Bovine herpesvirus-5 (BoHV-5), which is the second most important infectious brain disease affecting livestock in Latin America, has been detected in bull semen and aborted fetus; however, no reports are found regarding its presence in bovine embryos. Because it has 90% genomic similarity to BoHV-1, it is possible that BHV-5 can infect the genital system after viral reactivation, leading to reproductive disorders. This study was designed to investigate the effects of infection of bovine blastocysts (B) by BoHV-5. Hormones and fetal calf serum were tested by PCR and considered free of virus. Selected oocytes, obtained from ovaries at a local slaughterhouse, were washed in PBS with 10% fetal calf serum (Nutricell®, Campinas, Brazil). The oocytes were transferred to 100-μL drops of maturation medium consisting of TCM 199 (Gibco®, Grand Island, NY, USA), 0.5 μg mL-1 of FSH (Pluset®, Calier, Spain), and 50 μg mL-1 of LH (Lutropin®-V, Bioniche Inc., Belleville, Ontario, Canada) for 24 h at 39°C and 5% CO2 in air. Afterward, frozen semen (500 μL) was thawed and placed on a Percoll gradient (45 and 90%) and centrifuged at 700 × g for 30 min. The resultant pellet was centrifuged (200 × g for 5 min) in TALP medium and the sperm pellet was then diluted in TALP plus phenylalanine (PHE) and heparin. After an 18-h fertilization period, presumptive zygotes were transferred to culture in CR2 medium up to Day 7 post-fertilization. The procedures were carried out under the same conditions previously reported for IVM. A total of 150 intact B were assigned into 2 experimental groups: I (free of virus) and II (with virus; 102 TCID50/mL for a 1-h period). Then, B of both groups were washed and re-cultured for 72 h in drops of CR2 without virus. The percentage of embryos reaching the hatched blastocyst (HB) stage was observed and analyzed by the chi-square test. At this time, HB were fixed to investigate the presence of virus, degree of apoptosis, and oxidative stress. The virus detection was performed by using an in situ hybridization assay with a specific probe to the glycoprotein C gene of BoHV-5 labeled to biotin. The apoptosis was determined by the annexin V, 4′, 6-diamidino-2-phenylindole dihydrochloride (DAPI), and propidium iodide (PI) markers, using immunofluorescence technique. The oxidative stress was realized by using monoclonal anti-AOP1 (antioxidant-like protein 1; Sigma®, St. Louis, MO, USA) through immunoassay. More HB (P > 0.05) were found in group II (75.0%) than for group I (55.0%). In both groups, positive signs for the presence of the apoptosis and oxidative stress markers were observed. The mechanism of apoptosis was initiated independently of virus presence, as evidenced by positive signs also observed in group I. However, oxidative stress was intense in group II, suggesting an evident viral effect on the host cell without compromising embryonic development. These findings might indicate that BoHV-5 uses some mechanisms that keep the cell viable to allow its replication, as seen by the greater hatching rate of infected embryos (75%) compared with the control (55%). FAPESP 07/57774-7 and BRASFRIGO (Birigui-SP).


This paper addresses the issue of terrorism in Nigeria, particularly in connection with the Boko Haram Islamist Sect. Terrorism, as a global phenomenon, is an ill-wind that blows no one good. Recently, it has extended its ugly tentacles to Nigeria, precisely after the Presidential Election of April, 2011. Since then, Nigerian citizens have been on the defensive because of the great onslaught of man and his property by the Boko Haram boys. The rampage has been on the increase and the attempt by the government to stop it has proved abortive. This has become of great concern to most Nigerians and the writer; hence, the emergence of the topic under review. The aims of this work are to highlight some of these religious riots encouraged by Boko Haram, to examine the root causes of the riots and to know their goals, organisational structure and sources of funding, and to proffer possible solutions that will make for the effective management of the crises.


Tribal communities in the Pacific Northwest of the United States of America (USA) have long-standing relationships to ancestral lands now managed by federal land management agencies. In recent decades, federal and state governments have increasingly recognized tribal rights to resources on public lands and to participate in their management. In support of a new planning initiative to promote sustainable land management, we reviewed scientific publications to examine relationships between tribal social-ecological systems and public lands in the region. We identified key ecocultural resources, impacts to those resources, and associated forest ecosystems, and strategies that have been piloted to redress those impacts. We found that many factors stemming from colonization by Euro-Americans have engendered social-ecological traps that have inhibited tribes from continuing traditional land stewardship activities that supported their well-being and maintained ecological integrity. These long-standing factors include legal and political constraints on tribal access and management; declining quality and abundance of forest resources due to inhibition of both natural disturbance and indigenous tending regimes; competition with nontribal users; species extirpations and introductions of invasive species; and erosion of tribal traditional ecological knowledge and relationships that are important for revitalizing resource use. As a consequence, both supply and demand for these forest resources have been reduced, as have the resilience and diversity of these ecosystems. Simply permitting resource harvest by tribal members does not sufficiently address the underlying constraints in ways that will promote tribal well-being. Escaping these traps will require addressing a gamut of ecological and social constraints through cooperative restoration efforts between land management agencies and tribes, several of which we highlight as examples. Because tribally focused restoration strategies generally align with broader strategies suggested to restore national forests in the region, they can foster both tribal well-being and ecological sustainability.


A Review of: Curry, A. (2005). If I ask, will they answer? Evaluating public library reference service to gay and lesbian youth. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 45(1), 65-75. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/journal/refuseserq
Abstract
Objective - To assess the quality of service provided by reference staff in public libraries when presented with a request for LGBTQ information by a young person.
Design - Unobtrusive observation without informed consent. Setting - Public library branches in the greater Vancouver area, British Columbia, Canada.
Subjects - Reference librarians.
Methods - A 19-year-old posing as a high school student approached reference desk staff at 20 public library branches. The student proxy, "Angela", was instructed to ask for books on forming a gay-straight alliance at her school and, if there was a full reference interview, to also ask for recommendations of novels that the group might read. She recorded the reactions, both verbal and nonverbal, using Reference and User Services Association guidelines as a template. Library administrators were aware of the potential visits and permitted the research, but the reference desk staff were not aware of a potential visit by the student proxy. The researcher claimed that her method, while deceptive, was necessary to obtain authentic reactions from the library staff.
Main Results - Most reference librarians approached by Angela made adequate attempts to assist her, although a few library staff reacted negatively to her query. Half of the librarians reacted positively to the patron's request, with most of the others providing neutral responses. Very few of the librarians actually taught the patron how to use the library's catalog to search for materials, and most of the librarians were unable to find appropriate materials due to not knowing the appropriate search terms. Only three library staff showed overt disapproval of the search topic, such as frowning or rushing to finish the reference interview quickly, with most remaining objective or supportive. Because of the service she received, Angela stated that eight of the 20 libraries were welcoming enough that she thought she would return.
Conclusion - The wide range of responses received by Angela indicated that there was room for improvement in educating public library staff on gay and lesbian issues and materials, especially for gay and lesbian youth.


The question of 'might versus right', as to whether might makes right or is subject to it, is one of the overarching questions of Western moral and political thought from the ancient Greeks to today. This is an exploration of that question, the debate between the proponents of might ('Realists'), the proponents of right ('Idealists'), and the opponents of both ('Relativists'). It is particularly concerned with the sources of this debate, in the founding figures of these schools of thought and the foundational thought of the tradition as a whole. This debate forms a dialectic that spans much of the history of Western ancient and modern moral and political philosophy, crossing over to a number of related fields. This study is therefore concerned with both the traditional spheres of moral and political philosophy (the theory of nature and the theory of law) and certain related fields (theology, mythology and metaphysics). It provides an overview of this dialectic, its sources, and the relationship between its theoretical and practical aspects. t h e D I A L E C T I C o f M I G H T a n d R I G H T Power and Justice in Realism, Idealism and Relativism M a r c e l J o n Z e n t v e l d W a l e


In this paper, the automatic customization of an agent-based medical system is approached by means of ontologies. The particular case of Home Care studied and developed in the EU K4Care project, is presented. The customization is achieved by means of generating individual versions of a reference ontology, called Actor Profile Ontology, which defines the behaviour of the actors in the multi-agent system. The paper, analyses the usability and advantages of this customization in order to add flexibility and adaptability to the system. It also shows how the personalized ontology is able to represent the liabilities and permissions of a particular user, providing the base for automatically generating the behaviour of the corresponding personal agent. A tool, called ATAPO, is also presented. It has been designed to assist the user in the personalization process. The way how this tool interacts with the system to permit the online modification of the behaviour of the agents is also discussed.


Abstract. The scleractinian coral Cyphastrea is a common and widespread genus throughout the coral reefs of the Indo-Pacific. Little is known about the phylogenetic relationships within this taxon and species identification is based mainly on traditional skeletal characters, such as the number of septa, septa cycles, growth form and corallite dimensions. Here we present the first focussed reconstruction of phylogenetic relationships among Cyphastrea species, analysing 57 colonies from the Red Sea, where five morphospecies live in sympatry. Analyses based on three loci (nuclear histone H3, 28S rDNA and a mitochondrial intergenic region) reveal the existence of three well-supported molecular lineages. None of the five previously defined morphospecies are monophyletic and they cluster into two clades, suggesting the need of a systematic revision in Cyphastrea. The third lineage is described as C. magna Benzoni & Arrigoni, sp. nov., a new reef coral species collected from the northern and central Red Sea. Cyphastrea magna Benzoni & Arrigoni, sp. nov. is characterised by the largest corallite diameter among known Cyphastrea species, a wide trabecular columella >1/4 of calice width, and 12 equal primary septa. This study suggests that morphology-based taxonomy in Cyphastrea may not identify monophyletic units and strengthens the application of genetics in coral systematics.


The explosive growth in the use of botulinum toxin for cosmetic purposes has undoubtedly had an impact on the number of animals used in the potency testing of this product. The test used is a classical LD50, a severe procedure during which animals experience increasing paralysis until the occurrence of death. The enthusiastic adoption by the general public of the use of botulinum toxin as an anti-wrinkle treatment has, at least in Europe, paradoxically taken place against a background of moves to stop animal testing of cosmetics and cosmetic ingredients. There appears to be a dearth of information aimed at the public concerning botulinum toxin testing. Botulinum toxin does have important medical applications; however, the question arises whether a blanket licence for the testing can be justified, when a large proportion of the product is being used cosmetically. A further question is why death continues to be the endpoint of the potency test, when a more-humane endpoint has been proposed. In addition, a number of alternative methods have been developed, which could have the potential to replace the lethal potency test altogether. These methods are discussed in this paper, and the importance of establishing a strategy for their validation is emphasised, a need that has become even more urgent in the light of the recently published draft monograph on botulinum toxin by the European Pharmacopoeia Commission.


Abstract. Inertial Navigation System/Global Navigation Satellite System (INS/GNSS) integration system have been widely applied in recent years. Unfortunately, it sometimes malfunctions and the performance heavily deteriorates, especially in urban area where signals from satellites may be blocked or reflected by modern buildings. In multipath or Non Light-of-sight (NLOS) environment, incorrect signal results in poor observability of GNSS measurement model in Kalman Filter (KF). For purpose of addressing the issue, we proposed an adaptive strategy-based tightly-coupled INS/GNSS integration system aided by odometer and barometer, targeting to mitigate the error from poor observability. In this method, tightly-coupled (TC) scheme is implemented as the fundamental system in order to increase the reliability and stability. TC is more suitable than Loosely-coupled (LC), the traditional scheme, in urban navigation because it requires less visible GNSS measurement and it overcomes the disadvantage of LC, and further enhances the navigation result. Furthermore, aiding sensors such as odometer and barometer are integrated in this system as well, serving as velocity and height constraints respectively. Since the precision of GNSS positioning depends on the properties of the environment, measurement model of KF must work adaptively. Thus, innovation-based Adaptive Scaled Estimation (IASE) and Residual-based Adaptive Scaled Estimation (RASE), are also implemented to improve navigation performance in this paper. Finally, from the experimental validation, the proposed adaptive sensor-fusion navigation algorithm significantly enhanced the performance. The improvement was approximate 80% compared with the pure TC scheme; the RMSE can reach 6m in 3D and 2.5 m in vertical.


Designed to help architects, planners, and landscape architects use freehand sketching to quickly and creatively generate design concepts, Freehand Drawing and Discovery uses an array of cross-disciplinary examples to help readers develop their drawing skills. Taking a "both/and" approach, this book provides step-by-step guidance on drawing tools and techniques and offers practical suggestions on how to use these skills in conjunction with digital tools on real-world projects. Illustrated with nearly 300 full color drawings, the book includes a series of video demonstrations that reinforces the sketching techniques.


Summary
We have confirmed that, after passage through mosquitoes, a strain of Plasmodium falciparum from Colombia, South America, is resistant to standard doses of chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, and amodiaquine, and that radical cure of infections with this strain can be achieved by the administration of either pyrimethamine or quinine. The Colombia strain is resistant to BW 377C54, a hydroxynaphthalene derivative known to be effective against chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium berghei in mice. Preliminary investigations suggest that the concurrent weekly administration of primaquine and chloroquine, although ineffective for treatment of patent infections, may be effective in preventing patency of moderately-seeded, mosquito-induced infections of this strain.


Abstract. In the past, the coastal leaky aquifer system, including two aquifers and an aquitard between them, was commonly assumed to be homogeneous and of infinite extent in the horizontal direction. The leaky aquifer system may however be heterogeneous and of finite extent due to variations in depositional and post depositional processes. In this paper, the leaky aquifer system is divided into several horizontal regions for the heterogeneous aquitard and underlying aquifer. A one-dimensional analytical model is developed for describing the head fluctuation in such a heterogeneous leaky aquifer system. The hydraulic head of the upper unconfined aquifer is assumed constant. It is found that both the length and location of the discontinuous aquitards presented in the coastal area have significant effects on the amplitude and phase shift of the head fluctuation in the lower aquifer. In addition, the influence of the formation heterogeneity on the spatial head distribution is also investigated.


We are surrounded by portraits: from the cipher-like portrait of a queen on a bank note to security pass photos; from images of politicians in the media to Facebook; from galleries exhibiting Titian or Leonardo to contemporary art featuring the self-image, as with Jeff Koons or Cindy Sherman. In Antiquity portraiture was of major importance in the exercise of power. Today it remains not only a part of everyday life but also a crucial way for artists to define themselves in relation to their environment and their contemporaries. In Portrayal and the Search for Identity, Marcia Pointon investigates how we view and understand portraiture as a genre, and how portraits function as artworks within social and political networks. Likeness is never a straightforward matter as we rarely have the subject of a portrait as a point of comparison. Featuring familiar canonical portraits works as well as little-known works, Portrayal seeks to unsettle notions of portraiture as an art of convention, a reassuring reflection of social realities. Readers are instead invited to consider how identity is produced pictorially, and where likeness is registered apart from in a face. In exploring these issues, the author addresses wide-ranging problems such as the construction of masculinity in dress, representations of slaves, and self-portraiture in relation to mortality.


Higher accessibility and decreasing costs of next generation sequencing (NGS), availability of commercial kits, and development of dedicated analysis pipelines, have allowed an increasing number of laboratories to adopt this technology for HIV drug resistance (HIVDR) genotyping. Conventional HIVDR genotyping is traditionally carried out using population-based Sanger sequencing, which has a limited capacity for reliable detection of variants present at intra-host frequencies below a threshold of approximately 20%. NGS has the potential to improve sensitivity and quantitatively identify low-abundance variants, improving efficiency and lowering costs. However, some challenges exist for the standardization and quality assurance of NGS-based HIVDR genotyping. In this paper, we highlight considerations of these challenges as related to laboratory, clinical, and implementation of NGS for HIV drug resistance testing. Several sources of variation and bias occur in each step of the general NGS workflow, i.e., starting material, sample type, PCR amplification, library preparation method, instrument and sequencing chemistry-inherent errors, and data analysis options and limitations. Additionally, adoption of NGS-based HIVDR genotyping, especially for clinical care, poses pressing challenges, especially for resource-poor settings, including infrastructure and equipment requirements and cost, logistic and supply chains, instrument service availability, personnel training, validated laboratory protocols, and standardized analysis outputs. The establishment of external quality assessment programs may help to address some of these challenges and is needed to proceed with NGS-based HIVDR genotyping adoption.


In emerging domains such as ubiquitous computing, service robotics, unmanned space and water exploration, and medical and life-support devices, software is becoming increasingly complex with extensive variation in both requirements and resource constraints. Developers face growing pressure to deliver high-quality software with additional functionality, on tight deadlines, and more economically. In addition, modern computing and network environments demand a higher degree of adaptability from their software systems. Computing environments, user requirements, and interface mechanisms between software and hardware devices such as sensors can change dynamically during runtime. Because it's impossible to foresee all the functionality or variability an SPL requires, there is a need for dynamic SPLs that produce software capable of adapting to fluctuations in user needs and evolving resource constraints. DSPLs bind variation points at runtime, initially when software is launched, to adapt to the current environment, as well as during operation to adapt to changes in the environment. Although traditional SPL engineering recognizes that variation points are bound at different stages of development, and possibly also at runtime, it typically binds variation points before delivery of the software. In contrast, DSPL engineers typically aren't concerned with pre-runtime variation points. However, they recognize that in practice mixed approaches might be viable, where some variation points related to the environment's static properties are bound before runtime and others related to the dynamic properties are bound at runtime. In DSPLs, monitoring the current situation and controlling the adaptation are thus central tasks. The user, the application, or generic middleware can perform these tasks manually or automatically. Although dynamic software product lines build on the central ideas of SPLs, there are also differences. For example, the focus on understanding the market and letting the SPL drive variability analysis is less relevant to DSPLs, whose primary goal is to adapt to variations in individual needs and situations rather than market forces. In summary, a DSPL has many, if not all, of the following properties:• dynamic variability configuration and binding at runtime, • changes binding several times during its lifetime, • variation points change during runtime: variation point addition (by extending one variation point), • deals with unexpected changes (in some limited way), • deals with changes by users, such as functional or quality requirements, • context awareness (optional) and situation awareness, • autonomic or self-adaptive properties (optional), • automatic decision making (optional), and• individual environment/context situation instead of a "market." Given these characteristics, DSPLs benefits from research in several related areas. For example, situation monitoring and adaptive decision making are also characteristics of autonomic computing, and the DSPL approach can be seen as one among several to building self-adapting/managing/healing systems. In addition, dynamically reconfigurable architectures provide mechanisms to rebind variation points at runtime, while multiagent systems, which focus on the use of agents and communities of agents, are particularly useful for evolving systems such as DSPLs [1].


Postoperative pain management (POPM) has remained an area of concern despite major efforts to improve pain assessment and management by the introduction of specified guidelines, advanced techniques for pain alleviation, and education of staff members. Different nurse specialists are involved in the perioperative care of surgical patients. It is still not known to what extent the specific information noted by the nurses about the individual surgical patient at the different steps of the perioperative management is taken into consideration so that a potentially more optimal, individualised POPM as part of acute pain services (APS) can be provided.The aims of the present study were to assess if information of potential value for the POPM is noted by nurse anaesthetists involved in the perioperative management of surgical patients and to what extent such information could be of value for an individualised POPM of surgical patients and if nurse involvement is of importance for the adequacy and efficacy of POPM routines in a nurse-based, anaesthesiologist-supervised acute pain service (APS) model on surgical wards.Semistructured interviews of nurse anaesthetists (n=40), questionnaire responses of staff members (n=375)/surgical patients (n=110) and assessment of medical records (n=135)/database data (n=222) were included for evaluation of factors of importance in the perioperative care and POPM of surgical patients. Descriptive statistics, non-parametric and parametric tests were used for the analysis of the data.It was found that nurse anaesthetists continuously monitor different stress evoked physiological signs induced by surgical interventions during general anaesthesia. Nurses considered the signs indicative of pain evoked stimuli and/or insufficient depth of anaesthesia. The intraoperative information of the response pattern and anaesthetic drug requirements of the individual patient noted by the nurse anaesthetist was considered at present not to be routinely taken into consideration but could be a successful strategy in an optimal multi-professional approach to postoperative pain management. The introduction of APS, using a nurse-based anaesthesiologist-supervised model, resulted in more adequate pain management routines, better patient satisfaction with information about POPM, and increased confidence in pain management among nurses on the surgical wards than was noted for the outcome data for the hospital not having introduced such an APS model. Database documentation of outcome measures of POPM for patients receiving postoperative epidural analgesia was found to provide valuable information about the adequacy of the POPM. The feedback of information from the anaesthesia services to the surgical ward nurses was found not to be efficient enough to make ward nurses properly aware of the importance of their own direct involvement in the documentation process of POPM and that such involvement could further optimise POPM outcome


The cost of work absenteeism (sickness absence) is high in Norway (120 billion NOK), which threatens the economic sustainability of the Norwegian welfare state. Social sustainability is also challenged with women having a higher absenteeism rate than men. I use system dynamics modeling to explore how women attain a high rate of work absenteeism. Care work is the chosen case because this is the profession category where women are most represented. The results do not support the double burden theory, though several structural mechanisms indicate that competing theories of female absenteeism illustrate different sides of the same phenomenon.


According to Woolcock, social capital can be defined as the "norms and networks facilitating collective action for mutual benefit". Furthermore, Gabbay and Leenders suggest that social capital offers some potential for integrating the proliferation of network research that has been developed over the last 30 years. Examines an innovatory partnership between Manchester Metropolitan University Business School (MMUBS) and a number of agencies including the Prince's Trust to provide skills to entrepreneurs from socially disadvantaged backgrounds. The New Entrepreneur Scholarship Scheme (NESS) was the result of an initiative by the Chancellor Gordon Brown to encourage higher education institutes to make a larger contribution to the UK's entrepreneurial culture. MMUBS piloted the first NESS programme for 18 nascent entrepreneurs. It was decided to adopt an "action‐learning" approach concentrating on the development of a realistic business idea as well as creating a supportive environment within the group. This intervention has aided NESS participants by building and strengthening networks that become the basis of their social capital.


That domestic political economic factors are important determinants of a nation's trade barriers has been empirically well established. However, the question of how effective strategically retaliatory trade barriers are in deterring foreign protectionism has received far less systematic empirical attention. In this article we use bilateral nontariff barrier (NTB) data between the United States and five developed partner countries (Japan, France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom) to systematically examine the effectiveness of strategic retaliation. We employ a simultaneous Tobit model where the home and foreign NTB levels are determined endogenously in a bilateral game. The model provides estimates of deterrence coefficients, that is, the reduction in foreign trade barriers as a result of U.S. retaliation, which we use to characterize the nature of bilateral NTB games. Our hope is that the empirical results presented here, which have realistic though controversial implications, will inform U.S. trade policy.


We analyze task allocation and randomization in Principal Agent models. We identify a new rationale that determines the allocation of tasks and show that it can be optimal to assign tasks that are very different to one agent. Similar to randomization, the reason to assign several tasks to one agent is to mitigate the effect of the participation constraint. We show that the allocation of tasks can be used as a substitute if randomization is not feasible.


The Meteorological Service of Canada has recently developed a mobile scanning lidar facility (RASCAL: Rapid Acquisition SCanning Aerosol Lidar) capable of fast azimuth and elevation scanning profiles of the lower troposphere. Lidar is a remote sensing technique that provides high temporal and spatial information on atmospheric particulates and was ideally suited for characterizing stack plume dynamics. RASCAL was located predominantly downwind of the Noranda-Horne smelter stack source located in northern Quebec. Two three-week periods during February (winter) and July/August (summer) of 2000 were chosen to examine the behaviour of the plume because of the differences in humidity and boundary layer dynamics. The scanning speeds were adjusted to allow a complete scanning profile to be collected within 30–60 seconds. Along-plume-axis and cross-sectional scans provided an opportunity to directly measure plume dynamics and interaction with the planetary boundary layer, including the ability to detect fumigation events. Several algorithms have been developed to quantify the area, shape, horizontal and vertical extents of the plume as a function of the distance from source. Examples are shown where the cross-sectional area of the plume remained constant at a given distance from source even though its shape was highly variable. Also, boundary layer height, wind speed and direction of the plume can be extracted from the RASCAL data under certain conditions. These data are valuable for comparison with model predictions as well as providing initialization input for long range dispersion models.


We demonstrate a nonlinear signal processing approach for compensating nonlinear distortion caused by the Kerr effect in optical fiber transmission. The concept relies on propagating the signal through a separate all-optical module outside the link to apply tunable nonlinear distortion and phase-conjugation in series. We show this uniquely enables tunable regeneration of phase-encoded 40 Gb/s signals of different data-formats and number of WDM channels, to allow significantly higher transmission powers through single and multi-span fiber links. An improvement in the receiver power penalty by 3~4 dB for a bit-error-rate (BER) of ≈10⁻⁵ is achieved.


This paper posits a model of production in football. Applying this model to basic offensive and defensive statistics from regular season National Football League games, one is able to accurately explain variation in points scored, points allowed, and win percentage. One can apply individual player statistics for quarterbacks and running backs to the model parameters to calculate the marginal contribution of specific players to their teams. Therefore, this methodology is not only attractive because it is grounded in statistical analysis, but it also offers a uniform system to compare the production of different players at different positions - properties that the current NFL rating system does not contain. The most obvious use of this model would be to apply it to quarterback and running back salaries to determine if the market for those players is reasonably efficient.


Purpose: To provide a systematic classification of findings regarding the different stages of vitelliform macular dystrophy on spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Methods: Ninety-four eyes of 47 patients were recruited in a prospective cross-sectional study. All patients underwent a complete ophthalmologic examination, including best-corrected visual acuity using Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) charts, biomicroscopy, and SD-OCT. The findings assessed included vitelliform material, neurosensory detachment, status of external limiting membrane, ellipsoid zone and retinal pigment epithelium, choroidal excavation, foveal cavitation, choroidal neovascularization, vitreomacular traction, and macular hole. The primary outcome measure was the identification of SD-OCT findings in each vitelliform macular dystrophy stage. Secondary outcomes included the correlations between SD-OCT features and visual acuity changes. Results: The outer retinal layers (external limiting membrane, ellipsoid zone, and retinal pigment epithelium) were found to be more commonly disrupted in Stages 2 to 4 (range: 86%–100%), whereas their absence was more typical of Stage 5 (71%–86%). Vitelliform material was found in 100% of Stages 2 and 3, 93% of Stage 4, and interestingly in 43% of Stage 5. Eyes characterized by vitelliform material showed a greater correlation with higher best-corrected visual acuity than eyes without it (0.35 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution vs. 0.80 ± 0.36 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution, approximately 20/45 and 20/125 Snellen equivalent, respectively) (t = 3.726, P < 0.05). Moreover, its absence was associated with a best-corrected visual acuity of 0.5 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution or worse (approximately 20/63 Snellen equivalent; P < 0.05). Subretinal fluid was more common in Stages 3 and 4 (72.7% and 75%, respectively) than Stages 2 and 5 (P = 0.004). Eyes with subretinal fluid were significantly associated with a visual acuity of 0.2 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution or worse (approximately 20/32 Snellen equivalent; P = 0.04). Conclusion: Spectral domain optical coherence tomography assessment primarily indicates an outer retinal layer disruption in Stages 2 to 4, along with the presence of vitelliform material extending into the more advanced clinical stages too. Eyes characterized by the persistence of vitelliform material show better best-corrected visual acuity. Future investigations based on a longitudinal follow-up are warranted to correlate SD-OCT modifications with functional responses to identify SD-OCT indicators for prognostic and therapeutic purposes.


The transition to a cooked diet represents an important shift in human ecology and evolution. Cooking requires a set of sophisticated cognitive abilities, including causal reasoning, self-control and anticipatory planning. Do humans uniquely possess the cognitive capacities needed to cook food? We address whether one of humans' closest relatives, chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), possess the domain-general cognitive skills needed to cook. Across nine studies, we show that chimpanzees: (i) prefer cooked foods; (ii) comprehend the transformation of raw food that occurs when cooking, and generalize this causal understanding to new contexts; (iii) will pay temporal costs to acquire cooked foods; (iv) are willing to actively give up possession of raw foods in order to transform them; and (v) can transport raw food as well as save their raw food in anticipation of future opportunities to cook. Together, our results indicate that several of the fundamental psychological abilities necessary to engage in cooking may have been shared with the last common ancestor of apes and humans, predating the control of fire.


Immersion lithography is extending the lifetime of optical lithography by enabling numerical aperture (NA) greater than unity. Along with scanner hardware improvements, modeling of hyper-NA lithography systems for optical proximity correction (OPC) is also continuing to be necessary in improving photolithography capability. With the use of hyper-NA immersion lithography and polarized illumination, the assumption of scalar optical pupil in optical system modeling may no longer be valid. To fully describe the transmission of any polarization state through the optical system, Jones matrix is necessary. It has been shown that Jones matrix can be described as a combination of apodization loss, birefringence, diattenuation, scalar phase aberrations, and rotation effects. In this work, the impact of such effects on calibration and accuracy of OPC models is characterized in terms of the model fit quality, model predictability, and changes to OPC results.


When this classic work was first published in 1976, its central tenet--more is not necessarily better--placed it in direct conflict with mainstream thought in economics. Within a few years, however, this apparently paradoxical claim was gaining wide acceptance. Scitovsky's ground-breaking book was the first to apply theories of behaviorist psychology to questions of consumer behavior and to do so in clear, non-technical language. Setting out to analyze the failures of our consumerist lifestyle, Scitovsky concluded that people's need for stimulation is so vital that it can lead to violence if not satisfied by novelty--whether in challenging work, art, fashion, gadgets, late-model cars, or scandal. Though much of the book stands as a record of American post-war prosperity and its accompanying problems, the revised edition also takes into account recent social and economic changes. A new preface and a foreword by economist Robert Frank introduce some of the issues created by those changes and two revised chapters develop them, discussing among others the assimilation of counter-cultural ideas throughout American society, especially ideas concerning quality of life. Scitovsky draws fascinating connections between the new elite of college-educated consumers and the emergence of a growing underclass plagued by drugs and violence, perceptively tracing the reactions of these disparate groups to the problems of leisure and boredom. In the wake of the so-called "decade of greed" and amidst calls for a "kindler, gentler" society, The Joyless Economy seems more timely than ever.


SUMMARY:
Electromagnetic compatibility of myoelectrode amplifiers for prosthetic control is important for safe operation in electrically noisy conditions. Factors affecting susceptibility to interference (impedance, common mode rejection ratio (CMRR) and isolation) were studied using a commercial amplifier.

INTRODUCTION:
Electrical interference can enter the system either directly between the active electrodes as a differential signal, or via the common electrode as a common mode signal. The direct path is susceptible to interference due to the high gain of the amplifier. Shielding and electrode geometry design can help reduce the effects. A notch filter is generally used to reduce greatly the amplifier gain at mains frequency, though harmonics are still passed. Common mode interference is mitigated by the normally very high CMRR of the amplifier; however, common mode signals can also be converted to differential signals through imbalances in electrode impedances (Winter and Webster, 1983; Scott and Lovely, 1986). Common mode interference mainly enters via the power and output leads of a myoelectrode amplifier, so effective isolation should reduce the effect.

METHODS:
Two Otto Bock 13E125 active myoelectrodes were used for the investigations. Sinusoidal signals of different frequencies were applied in differential and common mode configurations and the output measured. The myoelectrode and measuring equipment were all battery powered to avoid conductive mains interference.
Connection to the electrode contacts was through an assembly of spring-loaded platinum contacts, and the myoelectrode was shielded from the external environment in a die-cast box. Measurements were made with different balanced and unbalanced input impedances to represent the skin interface. The measurements were made with the myoelectrode alone and also in combination with an isolation amplifier (Burr-Brown ISO124), and a d.c.-d.c. converter (Murata MEA1D0505SC) to provide isolated power.

RESULTS:
The d.c. input impedance and intrinsic CMRR of the myoelectrode amplifier were extremely high by design (>40 M? and >90 dB). The response to differential signals was greatest at 200 Hz to 1 kHz, with a sharp notch at 50 Hz. The CMRR was significantly reduced for a.c. signals if the electrode impedances were unbalanced. As the amplifier gain was non-linear and frequency dependent, a protocol was followed where the imbalance in electrode impedances was adjusted to give the same output as a known differential input. Thus the effect of impedance imbalance could be separated from the intrinsic CMRR of the amplifier. The results obtained fitted the Winter-Webster model with input capacitances of 400 pF. The centre earth electrode was found to be strongly coupled to the 0V lead at a.c. via a capacitance of 1 ?F. Isolating the amplifier improved the rejection of common mode signals introduced via the 0V lead. There was a 20 dB increase in CMRR with the isolation components used.

CONCLUSION:
Common mode interference can enter via the leads of a myoelectrode amplifier. Even if the intrinsic CMRR of the amplifier is very high, common mode is converted to an interfering differential signal if the electrode impedances are unbalanced. This is very likely to be the case, due to differences in skin contact. It has been demonstrated that the common mode route can be blocked by an isolating amplifier and dc-dc converter, though at the expense of extra complexity and the need to power these components. Practical implementations may come from developments in low power circuitry for applications such as wireless sensor networks.

REFERENCES:
Winter B. and Webster J. 'Reduction of interference due to common mode voltage in biopotential amplifiers', IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, BME-30 (1), 58-62, 1983.

Scott R.N. and Lovely D.F., 'Amplifier input impedances for myoelectric control', Medical & Biological Engineering & Computing, 24, 527-530, 1986.


The Supreme Court has been closely split on whether judges may consider legislative history in determining if a statute contains scriveners' errors. With the recent appointment of Justices Alito and Roberts, the Supreme Court's balance has likely shifted toward the strict constructionists' view. If strict constructionism becomes the law of the land, courts will be powerless to correct drafting errors that do not, on the face of the statute alone, give rise to absurd results. In 2005, Congress passed and the president signed the most significant changes to the Bankruptcy Code in more than twenty five years, including some technical changes to the provisions protecting governmental income tax claims. Before the 2005 amendments, it was clear that all income tax claims incurred in the three or four calendar years before bankruptcy were entitled to special priority in distribution from the bankruptcy estate, and could not be discharged. In addition, older income tax claims were also entitled to priority and excepted from discharge if either (1) they happened to be assessed within 240 days before bankruptcy, or (2) they were not assessed before bankruptcy but could be assessed under applicable non-bankruptcy law after bankruptcy. The 2005 Act changed the structure of these rules. In general, if the debtors' tax returns were timely filed, the change would turn the government's priority and non-dischargeable tax claims for the two, three and sometimes four calendar years before bankruptcy into non-priority claims that could be discharged. The change would significantly impair the government's ability to collect recent income taxes, and would encourage bankruptcy filings by debtors who have significant income tax liabilities. The legislative history of the 2005 Act shows that the structural changes were simply a drafting error. Congress did not intend to change the structure of the statute. However, the statute on its face does not create an absurd result. The line between priority/non-dischargeable and non-priority/dischargeable taxes has always been discretionary. Congress could rationally have intended to move the line in either direction. Therefore, under the scriveners' error standard proposed by the strict constructionists, which forbids judges from consulting legislative history to determine if a drafting error was made, the statute should be enforced as drafted. This is the wrong result if the judiciary's primary goal is to carry out the intent of Congress. Even if the world view underlying the strict constructionists' theory is correct - that the statutory language should stand on its own because judges will improperly pick and choose from ambiguous legislative history to carry out their own views rather than the legislature's will - there is no need to prohibit the consideration of unambiguous legislative history. The article shows the need for strict constructionists to temper their rule when the legislative history is not ambiguous if the primacy of legislative intent is to be respected.


The crack problems are important not only in macromechanics but also in micromechanics. Because of its importance a lot of analytical, numerical and experimental studies have been published in journals and books. Among them, the study of Green's function attracts many researchers' attention because analytically it may provide solutions for arbitrary loading through superposition and numerically it can be employed as the fundamental solutions for boundary element method and as the kernel functions of integral equations to consider crack interaction problems. Although a lot of Green's functions have been presented in the literature, due to mathematical infeasibility most of them are restricted to two-dimensional problems and very few of them consider possible coupled stretching-bending analysis which may occur for general unsymmetric composite laminates subjected inplane and/or out-of-plane forces and moments. In this paper we consider an infinite composite laminate containing a traction-free crack subjected to concentrated forces and moments at an arbitrary point of the laminate. By employing Stroh-like formalism for the coupled stretching-bending analysis, recently the Green's functions for the infinite laminates (without holes) were obtained in closed-form. Based upon the non-hole Green's functions, through the use of analytical continuation method the Green's functions for cracks are now obtained in explicit closed-form and are valid for the full fields. By proper differentiation, the associated stress intensity factors are also solved explicitly.


Five fictional characters have emerged on the U.S. premium-pay-cable channels that blur the traditional male-or-female gender divide. The basics of queer theory (sex, gender, orientation, and transgender) and critical/cultural studies (encoding, decoding, and reading a text) are explained as a basis for the analysis of the characters, which seeks to answer the research question: does the premium-pay-cable television format offer truly empathetic non-binary transgender characters that challenge the dominant American ideologies about gender identity and expression? If so, how? If not, why not? Shane McCutcheon from Showtime's lesbian melodrama The L Word (20042010), Lafayette Reynolds from HBO's supernatural drama-comedy True Blood (20082014), Roscoe Kaan from Showtime's corporate drama-comedy House of Lies (2012-), Brienne of Tarth from HBO's political-fantasy-epic Game of Thrones (2010-) and Job from Cinemax's pulpy action-thriller Banshee (2013-) are rigorously scrutinized, revealing their surprisingly complex, confident, and transgressive queer power.


We present measurements of the stable isotopes of oxygen ( 18 O and 16 O) from seawater samples collected during the Antarctic Deep Outflow Experiment (ADOX) cruises in the Southern Ocean and southern Indian Ocean, February to March, 1993 and 1994. The data are used in conjunction with hydrographic data to infer characteristics of the formation and circulation of water masses found in the region. The waters on the continental shelf of Antarctica (adjacent to the Princess Elizabeth Trough; PET) are isotopically the lightest found due to the injection of about 1% of glacial meltwater, and are probably advected to the region from farther east by the current associated with the Antarctic Slope Front. They appear to be locally disassociated from the Antarctic Surface Water and Winter Water (WW) farther north in the PET. The WW of the Enderby Basin is isotopically lighter than the PET WW and also fresher, indicating the presence of an additional component of glacial meltwater or high-latitude precipitation. North of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, the surface δ 18 O values correlate strongly with salinity, but extrapolate to an apparent freshwater endmember which is isotopically too light to be reasonable; advection and mixing of the water masses dominate over the local water balance at this location. The Subantarctic Mode Water of the southern Indian Ocean lies on the line of the surface waters in salinity-δ 18 O space due to its local formation by deep convection. The Antarctic Intermediate Water also lies on this line, but it is known that the major sources for this water mass are outside the region. Consequently this observation does not necessarily imply formation by local deep convection. The δ 18 O measurements have shown that the major sources for PET Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) lie outside the Weddell and Ross seas. Based on the potential temperature-salinity of the PET AABW we further deduce that the PET itself is not the formation location of a significant amount of AABW. Its major component is advected to the region from the Australian-Antarctic Basin farther east.


Unlike in the traditional statistical modeling for which a user typically hand-specify a prior, Neural Processes (NPs) implicitly define a broad class of stochastic processes with neural networks. Given a data stream, NP learns a stochastic process that best describes the data. While this "data-driven" way of learning stochastic processes has proven to handle various types of data, NPs still rely on an assumption that uncertainty in stochastic processes is modeled by a single latent variable, which potentially limits the flexibility. To this end, we propose the Boostrapping Neural Process (BNP), a novel extension of the NP family using the bootstrap. The bootstrap is a classical data-driven technique for estimating uncertainty, which allows BNP to learn the stochasticity in NPs without assuming a particular form. We demonstrate the efficacy of BNP on various types of data and its robustness in the presence of model-data mismatch.


In analysing the evolution of Software Engineering, the scale of the components has increased, the requirements for different domains become complex and a variety of different component frameworks and their associated models have emerged. Many modern component frameworks provide enterprise level facilities and services, such as instance management, and component container support, that allow developers to apply if needed to manage scale and complexity. Although the services provided by these frameworks are common, they have different models and implementation. Accordingly, the main problem is, when developing a component based application using a component framework, the design of the components becomes tightly integrated with the framework implementation and the framework model is embedded in the component functionality, and hence reduces reusability. Another problem arose is, the designers must have in-depth knowledge of the implementation of a component framework to be able to model, design and implement the components and take advantages of the services provided. To address these problems, this research proposes the Attribute based Component Design (AbCD) approach which allows developers to model software using logical and abstract components at the specification level. The components encapsulate the provided functionality, as well as the required services, runtime requirements and interaction models using a set of attributes. These attributes are systemically derived by grouping common features and services from light weight component frameworks and heavy weight component frameworks that are available in the literature. The AbCD approach consists of the AbCD Meta-model, which is an extension of the บML meta-model, and the Component Design Guidelines (CDG) that includes core Component based Software Engineering principles to assist the modelling process for designers. To support the AbCD approach, an implementation has been developed as a set of plug-ins, called the AbCD tool suite, for Eclipse IDE. An evaluation of the AbCD approach is conducted by using the tool suite with two case studies. The first case study focuses on abstraction achieved by the AbCD approach and the second focuses on reusability of the components. The evaluation shows that the artefacts produced using the approach provide an alternative architectural view to the design and help to re-factor the design based on aspects. At the same time the evaluation process identified possible improvements in the AbCD meta-model and the tool suite constructed. This research provides a non-invasive approach for designing component based software using model driven development.


Background: Morbidities have emerged as major threats to livelihoods of the poor. An estimated 150 million have been reported as spending more than 40% of their income on their health needs. Aim: To identify the determinants of enrolment and experiences of Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) beneficiaries in Udupi district, India. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in Udupi district between March and August 2012. A mixed method approach using qualitative and quantitative methods was used. The study included all households who were eligible under the RSBY scheme recognized by the Planning Commission of India as below poverty line (BPL) households and participants recruited above 18 years of age. The sample included in the study was 316 households and took into account 95% confidence interval and 20% precision. Results: Education of the household head, marital status, household size and awareness of the cost of enrollment to RSBY were seen to be significantly associated with enrollment to RSBY ( P < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis of four variables which showed statistical significance including household size, marital status, education, and prior awareness about the cost of enrollment into RSBY showed that prior knowledge of the cost of enrollment into the scheme and household size of less than five were major determinants to enrolling for RSBY. On qualitative analysis, the majority of the scheme users reported that the enrolment under RSBY had benefitted them and they are willing to renew the scheme again in the next round of enrollment. Conclusions: The awareness on scheme details among those included in the present study was found to be low. Information and education campaigns could improve involvement of both the insurers as well as the local institutions offering care and possibly increase utilization rate of RSBY.


Language comprehension involves integrating low-level sensory inputs into a hierarchy of in-creasingly high-level features. Prior work studied brain representations of different levels of the language hierarchy, but has not determined whether integration pathways in the brain are shared for written and spoken language. To address this issue, we analyzed fMRI BOLD data recorded while participants read and listened to the same narratives in each modality. Levels of the lan-guage hierarchy were operationalized as timescales, where each timescale refers to a set of spectral components of a language stimulus. Voxelwise encoding models were used to determine where different timescales are represented across the cerebral cortex, for each modality separately. These models reveal that between the two modalities timescale representations are organized similarly across the cortical surface. Our results suggest that, after low-level sensory processing, language integration proceeds similarly regardless of stimulus modality.


Libraries worldwide are transforming their spaces to better align with the changing needs of their communities. The aim of this paper is to outline the process and outcome of an evaluation study of transformed academic library spaces at the Melbourne Burwood Campus using TEALS. In light of changing higher education practices and students learning preferences, Deakin University has been questioning the balance of informal learning spaces and more formal teaching and academic spaces across its campuses. Commissioned by Deakin University Library, TEALS (Tool for the Evaluation of Academic Library Spaces) was developed to evaluate academic library spaces. The Melbourne Burwood Campus library has undergone several phases of refurbishment to create a library environment that is centred around students' needs and that supports their individual and group learning experiences. In addition, areas of the library yet to be improved will undergo a major redevelopment over the next year. Given this, carrying out an evaluation of the current spaces is timely to ensure that a better understanding of the impact of changes is achieved. The evaluation process involved: a review of architectural plans and space briefing documents; an observational study of spaces; focus groups with students and library staff; and an online survey of Students' Library Experience. Use of the TEALS space evaluation tool along with an analysis of data collected during the evaluation process have provided significant insights into various dimensions of the quality of new library spaces. The areas of weakness and strength identified in the study will inform the next phase of Deakin University Library space redevelopment.


This research aimed at investigating the factors affecting the implementation of TQM in a sample of commercial banks in Jordan. The study used the questionnaire as a tool to collect data. The results showed that there are some defaults in the implementation of TQM in commercial banks in Jordan and some aspects of TQM were ignored and wrongly Implemented and this in turn affected customer care.


Abstract. The seismic event of 6 April 2009 has inevitably left its mark on the history of the entire territory of L'Aquila (Italy), completely devastating the town and much of the province. Within such frantic and extensive reconstruction activity, the resulting construction works could not but draw attention to some issues of fundamental importance such as coordinated planning, safety, respect for the rules and above all the rebirth of the territory. This research is aimed at drawing up the site plan for Fossa, a municipality in the Province of L'Aquila and not far from the region capital of Abruzzo, Italy. The main objective is to create a monitoring standard by means of a dedicated sensors network and detailed strategies in order to coordinate, guide and support the single actions of intervention through design behaviours and highly technological tools. The Plan is configured as a tool for participatory planning, with the active involvement of planners, companies and citizens, whose common goal is the preservation of the identity of locations, the mitigation of seismic risk and the enhancement of the cultural heritage of the Municipality of Fossa. Implementation of this work is the application of technological systems for construction site monitoring: a concrete response to the growing demand for organized management of the construction process on site and safety in the workplace can be achieved through the use of systems and rational control and management procedures that include the use of innovative technologies.


Increased early and incidental detection, improved surgical techniques and technological advancement mean that the management of renal mass lesions is constantly evolving. The treatment of choice for renal mass lesions has historically been radical nephrectomy. Partial nephrectomy is now recommended for localised renal masses, owing to favourable renal functional outcomes. Ablative renal surgery confers a significant risk of chronic kidney disease. There are few studies assessing long term outcomes of nephrectomy on renal outcomes, and virtually no studies assessing long term outcomes for less invasive therapies such as ablation. Unless a renal mass is clearly benign on imaging, management decisions will be made with an assumption of malignancy. The content of this review applies to both benign and malignant renal mass lesions. We advocate for improved strategies for kidney function assessment and risk stratification, early targeted referral, and regular screening for chronic kidney disease for all patients after surgery.


Bladder and bowel dysfunction (BBD) describes a spectrum of lower urinary symptoms (LUTS) accompanied by fecal elimination issues that manifest primarily by constipation and/or encopresis. This increasingly common entity is a potential cause of significant physical and psychosocial burden for children and families. BBD is commonly associated with vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) and recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs), which at its extreme may lead to renal scarring and kidney failure. Additionally, BBD is frequently seen in children diagnosed with behavioural and neuropsychiatric disorders such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Patients with concomitant BBD and neuropsychiatric disorders have less favourable treatment outcomes. Early diagnosis and treatment of BBD are critical to avoid secondary comorbidities that can adversely impact children's kidney and bladder function, and psychosocial well-being. The majority of patients will improve with urotherapy, adequate fluid intake, and constipation treatment. Pharmacological treatment must only be considered if no improvement occurs after intensive adherence to at least six months of urotherapy ± biofeedback and constipation treatment. Anticholinergics remain the mainstay of medical treatment. Selective alpha-blockers appear to be effective for improving bladder emptying in children with non-neurogenic detrusor overactivity (DO), incontinence, recurrent UTIs, and increased post-void residual (PVR) urine volumes. Alpha-1 blockers can also be used in combination with anticholinergics when overactive bladder (OAB) coexists with functional bladder outlet obstruction. Minimally invasive treatment with onabotulinumtoxinA bladder injections, and recently neurostimulation, are promising alternatives for the management of BBD refractory to behavioural and pharmacological treatment. In this review, we discuss clinical presentation, diagnostic approach, and indications for behavioural, pharmacological, and surgical treatment of BBD in children based on a thorough literature review. Expert opinion will be used when scientific evidence is unavailable.


The efficient use of energy in communications is an area of growing interest. Until recently energy efficiency received little attention in most wireline communications standards and implementations. In almost all cases, the transmitter and receiver operate at full power, even when no data is being sent. This is the case in most wireline Ethernet standards and results in a considerable waste of energy. Efforts are now underway to develop new standards, such as Energy Efficient Ethernet, with the aim of reducing energy consumption when no data is being transmitted over a link. The changes introduced by Energy Efficient Ethernet have different implications for each network element. The implications for hubs are different to those for switches, for example. These implications are analyzed in this paper. It is shown that the adoption of the new standard will make hubs less energy efficient than switches. This will reinforce the current trend of using switches in new installations. The implications studied in this paper illustrate the potential impact of Energy Efficient Ethernet on Ethernet networks. Other implications, for example on switch implementation and upper layer protocols, can also be expected.


24 A cornerstone of effective institutional learning and accountability is the development, tracking, and analysis of informative performance measures. In a previous issue of Fire Management Today ("A New Look at Risk Management," Winter 2011), a series of articles highlighted the importance of organizational safety and risk management and the challenges of balancing safety, efficiency, and effectiveness in the wildfire management environment. Assessing risks to firefighter safety can be difficult, especially in the complex, uncertain, and dynamic environment of active incident management. Programmatic evaluation of firefighter safety is likewise difficult. Additional concerns regarding efficiency and escalating wildfire management costs pose challenges for the Forest Service.


Nowadays,the manufacturing industry consumes almost half of the energy produced on the planet. Within this industry, sustainable scheduling represents a main issue due to the energy efficiency that it is able to achieve. Centralized or decentralized approaches to sustainable scheduling can be found in state-of- the-art techniques using both optimal or heuristic methods. In this paper, a distributed system modelled as a multi-agent framework is proposed to solve energy-aware scheduling problems by applying it to a real case of the injection air moulding industry, which has intense energy consumption. In this proposal, a set of agents collaborate to reach an agreement in order to minimize several objective functions based on: total job weighted tardiness, total setup time, and energy consumption. The proposed system is compared to centralized and distributed approaches, highlighting advantages and drawbacks and providing an interesting point of view about how to tackle energy-aware scheduling with new agreement techniques in a distributed environment.


Populations of Pasteuria penetrans isolated from root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) and cyst nematodes (Heterodera spp.) were tested for their ability to adhere to a limited selection of sheathed and exsheathed animal parasitic nematodes, free living nematodes, including Caenorhabditis elegans wild type and several srf mutants, and plant parasitic nematodes. The attachment of spores of Pasteuria was restricted and no spores were observed adhering to any of the animal parasitic nematodes either with or without their sheath or to any of the free living nematodes including C. elegans and the srf mutants. All spore attachment was restricted to plant parasitic nematodes; however, spores isolated from cyst nematodes showed the ability to adhere to other genera of plant parasitic nematodes which was not the case with spores isolated from root-knot nematodes. The results are discussed in relationship to cuticular heterogeneity.


This article is number three in the series From the Frontier: Translating Research to Practice. The narrative describes the work of a practice-academic network in Minnesota which explored the degree to which having a culture of quality at the local health department level influenced the capacity to implement a new statewide initiative. The network conducted a mixed-methods study of grantees funded to develop and implement local policy, systems, and environmental change strategies to promote nutrition, increase activity, and reduce tobacco use and exposure. The results of their study indicated that grantees with higher performance levels in Quality Improvement (QI) were much more likely to exceed expectations in local initiatives compared to grantees with lower levels of "QI maturity". The study results are being used at the local level to advocate for authority to bolster QI and at the state level to establish baseline capacity of new grantees in order to customize technical assistance. This provides further evidence that systems-level research is possible in such practice-academic networks, and that findings from such research are immediately translatable.


Despite massive changes in the geographical scope of the conflict that began on 9/11, the strategy and tactics employed, and the identity of the enemy, the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force ("AUMF") remains the principal legal foundation under U.S. domestic law for the President to use force against and detain members of terrorist organizations. For many years, President Obama proclaimed that he wanted to repeal the AUMF and end the AUMF-authorized conflict. By the closing year of his presidency, however, his administration had established the AUMF as the legal foundation for an indefinite conflict against Al Qaeda and associated groups and extended that foundation to cover a significant new conflict against the Islamic State. This transformation of the AUMF is one of the most remarkable legal developments in American public law in the still-young twenty-first century, and it will stand as one of President Obama's primary legal legacies. In addition to establishing this descriptive claim, this Essay considers how the Obama administration has invoked international law in making arguments about the scope of the AUMF. As the Essay explains, although the Obama administration often maintained that international law was an important constraint on its actions, on a range of issues where international law was unsettled it interpreted it in ways that supported presidential discretion and flexibility under the AUMF.


This article questions one of the main hierarchical paradigm assumptions, the reciprocity principle configuring working class men and women relationships. In contrast, it suggests that structural tension pervades their relationship synthetically denoted as an opposition: female bonding vs. male circulation. Proposing that these disparate symbolic dispositions are inherent to each gender construction within this particular moral context, it implies ingrained system tension. Using Bateson's complementary schismogenesis concept, the article unveils potential escalating dynamics of this tension and speculates on internal/external factors in the conjugal arena maintaining it in a contained equilibrium state. Special attention is conferred upon mother/her adult son dyad to illustrate the ability of other family pacts, alternative to the conjugal to elucidate persistence of the value allocated to family/men in contexts where male impermanence repeatedly infringes the gender reciprocity principle. The article equally considers possible impacts the strength of the mother-son relationship on the sons' conjugal relationships.


Aims: Although uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) negatively regulates intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and protects vascular function, its participation in vascular benefits of drugs used to treat cardiometabolic diseases is largely unknown. This study investigated whether UCP2 and associated oxidative stress reduction contribute to the improvement of endothelial function by a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor, sitagliptin, in hypertension. Results: Pharmacological inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) but not COX-1 prevented endothelial dysfunction, and ROS scavengers reduced COX-2 mRNA and protein expression in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) renal arteries. Angiotensin II (Ang II) evoked endothelium-dependent contractions (EDCs) in C57BL/6 and UCP2 knockout (UCP2KO) mouse aortae. Chronic sitagliptin administration attenuated EDCs in SHR arteries and Ang II-infused C57BL/6 mouse aortae and eliminated ROS overproduction in SHR arteries, which were reversed by glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor (GLP-1R) antagonist exendin 9-39, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)a inhibitor compound C, and UCP2 inhibitor genipin. By contrast, sitagliptin unaffected EDCs in Ang II-infused UCP2KO mice. Sitagliptin increased AMPKa phosphorylation, upregulated UCP2, and downregulated COX-2 expression in arteries from SHR and Ang II-infused C57BL/6 mice. Importantly, exendin 9-39, compound C, and genipin reversed the inhibitory effect of GLP-1R agonist exendin-4 on Ang II-stimulated mitochondrial ROS rises in SHR endothelial cells. Moreover, exendin-4 improved the endothelial function of renal arteries from SHR and hypertensive patients. Innovation: We elucidate for the first time that UCP2 serves as an important signal molecule in endothelial protection conferred by GLP-1-related agents. UCP2 could be a useful target in treating hypertension-related vascular events. Conclusions: UCP2 inhibits oxidative stress and downregulates COX-2 expression through GLP-1/GLP-1R/ AMPKa cascade. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 21, 1571–1581.


Many real-world systems studied are governed by complex, nonlinear dynamics. By modeling these dynamics, we can gain insight into how these systems work, make predictions about how they will behave, and develop strategies for controlling them. While there are many methods for modeling nonlinear dynamical systems, existing techniques face a trade off between offering interpretable descriptions and making accurate predictions. Here, we develop a class of models that aims to achieve both simultaneously, smoothly interpolating between simple descriptions and more complex, yet also more accurate models. Our probabilistic model achieves this multi-scale property through a hierarchy of locally linear dynamics that jointly approximate global nonlinear dynamics. We call it the tree-structured recurrent switching linear dynamical system. To fit this model, we present a fully-Bayesian sampling procedure using Polya-Gamma data augmentation to allow for fast and conjugate Gibbs sampling. Through a variety of synthetic and real examples, we show how these models outperform existing methods in both interpretability and predictive capability.


The segmentation of films and videos into shots requires the detection of gradual transitions such as dissolves and fades. There are two types of approaches: unified approaches, that is, one detector for all gradual transition types, and approaches that use specialized detectors for each gradual transition type. We present an overview on existing methods and extend an existing unified approach for the detection of gradual transitions in historic material. In an experimental study, we evaluate the proposed approach on complex and low-quality historic material as well as on contemporary material from the TRECVid evaluation. Additionally, we investigate different features, feature combinations, and fusion strategies. We observe that the historic material requires the use of texture features, in contrast to the contemporary material that, in most of the cases, requires the use of color and luminance features.


The assertion that housing propagates the mixing and division of socio-economic classes in cities constitutes a significant portion of studies on socio-spatial segregation and integration. Of the two themes, studies portray housing as being responsible for driving more division than mixing. One of these such housing is social rental housing (SRH), which although designed as a vehicle for integration has often resulted in ostracization of the occupants and even of the housing development (Pendall 1999, Tighe 2010). While countrywide statistics demonstrating this ostracization and consequent opposition is not typically documented, cities around the world; in Australia, Canada, United States, and Europe show rising percentages across themes known to prompt opposition. As a social asset; we hypothesize that the problem with housing, specifically as it pertains to facilitating integration for the poor, is one of transference; that is, how can a bridge between ideas for socialization and the realization of integrated communities be effected through the design of SRH? It is our submission that a review of situations where attempts at transference are evident is necessary to understand its process. In this present paper, the intention of the authors is not to prove their hypothesis but to test it by making connections between several elements – education, educational model, and the role of the architect – as an indication of the complexity of the issue, and designing a conceptual/flow model to reveal the forces at play in the transference process. Therefore, while we discuss the aforementioned elements responsible for the mismatch of architectural idea and outcome, our focus is on architectural practice with respect to the transference of the architect's social intentions into lived reality in the resulting building and its community. By deploying literature investigation into intellectual posturing, and best practices, we discuss two case studies (Tete En L'air and Hatert Housing) that hold promise for the future of successful transference. Initial reviews indicate that the motive for design for these projects was not solely for the purposes of providing accommodation and comfort for its inhabitants but for mixing of socio-economic levels and neighbourhood integration, which was ultimately achieved. Alongside case study review, this paper considers some philosophies of pragmatism in design specifically those initiated by John Dewey, with the hope that his suggestions could constitute a basis for the actions implemented in the cases.


We present our work on reconfigurable, general-purpose linear photonic circuits. Photonic integrated circuits today resemble the very specialized application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) rather than general-purpose CPUs or highly flexible field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA). Reprogrammable optical circuits could dramatically reduce the time to application or prototype a new optical chip. We will discuss the possibilities of such circuits, and present a working implementation of a 4×4-port universal linear circuit implemented in silicon photonics. We demonstrate the circuit performing two distinct linear operations by changing the software algorithms that controls the circuit.


The diets of burrowing bettongs and European rabbits were studied on Heirisson Prong at Shark Bay, Western Australia, over two winters (1996 and 1997) and two summers (1996/97 and 1997/98). This was during a period when the rabbit population was increasing to high levels and projected foliage cover was decreasing, presenting environmental conditions likely to exacerbate competition. The diets of bettongs and rabbits were significantly different in both winter and summer. The mean overlap in diets shifted from 43% in winter to 56% in summer. Bettongs were able to vary their diet in response to environmental conditions while rabbits perished in large numbers during the second summer. The winter diet of bettongs included hypogeal fungi (19-23%), fruit and forbs; their summer diet included seed, stem, and the foliage of shrubs. Grasses dominated the winter diet of rabbits; forbs, 'other shrub species', and browse from shrubs were included also. In summer, rabbits ate mainly roots (30-35%), browse and stems from shrub species. Bettongs ate food items that rabbits did not, and were better able to use common resources. The lack of significant dietary overlap between rabbits and bettongs suggests minimal competition at times of potentially limited food resources. These results suggest that rabbits alone are unlikely to have brought about the mainland extinction of bettongs.


New York Times bestselling author and social media expert Gary Vaynerchuk shares hard-won advice on how to connect with customers and beat the competition. A mash-up of the best elements of Crush It! and The Thank You Economy with a fresh spin, Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook is a blueprint to social media marketing strategies that really works.When managers and marketers outline their social media strategies, they plan for the right hooktheir next sale or campaign thats going to knock out the competition. Even companies committed to jabbingpatiently engaging with customers to build the relationships crucial to successful social media campaignswant to land the punch that will take down their opponent or their customers resistance in one blow. Right hooks convert traffic to sales and easily show results. Except when they dont.Thanks to massive change and proliferation in social media platforms, the winning combination of jabs and right hooks is different now. Vaynerchuk shows that while communication is still key, context matters more than ever. Its not just about developing high-quality content, but developing high-quality content perfectly adapted to specific social media platforms and mobile devicescontent tailor-made for Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Tumblr.


Recent studies have shown that multiple kernel learning is very effective for object recognition, leading to the popularity of kernel learning in computer vision problems. In this work, we develop an efficient algorithm for multi-label multiple kernel learning (ML-MKL). We assume that all the classes under consideration share the same combination of kernel functions, and the objective is to find the optimal kernel combination that benefits all the classes. Although several algorithms have been developed for ML-MKL, their computational cost is linear in the number of classes, making them unscalable when the number of classes is large, a challenge frequently encountered in visual object recognition. We address this computational challenge by developing a framework for ML-MKL that combines the worst-case analysis with stochastic approximation. Our analysis shows that the complexity of our algorithm is O(m1/3√lnm), where m is the number of classes. Empirical studies with object recognition show that while achieving similar classification accuracy, the proposed method is significantly more efficient than the state-of-the-art algorithms for ML-MKL.


Tap into the budding investigators within youngsters and help them connect to the incredible array of social studies knowledge and resources on the Internet. The 75 lessons in this book guide you and your students in exciting Internet projects that target specific content objectives for specific social studies concepts. Each unit includes activities, questions, and lists of relevant Web sites and related literature. A great way to motivate students, build online technology skills, and increase knowledge.


Everything that exists in R is an object (Chambers 2016). This article examines what would be possible if we kept copies of all R objects that have ever been created. Not only objects but also their properties, meta-data, relations with other objects and information about context in which they were created. We introduce archivist, an R package designed to improve the management of results of data analysis. Key functionalities of this package include: (i) management of local and remote repositories which contain R objects and their meta-data (objects' properties and relations between them); (ii) archiving R objects to repositories; (iii) sharing and retrieving objects (and their pedigree) by their unique hooks; (iv) searching for objects with specific properties or relations to other objects; (v) verification of object's identity and context of its creation. The presented archivist package extends, in a combination with packages such as knitr and the function Sweave, the reproducible research paradigm by creating new ways to retrieve and validate previously calculated objects. These new features give a variety of opportunities such as: sharing R objects within reports or articles; adding hooks to R objects in table or figure captions; interactive exploration of object repositories; caching function calls with their results; retrieving an object's pedigree (i.e., information about how the object was created); automated tracking of the performance of considered models, restoring R packages to the state in which the object was archived.


Karst aquifer protection remains inchoate. National and international legally-binding mechanisms rarely consider implementation of karst-specific measures for their evaluation and protection. Although developing suitable protection measures for karst aquifers is challenging because their variable character hampers implementation of generalized methods, it is not impossible. As presented in this dissertation, consideration of scientific aspects and inclusion of karst-specific evaluation methods is of great importance. However, the additional inclusion of socio-political aspects is also crucial for advances in karst aquifer protection. Analyses of current European Union and United States of America policies performed in this study have shown that they can provide valuable input regarding the topic. It is also clear that accounting for the interests of affected entities, such as policy-makers, stakeholders and the public, is critical. Satisfying their needs, and assuring their understanding of karst aquifers, can ease and improve implementations of adopted measures. By recognizing these aspects, an interdisciplinary framework for karst aquifer protection was developed, and is presented in this study. The so-called K-framework, developed as a checklist, assures implementation of necessary steps for comprehensive karst aquifer evaluation and management. It further defines how each entity can contribute to the process by providing their knowledge, and allocates responsibilities of each sphere. An important attribute of the proposed framework is that it can be used on varying karst terrains and for various impacts that might threaten karst aquifers. Additionally, it is cost- and time-efficient, while still considering important aspects of karst and insuring the inclusion of important affected parties.


The primary objective of this study was to broaden psychological and scientific understanding of the lasting effects of intimate partner violence (IPV) on maternal parenting behaviors in families with infants. This study used longitudinal data to examine these associations. Much is to be gained from exploring the association between IPV and maternal parenting behaviors in families with infants because IPV is known to negatively impact a wide range of parenting capacities, as well as the social-emotional adjustment of young children. This study also examined an accumulation of social-contextual risk factors as a moderator between the chronicity and severity of IPV experiences and observed maternal parenting behaviors with infants. Very few studies have examined this particular model, and almost no research has examined these associations in homes with infants as compared to homes with older children. This study was also unique in that it used a variety of methodologies to assess the previously mentioned variables. Maternal report was used to assess IPV over four time periods, an observed mother-infant interaction task was used to measure maternal parenting behaviors when infants were 1 year old, and maternal self-report was used to assess numerous social-contextual risk factors over the transition to parenthood. Findings did not support a direct association between IPV experiences and maternal parenting behaviors. Instead, results indicated a direct effect between cumulative risk and maternal positive and negative parenting behaviors, providing empirical support for the cumulative risk model. Surprisingly, cumulative risk did not moderate the association between IPV experiences and maternal parenting behaviors. Implications for these findings and directions for future research are discussed.


This article details the exploration and application of Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Particle Swam Optimization (PSO) for the wrapped-based feature selection. Particularly a comparative study is carried out, examining the performances of both GA and PSO with respect to classification accuracy of some classifiers. 112 features were extracted features from set of images found in the Flavia dataset (a publicly available dataset). The extracted features are Zernike Moments (ZM), Fourier Descriptors (FD), Legendre Moments (LM), Hu's Moments (Hu7M), Texture Properties (TP), Geometrical Properties (GP), and Colour features (CF). The main contribution of this article includes the comparison of two major optimization techniques, i.e., GA and PSO, and the development of a GA-based feature selector using a novel fitness function which enabled the GA to obtain a combinatorial set of feature giving rise to optimal accuracy. The effectiveness of these manifold projection techniques were tested on Probabilistic Neural Networks (PNN), k Nearest Neighbour (kNN) and Multilayer Perceptron (MLP).  The experimental analysis demonstrates the classification accuracy with GA-based approach outperforming that with PSO-based method.


Objective: During the summer of 2014, Laupus Library at East Carolina University began investigating an increase in the number of items that were being reported as being "not on shelf" by staff and patrons. Due to a previous incident of organized theft, we decided to act quickly and determine the cause of these reports. Our project objectives were to assess the extent of loss, to look for correlations between areas of high loss and specific topics or disciplines, to implement measures to reduce the amount of loss, to uncover library book collection control practices at other libraries, and to conduct a follow-up assessment to measure the success of our efforts.

Methods: An inventory was conducted of the entire library circulating collection in 2014 with an analysis of the percentage of books lost and the percentage of loss of the book collection value. A survey of the AAHSL libraries will be conducted on their collection control practices. After creating a case with campus police and increasing theft-prevention measures, a follow up inventory is presently being conducted to assess the success of the steps we took to mitigate loss. We also continue to monitor reports from patrons and staff who were unsuccessful in locating a book that should be located on the shelf per the library catalog.

Results/Conclusion: By analyzing the loss-rate percentages of the first inventory and through analyzing both the statistical data and anecdotal patron and staff reports on the now current collection, we see a reduction already in book loss. Reviewing the data from other AAHSL libraries illustrated common practices among other health sciences libraries to help determine successful loss prevention measures.


One-dimensional crystals of passively-driven particles in microfluidic channels exhibit collective vibrational modes reminiscent of acoustic 'phonons'. These phonons are induced by the long-range hydrodynamic interactions among the particles and are neutrally stable at the linear level. Here, we analyze the effect of particle activity – self-propulsion – on the emergence and stability of these phonons. We show that the direction of wave propagation in active crystals is sensitive to the intensity of the background flow. We also show that activity couples, at the linear level, transverse waves to the particles' rotational motion, inducing a new mode of instability that persists in the limit of large background flow, or, equivalently, vanishingly small activity. We then report a new phenomenon of phonons switching back and forth between two adjacent crystals in both passively-driven and active systems, similar in nature to the wave switching observed in quantum mechanics, optical communication, and density stratified fluids. These findings could have implications for the design of commercial microfluidic systems and the self-assembly of passive and active micro-particles into one-dimensional structures.


Influenza is a costly disease for pig producers and understanding its epidemiology is critical to control it. In this study, we aimed to estimate the herd-level prevalence and seasonality of influenza in breed-to-wean pig farms, evaluate the correlation between influenza herd-level prevalence and meteorological conditions, and characterize influenza genetic diversity over time. A cohort of 34 breed-to-wean farms with monthly influenza status obtained over a 5-year period in piglets prior to wean was selected. A farm was considered positive in a given month if at least one oral fluid tested influenza positive by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Influenza seasonality was assessed combining autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models with trigonometric functions as covariates. Meteorological conditions were gathered from local land-based weather stations, monthly aggregated and correlated with influenza herd-level prevalence. Influenza herd-level prevalence had a median of 28% with a range from 7 to 57% and followed a cyclical pattern with levels increasing during fall, peaking in both early winter (December) and late spring (May), and decreasing in summer. Influenza herd-level prevalence was correlated with mean outdoor air absolute humidity (AH) and temperature. Influenza genetic diversity was substantial over time with influenza isolates belonging to 10 distinct clades from which H1 delta 1 and H1 gamma 1 were the most common. Twenty-one percent of farms had three different clades co-circulating over time, 18% of farms had two clades, and 41% of farms had one clade. In summary, our study showed that influenza had a cyclical pattern explained in part by air AH and temperature changes over time, and highlighted the importance of active surveillance to identify high-risk periods when strategic control measures for influenza could be implemented.


Various definitions of depth of field in the microscope are discussed. The variation in the integrated intensity in the image of a point object outside the focal plane shows how the microscope discriminates against such objects. The power diffusely scattered by a translucent object is also considered. A Type-2 scanning microscope is found to have a much reduced depth of field according to these criteria, which makes it useful for studying thick biological slices. These results do not contradict the claim that depth of field may be much increased in such a microscope by using lenses with annular pupil functions.


– The purpose of this study is to investigate secondary school students' pedagogical use of information communication and technologies (ICT), their attitudes toward integration of ICT and the differences in their attitudes based on gender, school type and location. , – The data was collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics, multivariate analysis of variance and multiple regression analysis. , – The study revealed that students' use of ICT to support their learning was low. Students mostly used ICT to communicate with peers. Students' methods of assimilating knowledge were through teacher-centred teaching, even though they somewhat used ICT for collaborative and inquiry learning. Students in public schools perceived the use of ICT more valuable than students in private schools. Also, the study provided evidence that students in urban and rural schools differed in their attitudes in terms of perceived value and cost of ICT use, but no differences in attitude in terms of expectancy of success were found to exist among students in all locations. , – The study provided further evidence that the value of ICT positively related to students' pedagogical use of ICT, but the effect was very limited. This implies that although students have positive attitudes toward the benefits of ICT in learning; many do not integrate the technology into their learning. Lastly, the study was able to provide additional evidence that perceived cost negatively related to students' pedagogical use of technology, but the result was very small. This indicates that since many students do not utilize ICT in their learning they rarely encounter barriers or challenges when it comes to the integration of the technology into their studies.


Persistence is about how things behave across time. It is generally discussed in terms of endurantism (three-dimensionalism) and perdurantism (four-dimensionalism). Despite the relevance of persistence to ontological modeling, however, there is no clear consensus over how to characterize precisely those two theories of persistence. This paper takes the initial steps towards a foundation for ontology of persistence. In particular, I examine by employing recent findings from philosophy of persistence how some major upper ontologies conceptualize endurantism and perdurantism. My resulting modest suggestion is that formal-ontological discussion on persistence should be updated by expanding its perspective beyond the topic of whether objects have proper temporal parts or not.