Objective: Cervicofacial necrotizing fasciitis (CNF) is a rapidly spreading and often fatal infection of the soft tissues of head and neck characterized by tissue necrosis and profuse purulent discharge. This report describes a cancer patient, who had undergone chemotherapy and developed CNF of odontogenic origin to highlight the need for oral examination before commencement of chemotherapy. Case description: A 68 years old retired gardener who developed CNF from infected right permanent mandibular first and second molars. He had undergone surgery and had 3 cycles of Cisplastin, 5-Fluorouracil and Adriamycin on account of carcinoma of the head of pancreas. No oral assessment was carried out prior to commencement of chemotherapy to detect a potential source of infection. Management included removal of the causative teeth, incision and drainage, repeated debridement, daily dressing of wound with Povidone-iodine solution and intravenous antibiotic based on pus microscopy, culture and sensitivity report. He however succumbed to the disease 23 days later.Conclusion: CNF of odontogenic origin is an extremely fatal condition. Early detection and prompt aggressive treatment is a key to successful outcome. Clinicians involved with management of cancer patients should routinely seek the expertise of a dentist for a pre-chemotherapy oral assessment and all potential sources of infections are removed before chemotherapy begins.


Background and Aims: Ultrasonography has emerged as a novel, portable, non-invasive tool encouraging airway assessment and procedural interventions. This study assesses the feasibility of ultrasound for block of internal branch of superior laryngeal nerve (ibSLN) block during upper airway anaesthesia to aid awake fibre-optic intubation. Methods: Forty American Society of Anesthesiologists' physical status I–II patients, aged 18–60 years, deemed to have a difficult airway (modified Mallampati class III–IV or inter-incisor distance <2.5 cm) and planned for awake fibre-optic intubation were randomised to either landmark group (L, n = 20) or ultrasound group (U, n = 20). All patients received nebulised 4% lignocaine (3 mL) and transtracheal injection 3 mL 2% lignocaine. Group L received landmark-guided bilateral ibSLN block with 1 mL 2% lignocaine. Group U received bilateral ibSLN block with 1 mL 2% lignocaine using a high-frequency ultrasound transducer to define the SLN space. The primary objective was assessment of quality of airway anaesthesia. Secondary objectives were time for intubation, haemodynamic parameters and patient perception of discomfort during procedure. Results: The quality of anaesthesia was significantly better in Group U than in Group L (P < 0.001). The mean time for intubation was shorter in Group U (71.05 ± 9.57 s) compared to Group L (109.05 ± 30.09 s, P< 0.001). Heart rate, mean arterial pressure and patient perception of discomfort were significantly increased in Group L. Conclusion: Ultrasound for ibSLN block as a part of preparation for awake fibre-optic intubation improves quality of airway anaesthesia and patient tolerance.


Objective: Aortic prosthetic graft infection remains a highly fatal surgical complication. Recent studies with cryopreserved allografts in the treatment of vascular graft infection suggest improved clinical outcomes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of cryopreserved aortic allografts in the treatment of infected prosthetic grafts or mycotic aneurysms. Methods: Clinical data of all patients who underwent in situ aortic reconstruction with cryopreserved allografts for either infected aortic prosthetic graft or mycotic aneurysms from 1999 to 2003 were reviewed. Relevant clinical variables and treatment outcomes were analyzed. Results: A total of 18 patients (14 men; overall mean age 62 ± 12 years, range 41-72 years) were identified during this study period. Treatment indications include 12 primary aortic graft infections (67%), four mycotic aneurysms (22%), and two aortoenteric erosions (11%). Transabdominal and thoracoabdominal approaches were used in 14 (78%) and four patients (22%), respectively. Staphylococcus aureus was the most commonly identified organism (n = 11, 61%). Although there was no intraoperative death, the 30-day operative mortality was 17% (3/18). There were nine (50%) non-fatal complications including local wound infection (n = 3), lower extremity deep venous thrombosis (n = 2), amputation (n = 2), and renal failure requiring hemodialysis (n = 2). The average length of their hospital stay was 16.4 ± 7 days. During a mean follow-up period of 8.3 months, reoperation for allograft revision was necessary in one patient due to graft thrombosis. The overall treatment mortality rate was 22% (4/18). Conclusion: In situ aortic reconstruction with cryopreserved allografts is an acceptable treatment modality in patients with infected aortic prosthetic graft or mycotic aneurysms. Our study showed that mid-term graft-related complications such as reinfection or aneurysmal degeneration remained uncommon.


New structural potentials related to the processes of globalisation and European integration have produced far-reaching changes in the structure of opposition in the French party system. Whereas the newly designed institutions of the Fifth Republic progressively brought about a 'bipolar multipartism' in the first two decades of their existence, the rising prominence of new cultural conflicts and of the issue of European integration have led to an increasing disunity of the parties within the left and right, to the emergence of the Front National as a powerful new actor, as well as to a general process of party system fragmentation. On the basis of four electoral campaigns between 1978 and 2002, this article analyses the transformation of the ideological dimensions underlying party competition and the positions of parties within this space, and assesses the implications for the electoral success of parties and for the general make-up of the party system.


Inheritance of fruit-related traits was studied in a population generated by crossing two heirloom pepper ( Capsicum annuum ) cultivars, Round of Hungary and Bulgarian carrot. Inheritance of corrugated pericarp phenotype of 'Round of Hungary' behaved as a recessive trait controlled by two genes while round fruit shape behaved as a single gene. Pungent cultivar Bulgarian carrot had significantly higher total soluble solids, titratable acidity, antioxidant activities, and significantly thinner pericarp than fruit of Round of Hungary. Pericarp thickness was related to differences in both cell number and cell size. Analyses of F 2 fruit indicated that fruit weight was positively correlated ( P < 0.01) to fruit width and pericarp thickness. Fruit width was negatively correlated ( P < 0.01) to fruit length and total soluble solids and positively correlated ( P < 0.01) to pericarp thickness. Yellow color was negatively correlated ( P < 0.05) to total soluble solids. Fruit length showed high inbreeding depression and transgressive segregation. Color measurements showed that yellow was correlated to lightness, and the relationships between red and yellow color spaces and carotenoid composition were complex.


For archaeologists, it is often desirable to present statues in their original material and coloration. With projection mapping, real-world surfaces are augmented by digital content to create compelling alterations of the scene's visual appearance without actually altering or even damaging the object. While there are frequent advances in projection quality, content creation is still a challenging and often unintuitive task, especially for non-experts. In our system, we combine the advantages of digital content creation, such as rapid prototyping, with the convenience of an analog workflow. Users paint on smaller versions of the projection mapping target, employing real-world brushes and pencils, while the results are presented live on its large counterpart. We further demonstrate the integration of our system into a state-of-art game engine. By leveraging a powerful rendering and material workflow, we make creating compelling materials and lighting situations an intuitive experience.


Spatial networks are networks for which the nodes and edges are constrained by geometry and embedded in real space, which has crucial effects on their topolog-ical properties. Although tremendous success has been achieved in spatial and network representation separately in recent years, there exist very little works on the representation of spatial networks. Extracting powerful representations from spatial networks requires the development of appropriate tools to uncover the pairing of both spatial and network information in the appearance of node permutation invariant, and rotation and translation invariant. Hence it can not be modeled merely with either spatial or network models individually. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a generic framework for spatial network representation learning. Specifically, a provably information-lossless and rotation-translation invariant representation of spatial information on networks is presented. Then a higher-order spatial network convolution operation that adapts to our proposed representation is introduced. To ensure efficiency, we also propose a new approach that relied on sampling random spanning trees to reduce the time and space complexity from O ( N 3 ) to O ( N ) . We demonstrate the strength of our proposed framework through extensive experiments on both synthetic and real-world datasets. The code for the proposed model is available at https://github.com/rollingstonezz/SGMP_code .


Highway construction efficiency is critical to highway users such as the trucking industry given today's era of shortages in funding, and given the need for major re-investments in the highway system. One topic that can add to project costs relates to delays and how contractors are reimbursed for such delays. Delays are common in construction, especially in complex heavy highway and other infrastructure projects, and the claims they generate have negative effects on project schedules and costs. In spite of this, the analysis of claims is hindered due to the variety of methods and analysis techniques in use and lack of standardization in the incorporation of delay claim analysis methods in construction contracts. This paper reviews different methods for delay claim analysis and outlines their advantages and disadvantages. A case study of a bridge project is used to demonstrate the potential for manipulation by using different methods for the same delay case. The analysis shows clearly that a standardized process for delay claim analysis would improve highway construction contracting. Research needs to create a standardized process are outlined.


Fouling properties of materials such as polyethylene glycol (PEG) have been extensively studied over the past decades. Traditionally, the factors believed to result in protein adsorption resistance have included i) steric exclusion arising from the compression of longer chains and ii) grafting density contribution which may provide shielding from the underlying material. Recent studies have suggested that PEG interaction with water may also play a role in its ability to resist protein adsorption suggesting that steric exclusion may not be the only mechanism occurring during PEG/protein interactions. Star-shaped PEG polymers have been utilized in protein adsorption studies due to their high PEG segment concentration, which allows to increase the PEG chain grafting density compared to that achieved with linear PEG chains. Most studies that have investigated the interactions of tethered linear and star-shaped PEG layers with proteins have considered linear PEG molecules with molecular weights several orders of magnitude smaller than those considered for star-shaped PEG molecules (i.e. 10 000 g/mol vs. 200 000 g/mol, respectively). Additionally, the star-shaped PEG molecules which have been considered in the literature had up to ~70 arms and were therefore modeled by hardsphere like structures and low chain densities near the surface due to steric hindrance. This resulted in some difficulties to achieve grafted PEG chain overlap for star molecules. Here, triethoxysilane end-functionalized linear PEG molecules have been synthesized and utilized to form star-shaped PEG derivatives based on ethoxy hydrolysis and condensation reactions. This resulted in PEG stars with up to ~4 arms, which were found to result in grafted star-shaped PEG chains with significant chain overlap. Linear PEG derivatives were synthesized so that their molecular weight would match the overall molecular weight of the star-shaped PEG molecules. These 2 PEG molecular architectures were covalently self-assembled to hydroxylated silicon wafers and the thickness, grafting density, and conformation of these films were studied. The adsorption of human albumin (serum protein) on linear and star-shaped PEG films was compared to that obtained on control samples, i.e. uncoated silicon wafers. Both film architectures were found to significantly lower albumin adsorption. Figure 1 represents a schematic of linear and star-shaped PEG molecular coatings with matching molecular weight and covalently self-assembled to a given surface.


Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO) and related compounds are considered as promising candidates for future all-solid-state Li-ion battery applications. Still, the processing of those materials into thin membranes with the right stoichiometry and crystal structure is difficult and laborious. The sensitivity of the Li-ion conductive garnets against moisture and the associated Li+/H+ cation exchange makes their processing even more difficult. Formulation of suitable polymer/ceramic hybrid solid state electrolytes could be a prosperous way to reach the future large scale production of solid state Li-ion batteries. In fact, solvent mediated and/or slurry based wet-processing of the LLZO, e.g., tape-casting, could result in irreversible Li-ion loss of the pristine material due to Li+/H+ cation exchange. The concomitant structural changes and loss in functionality in terms of Li-ion conductivity are the results of the above process. Therefore, in the present work a systematic study on the chemical stability and structural retention of Al-substituted LLZO in different solvents is reported. It was found that Li+/H+ exchange in LLZO occurs upon solvent immersion, and its magnitude is dependent on the availability of -OH functional groups of the solvent molecules. As a result, a larger degree of Li+/H+ exchange causes higher increase of the lattice parameter of the LLZO, determined by synchrotron diffraction analyses. The expansion of the cubic unit cell was ascertained, when Li+ was replaced by H+ in the host lattice, by ab initio computational studies. The application of the most common solvent as dispersion medium, i.e., high purity water, causes the most significant Li+/H+ exchange and, therefore, structural change, while acetonitrile was proven to be the best suitable solvent for wet postprocessing of LLZO. Finally, computational calculations suggested that the Li+/H+ exchange could result in diminished ionic, i.e., mixed Li+-H+, conductivity due to the insertion of protons with lower mobility than that of Li-ions.


Diogenes' barrel
Is low-tech timeless? How high is "high" and how low is "low"? Is low-tech the next, higher level in the development of high-tech? This article is an introduction to the world of low-tech. "High-tech seems to be a self-corroborating superlative which needs no justification. Isn't perfecting technology an obvious consequence of the development of mankind, and actually of its natural evolution?
And then, isn't contradicting this thesis a dangerous heresy, a crime, or an absurd at best? This reminds me of Orwell's 1984, where a new language is created in which it is impossible to express ideas other than those propagated by the state. There are however those who have undermined the dogma of technological progress as the only value and measure of civilisation. They are believers in low-tech. Are they charlatans, loonies, and terrorists... or maybe they have something to say? What are they saying? It's strange. Another paradox: they are not saying anything different than the highest priests of high-tech. We hear words like sustainability, freedom, creativity from both sides... Some of them, however, will say that it's a computer that gives you freedom; others will claim that it's all about liberation from machines. Some will say that new software will make creativity even easier; others will opt for directness without excessive quantities of tools. Some will claim that their contact with the world is ensured by a cell phone; others will say that when you chuck it, you'll find friends. Who is right? Relativists are bound to say: 'everyone is right because everyone has different needs.' Let us not, however, go for the easiest solution available. Let's try to understand the phenomenon of low-tech."


Gap junction (GJ) channels provide an important pathway for direct intercellular transmission of signaling molecules. Previously we showed that fixed negative charges in the first extracellular loop domain (E1) strongly influence charge selectivity, conductance, and rectification of channels and hemichannels formed of Cx46. Here, using excised patches containing Cx46 hemichannels, we applied the substituted cysteine accessibility method (SCAM) at the single channel level to residues in E1 to determine if they are pore-lining. We demonstrate residues D51, G46, and E43 at the amino end of E1 are accessible to modification in open hemichannels to positively and negatively charged methanethiosulfonate (MTS) reagents added to cytoplasmic or extracellular sides. Positional effects of modification along the length of the pore and opposing effects of oppositely charged modifying reagents on hemichannel conductance and rectification are consistent with placement in the channel pore and indicate a dominant electrostatic influence of the side chains of accessible residues on ion fluxes. Hemichannels modified by MTS-EA+, MTS-ET+, or MTS-ES− were refractory to further modification and effects of substitutions with positively charged residues that electrostatically mimicked those caused by modification with the positively charged MTS reagents were similar, indicating all six subunits were likely modified. The large reductions in conductance caused by MTS-ET+ were visible as stepwise reductions in single-channel current, indicative of reactions occurring at individual subunits. Extension of single-channel SCAM using MTS-ET+ into the first transmembrane domain, TM1, revealed continued accessibility at the extracellular end at A39 and L35. The topologically complementary region in TM3 showed no evidence of reactivity. Structural models show GJ channels in the extracellular gap to have continuous inner and outer walls of protein. If representative of open channels and hemichannels, these data indicate E1 as constituting a significant portion of this inner, pore-forming wall, and TM1 contributing as pore-lining in the extracellular portion of transmembrane span.


Activity-induced regulation of surface post-synaptic receptor number is a well-known mechanism
underlying synaptic plasticity, but the molecular machinery mediating this process is poorly
understood. In a screen of synaptotagmin (syt) isoforms, we found that pHluorin-syt3 undergoes
Ca2+-dependent endocytosis in hippocampal neurons upon stimulation. Syt3 was present at
synapses, and enriched on post-synaptic membranes. Recombinant syt3 pulled down the endocytic
protein AP-2 and GluA2, but not GluA1, GluN1, GluN2 or GABAAR1, and also pulled down
BRAG2, a protein important for activity-dependent internalization of AMPA receptors. Overexpression
or knockdown of syt3 post-synaptically did not change mEPSCs, and basal
transmission in hippocampal syt3 knockout slices was unchanged. However, syt3-overexpressing
neurons internalized more GluA1 and GluA2 than control neurons upon stimulation with AMPA
or NMDA. This internalization was blocked in syt3 KO, syt3 knockdown, and syt3 calciumbinding
mutant expressing neurons, and was mimicked by application of the GluA2-3Y peptide, a
tyrosine rich sequence important for activity-mediated GluA2-AMPAR internalization.
Strong LTP was normal in syt3 KO hippocampal slices, but weak LTP failed to decay and persisted
for hours, consistent with syt3 internalizing receptors, which is necessary for decay of weak LTP.
The reinforcement of weak LTP in syt3 KO slices was mimicked and occluded by the GluA2-3Y
peptide. ZIP (a peptide that blocks atypical PKCs leading to GluA2-AMPAR internalization and
decay of potentiation) failed to cause decay of synaptic potentiation in both strong and weak LTP
in syt3 KO hippocampal slices consistent with a defect in receptor internalization. LFS-LTD was
also abolished in syt3 KO slices. Syt3 KO mice learned as well as wild-type littermates in the
reference memory version of the water maze, but persevered to the original platform position more
than WT mice even 4 days after platform reversal. In addition, syt3 KO mice performed worse
than WT mice in the delayed matching to place task, and persevered to previous platform positions
more than WT, indicating a higher consolidation of working memory and/or an impairment in
forgetting.
In summary, we found that syt3 is involved in a post-synaptic 'forgetting' mechanism by which
receptors are internalized following stimulation to promote decay of synaptic potentiation.


Use of corrosion resistant cladding can greatly extend the design life of structural components in many advanced reactor systems. However, there are currently no ASME design rules for cladded components to guard against creep-fatigue failure and ratcheting strain accumulation in elevated temperature nuclear service. This paper, presented in two parts, addresses this gap by proposing a design strategy for cladded components that does not require long-term testing of clad materials. The proposed approach relies on approximate design analysis methods for two types of clad materials - a soft clad that creeps much faster than and has a lower yield stress than the Class A base material and a hard clad that creeps much slower than and has a higher yield stress than the Class A base material. This Part 1 discusses the approximate analysis strategies for the clad materials - treat a soft clad as perfectly compliant and a hard clad as linear elastic - and Part 2 develops a complete set of design rules for each of the two types of cladded components. Finite element analyses of representative high temperature reactor components show that the proposed design analysis methods can bound the design quantities in soft cladded components and approximate the design quantities in hard cladded components.


The precautionary principle is widely accepted in international law to guide decisions about proposed interventions. The principle is therefore relevant for interventions promoted as part of development cooperation. Disasters such the arsenic problem in Bangladesh and elsewhere in South and Southeast Asia demonstrate that development interventions are not always guided by the precautionary principle. In Bangladesh, well-intentioned efforts to address a specific problem ended up creating a new problem, i.e., the worst mass poisoning in human history. The arsenic problem in Bangladesh is an example of failures to appreciate and manage complex systems. Concentrating on rapid problem solving can be highly effective on the short run, but reliable sustainability depends on understanding the dynamics of complex and interrelated systems.


The Near East region extends from Turkey in the north to Somalia in the south and from Mauritania in the west to Afghanistan in the east. It is characterized by aridity and scarcity of water which explains its dependence on irrigation since ancestral times. The aim of this paper is to give a brief overview of the history of water management and irrigation developments in the region, based on remnants and bibliographical research, with a focus on ancient water management techniques and ingenious irrigated agriculture practices, including the use of non conventional water resources. The implications and impacts of these techniques on modern management of water resources and irrigated agriculture are also discussed.


The epigenetic regulation of expression of genes involved in the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) of drugs contributes to interindividual variability in drug response. Epigenetic mechanisms include DNA methylation, histone modifications, and miRNAs. This review systematically outlines the influence of DNA methylation on ADME gene expression and highlights the consequences for interindividual variability in drug response or drug‐induced toxicity and the implications for personalized medicine.


The Digital Optical Computing Program within the National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center for Optoelectronic Computing Systems has as its specific goal research on optical computing architectures suitable for use at the highest possible speeds. The program can be targeted toward exploiting the time domain because other programs in the Center are pursuing research on parallel optical systems, exploiting optical interconnection and optical devices and materials. Using a general purpose computing architecture as the focus, we are developing design techniques, tools and architectures for operation at the speed of light limit. Experimental work is being done with the somewhat low speed components currently available but with architectures which will scale up in speed as faster devices are developed. The design algorithms and tools developed for a general purpose, stored program computer are being applied to other systems such as optically controlled optical communications networks. _'Research was supported in part by the National Aeronautics mad Space Administration under NASA Contract No. NAS118605 while the author was in residence at the Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering (]CASE), NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA 23665, The research was also supported by the Optoeledronic Computing Systems Center which is funded in part by the National Science Foundation under the Engineering Research Centers program grant No. CDR 8622236 and by the Colorado Advanced Technology Institute (CATI), an agency of the State of Colorado. INTRODUCTION The Digital Optical Computing Program within the Optoelectronic Computing Systems Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder is centered around the design and construction of an "all-optical," general purpose, stored program, digital computer. It is "all-optical" in the sense that logic level components have only optical inputs and outputs, with all inter-component signals restricted to light. It is digital because this type of operation has proven successful in representing both arbitrary precision numbers and control information. The computer science term, stored program, means that instructions are stored as data to be manipulated by the computer itself. Thus it can "write its own programs" by, for example, running compilers. Finally, "general purpose" implies an instruction set which supports both the symbolic processing needed to manipulate programs as well as numeric computation. The design is bit serial to minimize the number of active optical devices. Fiber delay lines are used for storage because they are passive elements, suited for storing serial information. Waveguide switches using the electrooptic effect are used to do logic. The bit serial design uses bandwidth, or time domain capacity, to achieve processing power. Since terabits per second are possible in one optical channel, much complexity can be put into the time domain, making possible prot_ types with few components. T-o minimize active eiernents, we have adopted a simple but complete instruction set without floating point arithmetic. Instructions have one address with no complex addressing modes. A ca_-cfu|ly optimized design gives a complete computer using only a few tens of switches. Optical fibers form all memory and interconnecting components. There are no synchronizing elements such as flip flops, so all signal storage is in passive fiber delays. More important than demonstrating an optical computer is gaining more understanding of the use of the time domain in computer architecture and of time-space trade offs. Another goal is to transfer digital electronics knowledge to optics. There may be new ways to use optics which have no analogs in electronics, but it would be unwise to assume either a complete break with the extensive knowledge base in digital computing or to assume that it all transfers unchanged to optics. Prior work in optics which applies most directly to the current work is in communications and signal processing. Single and multi-mode optical fiber and connector systems have been developed and commercm_lized_]. Static directional couplers are available with specified power splitting ratios and can be used for fan-out or for combining noninteffering signals. Electrically switched directional couplers[2] have reached a reasonable degree of maturity, and are available from more than one source. They are used for modulation, multiplexing and demultiplexing[3] of optical communications signals. To get a component with all inputs and outputs optical, we add an a photodetector, amplifier and electrode driver to allow the switch to be optically controlled, The above devices are used as shown in Fig. 1 to provide an implementation domain for digital optical computing. It uses intensity encoding of bits and synchronous operation. A light pulse at a clock time is a logic one, and n61_ght represents a zero. The waveguide switch computes the multiplexer function shown. Interconnection is done with single mode fiber and fanoutb_yi3dB fiber couplers r which are also used to merge signals from two sources when only one source carries a signal at a time. Memory is-accomplished entirely by the propagation time of optical pulses in fiber. The delay schematic shown in the figure represents a coil of fiber of delay KA. Y C D =AC +BC E =BC +AC LiNbO 3 Waveguide Switch _]L _ _ _.rl_ .J_ -"4_ _.FI..FL as fanout 3 dB Coupler as wired OR @ K Fiber Delay Memory Schematic Figure 1: Fiber and Waveguide Switch Implementation Domain. For our purposes, an electro-optically switched directional coupler can be viewed as a controlled exchange element with two optical waveguide inputs, the signals on which can be copied directly or exchanged onto two optical waveguide outputs. The direct, "bar," state or exchange, "cross," state are under the control of an electrical potential. Its physical properties can be summarized at the systems level by loss and crosstalk from inputs to outputs in both states. Loss can be kept under 5dB and crosstalk less than -20 dB. Optical fiber has an index of refraction of about 1.5, which implies a distance-time correspondence of 20 era/nanosecond. At a wavelength of 1300 nanometers, losses of a few tenths of a dB/km are achievable with low chromatic dispersion. Standard connector technology yields 1/2 dB or less loss per connection. See, for example, Cherin[4]. The photodetector and electronics encapsulated in the logic component limit its speed, so the impact of this limit on our work must be assessed. Our emphasis is on architecture, so the question is whether useful concepts and techniques can be developed in spite of the limitation. Logic is done entirely by the waveguide switches, and any other logically complete optical component can be used with little impact on the system. As far as interconnections and delays are concerned, the clock frequency can be increased simply by scaling down all fiber lengths. This is the essence of the concept of a speed scalable architecture. At the architectural level, all physical time constants other than the speed of light are encapsulated in the switching component. The speed of a system with a speed scalable architecture can be increased by replacing the logic element with one m times as fast and scaling down all fiber lengths by a factor of m. The architecture remains unchanged.


From the Publisher:
CodeGuru.com, an Internet.com site, is the key source of beginner to advanced Visual C++ information for top professional developers. Members visit the site to find and to leave posts about the most challenging tasks Visual C++ developers run into in practice. In addition, members have access to vast archives of technical articles and industry commentary from leading programmers in the market today. As a service to CodeGuru.com members and the programming public, this book has been pulled together from the top-rated articles and postings to provide easy-to-use and -reference code, commentary and quick fixes. Coverage includes both Visual C++ 6 and .NET, as most programmers are still using the older version of the language for day-to-day work, as well as topics like user interface design, COM, controls, database programming, graphics, DLL, plus much more. The CD-ROM is a valuable resource tool for developers to find the code they need and copy it into their applications, all royalty-free.


Melt Spun Piezoelectric Textile Fibres
- an Experimental Study
ANJA LUND
Department of Materials and Manufacturing Technology
Chalmers University of Technology
ABSTRACT
The manufacturing and characterisation of piezoelectric textile fibres are described in this thesis. A piezoelectric material is one that generates an electric voltage when deformed, a property which exists in a number of materials. The polymer with the strongest known piezoelectric effect today is poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), however it must be processed under certain conditions to become piezoelectric.
This study shows that piezoelectric bicomponent PVDF-based fibres can be produced by melt spinning, which is a common and relatively simple fibre spinning method. The melt spinning process must include cold drawing, as this introduces a polar crystalline structure in the polymer. The fibres must also be electroded, which is done by producing bicomponent fibres with a core-and-sheath structure. The core is electrically conductive and constitutes an inner electrode consisting of a carbon black/polymer compound, whereas the sheath is PVDF and constitutes the piezoelectric component.
Being sensitive to both deformation and temperature changes, these fibres are anticipated to be useful in a number of sensor applications. The flexibility and small size of the fibres makes it possible to include them as miniature-sensors in structures or garment without affecting the shape or comfort.


In this study, Alpine-type (ophiolite hosted) podiform chromitites from the lherzolite dominant mantle sequence of the Andaman ophiolite, India are described. The mantle host rocks for the chromitite pods show features of melt-mantle interaction. The chromites of the podiform chromitites have high-Cr# (= Cr/[Cr + Al] atomic ratio) ranging between 0.69 and 0.75 and high-Mg# (= Mg/[Mg + Fe2+] atomic ratio) ranging between 0.58 and 0.72. Geochemically, the chromites of these high-Cr chromitites have an arc-spinel trend and suggest a supra-subduction zone setting. Contrarily, the low-Cr chromitites (reported elsewhere) show MORB-spinel trend. Parent melt composition is assessed on the basis of liquidus chromite compositions using various methods. The deduced composition shows that the melt parental to the high-Cr chromitite of the Andaman ophiolite had 12--13 wt.% Al2O3 and 0.2--0.5 wt.% TiO2 whereas the same for the low-Cr chromitites had ~ 16 wt.% Al2O3 and 0.5-0.9 wt.% TiO2. A correlation of the deduced parent melt compositions with the volcanic rocks of the Andaman ophiolite suggests a close affinity with the East Coast volcanics (south-Andaman) for the high-Cr chromitites. Contrarily, a similar correlation for the low-Cr chromitites is not so certain.


Large-scale storage systems employ erasure-coding redundancy schemes to protect against device failures. The adverse effect of latent sector errors on the Mean Time to Data Loss (MTTDL) and the Expected Annual Fraction of Data Loss (EAFDL) reliability metrics is evaluated. A theoretical model capturing the effect of latent errors and device failures is developed, and closed-form expressions for the metrics of interest are derived. The MTTDL and EAFDL of erasure-coded systems are obtained analytically for (i) the entire range of bit error rates; (ii) the symmetric, clustered, and declustered data placement schemes; and (iii) arbitrary device failure and rebuild time distributions under network rebuild bandwidth constraints. The range of error rates that deteriorate system reliability is derived analytically. For realistic values of sector error rates, the results obtained demonstrate that MTTDL degrades, whereas, for moderate erasure codes, EAFDL remains practically unaffected. It is demonstrated that, in the range of typical sector error rates and for very powerful erasure codes, EAFDL degrades as well. It is also shown that the declustered data placement scheme offers superior reliability.


Background Chronic musculoskeletal pain is a common problem. Pharmacological approaches are often ineffective and there are concerns about side effects or dependence. Non-pharmacological interventions may enable patients to manage their condition better but there is limited evidence for their effectiveness. We evaluated a novel, theoretically grounded self-management support intervention for chronic musculoskeletal pain. Methods COPERS is an evidence-based, group intervention consisting of 24 components delivered over three days with a top up two weeks later. The course is informed by cognitive behaviour therapy and aims to increase self-efficacy to manage chronic pain. It is facilitated by a health care professional and a lay individual. We conducted a pragmatic, multi-centre, individual patient randomised controlled trial comparing COPERS with usual care and a relaxation CD. Participants were recruited from primary care or physiotherapy services in east London and the Midlands and randomised to intervention or control (allocation ratio 1.33:1) using varied permuted blocks and strict allocation concealment. We collected follow up data at six and 12 months. Our primary outcome was pain related disability (Chronic Pain Grade, CPG, subscale) at 12 months. We also measured: costs, health utility (EQ-5D), anxiety, depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, HADS), coping, pain acceptance and social integration. Results We recruited 703 participants, mean age 59.9 years, 81% white, 67% female, 23% in employment; 85% with pain for at least three years, 23% on strong opioids. Symptoms of depression and anxiety were common (mean HADS scores 7.4 [SD 4.1] and 9.2 [4.6], respectively). Overall intervention participants received 85% of course content. At 12 months there was no significant difference between treatment groups in CPG disability (difference -1.0, intervention vs. control, 95% CI -4.9 to 3.0). However self-efficacy, anxiety, depression, pain acceptance and social integration were significantly better in the intervention group at six months and these differences remained significant at 12 months for depression and social integration. COPERS has a high probability (>79%) of being cost-effective compared to usual care at a threshold of £30,000 per quality adjusted life year. Conclusion COPERS improved psychological wellbeing, and is likely to be cost effective by current NICE criteria but failed to influence our primary outcome of pain related disability. In the absence of more effective group self-management interventions, COPERS could be used as a substitute for less well evidenced (and more expensive) pain self-management programmes. However, effective interventions to improve hard outcomes, such as disability, in chronic pain patients are still required. Acknowledgement This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) under its Programme Grants for Applied Research scheme (RP-PG-0707–10189). This project also benefited from facilities funded through the Birmingham Science City Translational Medicine Clinical Research and Infrastructure Trials Platform, with support from Advantage West Midlands.


In this paper we study different options for the survivability implementation in MPLS over optical transport networks (OTN) in terms of network resource usage and configuration cost. We investigate two approaches to the survivability deployment: single layer and multilayer survivability and present various methods for spare capacity allocation (SCA) to reroute disrupted traffic. The comparative analysis shows the influence of the offered traffic granularity and the physical network structure on the survivability cost: for high bandwidth LSPs, close to the optical channel capacity, the multilayer survivability outperforms the single layer one, whereas for low bandwidth LSPs the single layer survivability is more cost-efficient. On the other hand, sparse networks of low connectivity parameter use more wavelengths for optical path routing and increase the configuration cost, as compared with dense networks. We demonstrate that by mapping efficiently the spare capacity of the MPLS layer onto the resources of the optical layer one can achieve up to 22% savings in the total configuration cost and up to 37% in the optical layer cost. Further savings (up to 9 %) in the wavelength use can be obtained with the integrated approach to network configuration over the sequential one, however, at the increase in the optimization problem complexity. These results are based on a cost model with different cost variations, and were obtained for networks targeted to a nationwide coverage


Currently, we see a variety of tools and techniques for specifying and implementing business processes. The problem is that there are still gaps and tensions between the different disciplines needed to improve business process execution and improvement in enterprises. Business process modeling, workflow execution and application programming are examples of disciplines that are hosted by different communities and that emerged separately from each other. In particular, concepts have not yet been fully elaborated at the system analysis level. Therefore, practitioners are faced again and again with similar questions in concrete business process projects: Which decomposition mechanism to use? How to find the correct granularity for business process activities? Which implementing technology is the optimal one in a given situation? This work offers an approach to the systematization of the field. The methodology used is explicitly not a comparative analysis of existing tools and techniques although a review of existing tools is an essential basis for the considerations in the book. Rather, the book tries to provide a landscape of rationales and concepts in business processes with a discussion of alternatives.


Ecosystems often undergo abrupt regime shifts in response to gradual external changes. These shifts are theoretically understood as a regime switch between alternative stable states of the ecosystem dynamical response to smooth changes in external conditions. Usual models introduce nonlinearities in the macroscopic dynamics of the ecosystem that lead to different stable attractors among which the shift takes place. Here we propose an alternative explanation of catastrophic regime shifts based on a recent model that pictures ecological communities as systems in continuous fluctuation, according to certain transition probabilities, between different micro-states in the phase space of viable communities. We introduce a spontaneous extinction rate that accounts for gradual changes in external conditions, and upon variations on this control parameter the system undergoes a regime shift with similar features to those previously reported. Under our microscopic viewpoint we recover the main results obtained in previous theoretical and empirical work (anomalous variance, hysteresis cycles, trophic cascades). The model predicts a gradual loss of species in trophic levels from bottom to top near the transition. But more importantly, the spectral analysis of the transition probability matrix allows us to rigorously establish that we are observing the fingerprints, in a finite size system, of a true phase transition driven by background extinctions.


So-called "extended techniques" have suffered a consistent lack of understanding from a theoretical, historical and practical point of view. Although most of them – e.g. playing directly on the strings, cluster- and glissando-techniques – exist in a substantial part of the repertoire for the piano and have done so for more than a couple of centuries now, the use of the techniques on stage still sparks off negative reactions by audiences, composers, performers and tuners as well as owners of pianos. Any one-sided approach towards appreciation has proven to be inadequate: academic analyses do not succeed in handling the matter satisfactorily, endeavors by musicians to teach and advise on the "proper" use of the techniques have come short of applying an in-depth and a historically informed perspective. A comprehensive and exhaustive survey of the extended techniques as a whole can serve to alleviate the risk that the relevant repertoire sinks into oblivion, contributing to a reassessment of the subject, in turn benefitting contemporary professional performance practice, concert programming, composers' interest and musical as well as music-historical education. The subject and its related terminology are scrutinized and (re)defined where necessary. The acoustical properties of the techniques are explained from the perspective of the performer to ensure proper insight in the way they produce sound. Over 16.000 compositions have been considered to write the history of improper piano playing, comparing manuscripts with first and subsequent editions of solo as well as chamber and concerto music, original compositions as well as transcriptions, from the "classical" as well as the "entertainment" sector. Original preparations collected by John Cage were tracked down and described in minute detail so that alternatives can be considered on the basis of professional information. Historical recordings as well as personal experiences and interviews with composers are used to pinpoint historical performance practices. To help the pianist prepare for concerts with the relevant repertoire, measurements of the internal layout of the most common grand pianos are listed in order to anticipate possible problems in advance.


To what extent does Russia face the threat of Islamic radicalization? This article provides an assessment of the nature and severity of the threat and its changing dynamics from the Yeltsin to the Putin periods in post-Soviet Russia. It argues that, contrary to many accounts, the threat was at its greatest during the late 1990s and in the Yeltsin period. Moreover, the Putin administration adopted a series of policies that have had some significant successes in stemming the flow of Islamic radicalism within Russia. This has involved a policy mix, including repression and coercion, most notably in the military campaign in Chechnya; diplomatic efforts in the Middle East and broader Muslim world to improve Russia's image; pro-active domestic policies to co-opt and support moderate Russian Muslim leaders and their communities; and attempts to construct a national identity and ideology which supports the multi-confessional and multinational nature of the Russian state and recognizes the Muslim contribution to Russian statehood and nationality. Although these policies have had their successes, there are also significant limitations, the most notable of which is the failure to address the problems of poor governance in the North Caucasus, which has sustained the Islamist insurgency in the region. The failure to develop an intermediary Muslim civil society in Russia more generally also contributes to the continuing appeal of Islamist radicalism, particularly among younger Russian Muslims.


Key concepts This innovation has been developed and led by a palliative care education centre supported by two hospices. It illustrates how hospices can lead, innovate and influence the quality and strategic direction of end of life care (eolc) within their community. The key to this is a passion to lead and work collaboratively with multiple care settings and staff groups. The strategic engagement of the eolc commissioner has been instrumental to its success. Background Achieving quality eolc across a myriad of care settings in which disparate groups of professionals work and where the culture of care is varied and inconsistent, represents an enormous challenge. In response to this challenge a new model of service has been developed to facilitate end of life care in a co-ordinated and unified way across Central and Eastern Cheshire. Aims and outcomes The structure of this model enables sharing of best practice and innovations across professional and organisational boundaries to promote a whole systems approach. The approaches and ethos of this model are improving the experiences of patients, families and care workers with evidence that care is becoming better co-ordinated. Through this, obstacles and barriers within the patient pathway are being identified and overcome. Care sectors are encouraged to share good ideas and best practice with communication between professional groups and different organisations becoming more streamlined. The model is led by two Macmillan eolc post holders and three co-leaders who work across care sectors. The team, within the model, engage directly with champion groups from a variety of care settings who are made up of different professionals caring for patients and families. They are inspired and developed by the model team to change and enhance their practice in ways that enable patients and families to live and die where they prefer with dignity.


The treatment of landfill leachate in constructed wetland systems is a common practice in Europe. However, very few studies were made to evaluate their performance over a long period of time. A free surface constructed wetland system consisting of sediment traps followed by 10 ponds connected with overflows was built at Atleverket near Orebro, Sweden in 2001. It receives pre-treated leachate from the municipal landfill. As part of the wetland monitoring programme a large data set on the surface concentrations of 15 metals and 2 metalloids has been collected from different sampling sites within the wetland during the operation period. In this study, the data from inlet and outlet of the wetland were compiled and analysed. The aim of this paper is therefore to estimate the removal efficiency of metals and metalloids using data on concentrations and flow and investigate the effect of wetland age on removal pattern. The elements with the highest removal efficiency were Al, As, Ba, Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, V and Zn ranging from 95% for Pb to 65 % for Ca. The elements with the lowest reduction were B, Co K, Mg, Ni and S ranging from Co 56 % to 40 % for S. It was found that the removal efficiency was not related to inlet concentrations of the elements as the elements with high and low inlet concentrations were found in both groups. Analysis of reduction pattern also revealed that the group with higher removal efficiency showed fairly constant outlet concentrations during the study period, while the elements with lower removal efficiency demonstrated variable outlet concentrations. No statistical difference in removal due to age of the wetland was found. The study results showed that the wetland system has high removal efficiency of metals and metalloids and the removal pattern is not affected by age of the wetland. The influence on reduction due to leachate characteristics, wetland design and retention time will be discussed.


Ruth A. Miller excavates a centuries-old history of nonhuman and nonbiological constitutional engagement and outlines a robust mechanical democracy that challenges existing theories of liberal and human political participation. Drawing on an eclectic set of legal, political, and automotive texts from France, Turkey, and the United States, she proposes a radical mechanical rearticulation of three of the most basic principles of democracy: vitality, mobility, and liberty. Rather than defending a grand theory of materialist or posthumanist politics, or addressing abstract concepts or "things" writ large, Miller invites readers into a self-contained history of constitutionalism situated in a focused discussion of automobile traffic congestion in Paris, Istanbul, and Boston. Within the mechanical public sphere created by automotive space, Snarl finds a model of democratic politics that transforms our most fundamental assumptions about the nature, and constitutional potential, of life, movement, and freedom.


Using the CARIBIC Boeing 767 aircraft, a suite of trace gases and aerosols was measured between Germany and the Maldives in June 2000 at altitudes between 9.4 and 10 km. In the extratropics, the flight track was located in the tropopause region. A large variability of trace gases and ultrafine aerosol concentrations was observed while the aircraft intercepted air masses from the upper troposphere and the lowermost stratosphere, as well as outflow of deep convection. The correlations of alkanes (C2-C5) observed in the nonconvective areas point to relatively rapid mixing across the tropopause within about a day. Unusually high mixing ratios of short-lived alkanes (C4-C6) in the convective areas indicate rapid transport of boundary layer air masses to cruising altitude. Using the ratios of the mixing ratios of alkanes (C3-C5) observed in the convective and nonconvective areas, we estimate the age of air masses in the tropopause region to be 24(±6) days for this event. This timescale is similar to that of vertical transport within the troposphere. Altogether our observations provide further evidence that the extratropical tropopause is often not a very effective mixing barrier.


Summary. Previous surveys conducted in commercial nurseries found that different wood fungi, namely Cylindrocarpon spp., Botryosphaeriaceae, Phomopsis viticola and Phaeomoniella chlamydospora infect grapevine cuttings. Two fi eld trials were carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of cyprodinil + fl udioxonil, pyraclostrobin + metiram, fl udioxonil and cyprodinil to prevent or reduce natural infections caused by such fungi. Rootstock and scion cuttings were soaked in fungicidal suspensions for 50 min prior to grafting. After callusing, the grafted cuttings were planted in two commercial fi eld nurseries with and without a previous history of grapevine cultivation. After nine months in the nursery, the plants were uprooted and analysed for the incidence and severity of the wood fungi. Plants uprooted from the fi eld without a previous history of grapevine cultivation were generally less strongly infected by wood fungi. Under this condition, only the mixture cyprodinil + fl udioxonil simultaneously reduced the incidence of Cylindrocarpon and Botryosphaeriaceae fungi, as well as the severity of Cylindrocarpon infections. Treatments did not produce signifi cant differences in the incidence and severity of P. viticola, and Pa. chlamydospora. For plants grown in the fi eld with a grapevine history, all fungicides except cyprodinil signifi cantly reduced the incidence and severity of Cylindrocarpon fungi. Also, the incidence and severity of Botryosphaeriaceae pathogens were signifi cantly decreased both by cyprodinil + fl udioxonil and by cyprodinil. No signifi cant differences were noticed for P. viticola incidence and severity, and Pa. chlamydospora was not detected again. These results suggest that the practice of soaking grapevine cuttings in selected fungicides prior to grafting signifi cantly reduces Cylindrocarpon spp. and Botryosphaeriaceae infections, thus improving the quality of planting material.


The fabrication of lightweight, ultra-thin, low power and intelligent body-borne sensors leads to novel advances in wireless body area networks (WBANs). Depending on the placement of the nodes, it is characterized as in/on body WBAN; thus, the channel is largely affected by body posture, clothing, muscle movement, body temperature and climatic conditions. The energy resources are limited and it is not feasible to replace the sensor's battery frequently. In order to keep the sensor in working condition, the channel resources should be reserved. The lifetime of the sensor is very crucial and it highly depends on transmission among sensor nodes and energy consumption. The reliability and energy efficiency in WBAN applications play a vital role. In this paper, the analytical expressions for energy efficiency (EE) and packet error rate (PER) are formulated for two-way relay cooperative communication. The results depict better reliability and efficiency compared to direct and one-way relay communication. The effective performance range of direct vs. cooperative communication is separated by a threshold distance. Based on EE calculations, an optimal packet size is observed that provides maximum efficiency over a certain link length. A smart and energy efficient system is articulated that utilizes all three communication modes, namely direct, one-way relay and two-way relay, as the direct link performs better for a certain range, but the cooperative communication gives better results for increased distance in terms of EE. The efficacy of the proposed hybrid scheme is also demonstrated over a practical quasi-static channel. Furthermore, link length extension and diversity is achieved by joint network-channel (JNC) coding the cooperative link.


An understanding of chemical bonding and electronic structure in sulfide minerals is central to any attempt at understanding their crystal structures, stabilities and physical properties. It is also an essential precursor to understanding reactivity through modeling surface structure at the molecular scale. In recent decades, there have been remarkable advances in first principles ( ab initio ) methods for the quantitative calculation of electronic structure. These advances have been made possible by the very rapid development of high performance computers. Several review volumes that chart the applications of these developments in mineralogy and geochemistry are available (Tossell and Vaughan 1992; Cygan and Kubicki 2001).

An important feature of the sulfide minerals is the diversity of their electronic structures, as evidenced by their electrical and magnetic properties (see Pearce et al. 2006, this volume). Thus, sulfide minerals range from insulators through semiconductors to metals, and exhibit every type of magnetic behavior. This has presented problems for those attempting to develop bonding models for sulfides, and also led to certain misconceptions regarding the kinds of models that may be appropriate.

In this chapter, chemical bonding and electronic structure models for sulfides are reviewed with emphasis on more recent developments. Although the fully ab initio quantitative methods are now capable of a remarkable degree of sophistication in terms of agreement with experiment and potential to interpret and predict behavior with varying conditions, both qualitative and more simplistic quantitative approaches will also be briefly discussed. This is because we believe that the insights which they provide are still helpful to those studying sulfide minerals. In addition to the application of electronic structure models and calculations to solid sulfides, work on sulfide mineral surfaces (Rosso and Vaughan 2006a,b) and solution complexes and clusters (Rickard and Luther 2006) are discussed in detail later …


In the Bayer process, the reaction of silica in bauxite with caustic soda causes the loss of great amount of NaOH. In this research, the bound-soda losses in Bayer process solid residue (red mud) are predicted using intelligent techniques. This method, based on the application of regression and artificial neural networks (AAN), has been used to predict red mud bound-soda losses in Iran Alumina Company. Multilayer perceptron (MLP), radial basis function (RBF) networks and multiple linear regressions (MLR) were applied. The results of three methodologies were compared for their predictive capabilities in terms of the correlation coefficient (R), mean square error (MSE) and the absolute average deviation (AAD) based on the experimental data set. The optimum MLP network was obtained with structure of two hidden layer including 13 and 15 neurons in each layer respectively. The results showed that the RBF model with 0.117, 5.909 and 0.82 in MSE, AAD and R, respectively, is extremely accurate in prediction as compared with MLP and MLR.


Our analysis melds two traditional approaches to promoting quality. The first is restoring the stock of quality. The second is curbing its flow of deterioration. Although both approaches are widely used in real world settings, analytic models have tended to focus on one strategy or the other. We consider a class of problems, which we call SFQ' problems, in which both stocks and flows can be controlled to promote quality. We develop our results in the context of environmental quality, drawing on real-world examples from atomic wastes to zebra mussels. But the lessons are general, and we show how they apply to promoting the quality of both physical and human capital. We first study optimal policies in the limiting cases when only abatement or restoration is possible. We then focus on the full SFQ world, where both approaches can be used. We show that the optimal policy employs both instruments. Moreover, when combined optimally, neither strategy takes the form it would in the absence of the other.


In exploratory tensor mining, a common problem is how to analyze a set of variables across a set of subjects whose observations do not align naturally. For example, when modeling medical features across a set of patients, the number and duration of treatments may vary widely in time, meaning there is no meaningful way to align their clinical records across time points for analysis purposes. To handle such data, the state-of-the-art tensor model is the so-called PARAFAC2, which yields interpretable and robust output and can naturally handle sparse data. However, its main limitation up to now has been the lack of efficient algorithms that can handle large-scale datasets. In this work, we fill this gap by developing a scalable method to compute the PARAFAC2 decomposition of large and sparse datasets, called SPARTan. Our method exploits special structure within PARAFAC2, leading to a novel algorithmic reformulation that is both faster (in absolute time) and more memory-efficient than prior work. We evaluate SPARTan on both synthetic and real datasets, showing 22X performance gains over the best previous implementation and also handling larger problem instances for which the baseline fails. Furthermore, we are able to apply SPARTan to the mining of temporally-evolving phenotypes on data taken from real and medically complex pediatric patients. The clinical meaningfulness of the phenotypes identified in this process, as well as their temporal evolution over time for several patients, have been endorsed by clinical experts.


Abstract Since the Barcelona Conference (1995), the EMP represents an attempt of the EU to re-launch its global Mediterranean policy towards the twelve Mediterranean Partnership Countries (MPCs). Besides improving the limited results of the Mediterranean agreements concluded in the 1970s, the renewed effort is aimed at counterbalancing EU engagement in East European recovery and integration. The broad aims of the Barcelona Process are to promote political stability in this turbulent area, establish a free-trade area by 2010 and promote social and cultural interactions. These, in turn, imply a number of themes, common to all the agreements with MPCs: the institutionalisation of political dialogue and programmes for improving the respect for human rights and democracy; economic cooperation in a wide range of sectors; the definition of provisions relating to intellectual property, services, public procurement, competition rules, state aids and monopolies; and cooperation relating to social affairs and migration. The prime instruments for achieving these objectives are the Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreements (EMAAs) and a financial support programme (MEDA). The aims of this study are to provide a broad assessment of the EMAAs and to identify key issues for analysis relating to the EMAAs, with particular reference to the agricultural sector. Much research has been done on the impact of the EMAAs, by institutes participating in ENARPRI, as well as by other research networks (FEMISE and MDF) and individual institutes. This paper combines the insights of these studies with current economic and trade data related to the implementation of EMAAs and agriculture.


SK channels are Ca2+-activated K+ channels that underlie after hyperpolarizing (AHP) currents and contribute to the shaping of the firing patterns and regulation of Ca2+ influx in a variety of neurons. The elucidation of SK channel function has recently benefited from the discovery of SK channel enhancers, the prototype of which is 1-EBIO. 1-EBIO exerts profound effects on neuronal excitability but displays a low potency and limited selectivity. This study reports the effects of DCEBIO, an intermediate conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channel modulator, and the effects of the recently identified potent SK channel enhancer NS309 on recombinant SK2 channels, neuronal apamin-sensitive AHP currents, and the excitability of CA1 neurons. NS309 and DCEBIO increased the amplitude and duration of the apamin-sensitive afterhyperpolarizing current without affecting the slow afterhyperpolarizing current in contrast to 1-EBIO. The potentiation by DCEBIO and NS309 was reversed by SK channel blockers. In current clamp experiments, NS309 enhanced the medium afterhyperpolarization (but not the slow afterhyperpolarization sAHP) and profoundly affected excitability by facilitating spike frequency adaptation in a frequency-independent manner. The potent and specific effect of NS309 on the excitability of CA1 pyramidal neurons makes this compound an ideal tool to assess the role of SK channels as possible targets for the treatment of disorders linked to neuronal hyperexcitability.


As universities recognize the inherent value in the data they collect and hold, they encounter unforeseen challenges in stewarding those data in ways that balance accountability, transparency, and protection of privacy, academic freedom, and intellectual property. Two parallel developments in academic data collection are converging: (1) open access requirements, whereby researchers must provide access to their data as a condition of obtaining grant funding or publishing results in journals; and (2) the vast accumulation of 'grey data' about individuals in their daily activities of research, teaching, learning, services, and administration. The boundaries between research and grey data are blurring, making it more difficult to assess the risks and responsibilities associated with any data collection. Many sets of data, both research and grey, fall outside privacy regulations such as HIPAA, FERPA, and PII. Universities are exploiting these data for research, learning analytics, faculty evaluation, strategic decisions, and other sensitive matters. Commercial entities are besieging universities with requests for access to data or for partnerships to mine them. The privacy frontier facing research universities spans open access practices, uses and misuses of data, public records requests, cyber risk, and curating data for privacy protection. This paper explores the competing values inherent in data stewardship and makes recommendations for practice, drawing on the pioneering work of the University of California in privacy and information security, data governance, and cyber risk.


Title of Dissertation: THE EFFECTS OF SPATIAL INFORMATION PRESENTATION ON HUMAN DECISION-MAKING Leslie Elizabeth Carter, Doctor of Philosophy, 1992 Dissertation directed by: Dr. Kent Norman, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology Empirical studies of cognitive representations have shown that judgment and reasoning can be affected by the spatial properties of information. Empirical studies of human-computer interface design have shown that spatial presentations of information can aid users' navigation through data and enhance user performance. This study investigates how one spatial property, the location of information, can influence human decision-making and recognition when using a hypertext database. The location of information was manipulated on individual screen displays as well as being placed at different levels in the database hierarchy. The experimental reasoning task used here, to decide a legal case, involved judgments of information relevance and inductive reasoning. Subjects tended to decide in favor of the party whose precedents were more directly linked to the evidence. Hence, the manipulation of the links caused a bias in subjects' reasoning. Subjects based their decisions the information that was most available to their mental models when they thought about the evidence and issues in the case. The availability of information was controlled by its presentation and subjects' prior belief biases, suggesting a new principle: representation availability. There were no effects found for spatial processing on recognition. Results from this study have implications for the design of data linkages in systems constructed to assist human reasoning and suggest guidelines for the development of such systems.


E-commerce service failures have been the bane of e-commerce, compelling customers to either abandon transactions entirely or switch to traditional brick-and-mortar establishments. Yet, there is a paucity of studies that investigates how such failures manifest on e-commerce websites and their impact on consumers. This paper, therefore, synthesizes extant literature on e-service and system success to arrive at a novel classification system that delineates e-commerce service failures into information, functional, and system categories, each with its own set of constituent dimensions. Extending expectation disconfirmation theory (EDT), we further distinguish among disconfirmed outcome, process, and cost expectancies as major consequences of e-commerce service failures. A theoretical model of e-commerce service failure classifications and their consequences was constructed together with testable propositions that relate the three failure categories to consumers' disconfirmed expectancies. Finally, we explore the validity of our theoretical model based on descriptive accounts of actual occurrences of e-commerce service failures and their corresponding consequences. Consistent with our theoretical model, information and functional failures were found to be associated with disconfirmed outcome and process expectancies respectively. System failures, on the other hand, do not affect consumers' disconfirmed expectancies, thereby contradicting our predictions. Post hoc analysis on constituent dimensions of information, functional, and system failures yielded additional insights on the preceding observations.


The Internet of Things is a wide-reaching network of devices, and these devices can intercommunicate and collaborate with each other to produce variety of services at any time, any place, and in any way. Maintaining access control, authentication and managing the identity of devices while they interact with other devices, services and people is an important challenge for identity management. The identity management presents significant challenges in the current Internet communication. These challenges are exacerbated in the internet of things by the unbound number of devices and expected limitations in constrained resources. Current identity management solutions are mainly concerned with identities that are used by end users, and services to identify themselves in the networked world. However, these identity management solutions are designed by considering that significant resources are available and applicability of these identity management solutions to the resource constrained internet of things needs a thorough analysis. Technical topics discussed in the book include: Internet of Things; Identity Management; Identity models in Internet of Things; Identity management and trust in the Internet of Things context; Authentication and access control; Identity management for Internet of Things contributes to the area of identity management for ubiquitous devices in the Internet of Things. It initially presents the motivational factors together with the identity management problems in the context of Internet of Things and proposes an identity management framework. Following this, it refers to the major challenges for Identity management and presents different identity management models. This book also presents relationship between identity and trust, different approaches for trust management, authentication and access control. Key milestones identified for Identity management are clustering with hierarchical addressing, trust management, mutual authentication and access control. Identity management for Internet of Things is ideal for personnel in computer/communication industries as well as academic staff and master/research students in wireless communication, computer science, operational research, electrical engineering and telecommunication systems Internet, and cloud computing.


Learning Disabilities raises issues which are of crucial importance to all health care professionals and students who work with people with a learning disability. The authors, senior nurse teachers and practitioners in the field, examine these issues, and the theoretical concepts underpinning them, from a practical perspective. They show how complex and interconnecting ideas such as consumerism and choice, control and empowerment, informed choice and professional power can be applied with real understanding. Learning Disabilities includes * introductions and explanations of key concepts * practical guidelines for care delivery * detailed case studies * useful summaries of key points


Heterogeneous catalysts were formulated from the ash of roots, stems and leaves of Crotolaria pallida Aiton plant. The catalysts were chemically activated by impregnation with kaolin. Different weights of the activated catalysts were prepared via the wet impregnation method. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, X-ray Fluorescence were used in characterizing the catalysts. Additionally, the kaolin/ash based catalyst, when tested on waste cooking oil, possesses a considerable chemical stability and could be reused without major losses in its catalytic activity.


Climate change in the Arctic is expected to make the region a lot busier as new strategic resources are becoming available. The Russian Federation is a key player in this context having put forth a comprehensive Arctic strategy. Russian policy towards the so-called High North, however, is oftentimes not seen in its entirety and has received a plethora of criticism in the Western media and foreign policy community. This paper aims to contribute to a better understanding of Russian actions in the High North by providing a succinct overview of Russian policies in the region and identifying the fundamental rationale behind them. The paper concludes that Russia's Arctic policy is not only a lot more nuanced but also not very different from the policies conducted by other riparian states.


� Abstract — We study the performance of differential space- time codes with linear constellation precoding (LCP) for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) cooperative networks over frequency selective channels. Through exploiting the unitary structure of the orthogonal STBCs, we design a low complexity differential STBC-LCP-OFDM receiver for cooperative networks. We assume the amplify-and-forward protocol and consider both single relay and multi-relay scenarios. Under the assumption of perfect power control for the relay terminal and high signal-to-noise ratio for the underlying links, our performance analysis demonstrates that the considered scheme is able to exploit fully the spatial diversity.


The Food Aid Quality Review (FAQR), a study implemented by Tufts University, recommended improvements in the formulations and programming of existing Title II supplementary foods. To test these recommendations, we are examining the effectiveness and cost‐effectiveness of four different supplementary foods in the prevention of stunting and wasting in children age 6 to 23 months in Burkina Faso. The objective of this report is to describe the study methods and baseline characteristics of the sample, including baseline measures of stunting and wasting.


Development and disaster risk are deeply linked. Disasters reverse development gains; development initiatives influence the risk, vulnerability, and exposure of people, assets, and environments to disasters. Hence, knowledge of key dimensions of the potential trade-offs between development and disaster risk reduction (DRR) may inform decision-making processes, goals, and initiatives in ways that have potential to address unsustainable development practices that are commonplace in countries of all economic levels. This paper presents, explores, and tests a conceptual framework for analysing the trade-offs that underpin this relationship as evidenced through policy goals, initiatives, and decision-making processes. We categorise key dimensions of relevant trade-offs into five specific dimensions: (i) The aggregation of development and DRR gains and losses, (ii) risk prioritisation when seeking to reduce multiple risks, (iii) the equity of decision-making processes and outcomes, (iv) the balancing of near- and long-term goals, and (v) the distribution of power and participation. By framing key questions related to each trade-off dimension, we test the framework in the context of a major disaster recovery process in Tacloban, the Philippines, following Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) in November 2013. We consider how decision-making trade-offs can be made more visible and useful in the pursuit of transformative change in development and DRR.


Over the past three decades, agricultural credit has received considerable attention in low income countries as governments have tried to stimulate output and help the rural poor through credit. Recent analyses, however, reveal major problems in many agricultural credit programmes. Cheap credit policies appear to fragment rural financial markets so that resources are not allocated efficiently. Low interest rates also undermine the financial integrity of financial intermediaries and force them to become highly dependent on loanable funds from central banks or external aid agencies. Despite the high hopes held for cheap credit as an effective way to help the rural poor, it tends to increase rather than decrease income concentration. In the discussion that follows, we briefly outline four ways that financial markets affect income distribution--through negative impacts on savers, leverage, negative real rates of interest, and defaults. We conclude with suggested policy changes that might reduce the adverse impact financial markets have on income distributions.


Chile provides the most frequently quoted example of a change from an established state PAYGO pension system to a privately funded scheme based on personal savings. Most of the key results have been impressive and a lot of the often-heard criticisms of funded schemes have been disproved. A number of shortcomings remain. These shortcomings are seldom caused by features inherent to funded schemes, but rather by elements specific to the Chilean arrangement which could be altered given the political will.


As for every major tourist destination, the touristic image plays an important role serving to consolidate the binding between visitor and destination, being an amalgam of knowledge, feelings, expectations and impressions that people have about a location (Henderson, 2007). The destination identity is created by the sender (essentially the marketers), being sustained by the natural and man-made tourism resources, while the image, supported by the experiences and communications of the senders, is perceived by the receiver. In the touristic selection process tourists take into account tangible features such as the elements of the natural background and anthropic patrimony and intangible elements (relaxation, freedom).This study aims at exploring in which way Craiova municipality seen as a tourism destination conveys into a unique identity within the consumer's mind, focusing on the identification and explanation of the attitudes of a sample of urban residents and non-residents towards tourism in Craiova and their grouping with respect to these attitudes. Thus this helps to identify the main tourism attractions and forms of tourism associated with this city and to further develop tourism activities.


A review of literature related to the effect of introducing cobalt into an electrolysis process based on a sulphuric acid electrolyte and a lead-based anode reveals the benefits of cobalt in minimising oxygen evolution, energy consumption, cathode contamination and corrosion rate of the anode. A small amount of cobalt ions introduced into the electrolyte significantly reduces the oxygen evolution potential and the corrosion rate of the lead anode. However, harmful effects of adding cobalt ions to the electrolyte have prevented the use of cobalt in some processes and as a result its use in this way is limited.

The scope of this project is to develop and study new composite anodes containing cobalt in their surface layer to determine whether they have lower oxygen evolution potential and as a consequence lower energy consumption when used in base metal electrowinning systems. In order to produce anodes with the most beneficial specifications, different composite layers containing lead and cobalt were electrodeposited on the surface of PbCaSn, Ni and Ti substrates.

 In the first part of the study, metal-matrix composite coatings of lead-cobalt (Pb- Co) and lead-cobalt oxide (Pb-Co3O4) were electrodeposited onto the surface of a conventional PbCaSn anode in an effort to develop an improved anode for use in base metal electrowinning. The composite-coated anodes were examined in terms of electrochemical and physical stability over several days of polarisation under typical copper electrowinning conditions. Results from scanning electron microscopy have shown that fresh Pb-Co and Pb-Co3O4 composite-coated anodes ii have a rougher surface than conventional (uncoated) PbCaSn anodes but the difference in surface area becomes insignificant after several days of polarisation under typical copper electrowinning conditions. The Tafel slope on the Pb-Co coated anode was 92 mV dec-1 and on the Pb-Co3O4 coated anode it was 90 mV dec-1, which are both significantly less than the 122 mV dec-1 measured on the conventional PbCaSn anodes. The composite-coated anodes exhibited consistently lower oxygen evolution potentials than the conventional anodes and the potential remained relatively stable throughout the polarisation period. The reduction in the operating anode potential is believed to be due to the presence of cobalt in the surface layer while the decrease in the Tafel slope shows that this reduction is most likely related to a change in the mechanism of oxygen evolution. At present there is no uniformly agreed theoretical hypothesis that explains this observed behavior. Corrosion rates estimated from 16 hr tests showed that the compositecoated anodes are more stable than the conventional type during short periods of operation. It was also observed that for the Pb-Co coated anode, both the rate of corrosion and the overpotential for the oxygen evolution reaction can be further reduced by the addition of organic additives such as thiourea into the electrolyte.

In the second part of this study, PbO2-CoOx and PbO2-Co3O4 composites were coated onto titanium and nickel substrates to form anodes, and tested under typical copper electrowinning conditions. The aim of depositing a well-adhered composite coating onto the surface of the dimensionally stable substrate materials was pursued using three different coatings. The performance of the produced anodes was examined in terms of oxygen evolution potential and service life. Both of the anodes with PbO2-CoOx or PbO2-Co3O4 composite deposited on titanium resulted in reduction of the oxygen evolution potential of 300 to 400 mV compared with a conventional PbCaSn anode. The anodes prepared by applying the same coatings onto a nickel substrate showed poor stability in the acidic electrolyte media used in this experiment to represent typical copper electrowinning conditions and as a result, measurements of oxygen evolution potential were not obtained. Titanium-based anodes were also produced by thermal deposition of a SnO2-Sb2O3 interlayer on the surface of a titanium substrate followed by electrodeposition of a Co-based composite coating. These resulted in lower oxygen evolution potential than conventional PbCaSn. A Tafel slope of 88 mV dec-1 was recorded for the anode with a coating of PbO2-CoOx and 47 mV dec-1 for the anode with a coating of PbO2-Co3O4, which both compare favorably to the 122 mV dec-1 which was observed for a conventional PbCaSn anode. Anodisation tests were carried out for a period of 16 hours both in the presence and in the absence of the organic additive thiourea in the electrolyte. Corrosion rates were estimated from these tests and the results also showed that the addition of thiourea appears to increase the corrosion rate of metal oxide matrix composite-coated anodes although it reduces the corrosion rate of a PbCaSn and Pb-Co3O4 composite coated anode. Nevertheless the results showed that for one of the composite-coated anodes, the titanium based anode with a SnO2-Sb2O3 interlayer and PbO2-CoOx coating, the corrosion rate was lower than a conventional PbCaSn anode. The corrosion rate of the titanium based anode with same interlayer and PbO2-Co3O4 coating was variable but could be much iv greater than for a conventional anode. Thiourea showed no obvious effect on the anode oxygen evolution potential.

In addition, lead balance method was used to calculate the corrosion rate of all the composite-coated anodes and to compare this with the corrosion rate of a conventional PbCaSn anode. The results confirm that incorporation of cobalt into the surface of lead has the effect of minimising the anode oxygen evolution potential and corrosion rate during 7-day tests.

Of the different composite-coated anodes tested, the Ti-SnO2-Sb2O3-PbO2-Co3O4 electrode showed the best performance and it was therefore selected to undergo a long term test at a larger scale. The results show that this composite-coated anode performs well under the typical condition of copper electrowinning for 60 days.

Cross section studies of this composite-coated anode after operating for 60 days clearly showed the two distinct layers deposited on the surface of the Ti substrate (the thermally deposited interlayer and the top layer of lead-cobalt oxide). The SEM image of the composite-coated anode shows that the composite layer deposited on top of the interlayer was porous and that acid penetrated through the composite layer. This might be a reason for the gradual increase of the anode oxygen evolution potential with time. The SnO2-Sb2O3 interlayer had a great impact on blocking the acid from reaching to the substrate. This is supported by the fact that the composite-coated anode with this interlayer never underwent passivation during 60 days of anodisation.


The critical current density Jc and resistivity ρ of REBa2Cu3Ox (RE123) films were evaluated in high magnetic field and wide temperature regions. We use three different samples such as a heavy ion irradiated Y123 film, a BaZrO3 (BZO) added Y123 film and a low temperature growth Sm1-xBa2+xCu3Oy (LTG-Sm123) film. In these films, there exist the different c-axis correlated disorders like columnar shaped fission tracks for the heavy ion irradiated Y123 film, columnar shaped BZO precipitates for the BZO added Y123 film and edge dislocations at grain boundaries for the LTG-Sm123 films. The large peak of the angular dependence of Jc for B//c direction was observed for all samples measured in this study in a low field region, suggesting that the c-axis correlated pinning works well for these samples. However, we found that the behavior of the Jc peak for B//c strongly depends on a sort of c-axis correlated pinning centers. In the case of the columnar shaped fission tracks in the Y123 film, the Jc peak for B//c increases monotonically with increasing a magnetic field and seems to be connected with the dip structure in the angular dependence of ρ. In the case of the columnar shaped BZO precipitates, however, the Jc peak for B//c vanishes in a high field region above a few tesla and no dip behavior of ρ was observed. On the contrary, in the case of the edge dislocations for LTG-Sm123 film, the Jc peak for B//c shrinks with increasing field and almost vanishes. But it grows again with further increasing a magnetic field and the dip of the angular dependence of ρ is also observed. Hence the vortex pinning phase diagram strongly depends on a sort of c-axis correlated pinning centers. It is considered that these different behaviors of the Jc peak for B//c are related to the competition of the random and c-axis correlated pinnings.


Accelerated failure time (AFT) models are alternatives to relative risk models which are used extensively to examine the covariate effects on event times in censored data regression. Nevertheless, AFT models have been much less utilized in practice due to lack of reliable computing methods and software. This paper describes an R package aftgee that implements recently developed inference procedures for AFT models with both the rank-based approach and the least squares approach. For the rank-based approach, the package allows various weight choices and uses an induced smoothing procedure that leads to much more efficient computation than the linear programming method. With the rank-based estimator as an initial value, the generalized estimating equation approach is used as an extension of the least squares approach to the multivariate case. Additional sampling weights are incorporated to handle missing data needed as in case-cohort studies or general sampling schemes. A simulated dataset and two real life examples from biomedical research are employed to illustrate the usage of the package.


The NCBI BioSystems database, found at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/biosystems/, centralizes and cross-links existing biological systems databases, increasing their utility and target audience by integrating their pathways and systems into NCBI resources. This integration allows users of NCBI's Entrez databases to quickly categorize proteins, genes and small molecules by metabolic pathway, disease state or other BioSystem type, without requiring time-consuming inference of biological relationships from the literature or multiple experimental datasets.


Abstract. The positive effects of low-intensity physical activity are widely acknowledged and in this context walking is often promoted as an active form of transport. Under the concept of walkability the role of the built environment in encouraging walking is investigated. For that purpose, walkability is quantified area-wise by measuring a varying set of built environment attributes. In purely GIS-based approaches to studying walkability, indices are generally built using existing and easily accessible data. These include street network design, population density, land use mix, and access to destinations. Access to destinations is usually estimated using either a fixed radius, or distances in the street network. In this paper, two approaches to approximate a footpath network are presented. The two footpath networks were built making different assumptions regarding the walkability of different street types with respect to more or less restrictive safety preferences. Information on sidewalk presence, pedestrian crossings, and traffic restrictions were used to build both networks. The first network comprises car traffic free areas only. The second network includes streets with low speed limits that have no sidewalks. Both networks are compared to the more commonly used street network in an access-to-distance analysis. The results suggest that for the generally highly walkable study area, access to destination mostly depends on destination density within the defined walkable distance. However, on single street segments access to destinations is diminished when only car traffic free spaces are assumed to be walkable.


The authors conducted an empirical study comparing the learning styles of law students with young adults at other educational institutions. The law school sample population came from St. John's University School of Law in New York and Stetson University College of Law in Florida. The law school data were compared with the learning styles of a random sample of college and graduate students, provided by Performance Concepts International. All subjects assessed their learning styles by using Building Excellence ("BE"). BE is an on-line assessment tool. The BE profiles used in this study resembled the class learning-style profiles taken at the respective law schools in prior years. Thus the consistent BE profiles of law school students confirmed that the law school data set was reliable. The Dunn and Dunn Model was used because it of its comprehensive design. The Model currently includes 26 learning-style elements. Data for this study included results of these elements. In this study, the results showed that the learning styles of law students differed significantly from college and graduate students for 14 different elements of the 26 elements studies. To have significant findings for 14 categories, and to have each with this level of significance, is unusual. Some of the learning-style preferences of law students comport with our commonly held understanding, such as having a stronger preference for Verbal Kinesthetic tendencies (they learn by speaking while simultaneously listening). However, the general student population was more tactual, as opposed to the law population, despite the proliferation of laptops in the law school classroom. The findings confirm observations that professors may have about law students, but some findings are surprising.


Visual and auditory hallucinations are a cardinal feature of psychotic disorders (1). We mined published and public microarray datasets (2, 3) to discover differentially expressed genes in schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. We found significant differential expression of the α1 subunit of the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor Gabra1 in neurons of the dorsolateral pre-frontal cortex from patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.


Fertility, Biology, and Behavior: An Analysis of the Proximate Determinants presents the proximate determinants of natural fertility. This book discusses the biological and behavioral dimensions of human fertility that are linked to intermediate fertility variables. Organized into nine chapters, this book begins with an overview of the mechanisms through which socioeconomic variables influence fertility. This text then examines the absolute and relative age-specific marital fertility rates of selected populations. Other chapters consider the trends in total fertility rates of selected countries, including Colombia, Kenya, Korea, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan, France, and United States. This book discusses as well the effects of deliberate marital fertility control through contraception and induced abortion. The final chapter deals with the management of sex composition and implications for birth spacing. This book is a valuable resource for reproductive physiologists, social scientists, demographers, statisticians, biologists, and graduate students with an interest in the biological and behavioral control of human fertility.


We demonstrate a flexible strategy for local tsunami warning that relies on regional geodetic and seismic stations. Through retrospective analysis of four recent tsunamigenic events in Japan and Chile, we show that rapid earthquake source information, provided by methodologies developed for earthquake early warning, can be used to generate timely estimates of maximum expected tsunami amplitude with enough accuracy for tsunami warning. We validate the technique by comparing to detailed models of earthquake source and tsunami propagation as well as field surveys of tsunami inundation. Our approach does not require deployment of new geodetic and seismic instrumentation in many subduction zones and could be implemented rapidly by national monitoring and warning agencies. We illustrate the potential impact of our method with a detailed comparison to the actual timeline of events during the recent 2015 Mw8.3 Illapel, Chile, earthquake and tsunami that prompted the evacuation of 1 million people.