainability and data integrity. The economic power dispatch is applied to IEEE 30-bus model system (6-generator, 41-line and 20-load). The numerical results have demonstrate the effectiveness of the stochastic search algorithms because its can provide accurate dispatch solutions with reasonable time. Further analyses indicate that this method is effective for large-scale power systems.


The overall goal of this thesis was to study the performance of two related portable multipurpose solar dryers, DehytrayTM and DehymeleonTM, in comparison to open-air sun drying by drying tomatoes, apples and mint under West Lafayette, Indiana weather conditions. Thin layer drying tests were conducted on tomato slices, apples slices and mint leaves, with three temperatures [24°C (75°F), 35°C (95°F) and 54 °C (130°F)], and an airflow velocity of 1 m/s to determine the drying kinetics of these products during diurnal drying cycles typical for solar and/or open-air sun drying. Subsequently, field drying tests were conducted for tomatoes slices, apples slices and mint leaves with the two solar drying technologies (DehymeleonTM and DehytrayTM) and open-air sun drying using uncovered Dehytrays as the control. The average temperatures achieved for these technologies were 45°C (113°F), 60°C (140 °F) and 27°C (80.6 °F) for the DehymeleonTM, DehytrayTM and open-air sun drying, respectively. Moisture diffusivity were in the order of 10-4 to 10-9 (m2/s) for the different methods, depending directly on the product, temperatures and air flow inside the drying chamber.Quality attributes (color, vitamin C and microbial growth) were measured before and after the field drying tests. Color difference (ΔE) for DehymeleonTM solar dryer showed the least variation compared with the fresh products. However, for the DehytrayTM ΔE increased due to the impact of its higher temperature and direct sunlight exposure that led to Maillard reactions and caramelization in the case of tomatoes and apples slices. Additionally, vitamin C (Ascorbic acid) content for tomatoes and apples slices was affected for the high ranges of temperatures reached inside the Dehytray™. Denaturing of vitamin C was less observed for DehymeleonTM, maintaining values of 166 mg/100 g dm for tomatoes, and 104.2mg/100g for apples slices. There was no significant difference (α = 0.05) in the microbial growth for the DehytrayTM and open-air drying compared to the fresh product, however, there was significant difference for the DehymeleonTM when drying tomatoes and apples slices, without up one log reduction on the original microbial population. In the case of mint, DehymeleonTM had a 2.3 log reduction, which is similar to L-lactic acid sanitizer achieved by another study in the literature, compared with 0.4 log obtained by the DehytrayTM and 0.47 log obtained by open-air sun drying. The differences in microbial growth were observed because the temperatures inside the drying chamber of the DehymeleonTM was low and product moisture content was above the safe equilibrium moisture content (EMC) for both tomatoes and apples during the early critical hours at the onset of the drying process, which was favorable to mold growth. The lack of a fan to intermittently or constantly flush out humid air released from the crop dried in the DehytrayTM negatively affected its performance. The insufficient airflow in the drying chamber of the DehymeleonTM and its inability to achieve the high temperatures observed in the DehytrayTM negatively affected its performance. Both solar dryers, DehymeleonTM and DehytrayTM achieved high hygienic condition during drying due to their enclosed chambers than protected the crop from contaminant in the environments. Their portability and design for large-scale manufacturing and deployment are a positive development that would be helpful to small and mid-size growers, as well as households (home gardens). Areas for further research were highlighted.


Hydrological and land use changes can affect species in human altered landscapes. Typically the impacts of hydrological and land use changes are examined separately, with hydrological determinants used to explain the distribution of species in water dependent and aquatic habitats and land use factors used to examine terrestrial species. However, given the connectedness of aquatic and terrestrial habitats, stressors originating in one domain may be important in the other. To explore the importance of integrating both hydrological and land use factors, we tested the relative contribution of hydrological factors and land use context as determinants of the dominant riparian tree species, Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehn. throughout wetlands of the Condamine catchment, southern Queensland, Australia. The occurrence of E. camaldulensis was modelled against hydrological and land use factors using generalized linear models (GLMs) and validated using internal bootstrapping procedures. Validated models which included both hydrological (distance from weir, wetland–river connectivity and groundwater depth)and land use factors (agricultural land cover and grazing intensity) performed better than those developed using only hydrological factors. The study results highlight the importance of an integrated perspective which considers both hydrological and land use factors in order to understand occurrence patterns of riparian and floodplain tree species in a range of settings. This approach could be especially important when assessing changes to hydrology and
land use which may be triggered by climatic changes.


In low-mass galaxies, stellar feedback can drive gas outflows that generate non-equilibrium fluctuations in the gravitational potential. Using cosmological zoom-in baryonic simulations from the Feedback in Realistic Environments project, we investigate how these fluctuations affect stellar kinematics and the reliability of Jeans dynamical modeling in low-mass galaxies. We find that stellar velocity dispersion and anisotropy profiles fluctuate significantly over the course of galaxies' starburst cycles. We therefore predict an observable correlation between star formation rate and stellar kinematics: dwarf galaxies with higher recent star formation rates should have systemically higher stellar velocity dispersions. This prediction provides an observational test of the role of stellar feedback in regulating both stellar and dark-matter densities in dwarf galaxies. We find that Jeans modeling, which treats galaxies as virialized systems in dynamical equilibrium, overestimates a galaxy's dynamical mass during periods of post-starburst gas outflow and underestimates it during periods of net inflow. Short-timescale potential fluctuations lead to typical errors of ∼20% in dynamical mass estimates, even if full three-dimensional stellar kinematics—including the orbital anisotropy—are known exactly. When orbital anisotropy is not known a priori, typical mass errors arising from non-equilibrium fluctuations in the potential are larger than those arising from the mass-anisotropy degeneracy. However, Jeans modeling alone cannot reliably constrain the orbital anisotropy, and problematically, it often favors anisotropy models that do not reflect the true profile. If galaxies completely lose their gas and cease forming stars, fluctuations in the potential subside, and Jeans modeling becomes much more reliable.


Over the last decade, applied researchers have estimated forward looking Taylor rules with interest rate smoothing via Nonlinear Least Squares. A common empirical finding for post-Volcker samples, based on asymptotic theory, is that the Federal Reserve adheres to the Taylor Principle. We explore the possibility of weak identification and spurious inference in estimated Taylor rule regressions with interest rate smoothing. We argue that the presence of smoothing subjects the parameters of interest to the Zero Information Limit Condition analyzed by Nelson and Startz (2007, Journal of Econometrics). We demonstrate that confidence intervals based on standard methods such as the delta method can have severe coverage problems when interest rate smoothing is persistent. We then demonstrate that alternative methodologies such as Fieller (1940, 1954), Krinsky and Robb (1986), and the Anderson-Rubin (1949) test have better finite sample coverage. We reconsider the results of four recent empirical studies and show that the evidence supporting the Taylor Principle can be reversed over half of the time.


This map is one in a series depicting the general vegetation communities as defined for the WUI process on Forest Service lands in the USFS Southwestern Region.


Well-being of the territorial systems with rural vocation can be compromised by climate change, but they also can influence, both positively than negatively, the factors that determine climate change. Starting from this dichotomous vision of the relationship between climate change and rural development, this study focuses on the role that Internet and the web mar-kiting strategies can develop in the mitigation and in the adaptation to climate change trough the spread of information on virtuous behaviour by individuals and firms. In such optics, the study provides a survey to evaluate the propensity of firms to use the web in order to promote responsible behaviour among the users of websites (suggesting virtuous behaviours) or to valorise their commitment in the fight against climate change.


Autobiographical memory encompasses memory for significant personal experiences and knowledge of the self and, consequently, is critical for personal identity and psychological wellbeing (Conway & Pleydell-Pearce, 2000; Pillemer, 1998). Although autobiographical memory, like many other cognitive faculties, has been traditionally viewed as an individual matter and a product of the mind or brain, research in the past two decades has revealed the central role of culture in human cognition and remembering. Recent theories of autobiographical memory have increasingly emphasized the constructive nature of memory in the cultural context, and empirical findings have further accentuated the influence of culture on autobiographical remembering (Nelson & Fivush, 2004; Wang & Brockmeier, 2002; Wang & Ross, 2007). Against this backdrop, my collaborators and I have conducted extensive studies to examine the effect of culture on autobiographical remembering through affecting information processing at the level of the individual and by shaping social practices of remembering between individuals. This suite of research further integrates developmental, cognitive, and sociocultural perspectives to examine the mechanisms responsible for the development of autobiographical memory. We have obtained critical evidence that two intrapersonal variables – self-construal and emotion knowledge – and one interpersonal variable – parentchild reminiscing – play important roles in driving the cultural differences in the content, structure, emergency, and general accessibility of autobiographical memory. In addition, we have conducted studies to investigate how these intrapersonal and interpersonal variables themselves are influenced by culture through early socialization practices and parental beliefs and goals. Together, these studies illustrate that autobiographical memory emerges and develops as both an individual expression and a cultural product (see diagram below for illustration). Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. This article is available in Online Readings in Psychology and Culture: http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/orpc/vol5/iss2/2


In the last decade there has been a proliferation of landscape writing in Britain and Ireland, often referred to as 'The New Nature Writing'. Rooted in the work of an older generation of environment-focused authors and activists, this new form is both stylistically innovative and mindful of ecology and conservation practice. The New Nature Writing: Rethinking the Literature of Place connects these two generations to show that the contemporary energy around the cultures of landscape and place is the outcome of a long-standing relationship between environmentalism and the arts. Drawing on original interviews with authors, archival research, and scholarly work in the fields of literary geographies, ecocriticism and archipelagic criticism, the book covers the work of such writers as Robert Macfarlane, Richard Mabey, Tim Robinson and Alice Oswald. Examining the ways in which these authors have engaged with a wide range of different environments, from the edgelands to island spaces, Jos Smith reveals how they recreate a resourceful and dynamic sense of localism in rebellion against the homogenising growth of "clone town Britain."


This conference presentation was given as part of the Achieving Compliance with Road Traffic Law: What can enforcement, prosecution and sentencing contribute? Conference by Professor Christine Piper and Dr Susan Easton from Brunel Law School at Brunel University. The conference, jointly organised by PACTS and the Criminal Justice Research Centre with Brunel Law School, was hosted at Brunel University on the 13th June 2012, and was the first opportunity to review the evidence about how to improve compliance with road traffic law. Its aim was to set out the challenges facing the government over the next few years and the steps that need to be taken to improve levels of compliance on our roads. It took a wide look at the process of compliance from initial choices about enforcement through to the effectiveness of the court system.


Implications of the Ameghino-Moreno conflict on the collection of fossil mammals made by Carlos Ameghino during his first exploration of the Santa Cruz river, Argentina. In September 1887, Carlos Ameghino, Assistant Preparator of Paleontology at the Museo de La Plata, returned to the museum after a successful expedition to the banks of the Santa Cruz River. He had been commissioned by the director of this institution, Francisco P. Moreno, to carry out this fieldwork. By the end of that year, Florentino Ameghino, Assistant Director of the museum, unveiled the findings. He briefly described 122 taxa, 110 of which were new species. A few months later, Florentino was dismissed from the museum and denied access to the collections. However, in 1889 Ameghino expanded his descriptions of the material from 1887 and figured 74 of the 122 species previously described. In 1891, Florentino said that the descriptions and figures he had published in 1889 were based on notes and sketches made before his dismissal. Interestingly, many of the specimens depicted in his 1889 publication are in the Ameghino Collection at the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia". Larry Marshall noticed the surprising location of these specimens, and in 1980, he concluded that Florentino Ameghino must have appropriated some specimens from the 1887 collection. The evidence presented here supports this conclusion and provides a framework for assessing the conformation of the type series for the species described in 1887. Finally, it reveals the historical context for these events: competition among institutions and personal desires interacting to break what should have been an excellent scientific alliance.


Road systems on the nation's public lands are vital links; providing access to perform
management prescriptions, fire management, and recreation opportunities. Sediment movement
downslope of forest road systems is a concern because these sediments have the potential to reach
stream systems. Filter strips and stream side management zones (SMZs) are recommended and
implemented to minimize sediment delivery to stream systems. However, the effectiveness of these
practices in controlling sediment movement and minimizing sediment plume development has
seldom been assessed. This study was undertaken to assess sediment travel distances downslope
of forest roads and characterize the factors influencing these distances. A total of 235 forest road
turn-outs (lead-off ditches) were randomly selected on National Forests in Alabama and Georgia.
Visible sediment plume lengths were measured for each selected site. Additional parameters
quantified include downslope gradient, road section length, road width, and road gradient. The
objective of this paper is to report the findings of the study assessing sediment plume development
from forest road turn-outs. This paper also examines how the study results relate to suggested
BMPs for forest operations below forest road turn-outs in Alabama and Georgia.


A potential motivation for scientists to deposit their scientific work as preprints is to enhance its citation or social impact. In this study we assessed the citation and altmetric advantage of bioRxiv, a preprint server for the biological sciences. We retrieved metadata of all bioRxiv preprints deposited between November 2013 and December 2017, and matched them to articles that were subsequently published in peer-reviewed journals. Citation data from Scopus and altmetric data from Altmetric.com were used to compare citation and online sharing behavior of bioRxiv preprints, their related journal articles, and nondeposited articles published in the same journals. We found that bioRxiv-deposited journal articles had sizably higher citation and altmetric counts compared to nondeposited articles. Regression analysis reveals that this advantage is not explained by multiple explanatory variables related to the articles' publication venues and authorship. Further research will be required to establish whether such an effect is causal in nature. bioRxiv preprints themselves are being directly cited in journal articles, regardless of whether the preprint has subsequently been published in a journal. bioRxiv preprints are also shared widely on Twitter and in blogs, but remain relatively scarce in mainstream media and Wikipedia articles, in comparison to peer-reviewed journal articles.


We present identification and estimation results for the "collective" model of labour supply in which there are discrete choices, censoring of hours and nonparticipation in employment. We derive the collective restrictions on labour supply functions and contrast them with restrictions implied by the usual "unitary" framework. Using the large changes in the wage structure between men and women in the UK over the last two decades we estimate a collective labor supply model for married couples without children. The implications of the unitary framework are rejected while those of the collective approach are not. The estimates of the sharing rule show that wages have a strong influence on bargaining power within couples.


The quantitative understanding of neutrino interactions with nuclei and nuclear matter is needed to the study of many different problems. In the astrophysics environment, neutrino-nucleon and neutrino-nucleus reaction rates are used as inputs in the simulations of phenomena like supernov$\ae$ explosions and neutron star cooling. In the field of neutrino physics, the quantitative knowledge of neutrino-nucleus cross-section is critical to reduce the systematic uncertainty of the long baseline oscillation experiments.
It is important to realize that, while neutrinos interacting in stellar matter typically have energies of the order of few MeV, the energies involved in long baseline oscillations experiments are much larger. For example, K2K experiment takes data in the region $E_{\nu} =0.5-3$ GeV.
In this thesis, we describe how nuclear many-body theory provide a scheme allowing for a consistent treatment of neutrino-nucleus interactions at both high and low energies. We will show our predictions of the neutrino-nucleus cross section in the high energy regime and the results of our calculations for the nuclear matter weak response in the low energy regime.


Targeted delivery of imaging agents and therapeutics to tumors would provide early detection and increased therapeutic efficacy against cancer. Here we have screened a phage-displayed peptide library to identify peptides that selectively bind to lung tumor cells. Evaluation of individual phage clones after screening revealed that a phage clone displaying the CSNIDARAC peptide bound to H460 lung tumor cells at higher extent than other phage clones. The synthetic CSNIDARAC peptide strongly bound to H460 cells and was efficiently internalized into the cells, while little binding of a control peptide was seen. It also preferentially bound to other lung tumor cell lines as compared to cells of different tumor types. In vivo imaging of lung tumor was achieved by homing of fluorescence dye-labeled CSNIDARAC peptide to the tumor after intravenous injection into mice. Ex vivo imaging and microscopic analysis of isolated organs further demonstrated the targeting of CSNIDARAC peptide to tumor. The CSNIDARAC peptide-targeted and doxorubicin-loaded liposomes inhibited the tumor growth more efficiently than untargeted liposomes or free doxorubicin. In vivo imaging of fluorescence dye-labeled liposomes demonstrated selective homing of the CSNIDARAC-liposomes to tumor. In the same context, higher levels of doxorubicin and apoptosis in tumor tissue were observed when treated with the targeted liposomes than untargeted liposomes or free doxorubicin. These results suggest that the CSNIDARAC peptide is a promising targeting probe that is able to direct imaging agents and therapeutics to lung tumor.


Abstract Molecular imaging methods can provide spatio-temporal information about the distribution of biomolecules or biological processes, such as certain enzymatic activities, in single cells. Within a cell, it is possible to define the subcellular location of a target, its trafficking through the cell, colocalization with other biomolecules of interest and involvement in certain cell biological processes. On the other hand, single-cell imaging promises to distinguish cells that are phenotypically different from each other. The corresponding cellular diversity comprises the presence of functionally distinct cells in a population ('phenotypic heterogeneity'), as well as dynamic cellular responses to external stimuli ('phenotypic plasticity'), which is highly relevant, e.g. during cell differentiation, activation (of immune cells), or cell death. This review focuses on applications of a certain class of chemical probes, the so-called activity-based probes (ABPs), for visualization of enzymatic activities in the single-cell context. It discusses the structure of ABPs and other chemical probes, exemplary applications of ABPs in single-cell studies in human, mouse and bacterial systems and considerations to be made with regard to data interpretation.


The aim of the study was to evaluate the variation in retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL), optic nerve head (ONH) and macular measurements in healthy Turkish subjects using Stratus optical coherence tomography (OCT). The design is a cross-sectional study of 398 eyes in 199 normal subjects aged between 5 and 70 years. The participants underwent a detailed ophthalmologic examination including imaging with Stratus OCT. RNFL, optic disc and macula fast scan methods were used to obtain the peripapillary RNFL thickness, ONH and macular parameters. The effects on the findings of age, gender and laterality of the eye tested were assessed. The average RNFL thickness and the thickness measured in the superior and temporal quadrants were statistically significantly negatively correlated with age. Similar results were found for mean macular thickness, macular RNFL thickness and for total macular volume. There was no effect of age on ONH measurements. The RNFL thickness in the temporal quadrant was significantly greater in females than in males (p<0.05). The mean macular thickness in 1–3 mm was greater in males than in females (p<0.05). The nasal RNFL thickness was significantly thicker in the right eyes than in the left eyes (p<0.05). We conclude that, in healthy subjects, as age increases there is a significant reduction in peripapillary and macular RNFL thickness and in macular thickness and volume. The hypothesis that RNFL and macular measurements are not symmetrical between the two eyes merits further study.


The trial of several members of the Greek political party Golden Dawn is set to resume on 7 May, with charges ranging from murder to participation in a criminal organisation. Emmanuel Melissaris writes on the legality of the trial and the accusation that it amounts to little more than the political persecution of the party. He argues that despite Golden Dawn's protestations, from a legal perspective the trial is a legitimate criminal prosecution.


This research utilises existing problem solving and decision making theories to explain
the complex organisational process by which Royal Mail revises Postal Officers' walks
in mail delivery. A field study in the RM demonstrates that this is a complex task
involving a political / negotiation process comprising many stakeholders with different
agendas. Two conclusions are drawn. First, a pluralistic model of decision making is
required to explain this process. Second, the model that guides the RM is a rational /
optimal decision making model.
The RM has employed computer-based systems to support the revision process. Case
studies are reported of the revision processes undertaken with and without computer
aids. These demonstrate that the existing computer system provides limited assistance
and its use is sporadic. A new Walk Optimisation system was being considered for
purchase and development and the thesis follows the processes employed. Three
conclusions were drawn. First, the development process for the new system utilised a
technical agenda similar to the rational model of decision making. Second, by reference
to the case study material, it was likely the new system would have organisational
implications which could lead to dysfunction. Third the current development process
being followed would not address these issues.
In the final part of the thesis a series of Future Implementation Scenario workshops are
described which attempted to assist the RM staff in identifying the organisational
implications of the WO system before it was implemented. The scenario exercise
explored three characteristics of participants; knowledge of the stakeholder roles
affected, knowledge of the RM, and knowledge of the WO system. The workshops
succeeded in revealing many organisational issues which need addressing if the new
system is to improve decision making in the Revision Process. Contrary to
expectations the greater knowledge of participants did not translate into a richer analysis
of the implications.
The thesis concludes that a full understanding of organisational decision making
requires the integration of rational, bounded and social / political approaches, and that
this also applies to systems design process. It also concludes that the models and
methods used within organisations need to be broadened and recognise the social /
organisational agenda but that the methods currently available are difficult to apply.
Funhennore, by continuing with a rational / technological approach to decision making,
organisations limit their future decision making options and the process is, therefore,
self-perpetuating.


BIOL 5303 Introduction to Microbiology for Graduate Students (3 semester credit hours) Microbes contribute to major biogeochemical processes, live in environments inhospitable to other organisms, and may comprise the majority of biomass on Earth. They form beneficial symbioses with multicellular organisms and play critical roles in the development of those organisms. In contrast to these beneficial roles, certain microbes are global public health concerns. This course surveys the form and function of the microbial world. Instructor consent required. (3-0) S


Background Clinical phenotypes of patients with antibodies to myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (anti-MOG+) are unknown in India. Objectives Retrospectively to characterise anti-MOG+ patients with inflammatory central nervous system disorders in India. Method A total of 87 patients with non-multiple sclerosis demyelinating disorders (excluding acute disseminated encephalomyelitis) who were seronegative for anti-aquaporin 4 antibody were retrospectively analysed using a cell-based assay for anti-MOG+ status. Results Twenty-five patients were anti-MOG+ in this cohort. They represented 28.7% (25/87) of patients who tested negative for anti-AQP4+. Sixty-four per cent (16/25) of anti-MOG+ patients were men and had a relapsing course. Patients with recurrent optic neuritis and those with a single attack of acute longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis were the most common phenotypes. Conclusion Relapsing optic neuritis was the most common phenotype, contrasting with a lower risk of relapses in transverse myelitis.


Upper Miocene sediments of a proximal basin-margin facies association were deposited on the eastern edge of the Sierra Espuña mountains of the Betic Cordillera, SE Spain. These are interpreted as having been deposited along an active, basin-bounding fault. The sequence is composed of mixed marine carbonate and clastic sediments with conglomerates and calcarenites containing coralgal detritus passing distally into finer-grained sediments. Laterally along the faulted margin there are marked variations in facies and clast composition over very short distances. Clastic conglomerates interfinger both laterally and upwards with algal and coral reefs. Sedimentary facies analysis and provenance data are used to infer that mass flows coming off the steep basin margin fed talus cones. Laterally to the talus cones a fan delta coexisted with active algal and coral reefs.


The Debian Med project started in 2002 with the objective to bring free medical software into the focus of users. Those may be IT service providers for smaller clinics, the doctors themselves, researchers in pre-clinical environments or just skilled enthusiasts with an ambition to apply their talents to the biomedical domain. At that time, the communities in computational biology, medical imaging and medical informatics already had a number of high-quality Free Software solutions. Debian as a Linux distribution provided a solid foundation for bringing those products together. To assure complete coverage and harmonic integration, the Debian Med project was initiated to provide a software management infrastructure to improve communication among Debian package maintainers, e.g. to identify missing glue packages to translate data formats or to point out conflicts in the naming of binaries. Over the past decade, the integrative Debian Med project has proven to have positive effects beyond the scope of Debian users. Many ties have been established between original software developers and Debian package maintainers. Large development teams started to upload their Debian packages directly. That communicated the experience of the developers back into the distribution and made medical software a constituent member of the Debian distribution. The ideas behind the Debian Med generalised into the concept of Debian Pure Blends. Blends, such as Debian Edu, Debian Science, DebiChem (chemistry), Debian GIS, DeMuDi etc., were created to provide a targeted appearance of the Debian distribution for different domains of applications. Today, Blend task pages complement canonical Debian package listings with additional information (e.g. scientific references) and also cover software products that are relevant for a given domain, but not yet integrated into Debian. A growing community with continuously improving maintenance procedures eases direct contributions to Debian, thus preventing unnecessary fractioning of the open-source community, and allow for supporting customised versions of Debian, such as Debian Med, within the Debian ecosystem.


Low-temperature (≤200 °C) epitaxial growth yields precise thickness, doping, and thermal-budget control, which enables advanced-design semiconductor devices. In this paper, we use plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition to grow homo-epitaxial layers and study the different growth modes on crystalline silicon substrates. In particular, we determine the conditions leading to epitaxial growth in light of a model that depends only on the silane concentration in the plasma and the mean free path length of surface adatoms. For such growth, we show that the presence of a persistent defective interface layer between the crystalline silicon substrate and the epitaxial layer stems not only from the growth conditions but also from unintentional contamination of the reactor. Based on our findings, we determine the plasma conditions to grow high-quality bulk epitaxial films and propose a two-step growth process to obtain device-grade material.


Fixed drug eruption is a common cutaneous reaction which may be seen in reaction to several medications. For the etiological evaluation of fixed drug eruption, topical provocation with patch testing on sites of previous lesions is frequently applied. Bullous fixed drug eruption mimicking toxic epidermal necrolysis due to a topical agent has not been previously reported. Here we describe a case of generalized bullous fixed drug eruption due to ibuprofen gel.


This study attempts to assess and understand the exploitations of girls who are forced into prostitution in the sex industry through critical theory perspective. The study was conducted in Surabaya and in a touristic area Tretes, Pasuruan. Overall, the in-depth interviews were conducted to 45 informants, girls who are forced into prostitution, former young prostitutes, pimps, and also male customers. The study found that it takes more than just pressures of poverty, lack of education, and inadequate access to the labor market for young girls to be involved in the prostitution. In fact, their involvements is the impact of the life style and permissive behavior in dating, victims of dating rape, child abuse, broken home family, as well as victims of fraudulent practices and mode of recruitments that related to the increased market demand for new and young prostitutes, and also the peer groups' influences which offer shortcuts to overcome problems and life pressures. As children who experienced commodifications in the commercial sex industry, the girls who are forced into prostitution generally undergo exploitation and social alienation process.


Oleander was tested as biomonitoring plant for surfactant polluted marine aerosol. Potted plants in the greenhouse were sprayed once a week for 5 weeks with seawater containing sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate (SDS) at the following concentrations: 5, 10, 15, 30, 60, 120, 250, 500 mg/L. A significant correlation was found between SDS concentration in the spray and surfactant deposit on the leaves at the end of the 5 weeks. At that time and two months later, we assessed: leaf visible injury, foliar chloride content, damage to stomatal crypts, water potential, net photosynthesis and stomatal conductance. Relative to controls (not sprayed and sprayed either with deionized water or with seawater without surfactants), all the parameters were affected (P<0.05) by the presence of surfactant. Furthermore they were correlated (P<0.05) with the concentration of surfactant. Visible injury occurred after treatments containing concentrations of surfactant exceeding 30 mg/L.


As the recent travel trend has changed from package-oriented group travels to free independent travels (FIT), individual travellers are in a situation in which they have to search more information than ever before. By the nature of travel, travel information is searched out of various information sources. In recent years, social media has played an important role. Unlike other types of communication media, social media not only provides users with information, but also allows them to know who the source of the information is. Therefore, travellers can use the respective information with more confidence. However, existing studies have not fully reflected the characteristics of social media as a travel information source. In this respect, the present study intends to empirically verify how social media, which is newly drawing great attention as a travel information source, changes traveller behaviors using the theories of the elaboration likelihood model and reference group influence, and thereafter, provide the implications of the study findings.


The current study measured the influence of national culture, anonymity levels, and technological support (CMC and non-CMC) upon participation input and participation equality within and between forty-two U.S. and Mexican groups constituting a total of 469 participants. Results indicate that both U.S. and Mexican groups supported by CMC technology (i.e., group support systems) were more productive in generating participation input than corresponding manual groups. While U.S. manual groups generated more unique or non-redundant ideas than U.S. CMC groups, Mexican CMC groups in contrast, generated more unique ideas than Mexican manual groups. With regard to perceived participation equality, U.S. groups indicated no differences between treatments while Mexican CMC-identified groups reported higher perceived participation equality than Mexican manual groups. With regard to actual participation equality, Mexican CMC groups generated higher actual participation equality indices than manual groups while U.S. groups reported no differences between treatments. A comparison of results between cultures revealed that U.S. groups in general, generated more comments and more unique ideas than corresponding Mexican groups particularly when participants were identified and not anonymous. However, Mexican CMC groups perceived higher participation equality levels than corresponding U.S. CMC groups. Mexican CMC groups that were anonymous generated higher actual participation indices than corresponding U.S. groups. Interactive effects were found between national culture and technology in comparing actual participation equality indices between U.S. and Mexican groups. The study addresses an important gap in the use of CMC technology across different cultures and how technology and national culture may interact to affect group participation within organizational setting.


Purpose: To define the scope and nature of challenges in applying artificial intelligence (AI) for supply chain risk management (SCRM). Design/Methodology/Approach: Initial theoretical conceptualisation and respective approach were set by following the risk management maturity framework. The scope of explored challenges was defined by two data categories (supply chain risk events' and risk events' indicators) that are essential for AI tools to predict risk events' probability based on a set of risk prediction indicators. The nature of challenges is associated with the ways and forms of data collection, management, and application. The qualitative primary data research strategy was employed to explore selected case company practices associated with conceptually defined categories of scope and nature of challenges in applying AI for SCRM. Findings: The article concludes with a conceptual typology of challenges in applying AI for SCRM defined by their scope and nature along with the selected illustrative practices. Practical Implications: Empirical case study data based illustrative practices serve as research indicators or practical checklist entries for empirical evaluation of the level in progress towards the application of AI in SCRM. They also could be used as guidelines setting a direction for needed improvements in the way of applying AI for SCRM. Originality/Value: This research contributes to the SCRM literature by defining the typology of challenges according to their scope and nature in applying AI for SCRM in the context of risk management maturity.


A Mobile ad hoc network is a collection of wireless nodes that dynamically organize themselves to form a network without the need for any fixed infrastructure or centralized administration. The network topology dynamically changes frequently in an unpredictable manner since nodes are free to move. Support for multicasting is essential in such environment as it is considered to be an efficient way to deliver information from source nodes to many client nodes. A problem with multicast routing algorithms is their efficiency as their forwarding structure determines the overall network resource consumption makes them significantly less efficient than unicast routing algorithms. In this research, we improve the performance of the popular ODMRP multicast routing protocol by restricting the domain of join query packets, which have been lost. This is achieved by augmenting the join query packets with minimum extra information (one field), which denotes the number of the visited node from previous forwarding group. Simulation results show, that our mechanisms significantly reduce the control traffic and thus the overall latency and power consumption in the network.


We report on directionality of a novel optical nanoantenna composed of three gold nanodisks ultracompactly arranged in the end-fire configuration. It is found that the emission of a local light source can be remarkably directed and switched based on its color between two opposite directions. The quasi-static approximation is employed to theoretically model the optical properties of the nanostructure and to investigate the observed phenomenon. The proposed nanoantenna enhances and directs the yellow-color toward the forward-direction, and, in contrast, the red-color toward the backward direction. This unique color-switching property is studied in terms of the strong plasmonic interactions of the nanodisks and the resulting hybridized modes of the nanoantenna.


The paper focuses on the problem of trajectory planning of flexible redundant robot manipulators (FRM) in joint space. Compared to irredundant flexible manipulators, FRMs present additional possibilities in trajectory planning due to their kinematics redundancy. A trajectory planning method to minimize vibration of FRMs is presented based on Genetic Algorithms (GAs). Kinematics redundancy is integrated into the presented method as a planning variable. Quadrinomial and quintic polynomials are used to describe the segments which connect the initial, intermediate, and final points in joint space. The trajectory planning of FRMs is formulated as a problem of optimization with constraints. A planar FRM with three flexible links is used in simulation. A case study shows that the method is applicable.


This book addresses the biological effects of the large number of compounds that have been recognised as endocrine disrupters. These compounds have been found to persist as pollutants in the environment, and have been blamed for causing developmental disorders and/or fertility problems in fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and humans. The book presents the relevant fundamentals of the endocrine systems of animals and humans, the toxicology, developmental toxicology, ecology, and risk assessment methods, and lays out the current state of understanding for the whole field, organized by the classes of compounds that have been identified as endocrine disrupters.


A flow simulation Methodology (FSM) is presented for computing the time-dependent behavior of complex compressible turbulent flows. The development of FSM was initiated in close collaboration with C. Speziale (then at Boston University). The objective of FSM is to provide the proper amount of turbulence modeling for the unresolved scales while directly computing the largest scales. The strategy is implemented by using state-of-the-art turbulence models (as developed for Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS)) and scaling of the model terms with a "contribution function." The contribution function is dependent on the local and instantaneous "physical" resolution in the computation. This physical resolution is determined during the actual simulation by comparing the size of the smallest relevant scales to the local grid size used in the computation. The contribution function is designed such that it provides no modeling if the computation is locally well resolved so that it approaches direct numerical simulations (DNS) in the fine-grid limit and such that it provides modeling of all scales in the coarse-grid limit and thus approaches a RANS calculation. In between these resolution limits, the contribution function adjusts the necessary modeling for the unresolved scales while the larger (resolved) scales are computed as in large eddy simulation (LES). However, FSM is distinctly different from LES in that it allows for a consistent transition between RANS, LES, and DNS within the same simulation depending on the local flow behavior and "physical" resolution. As a consequence, FSM should require considerably fewer grid points for a given calculation than would be necessary for a LES. This conjecture is substantiated by employing FSM to calculate the flow over a backward-facing step and a plane wake behind a bluff body, both at low Mach number, and supersonic axisymmetric wakes. These examples were chosen such that they expose, on the one hand, the inherent difficulties of simulating (physically) complex flows, and, on the other hand, demonstrate the potential of the FSM approach for simulations of turbulent compressible flows for complex geometries.


As the population in cities continues to increase rapidly, air pollution becomes a serious issue from public health to social economy. Among all pollutants, fine particulate matters (PM2.5) directly related to various serious health concerns, e.g., lung cancer, premature death, asthma, and cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. To enhance the quality of urban living, sensors are deployed to create smart cities. In this paper, we present a participatory urban sensing framework for PM2.5 monitoring with more than 2500 devices deployed in Taiwan and 29 other countries. It is one of the largest deployment project for PM2.5 monitor in the world as we know until May 2017. The key feature of the framework is its open system architecture, which is based on the principles of open hardware, open source software, and open data. To facilitate the deployment of the framework, we investigate the accuracy issue of low-cost particle sensors with a comprehensive set of comparison evaluations to identify the most reliable sensor. By working closely with government authorities, industry partners, and maker communities, we can construct an effective eco-system for participatory urban sensing of PM2.5 particles. Based on our deployment achievements to date, we provide a number of data services to improve environmental awareness, trigger on-demand responses, and assist future government policymaking. The proposed framework is highly scalable and sustainable with the potential to facilitate the Internet of Things, smart cities, and citizen science in the future.


We report on fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) inscribed in pure-silica and Ge-doped photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) with a two-beam interference technique and a femtosecond or excimer laser. Such a technique enables the inscription of FBGs for different Bragg wavelengths with high flexibility. Effects of H(2)-loading and Ge doping on the efficiency of grating inscription were investigated by measuring the development of Bragg wavelength and attenuation in the transmission spectra with an increased exposure dose. H(2)-loading dramatically enhances the laser-induced index modulation not only in Ge-doped PCFs but also in pure-silica PCFs. We observed a reversible Bragg wavelength shift during femtosecond pulse irradiation, which indicates an internal temperature rise of approximately 77 degrees C.


In computational sciences such as image processing, publishing usually isn't enough to allow other researchers to verify results. Often, supplementary materials such as source code and measurement data are required. Yet most researchers choose not to make their code available because of the extra time required to prepare it. Are such efforts actually worthwhile, though?


This article is the first of two papers that focus on instructional systems and educational technology research in the hospitality industry. The purpose of this article is twofold: 1) to expand the readers' knowledge about what has been done by academicians in hospitality education to evaluate the effectiveness of various instructional systems in hospitality education, and 2) to suggest future research needed to advance the ability of hospitality educators to assess the effectiveness of instructional systems. The authors provide terminology definitions and discuss assessment methods that have been used in hospitality education and documented in academic journals. Empirical articles are critically evaluated as to their contribution to the theory of instructional systems and any methodological shortcomings are identified. Findings imply that there are major limitations in this body of research, including: no landmark studies were found that developed generalizable rubrics of assessment; very little of the research built upon previous assessment or evaluation techniques; many researchers asked opinions about instruction as a method of determining its educational value; and many studies are of limited generalizability due to small sample sizes and/or the exclusive use of basic descriptive statistics. Also included is a discussion centered on suggestions future researchers should consider when assessing the effectiveness of various instructional systems.


SUMMARY
This article presents findings from a study examining organizational design features used by organizations in pursuing their procurement and supply objectives. The research purpose was to gain a better understanding of the organizational design features that firms currently use or may use in the future. The results should encourage organizations to address design issues as they relate to overall supply management effectiveness. Given the dynamics of the current competitive global supply landscape, organizational design concerns are critical to sustained organizational success.


Abstract:
The aim of this paper is to identify the pricing factor structure of Italian equity returns. The Italian Stock Market is characterized mainly by small quoted firms. Small stocks have higher beta but beta differences are not enough to explain returns differences. We investigate how these differences can be explained by other factors like size, value and momentum. A two step empirical analysis is provided where first we estimate an unrestricted multi-factor model to test if there is any evidence of mispecification. Secondly, we estimate the restricted model, with pricing errors equal to zero, through the Generalized Methods of Moments (GMM). In accordance with the main literature (see e.g. Fama and French 1992, 1993) we find that the size premium for stocks is confirmed for a domestic Italian investor. On the contrary the value premium is statistically weakly different from zero. Finally, augmenting the model with a momentum factor does not improve its performance.


The supraspinatus tendon is often involved in rotator cu↵ tears. The pathogenesis of such tears is not well known and can be multicausal (mechanical, inflammatory, ...). The idea of this project was to analyse the mechanical contribution to rotator cuff tears with a numerical deformation analysis of the supraspinatus tendon. The tendon was simulated under tension in two conditions: an isotropic case and an anisotropic case. In the isotropic case, the tendon was simulated with the same material properties in every direction. In the anisotropic case, the tendon's fiber were computed and the material was defined in the fiber direction and in the transverse direction. In the isotropic case, the strain was found to be higher in the two studied position (90 abduction and rest position) than in the anisotropic case. In both cases (isotropic and anisotropic) the maximal strain is situated at the distal side of the tendon insertion on the humeral head. The di↵erence in the strain value is due to the fact that the isotropic material definition is averaged in all direction and therefore is softer in the fiber direction and stronger in the transverse direction. The isotropic model is herefore not very consistant with a real tendon structure. Both models are consistent with clinical observations as supraspinatus tears occur usually at the distal side of the insertion. However, for qualitative deformation analysis an anisotropic material choice is recommended.


Online Social Networks (OSNs) offer access control mechanisms to protect users' sensitive information from undesired accesses. Yet, their information is still vulnerable to disclosure when their friends assign conflicting privacy policies: a user prohibits everyone from accessing his own content or profile but his friends allow others to see it. OSNs tend to select Permit-Take-Precedence when resolving multiple conflicting policies so that the information is possibly exposed regardless of the information owner's preference. In this paper , we confirm that specific types of information in real OSN services are under this circumstance. We then propose three attacking scenarios that reveal the hidden friend-lists, profiles, and posted messages on users' OSN accounts, exploiting a target's sensitive information. We finally discuss possible countermeasures in terms of both implementation and human behavior.


Deciding whether the U.S. Constitution applies abroad is a complicated question and one that is not easily answered by looking at Supreme Court precedent. The problems of the current approach have been highlighted in recent years by the cases of Hernandez v. Mesa and Rodriguez v. Swartz, two cross-border shooting cases where courts were unsure as to how or why different Amendments could protect noncitizen children killed in Mexico by U.S. government agents shooting from within the United States. This Comment surveys the precedents as well as the leading theories in extraterritorial application of the Constitution and shows why the landscape as we face it is unsatisfactory for dealing with cases like Hernandez and Rodriguez. Interest analysis, within the conflict of laws, asks courts to look at the purpose of a law domestically and to extend that law abroad if its domestic purpose would be served by doing so. I argue that under this approach, the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment should be extended abroad because its domestic purpose in restraining arbitrary executive action is served by restraining that Executive no matter where it acts.


Silk-based biomaterials in combination with extracellular matrix (ECM) coatings were assessed as templates for cell-seeded bladder tissue engineering approaches. Two structurally diverse groups of silk scaffolds were produced by a gel spinning process and consisted of either smooth, compact multi-laminates (Group 1) or rough, porous lamellar-like sheets (Group 2). Scaffolds alone or coated with collagen types I or IV or fibronectin were assessed independently for their ability to support attachment, proliferation, and differentiation of primary cell lines including human bladder smooth muscle cells (SMC) and urothelial cells as well as pluripotent cell populations, such as murine embryonic stem cells (ESC) and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. AlamarBlue evaluations revealed that fibronectin-coated Group 2 scaffolds promoted the highest degree of primary SMC and urothelial cell attachment in comparison to uncoated Group 2 controls and all Group 1 scaffold variants. Real time RT-PCR and immunohistochemical (IHC) analyses demonstrated that both fibronectin-coated silk groups were permissive for SMC contractile differentiation as determined by significant upregulation of α-actin and SM22α mRNA and protein expression levels following TGFβ1 stimulation. Prominent expression of epithelial differentiation markers, cytokeratins, was observed in urothelial cells cultured on both control and fibronectin-coated groups following IHC analysis. Evaluation of silk matrices for ESC and iPS cell attachment by alamarBlue showed that fibronectin-coated Group 2 scaffolds promoted the highest levels in comparison to all other scaffold formulations. In addition, real time RT-PCR and IHC analyses showed that fibronectin-coated Group 2 scaffolds facilitated ESC and iPS cell differentiation toward both urothelial and smooth muscle lineages in response to all trans retinoic acid as assessed by induction of uroplakin and contractile gene and protein expression. These results demonstrate that silk scaffolds support primary and pluripotent cell responses pertinent to bladder tissue engineering and that scaffold morphology and fibronectin coatings influence these processes.


China's energy transformation, which underpins its breakneck economic growth, presents two contradictory facets. On the one hand there is the China that is building thermal power stations at an unprecedented rate, increasing its consumption of coal, and becoming the world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide. On the other hand there is the China that is building renewable energy and zero-carbon industries at an unprecedented rate, taking or approaching world leadership in hydropower, wind power, solar pv and solar thermal, as well as in nuclear power and in «smart grid» modernization. This presents the world with a conundrum: which is the «real» China? In this paper, an overview is provided that sets China's strategies in an industrial dynamics setting, arguing that China will shift the balance of its energy systems towards renewables, and that this will be irreversible within the next 10 to 20 years.


The movement and fate of phosphorus inputs from resident i a 1 stormwater runoff were investigated in a 1. 0 hectare hardwood wetland near Sanford, Florida. This wetland receives stormwater runoff from a large residential conmunity through a small shallow canal and provides treatment prior to discharge to Hidden Lake. Field investigations were begun in 1984 and were divided into the following tasks: (1) assessment of the quantity of nutrients and heavy metals entering the wetland by way of stormwater ,runoff, (2) measurement of the attenuation of these pollutants during travel through the wetland, (3) monitoring of the concentrations of nutrients and heavy metals in groundwaters, (4) accumulation of nutrients and heavy metals in the sediments of the wetland, (5) examination of the typical chemical associations binding nutrients and heavy metals to the sediments using sequential extraction procedures, and (6) investigation of the importance of redox potential and pH on metal-sediment stability with regard to the release of phosphorus from wetland sediments. After entering the wetland treatment stormwater inputs were observed to exhibit system, general reductions in pH, specific conductivity, dissolved oxygen, ORP and alkalinity with increasing flow · distance. Concentrations of both dissolved orthophosphorus and total phosphorus increased during flow through the wetland system and were found to be closely correlated to decreases in pH and ORP. A stagnant con.trol area, removed from runoff influence was found to exhibit elevated concentrations of phosphorus when compared to the flowpath area. Water quality characteristics in groundwaters beneath the flowpath were very similar to surface water characteristics, with dissolved oxygen and ORP levels decreasing with depth, whereas phosphorus concentrations increased. Groundwaters in the stagnant control area exhibited significantly elevated concentrations of phosphorus, TOC, color, and iron when compared to groundwaters in other locations. Patterns of accumulation and deposition of sediment bound phosphorus along the wetland flowpath were investigated and found to increase substantially from the inlet canal to a distance of · 50 m after which they declined slightly throughout the remainder of the wetland flowpath. Also apparent was the attenuation of sediment phosphorus concentrations with increasing sediment depth, with the majority of the phosphorus being retained in the top 10 cm. The removal pot€ntial for dissolved orthophosphorus in wetland systems was found to be greatest in flowthrough systems with sediment contact based on kinetic rate experiments performed at the study site. The majority of the dissolved orthophosphorus removal, 75 percent was found to occur within the first 24 hours of contact with the wetland sediments after which only slight decreases in concentration occurred. Stagnant systems as well as systems with less sediment contact were not effective in providing attenuation of dissolved orthophosphorus concentrations as well as other water quality parameters.


The role of high-fat diets in weight gain and obesity is assessed by evidence-based principles. Four meta-analyses of weight change occurring on ad libitum low-fat diets in intervention trials consistently demonstrate a highly significant weight loss of 3–4 kg in normal-weight and overweight subjects (P< 0·001). The analyses also find a dose-response relationship, i.e. the reduction in percentage energy as fat is positively associated with weight loss. Weight loss is also positively related to initial weight; a 10 % reduction in dietary fat is predicted to produce a 4–5 kg weight loss in an individual with a BMI of 30kg/m2. The non-fat macronutrient composition of the diet is also important. Whereas the glycaemic index of the carbohydrate may play a role for cardiovascular risk factors, there is so far no evidence that low-glycaemic index foods facilitate weight control. In contrast, intervention studies show that sugar in drinks is more likely to produce weight gain than solid sugar in foods. Although the evidence is weak, alcoholic beverages promote a positive energy balance, and wine may be more obesity-promoting than beer. Protein is more satiating and fhermogenic than carbohydrates, and one intervention study has shown that an ad libitum low-fat diet where carbohydrate was replaced by protein produced more weight loss after 6 months (8·1 v. 5·9 kg). The evidence linking particular fatty acids to body fatness is weak. If anything, monounsaturated fat may be more fattening than polyunsaturated and saturated fats, and no ad libitum dietary intervention study has shown that a normal-fat high-monounsaturated fatty acid diet is equivalent or superior to a low-fat diet in the prevention of weight gain and obesity. The evidence strongly supports the low-fat diet as the optimal choice for the prevention of weight gain and obesity, while the use of a normal-fat high-monounsaturated fatty acid diet is unsubstantiated.


In this study, the inability to in a future meet the electricity demand and the urge to change the consumption behavior considered. In a smart grid context there are several possible ways to do this. Means include ways to increase the consumer's awareness, add energy storages or build smarter homes which can control the appliances. To be able to implement these, indications on how the future consumption will be could be useful. Therefore we look further into how a framework for short-term consumption predictions can be created using electricity consumption data in relation to external factors. To do this a literature study is made to see what kind of methods that are relevant and which qualities is interesting to look at in order to choose a good prediction method. Case Based Reasoning seemed to be able to be suitable method. This method was examined further and built using relational databases. After this the method was tested and evaluated using datasets and evaluation methods CV, MBE and MAPE, which have previously been used in the domain of consumption prediction. The result was compared to the results of the winning methods in the ASHRAE competition. The CBR method was expected to perform better than what it did, and still not as good as the winning methods from the ASHRAE competition. The result showed that the CBR method can be used as a predictor and has potential to make good energy consumption predictions. and there is room for improvement in future studies.


Some product information asymmetry is always present in food value chains; when the asymmetry is high, it increases food safety markets imperfection, reduces trust among stakeholders and could compromise food safety and quality. This study assessed information asymmetry through evaluation of the network structure and traceability strategies in the organic kales value chains around Nairobi. A survey of organic farmers and marketing outlets in Nairobi was conducted. Purposive sampling technique, based on organic food certification, was used and the data collected using semi-structured questionnaires during the interviews. The network data was analysed using Ucinet Version 6 while traceability data was analysed using SPSS version 17. From the analysis, there is a moderately high network centralization of approximately 61 percent although betweenness centrality is very low at approximately 6 percent. The stakeholders had functional traceability systems with most stakeholders using production, purchases and sales records to trace. Approximately 62 percent of all stakeholders had chain traceability; collective action and group activities existed that also enhanced traceability among stakeholders. The stakeholders in the certified organic products sector had internal monitoring and verification of the members' activities and relied on trust for information flow. Based on the findings, the study recommends reorganization of stakeholders to strengthen the networking structures to increase information flow. In addition, factors which influence traceability such as monitoring, training, documentation and certification and the subjective measures such as personnel perception on traceability should be improved to boost safety and quality of organic products.


This Position Statement presents a broad overview of issues arising at the intersection of AI and IP law based on the work of the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition research group on Regulation of the Digital Economy. While the analysis is approached mainly from a perspective de lege lata, it also identifies questions which require further reflection de lege ferenda supported by in-depth interdisciplinary research. The scope is confined to substantive European IP law, in particular, as regards copyright, patents, designs, databases and trade secrets. Specific AI-related issues are mapped out around the core questions of IP law, namely, the eligibility for protection under the respective IP regimes, allocation of rights and the scope of protection. The structure of the analysis reflects three key components of AI: inputs required for the development of AI systems, AI as a process and the output of AI applications. Overall, it is emphasised that, while recent legal and policy discussions have mostly focused on AI-aided and AI-generated output, a more holistic view that accounts for the role of IP law across the AI innovation cycle is indispensable.


In January 1944, an earthquake reduced the province of San Juan, Argentina, to rubble, leaving perhaps ten thousand dead and one hundred thousand homeless. In The Ruins of the New Argentina , Mark A. Healey argues that the disaster and the massive rebuilding project that followed transformed not only the province but also the nation. The earthquake was a shattering and galvanizing experience, an indictment of the old social order and an invitation to transform it. From the nation's capital, an obscure colonel in a recently installed military regime launched a relief campaign and rapidly commissioned plans to rebuild the province, especially its capital city. The campaign was a rousing success, launching the public career of its director, Juan Domingo Peron, who would soon found a movement, reach the presidency, and transform the politics and social structure of the country. Dreaming and building the new city became the landmark project for a generation of modernist architects and planners, as well as an enduring challenge and controversy for local residents and the Peronist state. By exploring the struggle to rebuild, Healey shows how this destroyed province played a crucial role in forging, testing, and ultimately limiting the Peronist project of transforming the nation.


Recent localized declines in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) populations in the southeastern United States have been linked to increasing predation pressure from coyotes (Canis latrans), a novel predator to the region. Studies have documented coyotes as the leading cause of mortality for neonates, and 1 study documented coyotes as a mortality factor for adult females. However, no study has used field-based vital rates to conduct sensitivity analyses or model deer population trajectories under potential harvest or predator removal strategies. We used low, medium, and high values of fawn survival, adult female survival, and fecundity data collected from Fort Bragg Military Installation, North Carolina to demonstrate the current declining population trajectory for deer (λ = 0.905; low λ = 0.788, high λ = 1.003). Consistent with other studies of ungulates, we determined adult female survival was the most sensitive and elastic vital rate. Further, for 3 potential management ("what if") scenarios, we projected the population for 10 years using estimated vital rates. Reducing adult female harvest (λ = 0.935; low λ = 0.875, high λ = 1.002) and coyote removal (λ = 0.995; low λ = 0.898, high λ = 1.081) reduced the current population decline, whereas combining both approaches (λ = 1.024; low λ = 0.898, high λ = 1.141) resulted in population increases. Our data indicate that for low-density deer populations with heavy predation pressure on neonates, protecting adult females from harvest may not completely offset population declines. Coyote removal might be a necessary strategy because it could possibly increase very low fawn survival, which appears to be the most important vital rate influencing λ in our study. However, managers may have to start with reductions in adult female harvest because coyote removal would have to be continuous and consistently effective, making it an impractical management approach by itself. © 2015 The Wildlife Society.


Synchronous spontaneous activity is critical for circuit development. A key open question is to what degree is this synchronization models adult activity or is specifically tuned for circuit development. To address this we used multi-electrode array recordings of spontaneous activity in non-anesthetized neonatal mice to quantify firing rates, synchronization, binary spike-vectors and population-coupling of single-units throughout the period of map formation. Consistent with the first hypothesis, adult-like network interactions are established during the period of retinal waves, before the onset of vision and normal inhibition, and are largely conserved throughout juvenile ages. Significant differences from mature properties were limited to initial topographic map formation, when synchronization was lower than expected by chance, suggesting active decoupling in early networks. These findings suggest that developmental activity models adult synchronization, and that there is remarkable homeostasis of network properties throughout development, despite massive changes in the drive and circuit basis of cortical activity.


The Israel Survey is a landmark study in British Jewish research. Based on the largest national sample of British Jews ever constructed, it paints a detailed portrait of the place of Israel in Jewish identity, and clearly demonstrates how Jews in Britain feel about some of the key political issues facing the country.

It is clear from the findings that Israel constitutes an important part of British Jews' sense of self, which goes some way towards explaining why it can be such a contentious topic when discussed in the public realm. It also demonstrates that the vast majority of Jews in Britain regard Israel as the ancestral homeland of the Jewish People, and many have close familial or social ties with Israelis.

However, the British Jewish population is far from uniform in its views about social and political issues in the country. Opinions differ greatly, but taken as a whole, a clear majority is both pro-security and pro-peace - eager to see Israelis living free from the threats of extremism and violence, and eager to see the country reach a peaceful settlement with the Palestinians.

The study was commissioned by Pears Foundation as part of itscommitment to ensure that policy debate should be based on empirical research. An extended methodological report is available on request to researchers associated with JPR.


Over the past 40 years, Mary Lee Hu has affirmed her distinctive voice in the world of jewelry with her elegant, voluptuous creations. Using wire the way hand weavers use threads, Hu has blazed a trail as both artist and innovator, exploring the nexus between metalsmithing and textile techniques, often through the recovery of historical precedents from an ancient past, and inspired by her innate aspiration to perfection and her stubborn curiosity. Hu's apparently effortless and graceful creations, resulting from twining, weaving, knotting, and braiding, investigate both the possibilities and limits of wire by melding fiber art and jewelry, structure and pattern, light and line. Knitted, Knotted, Twisted, and Twined features exquisite earrings, rings, brooches, and neckpieces drawn from public and private collections internationally. The book traces the evolution and refinement of Hu's processes and skill from her earliest experimental pieces in the late 1960s--capturing the spirit of a time when craft and lifestyle were so passionately intertwined--to the confidence and movement of her contemporary creations.


We report on a numerical method for the reconstruction of wavefronts in digital holographic microscopy (DHM). It yields simultaneous amplitude and quantitative phase contrast imaging by acquiring a single hologram. The reconstruction method computes the propagation of the complex optical wavefront diffracted by the object and is used to determine the refractive index and/or shape of the object with accuracies in the nanometer range along the optical axis. The technique comprises the recording of a digital hologram of the specimen by means of a standard CCD camera at the exit of a Mach-Zehnder or Michelson type interferometer and an adjustment procedure to determine precisely the reconstruction parameters. The quantitative nature of the reconstructed phase distribution has been demonstrated by an application to surface profilometry where step height differences of a few nanometers have been measured. Another application takes place in biology for transmission phase-contrast imaging of living cells in culture with resolution reaching 30 nanometers in height.


Perkovic's Introduction to Programming Using Python provides an imperative-first introduction to Python focusing on computer applications and the process of developing them. The text helps develop computational thinking skills by covering patterns of how problems can be broken down and constructively solved to produce an algorithmic solution. The approach is hands-on and problem oriented. The book also introduces a subset of the Python language early on to help write small functions. Chapters include an introduction to problem solving techniques and classical algorithms, problem-solving and programming and ways to apply core skills to application development.


After September 11, many countries changed their laws to make it easier to fight terrorism. They did so in part because the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1373 under its Chapter VII powers. The resolution required all Members of the United Nations to criminalize terrorism, to prevent their territory from being used to plan or promote terrorism, to crack down on terrorism financing, to tighten up immigration and asylum procedures and to share information about terrorists and terrorist threats with other states. This article examines what happened to the Security Council mandate when it got to Europe by first tracing the framework that the European Union developed to respond to the Security Council mandate and then by exploring the very different legal reactions of the UK and Germany within this common framework. Britain enacted and encouraged extreme measures to meet the terrorist threat while Germany complied with the Security Council within the framework of its established constitutional norms.


Transition-metal-based systems show promising binding energy for hydrogen storage but suffer from clustering problem. The effect of light transition metal (M = Sc, Ti) decoration, boron substitution on the hydrogen storage properties of MOF-5, and clustering problem of metals has been investigated using ab initio density functional theory. Our results of solid-tate calculations reveal that whereas Ti clusters strongly Sc atoms do not suffer from this problem when decorating MOF-5. Boron substitution on metal-decorated MOF-5 enhances the interaction energy of both the metals with MOF-5. Sc-decorated MOF-5 shows a hydrogen storage capacity of 5.81 wt % with calculated binding energies of 20–40 kJ/mol, which ensures the room-temperature applicability of this hydrogen storage material.


A contributing factor to increased peripheral resistance seen during hypertension is an increased production of endothelium-derived contractile factors (EDCFs). The main EDCFs are vasoconstrictor prostanoids, metabolites of arachidonic acid (AA) produced by Ca(2+)-dependent cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) following phosphorylation (at Ser(505)) mediated by extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) and cyclooxygenase (COX) activations. Although endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress has been shown to contribute to pathophysiological alterations in cardiovascular diseases, the relationship between ER stress and EDCF-mediated responses remains unclear. We tested the hypothesis that ER stress plays a role in EDCF-mediated responses via activation of the cPLA2/COX pathway in the aorta of the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR). Male SHR and Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) were treated with ER stress inhibitor, tauroursodeoxycholic acid or 4-phenlybutyric acid (TUDCA or PBA, respectively, 100 mg·kg(-1)·day(-1) ip) or PBS (control, 300 μl/day ip) for 1 wk. There was a decrease in systolic blood pressure in SHR treated with TUDCA or PBA compared with control SHR (176 ± 3 or 181 ± 5, respectively vs. 200 ± 2 mmHg). In the SHR, treatment with TUDCA or PBA normalized aortic (vs. control SHR) 1) contractions to acetylcholine (ACh), AA, and tert-butyl hydroperoxide, 2) ACh-stimulated releases of prostanoids (thromboxane A2, PGF2α, and prostacyclin), 3) expression of COX-1, 4) phosphorylation of cPLA2 and ERK1/2, and 5) production of H2O2. Our findings demonstrate a novel interplay between ER stress and EDCF-mediated responses in the aorta of the SHR. Moreover, ER stress inhibition normalizes such responses by suppressing the cPLA2/COX pathway.


In this article, the authors develop a two–step econometric model to explain and forecast stock market movements in seventeen countries. Their key assumption is that while a theory such as the dividend discount model is relevant to explain the long–run behavior of stock markets, short–run fluctuations are driven by variables that do not enter into the theory of cointegration and error correction for developing the two–step model for long–term behavior and short–term behavior. They present in– and out–of a sample tests of the model's ability to forecast future stock market results. These results indicate that such a model does have predictive power and can thus be a useful tool in the investment decision process.


In many global cities the rental housing market is partially regulated. We document that the Paris housing market is dual: a flexible rent sector coexists with a large controlled rent sector. The two sectors have very different rent gradients towards the center of the agglomeration. We develop a model explicitly accounting for these features which allows to investigate general equilibrium effects of rent controls at the city level. In this framework the coexistence of a controlled and flexible rent sector increases the spatial misallocation of households. This mismatch can generally be alleviated by an improvement in urban transport infrastructures.


We review recent research about human subjectivity and self-consciousness that has focused on cognitive psychology and neuroimaging of bodily self-consciousness. Multidisciplinary research on the fields of neurology, cognitive neuroscience and virtual reality opens new avenues to investigate brain mechanisms underlying a fundamental sense of the bodily self. Clinical evidence for the implication of right temporo-parietal junction for bodily self-consciousness has received support by studies in which virtual-reality based own body illusions are evoked in healthy participants to study the underlying processes. A series of experiments will be reviewed in which it was shown that the experiences of self-location, self-identification and the first-person perspective can be manipulated experimentally and rely on the integration of multisensory stimuli (touch, vision, proprioception, vestibular information). Specific protocols are available to predictably influence the different aspects of bodily self consciousness. We predict that the understanding of fundamental brain mechanisms of bodily self-consciousness will lead to unprecedented empirical insights that are of broad relevance for science, virtual reality, engineering, the humanities, as well as medicine and psychotherapy.


Whole genome duplications (WGD) represent important evolutionary events that shape future adaptation. WGDs are known to have occurred in the lineages leading to plants, fungi, and vertebrates. Changes to ploidy level impact the rate and spectrum of beneficial mutations and thus the rate of adaptation. Laboratory evolution experiments initiated with haploid Saccharomyces cerevisiae cultures repeatedly experience WGD. We report recurrent genome duplication in 46 haploid yeast populations evolved for 4,000 generations. We find that WGD confers a fitness advantage, and this immediate fitness gain is accompanied by a shift in genomic and phenotypic evolution. The presence of ploidy-enriched targets of selection and structural variants reveals that autodiploids utilize adaptive paths inaccessible to haploids. We find that autodiploids accumulate recessive deleterious mutations, indicating an increased capacity for neutral evolution. Finally, we report that WGD results in a reduced adaptation rate, indicating a trade-off between immediate fitness gains and long term adaptability.


Abstract In parts of Australia where the clearing of native vegetation has been widespread the establishment of windbreaks is a common farming practice. There is some evidence that birds respond to certain characteristics of windbreaks, particularly width. This is the first study to investigate such effects in Australia. Six properties, containing 61 windbreak sites, were surveyed for birds 12 times between 1993 and 1997. Generalised linear models were used to test relationships between 19 predictor variables and bird community attributes, including the densities of 14 species of birds. Canonical variate analysis was undertaken to discriminate among four types of windbreaks and their avifauna. Species known to be declining in the region and uncommon (<100 observations) woodland birds were more abundant in wider and more floristically diverse windbreak sites. Several native species had a positive response to tree-height, density of under-storey, structural diversity, the proportion of native plant species in the site or the proximity of remnant bushland. The density of introduced bird species, as a group, was strongly negatively related to the proportion of native plants and, for one species, Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris), to width of windbreak. Recommendations for windbreak design are provided and include: using a diversity of native plants; providing adequate width, preferably over 20 m; and having a diversity of understorey densities. It is also recommended that patterns of experimental windbreaks are created that could be used for formal hypothesis testing.


Abstract Ferns are the second largest group of vascular land plants after the angiosperms, but remain chronically underrepresented in studies of plant phylogeny, biogeography, physiology, and genomics. The genus Dryopteris, the woodferns, is a large group with a worldwide distribution, and recent research has made it one of the better understood fern genera and a potential model for understanding many aspects of fern biology and evolution. Here we review historical and current understanding of the genus, and outline promising avenues of future research in ferns for which Dryopteris is an ideal study system, particularly for research on polyploid complexes, biogeographic distributions, and physiological ecology.


Hub location problem is an NP-hard problem that frequently arises in the design of transportation and distribution systems, postal delivery networks, and airline passenger flow. This work focuses on the Single Allocation Hub Location Problem (SAHLP). Genetic Algorithms (GAs) for the capacitated and uncapacitated variants of the SAHLP based on new chromosome representations and crossover operators are explored. The GAs is tested on two well-known sets of real-world problems with up to 200 nodes. The obtained results are very promising. For most of the test problems the GA obtains improved or best-known solutions and the computational time remains low. The proposed GAs can easily be extended to other variants of location problems arising in network design planning in transportation systems.


Laser frequency combs are normally based on mode-locked oscillators emitting ultrashort pulses of ~100-fs or shorter. In this paper, we present a self-referenced frequency comb based on a narrowband (5-nm bandwidth corresponding to 415-fs transform-limited pulses) Yb-fiber oscillator with a repetition rate of 280 MHz. We employ a nonlinear Yb-fiber amplifier to both amplify the narrowband pulses and broaden their optical spectrum. To optimize the carrier envelope offset frequency (fCEO), we optimize the nonlinear pulse amplification by pre-chirping the pulses at the amplifier input. An optimum negative pre-chirp exists, which produces a signal-to-noise ratio of 35 dB (100 kHz resolution bandwidth) for the detected fCEO. We phase stabilize the fCEO using a feed-forward method, resulting in 0.64-rad (integrated from 1 Hz to 10 MHz) phase noise for the in-loop error signal. This work demonstrates the feasibility of implementing frequency combs from a narrowband oscillator, which is of particular importance for realizing large line-spacing frequency combs based on multi-GHz oscillators usually emitting long (>200 fs) pulses.


The training regimes associated with competitive sport place athletes under both physical and psychological stress. Moreover, there are many further unique stressors associated with competitive sport (e.g., injury risk). This environment can leave athletes susceptible to a number of negative outcomes. Two important outcomes associated with the psychosocial and physiological consequences of sport are burnout syndrome and overtraining syndrome. Burnout and overtraining can have a number of cognitive, affective, motivational, and behavioral consequences (Goodger, Gorely, Lavallee, & Harwood, 2007; Meesuen et al., 2013). Subsequently, sport and exercise psychologists have sought to identify factors that may predispose athletes to these syndromes with a view to reducing their deleterious effects. One factor that has shown particular promise is perfectionism (see Hill & Curran, 2016). Although the existing literature has provided evidence for a relationship between perfectionism and burnout, an over-reliance on cross-sectional correlational designs has meant that conclusions regarding temporality and/or causality have been limited (Taris, 2000). Moreover, the only extant longitudinal study has several methodological limitations (Chen, Kee, & Tsai, 2009). As such, the first three studies of this thesis investigate the longitudinal direct, reciprocal, and mediational effects between perfectionism and athlete burnout. Finally, no study has investigated if perfectionism may predict changes in the susceptibility to overtraining syndrome over time. Using training distress as a marker of overtraining syndrome, the final study of this thesis sought to determine whether perfectionists are predisposed to experience training distress. Study one investigated perfectionism and burnout in junior athletes over a period of three months and the findings showed that perfectionistic strivings predicted decreases in burnout, whereas perfectionistic strivings predicted increases. Replicating and extending study one, study two investigated whether the two dimensions of perfectionism showed interaction effects in predicting changes in burnout in adult athletes over three months. The results of study two showed that the two dimensions of perfectionism interacted, with perfectionistic strivings buffering the incremental effect of perfectionistic concerns. Study three sought to examine whether the quality of motivation would mediate the longitudinal relationship between perfectionism and burnout in junior athletes over a period of six months. The findings of study three showed that autonomous motivation mediated the longitudinal negative relationship between perfectionistic strivings and burnout at both the between- and within-person level, whereas controlled motivation mediated the longitudinal positive relationship between perfectionistic concerns and burnout at the between-person level only. Study four investigated whether the two dimensions of perfectionism also showed divergent relationships with training distress in junior athletes over a period of three months and the findings showed that whereas perfectionistic strivings had a negative cross-sectional association with training distress, perfectionistic concerns had a positive association. Moreover, perfectionistic concerns predicted increases in training distress over the three month period, whereas perfectionistic strivings did not. Taken together, perfectionistic concerns appear to be a factor predisposing athletes to a higher risk of experiencing burnout and training distress, whereas perfectionistic strivings may be a protective factor. These divergent relationships may be explained by autonomous and controlled motivation. With this, the findings of the present thesis provide further evidence for the important role that perfectionism plays in sport.


This collection of essays had its origins in a one-day workshop held in August 2015 at The Australian National University. Jointly convened by Dr John Butcher (ANZSOG) and Professor David Gilchrist (Curtin Not-for-profit Initiative) the purpose of the workshop was to bring together academic researchers, policy practitioners and thought leaders to address a variety of emerging issues facing policymakers, public sector commissioners, not-for-profit providers of publicly funded services, and businesses interested in opportunities for social investment. The workshop itself generated a great deal of interest and a 'baker's dozen' of contributors challenged and engaged a full house. The level of enthusiasm shown by the audience for the subject matter was such that the decision to curate the presentations in the form of a book. At one time the state exercised a near monopoly in the delivery of social programs. Today, almost every important public problem is a three sector problem and yet we have little idea of what a high-performing three sector production system looks like. It is the editors' hope that this volume will provide a foundation for some answers to these important public policy questions.


Information on distribution, abundance and size composition of the common octopus Octopus vulgaris was obtained from the MEDITS trawl surveys, carried out in a wide area of the Mediterranean basin from 1994 to 1999. The species showed a wide geographic distribution, since it was collected in all the major areas investigated, but differences were highlighted among the 40 geographic sectors sampled. O. vulgaris showed a narrow depth distribution, mostly restricted to within 100 m. Catches below 200 m were scarce and occasional at deeper sea bottoms. Further analysis between major areas in the depth strata 10-50 m and 50-100 m showed the Alboran Sea and Sardinian waters as the areas where the abundance of the species was the greatest. Size frequency distributions showed a wide size range, even if large individuals were represented in a very low proportion. The surveys highlighted the relevant presence of small individuals in almost all the analysed areas. Recruits with a modal length of 5-6 cm mantle length constituted the dominant mode in the histograms of a great extent of the Italian coasts and in Morocco and Corsica waters.


In this issue, Oancea et al 1 demonstrate for the first time that gut microbiota is able to convert the thiopurine drug thioguanine into therapeutically active thiopurine nucleotides (TGN). They thereby open new perspectives for an optimised use of thiopurines in the treatment of patients with IBD and inspire the vision of topical thiopurine delivery to the inflamed gut.

During the last years, our understanding of the molecular mechanisms, which underlie the well-known efficacy of thiopurines in IBD therapy, has been improved significantly. In order to allow potent therapeutic effects, classic thiopurine drugs including azathiopurine, mercaptopurine and thioguanine have to undergo metabolisation towards TGN. In particular, 6-thioguanine triphosphate (6-thio-GTP) could be identified as a crucial mediator of azathioprine-induced immunosuppressive effects in activated T cells and also in innate immune cells.2–4 Through its capacity to compete with endogenous GTP for the binding to the small GTPase Rac1 and subsequent inhibition of Rac1/Vav1 interaction, 6-thioGTP is able to efficiently block Rac1 signalling and thereby impact on immune cell function.2 ,3 Thiopurine-driven Rac1 blockade was shown to trigger apoptosis of stimulated T cells and to impair the capacity of T cells to form complexes with antigen-presenting cells (T cell/APC synapse formation).2 ,3 Regarding innate immune cells, thiopurine exposure of macrophages and subsequent inhibition of Rac1 signalling result in a significantly decreased inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression and thus affect macrophage functions.5 Collectively, these findings highlight the concept that azathioprine-derived metabolites directly affect functions of …


During the Song (960-1279), all educated Chinese men traveled frequently, journeying long distances to attend school and take civil service examinations. They crisscrossed the country to assume government posts, report back to the capital, and return home between assignments and to attend to family matters. Based on a wide array of texts, Transformative Journeys analyzes the impact of travel on this group of elite men and the places they visited. In the first part of the book, Cong Ellen Zhang considers the practical aspects of travel during the Song in the context of state mobilization of and assistance to government travelers, including the infrastructure of waterways and highways, the bureaucratic procedures entailed in official travel, and the means of transport and types of lodging. The second part of the book focuses on elite activities on the road, especially the elaborate farewell banquets, welcoming ceremonies, and visits to famous places. Zhang argues convincingly that abundant travel experience became integral to Song elite identity and status, greatly strengthening the social and cultural coherence of the practitioners. In promoting their experience of traveling across a large empire, Song elite men firmly established their position as the country's political, social, and cultural leaders. The literary compositions and physical traces they left behind also formed an overlapping web of collective memories, continually enhancing local pride and defining the place of various localities in the cultural geography of the country. Transformative Journeys sheds new light on the nature of Chinese literati, their dominance of culture and society, and China's social and cultural integration. Those interested in premodern China and travel literature will find a wealth of material previously unavailable to Western readers.