Prolactin (PRL) production in mammals has been demonstrated in extrapituitary gland, which can activate autocrine/ paracrine signaling pathways to regulate physiological activity. In the current study, we characterized the gene expression profiles of PRL, prolactin receptor (PRLR) and signal transducers and activators of transcription 5 (STAT5) in the scented glandular tissues of the muskrats, to further elucidate the relationship between PRL and the scented glandular functions of the muskrats. The weight and volume of the scented glands in the breeding season were significantly higher than those of the non-breeding season. Immunohistochemical data showed that PRL, PRLR and STAT5/phospho-STAT5 (pSTAT5) were found in the glandular and epithelial cells of the scented glands in both seasons. Furthermore, we found that PRL, PRLR and STAT5 had higher immunoreactivities in the scented glands during the breeding season when compared to those of the non-breeding season. In parallel, the gene expressions of PRL, PRLR and STAT5 were significantly higher in the scented glands during the breeding season than those of the non-breeding season. The concentrations of PRL in scented glandular tissues and sera were measured by enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and their levels were both notably higher in the breeding season than those of the nonbreeding season. These findings suggested that the scented glands of the muskrats were capable of extrapituitary synthesis of PRL, which might attribute PRL a specific function to an endocrine or autocrine/paracrine mediator.


Abstract. During the 200 km-scale stick slip of the Whillans Ice Plain (WIP), West Antarctica, seismic tremor episodes occur at the ice–bed interface. We interpret these tremor episodes as swarms of small repeating earthquakes. The earthquakes are evenly spaced in time, and this even spacing gives rise to spectral peaks at integer multiples of the recurrence frequency ∼ 10–20 Hz. We conduct numerical simulations of the tremor episodes that include the balance of forces acting on the fault, the evolution of rate- and state-dependent fault friction, and wave propagation from the fault patch to a seismometer located on the ice. The ice slides as an elastic block loaded by the push of the upstream ice, and so the simulated basal fault patch experiences a loading velocity equal to the velocity observed by GPS receivers on the surface of the WIP. By matching synthetic seismograms to observed seismograms, we infer fault patch area ∼ 10 m2, bed shear modulus ∼ 20 MPa, effective pressure ∼ 10 kPa, and frictional state evolution distance ∼ 1 μm. Large-scale slip events often occur twice daily, although skipped events have been increasing in frequency over the last decade. The amplitude of tremor (recorded by seismometers on the ice surface) is greater during the double wait time events that follow skipped events. The physical mechanism responsible for these elevated amplitudes may provide a window into near-future subglacial conditions and the processes that occur during ice-stream stagnation.


In this thesis we develop a one-dimensional ecosystem model of the Scheldt estuary and investigate the estuarine filter function with respect to nitrogen and carbon. Only 10% of the total imported nitrogen is lost from the estuary to the atmosphere, which is in contrast to the seventies and eigties where this loss amounted to 40% and 20% respectively. Whilst the estuary remains a significant source of CO2 to the atmosphere, our results suggest, that there is a downward trend in CO2 degassing from the nineties to our model time period. Furthermore, we structure, unify and connect existing pH modelling approaches and develop a methodology to quantify the influences of biogeochemical and physical processes on the pH. This methodology is illustrated via three theoretical scenarios applied to a simple one-box model of the upper Scheldt estuary: halving the organic matter load entering the model area and two ship spill scenarios of ammonium nitrate fertilizer and ammonia. By applying this methodology to our one-dimensional model of the Scheldt estuary we shed light on dominant processes governing the yearly averaged longitudinal pH profile along the estuary, as well as driving forces for interannual changes in mean estuarine pH. Nitrification is identified as the main process governing the pH profile along the estuary, while CO2 degassing accounts for the largest total proton turnover per year. The main driver for changes in mean estuarine pH from 2001 to 2004 was a changing freshwater flow which influenced pH directly via alkalinity and dissolved inorganic carbon but also, to a significant amount, indirectly via total ammonium concentration and nitrification rate. We then further elaborate our pH modelling methodology and add chemical interpretation through explicitly connecting reaction stoichiometry and influences of processes on pH. The total rate of change of protons can be decomposed into a linear combination of the biogeochemical process rates and the coefficients in this expression quantify a sensitivity of the pH to each biogeochemical process. The sensitivity of pH with respect to a certain process can be expressed as the stoichiometric coefficient for the proton in the well defined fractional reaction equation at ambient pH of the driving process over a well defined buffer factor. The stoichiometric coefficient of the proton represents the influence of the stoichiometry of the driving process on the resulting pH change and the buffer factor represents the attenuating effect of fast acid-base reactions in the system. Applying the concept of buffer factor and pH sensitivities to an average global surface ocean, we show that the buffer factor of surface ocean water might be three to four times less at the end of the century than it is now. The global ocean pH becomes thus substantially more sensitive to the addition of acids or bases in the future, allowing for synergistic effects between CO2-induced and non-CO2-induced ocean acidification, such as wet and dry deposition of nitric and sulfuric acid. Finally, we present a toolbox for quickly developing pH models of natural aquatic systems in the interpreted open-source programming language R.


In late 2018, Qatar -as a key player in the global gas market- announced that it has decided to quit the OPEC and rather will be focussing on its gas industry. Such a decision, drew the attentions once again and after a decade to the issue of gas cartel formation. The basic question of this paper is under which conditions gas cartel formation is feasible in presence of an oil cartel. Using a game theory framework the paper models the interaction of countries that export both gas and oil and are member of OPEC with those that export only gas or oil. Results indicate that gas cartel formation is feasible but under very vulnerable conditions. It is also shown that active members of OPEC who are also key players in the gas market prefer to form the cartel, however, it may not be the case for countries with unbalanced portfolio of oil and gas export. The impact of gas cartel formation on the price and supply of both oil and gas is also discussed.


The major goal of this research was the development and implementation of a control system able to avoid collisions during the flight for a mini-quadrotor helicopter, based only on its embedded sensors without changing the environment. However, it is important to highlight that the design aspects must be seriously considered in order to overcome hardware limitations and achieve control simplification. The controllers of a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) robot deal with highly unstable dynamics and strong axes coupling. Furthermore, any additional embedded sensor increases the robot total weight and therefore, decreases its operating time. The best balance between embedded electronics and robot operating time is desired. This paper focuses not only on the development and implementation of a collision avoidance controller for a mini-robotic helicopter using only its embedded sensors, but also on the mathematical model that was essential for the controller developing phases. Based on this model we carried out the development of a simulation tool based on MatLab/Simulink that was fundamental for setting the controllers' parameters. This tool allowed us to simulate and improve the OS4 controllers in different modeled environments and test different approaches. After that, the controllers were embedded in the real robot and the results proved to be very robust and feasible. In addition to this, the controller has the advantage of being compatible with future path planners that we are developing.


The avant-garde movements of Central Europe were an integral part of modernism's evolution as it reached its peak throughout the continent during the 1920s. Written documents--manifestoes, artists' statements, and reviews--were the lifeblood of these movements and, during the periods when political events conspired to isolate them, one of their few means of communication and exchange. Much of this crucial evidence has become lost to us, and the artistic avant-gardes of Central Europe have been a blind spot of modernist studies. Until their narratives have been recovered, the story of modernism will remain incomplete. In this book an international team of scholars has selected an essential compendium of documents that take an important step toward regaining this lost perspective.Between Worlds contains primary documents of the avant-gardes in Austria, the Czech lands, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Yugoslavia from 1910 to 1930. The manifestoes and magazines of Western European radical art circles are well known to Western scholars, but few have researched the pages of magazines such as Zenit, Integral, Punct, 75 HP, Tank, and Ma. We know about Italian Futurism but not about Polish Futurism. Few Westerners are aware that French surrealist magazines drew much of their inspiration from Czech publications. The hundreds of documents in the book, almost all of them translated into English for the first time, bring back into circulation landmark texts by the major writers, editors, artists, magazines, and movements of Central Europe. With this publication they are restored to their rightful place in the pantheon of modernism.Between Worlds is distributed for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.


The economy of the Commonwealth of Dominica is primarily agrarian based with
banana production as one of the key export commodities, notwithstanding its preferential loss
in the European Union market. However, banana productivity like most other crops has been
severely impacted by a general low native soil nutrient status coupled with low application
rates of phosphate (P) fertilizers in particular. The latter can be partly attributed to the low
purchasing power on the international market as is evident in the long term trends of increaseprices for nitrogenous and phosphate fertilizers.
The volcanic soils of the Commonwealth of Dominica were first studied in a relatively detailed way in 1967 with these soils showing high phosphate retention capacities. As a consequence, although P application is an integral part of profitable agricultural systems, improving soil fertility and plant nutrient management is a complex challenge. This challenge is amplified by the fact that a high ability to adsorb P is one of the characteristics of volcanic soils making P sparingly available for plant uptake. Hence although the world's high reserves of phosphate ores are declining the demand for P fertilizers in the humid tropics are constantly increasing. If not managed properly, increase and continued input of P fertilizers and manure P may eventually lead to environmental rather than agronomic concerns.
This research examines the influence of soil properties from some major agricultural soils in the Commonwealth of Dominica in order to obtain an improved comprehension of soil fertility limitations with the goal of developing nutrient management and farm developmental strategies geared towards increased crop production and overall farm productivity. In this regard special attention is given to the use of pyroligenous acid as a low molecular weight organic acid (LMWOA) in catalysing the dissolution of secondary P minerals. Hence the aim is to understand how native P stocks as well as applied fertilizer can potentially become more plant available thus reducing P fertilizer applications to a required minimum.


As the adage goes, "money makes the world go round" – but which direction does it spin? This analysis considers how basic decision research can help us work out how to answer this question. It suggests that the difficulty of deriving clear predictions based on existing decision research is at least partly rooted in two restrictive conventions. The first is the focus on deviations from rational choice, and the effort to capture observed deviations by assuming subjective value functions. While it is difficult to reject the hypothesis that choice behavior reflects the weighting of subjective values, it is not clear that it advances the derivation of useful predictions. A second restrictive convention is the focus on objective hypothesis testing, which favors analyses that evaluate small refinements of the popular models. The potential benefits of relaxing these conventions are considered, with reference to recent choice prediction competitions that facilitate the exploration of distinct assumptions and model development techniques. The winners in these competitions assume very different decision processes than those assumed by the popular "subjective functions" models. The relationship of the results to the big data revolution is discussed.


Multiple mechanisms have been suggested to explain seaward motion of the south flank of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai'i. The consistency of flank motion during both waxing and waning magmatic activity at Kīlauea suggests that a continuously acting force, like gravity body force, plays a substantial role. Using finite element models, we test whether gravity is the principal driver of long‐term motion of Kīlauea's flank. We compare our model results to geodetic data from Global Positioning System and interferometric synthetic aperture radar during a time period with few magmatic and tectonic events (2000–2003), when deformation of Kīlauea was dominated by summit subsidence and seaward motion of the south flank. We find that gravity‐only models can reproduce the horizontal surface velocities if we incorporate a regional décollement fault and a deep, low‐viscosity magma mush zone. To obtain quasi steady state horizontal surface velocities that explain the long‐term seaward motion of the flank, we find that an additional weak zone is needed, which is an extensional rift zone above the magma mush. The spreading rate in our model is mainly controlled by the magma mush viscosity, while its density plays a less significant role. We find that a viscosity of 2.5 × 1017–2.5 × 1019 Pa s for the magma mush provides an acceptable fit to the observed horizontal surface deformation. Using high magma mush viscosities, such as 2.5 × 1019 Pa s, the deformation rates remain more steady state over longer time scales. These models explain a significant amount of the observed subsidence at Kīlauea's summit. Some of the remaining subsidence is probably a result of magma withdrawal from subsurface reservoirs.


Abstract Background: Inverted papilloma is the most common benign tumour affecting the nose. There is a high rate of recurrence and a potential of malignant transformation. This review article aimed to identify the best available management of this pathology today. Method: A systematic review of the current English-language literature was performed. Only original articles with a minimum follow up of one year and an average follow up of two years were included. Results: A total of 1385 patients from 16 case series were identified. The total recurrence rate for all patients was 11.5 per cent. Significantly lower recurrence rates were found for procedures using an attachment-oriented excision (recurrence of 6.9 per cent; p = 0.0001) and utilising frozen sections (recurrence of 7.0 per cent; p = 0.0001). Conclusion: There is a general trend towards endoscopic surgery. There may be some benefit to the use of attachment-oriented surgery and frozen sections. Multi-centred randomised controlled trials are required.


Mangroves are characterized by littoral forest formation occurring in all estuaries of the Peninsular Malaysia. It plays an important role to protect the shoreline along the coast. In Malaysia, although mangroves are well managed especially in Perak, Johor and Selangor but the integration of remote sensing with geographic information system (GIS) for mapping and managing mangrove forest is not widely practiced. The purpose of this study is to use remote sensing technique using SPOT and IKONOS data integrated with GIS for mapping the extent of mangrove forest in central part of MMFR and for quantifying temporal changes in stand density and areal extent within the MMFR from year 1989 – 2000.A study in mapping the mangrove forest using remote sensing integration with GIS was carried out in central part of Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve (MMFR) in the Range Kuala Trong, Perak. The study area faces the Straits of Malacca lying between latitudes 438N to 449N and longitudes 10020E to 10036E, where the classification of mangrove forest areas was carried out and recorded. Multispectral SPOT (Systeme Pour"l Observation de la Terre) images of 1989, 1993, 1997 and 2000 and IKONOS image of 2000 for Kuala Trong areas (based on AOI) were enhanced, classified and vectorized using image processing software for the purpose of mapping the mangrove forest. Spatial data for the mangrove forests such as information of compartments, blocks, names of area digitized by the Forestry Department (Mapping and GIS Section) using ARC/INFO Version 3.4.2 Geographic Information System (GIS) software were used as secondary data in the study.
Based on the image analysis of the SPOT images, the mangrove forest reserves were classified as Excellent Forest Reserve, Good Forest Reserve, Poor Forest Reserve, Dryland Forest Reserve and Damaged Forest Reserve. These five classes of mangrove forests, can be further categorised as Productive and Non-productive area. The analysis showed that the average volumes of timber available within the productive areas of the study site were Excellent Forest (362.50m3/ha - 50.82%); Good Forest (256.31m3/ha -5.93%) and Poor Forest (94.54m3/ha - 13.25%) with an overall classification accuracy of more than 70% while the statistics value obtained from Kappa"s was shown more than 0.6 which is relatively quite good results for image processing. It can be concluded that the satellite remote sensing with the integration of GIS can be successfully used and implemented for mangrove classification and mapping for the advance purposes of providing fast, efficient and accurate information on the mangrove resource.


The 3D geographic information has now become fundamental in the analysis and prevention of many environmental problems. For some application fields the simple 3D data visualization is required, but the 3D complex objects can be considered as a great aid in territorial analysis connected to specific areas, for instance the management of territorial infrastructures. In order to meet such requirements, the latest generation of CAD software has improved the editing and the photorealistic visualization of objects for mechanics and industrial fields, whereas GIS software, with the use of georeferenced points, lines and polygons, had emphatically developed tools for the spatial analysis of objects. So far, with visualization tools based on simple extrusions, both the technologies do not permit structuring of 3D topological models and visualization of complex entities. In literature there are substantially object-oriented and topology-oriented models. The first addresses the visualization, topology and spatial relations derived from the object's structure, while in the second, connected to analysis, relations are explicitly defined between one object and its neighbours. With this study the 3D cartographic data processing of road networks for the realization of a prototype Infrastructure Management System was evaluated, in order to allow spatial processing in 3D GIS environments, also divulged by web. Particular attention was paid to the potentiality of the CAD-GIS tandem using the feature type Multipatch, in order to investigate the real possibility of using this methodology in many territorial application fields. The Multipatch permits one to encapsulate complex objects in a compact way and also to add textures on surfaces, providing a real objects visualization. Such a technique is still not used because commercial GIS software does not have specific tools to create feature 3D Multipatch. The created objects were next visualized to verify the effective possibility of thematic queries.


Wireless networks are increasingly popular among end users primarily to provide Internet access services. For this reason it is becoming easier to find highly congested zones with multiple wireless networks. Many of these networks use default settings which causes, in some cases, that some of communication channels in the 2.4GHz band are overused.
This document presents the work done to design a context aware self-configuring system which is intended to improve the performance of independent WI-FI networks by avoiding the interference generated by neighboring wireless networks.
For the realization of this system were carried out many experiments which show that wireless networks working on the same channels suffer interference among them that reduces the capacity of each network. In addition to these experiments multiple metrics were proposed in an attempt to predict the capacity of a channel. The number of interfering radios and the number of rogue data packets were the two proposed metric that better fit the needs for capacity forecast.
From the obtained results a prototype that implements context aware self-configuring system was developed. The proposed algorithm uses a quality value which is calculated from the weighted sum of the two metrics explained before.
This prototype was tested against two algorithms (random and static). The results show that the proposed system improves the mean Throughput of the wireless network under realistic conditions.


Beginning in the 1960s, the Brazilian government aggressively developed the Amazon, opening the rainforests up to ranchers and loggers who began clear-cutting at a rapid pace. The indigenous subsistence farmers already living in these areas either fled to the city or found themselves beholden to rich speculators bent on destroying the very foundation of their livelihoods. From these circumstances arose Projeto Seringueiro (Project Rubber Tapper), a radical educational experiment based on the ideas of Paulo Freire that was initially designed to simply bring literacy to the rubber tappers, but grew into much more by helping them claim their political rights, preserve their cultural heritage and defend their forest habitat. Schools in the Forest narrates the history of Projeto Seringueiro and gives voice to its principal actors. It explains how the rubber tappers and their allies managed to succeed despite ferocious opposition, and the new set of challenges the organization faced after that success. Though the Projeto Seringueiro experience was a unique response to specific circumstances, many of its features were adopted in other parts of the world. The rubber tappers' story shows that threatened communities can organize, form alliances and advocate on their own behalf. In the trajectory of empowerment, no tool has been more important than that of literacy.


Abstract Hyssopus officinalis L. is a common plant that is most usually found in three color forms - f. cyaneus (blue), f. ruber Mill. (purple/pink) and f. albus Alef (white). In the present work, we evaluated the chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of essential oils obtained from Polish-sourced white- and pink-flowered H. officinalis. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of the essential oil has shown that both forms of color have a different content of main components. The principle essential oil component of white-flowered H. officinalis L. was pinocamphone (51%), while pink-flowered H. officinalis L. contained almost equal amounts of pinocamphone (28.8%) and isopinocamphone (21.9%). Of note, the essential oil of the pink form was more active against Grampositive bacteria, especially against Bacillus subtilis.


A sequence of constant-frequency tones can promote streaming in a subsequent sequence of alternating-frequency tones, but why this effect occurs is not fully understood and its time course has not been investigated. Experiment 1 used a 2.0-s-long constant-frequency inducer (10 repetitions of a low-frequency pure tone) to promote segregation in a subsequent, 1.2-s test sequence of alternating low- and high-frequency tones. Replacing the final inducer tone with silence substantially reduced reported test-sequence segregation. This reduction did not occur when either the 4th or 7th inducer was replaced with silence. This suggests that a change at the induction/test-sequence boundary actively resets build-up, rather than less segregation occurring simply because fewer inducer tones were presented. Furthermore, Experiment 2 found that a constant-frequency inducer produced its maximum segregation-promoting effect after only three tones—this contrasts with the more gradual build-up typically observed for alternating-frequency sequences. Experiment 3 required listeners to judge continuously the grouping of 20-s test sequences. Constant-frequency inducers were considerably more effective at promoting segregation than alternating ones; this difference persisted for ~10 s. In addition, resetting arising from a single deviant (longer tone) was associated only with constant-frequency inducers. Overall, the results suggest that constant-frequency inducers promote segregation by capturing one subset of test-sequence tones into an ongoing, preestablished stream, and that a deviant tone may reduce segregation by disrupting this capture. These findings offer new insight into the dynamics of stream segregation, and have implications for the neural basis of streaming and the role of attention in stream formation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)


ABSTRACT Marsdenia R.Br. represents the largest group of Asclepiadoideae in New Caledonia. With five new endemic species described here, and one new combination, the number of Marsdenia species increases to 18 for New Caledonia. The new species are all restricted to ultramafic substrates. Marsdenia kaalensis Meve, Gâteblé & Liede, sp. nov. is only known from the Mt. Kaala area in northwestern Grande-Terre, and M. weberlingiana Liede, sp. nov. is restricted to one locality at Hô (Houaïlou). In contrast, the other three species (Marsdenia mackeeorum Meve, Gâteblé & Liede, sp. nov., M. neocaledonica Meve, Gâteblé & Liede, sp. nov. and M. paulforsteri Meve, Gâteblé & Liede, sp. nov.) are fairly widely distributed and locally common. All new species are fully illustrated, and a distribution map is provided. Moreover, the new combination Marsdenia guillauminiana (P.T.Li) Meve, Gâteblé & Liede, comb. nov. (based on Tylophora guillauminiana P.T.Li) is proposed for this rare endemic, originally described as Tylophora micrantha Guillaumin. Tylophora anisotomoides Schltr., syn. nov., instead, is proposed as a new and additional synonym of Vincetoxicum biglandulosum (Endl.) Kunze.


Proteins are central to all biological processes. To become functionally active, newly synthesized protein chains must fold into unique three-dimensional conformations. A group of proteins, known as molecular chaperones, are essential for protein folding to occur with high efficiency in cells. Their main role is to prevent off-pathway reactions during folding that lead to misfolding and aggregation. A number of human diseases are known to result from aberrant folding reactions. The formation of insoluble protein aggregates in neurons is a hallmark of neurodegenerative diseases including Huntington's disease (HD). These disorders are though to result from the acquisition of dominant, toxic functions of misfolded proteins.
HD is caused by a CAG trinucleotide expansion that results in the expansion of a polyglutamine (polyQ) tract in the protein Huntingtin (Htt). The disorder is characterized by a progressive loss of specific neurons and the formation of inclusions containing aggregated Htt. Aggregate formation is causally linked to the progressive HD neuropathology, though it is not clear whether large insoluble, fibrillar structures or smaller assemblies of Htt are the toxic agents. Toxicity could arise from the recruitment of other polyQ-containing proteins, i.e. transcription factors, into the inclusions resulting in a loss of their normal cellular functions.
Here, soluble Htt oligomers have been found to accumulate in the nucleus and to inhibit the function of the transcription factors TBP and CBP in cells. Aberrant interaction of toxic Htt with the benign polyQ repeat of TBP structurally destabilized the transcription factor, independent of the formation of insoluble coaggregates and caused transcriptional dysregulation. Chaperones of the Hsp70 family protect against this deactivation by modulating the conformation of Htt.
This protective effect of Hsp70 was found to be based on a cooperation between Hsp70 and the chaperonin TRiC. Both chaperone systems cooperate in eliminating toxic polyQ oligomers, which may resemble the potentially pathogenic, prefibrillar states of other amyloidogenic disease proteins, and in stabilizing mutant Htt in a soluble, oligomeric state that is not associated with toxicity. TRiC and Hsp70 appear to be part of an effective chaperone network preventing the formation of harmful, amyloidogenic proteins species. They act synergistically on Htt, reminiscent of their sequential action in assisting the folding of newly-synthesized proteins.


Litwin, Eric. Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons .  Illus. James Dean. New York: Harper, 2012. Print. Pete, the laid back, imperturbable puss is back and this time author and children's performer Eric Litwin incorporates math into the story. Pete puts on his favourite shirt and begins to sing about his buttons. There is lots of repetition to help kids learn about numbers and subtraction. First Pete thinks about the total number of buttons and the numeral is displayed. Then the word "four" appears twice in the refrain: "My buttons my buttons, my four groovy buttons". One by one the buttons pop-off and each time the resulting equation is displayed: "How many buttons are left? 4-1=3".  This sequence repeats until he is down to his belly button! As with the other Pete books, there is also a very important underlying message: don't sweat the small stuff.  Each time he loses another button, the author asks: "Did Pete cry? Goodness, no! Buttons come and buttons go". This is reinforced in the conclusion: "I guess it simply goes to show that stuff will come and stuff will go.  But do we cry? Goodness, No! We keep on singing". Artist James Dean first painted an image of Pete in 1999 and the little bluish-black cat with the big yellow eyes is still going strong.  His images are composed of bright, high-contrast colours. The visible brush strokes and thick black outlines create lots of interesting textures and highlights.  Of particular note are the buttons that leave long spirals of black trailing behind them and look as if they are popping right off the page. Again, as with previous Pete books, ( I Love my White Shoes and Rockin' My School Shoes) ,  there is a free downloadable song available from the Harper Collins Web site ( http :// www . harpercollinschildrens . com / feature / petethecat / ). The book is certainly engaging enough to be enjoyed on its own. However, there is also a substantial amount of bonus material on the web site that can be incorporated into school lessons or enjoyed at home: the song, links to a YouTube video that pairs animated images from the book with the song, printable activities and a link to a "School Jam" ipad/iphone app featuring Pete. A clever fusion of music and math sprinkled with a life lesson in resilience, this book would make a groovy addition to school and home libraries for preschool to early elementary school-aged children. Highly Recommended: 4 out 4 stars Reviewer: Kim Frail Kim is a Public Services Librarian at the H.T. Coutts Education Library at the University of Alberta. Children's literature is a big part of her world at work and at home. She also enjoys gardening, renovating and keeping up with her two-year old.


Birds are intelligent, sociable creatures that exhibit a wide array of behaviours – from mobbing and mimicking to mating and joint nesting. Why do they behave as they do? Bringing to light the remarkable actions of birds through examples from species around the world, How Birds Behave presents engaging vignettes about the private lives of birds, all explained in an evolutionary context.
We discover how birds find food, relying on foraging techniques, tools and thievery. We learn about the courtship rituals through which birds choose, compete for, woo and win mates; the familial conflicts that crop up among parents, offspring and siblings; and the stresses and strains of nesting, including territory defence, nepotism and relationship sabotage. We see how birds respond to threats and danger – through such unique practices as murmurations, specific alarm calls, distraction displays and antipredator nest design. We also read about how birds change certain behaviours – preening, migration, breeding and huddling – based on climate. Richly illustrated, this book explores the increasing focus on how individual birds differ in personality and how big data and citizen scientists are helping to add to what we know about them.
Drawing on classic examples and the latest research, How Birds Behave offers a close-up look at the many ways birds conduct themselves in the wild.


Embedding screenprinted transfers is one of several processes that can be used by artists
as a means of expression to decorate blown glass forms. When screenprinted transfers
are embedded into layers of glass and inflated, the imagery can be affected by a number
of factors that limit the process. These limitations can include stretching and distortion
of imagery, loss of density resulting in faded imagery and loss of clarity and detail of the
imagery. Compatibility issues can also result in the artwork cracking. These
limitations can result in the artworks being deemed unfit for their purpose, particularly
when created for exhibition.
This research addressed these limitations through the development of seven print
inspired glass processes that alleviated or improved the limitations and provided
alternative decorative processes to the use of printed transfers. This was achieved using
a multi-method practice led research methodology approached from the perspective of a
professional glass artist. To substantiate the research, several bodies of artwork were
produced that developed and demonstrated the practicality and creative potential of the
creative print inspired glass processes and extended the repertoire of visual effects that
can be achieved when decorating blown glass forms.
Throughout the research the print inspired glass processes were assessed for decorative
qualities as well as the practicality of each process. To contribute to the limited
technical knowledge currently available on the process of combining glass and print for
the decoration of blown glass forms, the contextual review consolidated existing
information. Technical guides relating to the seven print inspired glassmaking processes
were formulated as part of the research.


In secondary fracture healing, callus proliferate, undergo hypertrophy and the extracellular matrix becomes calcified. This step to some extent, recapitulates the embryological bone development with a combination of cellular proliferation and differentiation, increasing cellular volume and matrix deposition. The causes of the chondrocytes volume increase in secondary bone healing are poorly known, but cell membrane transporters perhaps could be implicated. We hypothesize that NHE-1 and AE-2 are among plasma membrane transporters that have a role in cellular differentiation and regulation of endochondral ossification for secondary bone fracture healing. Study of closed tibia fracture healing in 2 groups of 25 of 8-weeks-old Sprague-Dawley rats were undertaken and histological evaluation were made at 5 different time points at 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 weeks after induction of the fracture. Histological evaluation of proliferative and hypertrophic chondrocyte zone area showed a significant difference in week 1 compared to other weeks. Immunohistochemistry study revealed a significant high level of labeling intensity of NHE-1 at the first four weeks. While labeling intensity of AE-2 showed moderate reaction at 1 and 2 weeks, that increased and reached the highest level at 3 and 4 weeks. These results suggested that NHE-1 and AE-2 had role in the endochondral ossification of secondary bone healing.


In this paper we study the role of feedback in layered two unicast wireless networks with arbitrary number of nodes and connectivity. The feedback model allows destinations to feedback their received signals to their respective sources. In the case of linear deterministic networks, we fully characterize the capacity region when the two individual minimum cut values are equal to 1 and show that feedback only helps increase capacity whenever the capacity region without feedback has (1, 1/2) or (1/2, 1) as its corner point but not both. Therefore, feedback helps balance the resource utilization of the two users, similar to the role of feedback in the two-user interference channel [1].


Education is a dynamic process that requires effective teachers who design instruction that personalizes learning for each student. The complexities of effective teaching are described in Danielson's Framework for Teaching (FFT) (2007). The description of the responsibilities of teachers to impact student achievement can often be found in performance expectations of P-12 teachers (Danielson, 2007). Teacher education programs must develop teachers who are ready and able to take on the responsibilities expected in twenty-first-century classrooms to make an impact on student success. The focus of this research is on the validity and reliability of an instrument created to measure effective teacher efficacy of pre-service teachers. The research first examines the alignment of the FFT and InTASC (Interstate Teacher Assessment and Consortium) standards to better understand effective teaching in P-12 schools and pre-service teacher development. An instrument aligned to the FFT was created to measure the effective teacher efficacy of pre-service teachers. The focus of the research was to test the validity and reliability of the survey. The understandability and expert review analysis was conducted in the research. The survey was administered to 216 pre-service teachers. Principal component analysis was conducted on the data, and the factor model's internal consistency and reliability was strong. Seven components emerged in the factor structure. The coefficient alpha for all seven factors was high (Classroom Environment, Professional Responsibilities, Student-Centered Assessments, Critical Thinking, Unanticipated Changes in Plans, Student-Centered Planning, and Connections in Planning). The factors of Classroom Environment and Professional Responsibilities aligned to the FFT. The other five factors that emerged focused on various elements of planning, preparation, and instruction. This research recommends using the instrument that was developed to inform pre-service teacher development as a reflective tool for preservice teachers and as a way to improve teaching and learning in teacher education programs.


Introduction: Regarding the cross contamination, prevention from infection is of high priority. The aim of this research was assessment of knowledge and attitude of dental students toward infection control in endodontics department of faculty of dentistry, Babol University of medical sciences. Materials and Methods: The study was accomplished among 8th, 10th and 12th grade dental students in endodontics department during October-January, 2011. The student's knowledge and attitude towards infection control were investigated. The range of knowledge score was 8 to 19. The scores below 14 were considered low and between14 to 17 moderate and higher than 17 good. The attitude questions also included 3 answers (agree, disagree and have no idea). Their scores were -1, 0 and 1. The range of attitude score was -6 to 8. The scores below -2 were considered low and between -2 to 2 moderate and higher than 2 good. Data were collected via questionnaire and analyzed statistically using One-Way ANOVA, and HSD Tukey. Results: There was no significant difference between men (15.45±2.85) and women knowledge (15.2±2.7) (P=0.65) and attitude (0.2±2.5 vs. 0.35±2.49) (P=0.5). The difference between 8th and 12th semester was statistically significant (p=0.026). There was no significant difference between different semesters in attitude (p=0.94). Conclusion: This study revealed that knowledge and attitude of Babol Dental School toward infection control is not adequate and more training in both educational and practical fields is required.


Heard Island is a pristine and remote volcanic sub-Antarctic island in the Southern Ocean, south of the Antarctic Polar Frontal Zone (APFZ). Heard Island arguably provides one of the most rapidly changing environments for plant growth in the sub-Antarctic region, due to extensive and rapid glacial retreat which has been accelerated by rising temperatures. There has been minimal human impact on the ecosystem of Heard Island, but warmer conditions will increase the ease for invasion of new species. Its location, climate conditions, and pristine nature make Heard Island an ideal site to study the regional effects of climate change. Up-to-date and accurate spatial information on vegetation is of crucial importance to manage this World Heritage Area and to study its changes. During previous expeditions to Heard Island in 1987/1988 and 2003/2004 terrestrial plant ecology has been studied and vegetation maps have been produced from field samples and aerial photography. These field surveys are expensive, labour intensive, potentially intrusive, and often only cover small areas. Because of the island's remoteness and harsh environment, satellite imagery provides advanced and cost-effective means to map its vegetation cover and to quantify vegetation changes.


Marangoni flows are free-surface flows driven by gradients of surface tension. Because
surface tension depends on chemical composition, Marangoni flows may be
generated by the uneven distribution of surface-active species at an interface. The
primary goal of this thesis is to develop a rigorous computational framework for the
simulation of the fluid dynamical and interfacial phenomena underlying the physics
of Marangoni flows. The focus is on characterizing the different dynamical regimes
generated by the presence of surface-active species (surfactants) at an interface. The
computational framework was developed using direct numerical simulation, that is, by
simultaneously solving the full system of partial differential equations governing the
free-surface flow and the surfactant transport on a continually deforming interface.
Results from the simulations enabled detailed examination of the interfacial mechanisms
of surfactant transport and provided a comprehensive picture of the free-surface
flow. Analysis of the results established limits of applicability of scaling solutions previously
proposed in the literature, calculated the necessary corrections, and also lead
to the discovery of previously unobserved scaling laws in viscous Marangoni flows.
New findings from this research not only enhance the fundamental understanding
of the physics of Marangoni flows, but also the ability to accurately predict the behaviour
of Marangoni flows and the associated transport of surface-active species,
which is critical to the understanding of important natural and biomedical processes,
ranging from the surfactant-driven propulsion of insects and microorganisms to the
spreading of drugs and natural surfactants (proteins) in the eye and lungs. Controlled Marangoni transport of chemical species is also relevant to a wide range of
environmental and technological processes, with applications ranging from cleaning
of oil spills to coating of microfluidic devices.


The biophysical characterization of integral membrane protein stability is often challenging due to several factors: First, the expression and purification of membrane proteins is often impeded by low expression levels and protein stability. As a result, yields are usually low and do not allow for a thorough analysis or a screening approach to determine optimal conditions. Second, the use of detergents – which are necessary to solubilize membrane proteins – often introduces artifacts and other secondary effects, and most importantly precludes the use of reporter dyes to monitor protein unfolding. Label free methods – such as DSC or CD spectroscopy – on the other hand require large quantities of proteins, and are limited in throughput. Here we use the 10 transmembrane-helix protein HiTehA, a protein of the slow anion channel family, to present label-free, native DSF as the method of choice to perform rapid and precise detergent screening projects for a solubilized membrane protein.


The advantages of combined simulation techniques have been already frequently discussed and are well-covered by the recently published literature. In particular, many case studies have been presented solving similar domain-specific problems by different multi-paradigm simulation approaches. Moreover, a number of papers exist focusing on theoretical and conceptual aspects of hybrid simulation. However, it still remains a challenge to decide, whether combined methods are appropriate in certain situations and how they can be applied. Therefore, domain-specific user guides for multi-paradigm modeling are required combining general concepts and best practices to common steps. In this paper, we particularly outline three major processes targeting to define structured hybrid approaches in domain-specific contexts, and we focus on some practical issues aiming to a sustainable model development. Finally, an example hybrid methodology for problems in healthcare will be presented.


In this dissertation I have explored the moral justification for intergenerational responsibilities in the context of climate change. It looks for reasons, from different moral traditions, which may explain why we should accept the idea of moral responsibilities to future generations and what do we owe to them. The inquiry for these questions is conducted in the context of human rights theory and Confucianism. This study shows that both human rights theory and Confucianism could provide adequate justification on intergenerational relationship. For human rights theory, the study defend a personhood/agency-based approach to human rights, which says that human rights are intended to protect the necessary conditions for normative agency, namely the capacity of agents to choose and act upon their own choices. The reason why we have moral responsibility to future generations is because that climate change will jeopardize the future rights of them. It is morally condemnable to deprive the members of future generations of their necessary conditions for normative agency. According to human rights theory our responsibilities to future generations consist of ensuring that the members of future generations will possess adequate conditions and resources to be normative agents. To be more specific, it maintains among all the possible things we could leave to future generations, certain crucial natural capital and adequate natural environment have distinctive meanings for their human rights. Thus, we should accept ecological responsibilities to future generations to respect their human rights. For Confucianism, the concept of moral responsibility fundamentally stems from the cultivation of one's inner virtue. This concept can be extended beyond current human life, because of the spiritual dimension which implies that moral responsibility is not only about harmonizing social relationships, but is fundamentally related to the realization of one's own inner moral strength. The intergenerational moral relationships can be made sense from the virtue of ShengSheng (ceaseless life-generation). For Confucianism, the ceaseless life-generating future world and future humanity have moral significances for our present life. Thus, we are responsible for protecting the vitality of the world, and to protect and enable future generations to actualize their nature. This study concluded with the argument that human rights theory and Confucianism share important similarities in their understanding of moral responsibilities. Namely they both justify moral responsibilities by appealing to the idea of personhood. They share the belief that every person should have the opportunity to actualize the distinctive capacities of personhood which define the special moral status of human beings.Therefore, the duties we have toward others should be based on the actualization of personhood. However, due to the different meanings of the concept of personhood, these two approaches justify responsibility and the enforceability of responsibility in decidedly different ways.


One promising approach for building ASR systems for lessresourced languages is cross-lingual adaptation. Tandem ASR is particularly well suited to such adaptation, as it includes two cascaded modelling steps: feature extraction using multi-layer perceptrons (MLPs), followed by modelling using a standard HMM. The language-specific tuning can be performed by adjusting the HMM only, leaving the MLP untouched. Here we examine the portability of feature extractor MLPs between an Indo-European (English) and a Finno-Ugric (Hungarian) language. We present experiments which use both conventional phone-posterior and articulatory feature (AF) detector MLPs, both trained on a much larger quantity of (English) data than the monolingual (Hungarian) system. We find that the cross-lingual configurations achieve similar performance to the monolingual system, and that, interestingly, the AF detectors lead to slightly worse performance, despite the expectation that they should be more language-independent than phone-based MLPs. However, the cross-lingual system outperforms all other configurations when the English phone MLP is adapted on the Hungarian data.


This research suggests the elaboration of an emotional intelligence development program of a preadolescent population utilizing art-therapy. This form of intelligence is composed of numerous positive abilities that lead to a better personal and social functioning. The present study enables to become familiar with this dimension of the human being. Although only a preleminary general view, it allows to visit the realm of art-therapy, of psychology and education to discover how the experts of these disciplines view the emotional experiences of these individuals. A probing into the phenomenon of emotionnal intelligence and emotions serve as the basis for a construction of a preventive and educative program. The preadolescence aspect is observed to examine the needs of this population concerning their affective development. The art-therapy workshop is an intermediary environment that facilitates the discovery of emotional intelligence notions through experimentation such as exercices, artistic activities or various games proposed and supervised by the art-therapist. The program is structured in a detailed way describing the contents of each session and its activities. A clinical observation of this program is described to demonstrate the relevance of this project. An analysis of the results obtained from these sessions with preadolescents allows to identify the needs of this youth group and offers new interesting leads into research for eventual future art therapy studies.


Herpetofaunal communities of the offshore islands of northern Madagascar are diverse and poorly described. We present diversity, abundance and absolute density estimates of reptile species found across seven islands and associated mainland. Our results suggest the presence of a range of species of conservation interest including Zonosaurus tsingy Raselimanana et al. 2000 and Mantella sp. Further surveys and voucher specimens would be necessary to obtain confirmation. We discuss local habitat determinants of presence/absence, temporal fluctuations in abundance, and the role played by island size. Our results indicate potential for niche segregation between different gecko species.


A thermal sharpening algorithm (TsHARP) providing fine resolution land surface temperature (LST) to the Two-Source- Model (TSM) for mapping evapotranspiration (ET) was applied over two agricultural regions in the U.S. One site is a rainfed corn and soybean production region in central Iowa, while the other is an irrigated agricultural area in the Texas High Plains. Application of TsHARP to coarse (1 km) resolution thermal data over the rainfed agricultural area is found to produce reliable fine/within-field (60 m) resolution ET estimates, while in contrast, the TsHARP algorithm applied to the irrigated area does not perform as well, possibly due to significant sub-pixel moisture variations from irrigation. As a result, there may be little benefit in applying TsHARP for generating TSM-derived 60 m ET maps for the irrigated compared to the rainfed region. Consequently, reliable estimation of fine/within-field ET and crop stress still requires fine native resolution thermal imagery in areas with significant sub-pixel moisture variations.


Recently, lignocellulosic biomass as the most abundant renewable resource has been widely considered for bioalcohols production. However, the complex structure of lignocelluloses requires a multi-step process which is costly and time consuming. Although, several bioprocessing approaches have been developed for pretreatment, saccharification and fermentation, bioalcohols production from lignocelluloses is still limited because of the economic infeasibility of these technologies. This cost constraint could be overcome by designing and constructing robust cellulolytic and bioalcohols producing microbes and by using them in a consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) system. This paper comprehensively reviews potentials, recent advances and challenges faced in CBP systems for efficient bioalcohols (ethanol and butanol) production from lignocellulosic and starchy biomass. The CBP strategies include using native single strains with cellulytic and alcohol production activities, microbial co-cultures containing both cellulytic and ethanologenic microorganisms, and genetic engineering of cellulytic microorganisms to be alcohol-producing or alcohol producing microorganisms to be cellulytic. Moreover, high-throughput techniques, such as metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, next generation sequencing and synthetic biology developed to explore novel microorganisms and powerful enzymes with high activity, thermostability and pH stability are also discussed. Currently, the CBP technology is in its infant stage, and ideal microorganisms and/or conditions at industrial scale are yet to be introduced. So, it is essential to bring into attention all barriers faced and take advantage of all the experiences gained to achieve a high-yield and low-cost CBP process.


Allium fistulosum L. (bunching onion) is resistant to many of the important diseases and pests of Allium cepa L. (bulb onion). Although the first interspecific hybrids were generated more than 50 years ago, there is no conclusi evidence that any desirable trait in bunching onion has been successfully transferred to bulb onion by backcrossing. W identified RFLPs in the chloroplast and nuclear genomes to assess DNA transfer from bunching to bulb onion b backcrossing an interspecific hybrid to a bulb onion. Polymorphisms in the chloroplast genome established that th interspecific hybrid and three putative backcross plants had the cytoplasm of a bunching onion. All 57 random cDNA probes detected polymorphisms between the bulb and bunching onion for at least one of two restriction enzymes. T backcross progenies always possessed the bulb-onion fragments and an excess of probes detected the bunchingfragments. Only one plant showed an acceptable fit to the expected 1:1 backcross ratio. Significant deviations fro expected segregation ratios may be the result of abnormal meiosis in the interspecific hybrid. However, these observatio could also be explained by a previously proposed nuclear–cytoplasmic interaction conditioning preferential survival i the bunching-onion cytoplasm of eggs carrying bunching-onion chromosomes.


As one might expect, tidal currents in terms of ebb and flood tides are approximately bidirectional. A Horizontal Axial Tidal Turbine (HATT) with unidirectional foils has to be able to face the current directions in order to maximize current energy harvesting. There are two regular solutions to keep a HATT always facing the direction of the flow, which are transferred from wind turbine applications. One is to yaw the turbine around the supporting structure with a yaw mechanism. The other is to reverse the blade pitch angle through 180° with a pitch-adjusting mechanism. The above solutions are not cost-effective in marine applications due to the harsh marine environment and high cost of installation and maintenance. In order to avoid the above disadvantages, a turbine with bidirectional foils is presented in this paper. A bare turbine with bidirectional foils is characterized in that it has nearly the same energy conversion capability in both tidal current directions without using the yaw or pitch mechanism. Considering the working conditions of the bidirectional turbine in which the turbine is installed on a mono-pile, the effect of the mono-pile on the turbine's performance is evaluated in this paper, especially when the turbine is downstream of the mono-pile. The paper was focused on the evaluation of the hydrodynamic performance of the bidirectional turbine. The hydrodynamic performance of the bare bidirectional turbine without any supporting structure was evaluated based on a steady-state computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model and model tests. Performance comparison has been made between the turbine with bidirectional foils and the turbine with NACA foils. The effect of the mono-pile on the performance of the bidirectional turbine was studied by using the steady-state and the transient CFD model. The steady-state CFD model was used to evaluate the effect of the mono-pile clearance, which is the distance between the mono-pile and the turbine on the performance of the turbine. The transient CFD model was used to determine the time-dependent characteristics of the turbine, such as time-dependent power and drag coefficients. The results show that the bare bidirectional turbine has nearly the same energy conversion capability in both tidal current directions. The performance of the bidirectional turbine is inferior to the turbine with NACA foils. At the designed tip speed ratio, the power coefficient of the turbine with NACA foils is 0.4498, which increases by 1.6% compared to the 0.4338 of the bidirectional turbine. The turbine's performance decreases due to the introduction of the mono-pile, and the closer the turbine is to the mono-pile, the greater effect on the turbine's performance the mono-pile has. At the designed clearance of 1.5 DS, the presence of a mono-pile decreases the peak Cp value by 1.82% and 3.17% to a value of 0.4156 and 0.4004 for the turbine located in the mono-pile upstream and downstream, respectively. The mono-pile can result in the fluctuation of the turbine's performance. This fluctuation will detrimentally harm the life of the turbine as it will lead to increased wear and fatigue issues.


Intricately deformed, stratally disrupted, and mixed rocks produced at subduction zones have been considered structurally intractable. However, marine geophysical studies, deep-sea drilling, analyses of subaerially exposed complexes, and theoretical advances have recently produced breakthroughs in elucidating the structural enigmas of these accretionary complexes. The Penrose Conference "Structural Styles and Deformational Fabrics of Accretionary Complexes" assembled specialists from the above and related research areas and addressed the research frontiers of this dynamic topic. This conference in Eureka, California, in May 1984 drew participants from Great Britain, France, Canada, Japan and New Zealand.


Abstract The flora of Tropical Asia is among the richest in the world, yet the actual diversity is estimated to be much higher than previously reported. Myanmar and Thailand are adjacent countries that together occupy more than the half the area of continental Tropical Asia. This geographic area is diverse ecologically, ranging from cool-temperate to tropical climates, and includes from coast, rainforests and high mountain elevations. An updated checklist of aquatic plants, which includes 78 species in 44 genera from 24 families, are presented based on floristic works. This number includes seven species, that have never been listed in the previous floras and checklists. The species (excluding non-indigenous taxa) were categorized by five geographic groups with the exception of to reflect the rich diversity of the countries' floras.


Recommendation systems can be attacked in various ways, and the ultimate attack form is reached with a {\em sybil attack}, where the attacker creates a potentially unlimited number of {\em sybil identities} to vote. Defending against sybil attacks is often quite challenging, and the nature of recommendation systems makes it even harder. This paper presents {\em DSybil}, a novel defense for diminishing the influence of sybil identities in recommendation systems. DSybil provides strong provable guarantees that hold even under the worst-case attack and are optimal. DSybil can defend against an unlimited number of sybil identities over time. DSybil achieves its strong guarantees by i) exploiting the heavy-tail distribution of the typical voting behavior of the honest identities, and ii) carefully identifying whether the system is already getting ``enough help'' from the (weighted) voters already taken into account or whether more ``help'' is needed. Our evaluation shows that DSybil would continue to provide high-quality recommendations even when a million-node botnet uses an optimal strategy to launch a sybil attack.


The ability of Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes to ensure delivery of high quality metal-based components is somewhat limited by insufficient inspection capabilities. The inspection of AM parts presents particular challenges due to the design flexibility that the fabrication method affords. The nondestructive evaluation (NDE) methods employed need to be selected based on the material properties, type of possible defects, and geometry of the parts. Electromagnetic method, in particular Eddy Current (EC), is proposed for the inspections. This evaluation of EC inspection considers surface and near-surface defects in a stainless steel (SS) 17 4 PH additively manufactured sample and a SS 17 4 PH annealed plates manufactured traditionally (reference sample). The surfaces of the samples were polished using 1 micron polishing Alumina grit to achieve a mirror like surface finish. 1.02 mm (0.04"), 0.508 mm (0.02") and 0.203 mm (0.008") deep Electronic Discharge Machining (EDM) notches were created on the polished surface of the samples. Lift off and defect responses for both additive and reference samples were obtained using a VMEC-1 commercial instrument and a 500 kHz absolute probe. The inspection results as well as conductivity assessments for the AM sample in terms of the impedance plane signature were compared to response of similar features in the reference sample. Direct measurement of electromagnetic properties of the AM samples is required for precise inspection of the parts. Results show that quantitative comparison of the AM and traditional materials help for the development of EC technology for inspection of additively manufactured metal parts.


Ocean sunfish Mola mola are a seasonally common inhabitant of southern Californian waters, and comprise the largest bycatch component (29% of total catch) of the California drift gill- net fishery for swordfish. We used temperature and depth-sensing acoustic transmitters to quantify the fine-scale movement patterns of ocean sunfish near Santa Catalina Island, California. Eight ocean sunfish were tracked continuously over 24 to 72 h periods, during which oceanographic data were collected every 2 h. Geographical position and depth of tracked fish were analyzed in relation to oceanographic data and time of day. Ocean sunfish traveled a mean distance of 26.8 ± 5.2 (±SD) km d -1 . Horizontal movements were characterized by a significant decrease in rate of movement (ROM) dur- ing the first 6 h of night (median ROM = 0.76 km h -1 ) (SD = 0.31) as compared to the remaining night- time period (median ROM = 1.00 km h -1 )(SD = 0.39), whereas daytime ROM (median ROM = 1.22 km h -1 ) (SD = 0.58) was significantly higher than either nighttime period. Horizontal movements were highly directional, with angular concentration values (r) as high as 0.765 over the duration of entire tracks. Nocturnal vertical movements were confined to the surface mixed layer and thermocline, while diurnal vertical movements were often characterized by repeated dives below the thermocline. A significant relationship was found between maximum dive depth and the post-dive period spent in the mixed layer, suggesting that ocean sunfish may behaviorally thermoregulate between deeper daytime dives. The observed depth-distribution patterns of ocean sunfish indicate that lowering the depth of gillnets in the water column could significantly reduce bycatch of this species in the California drift gillnet fishery.


We compare auctioning and grandfathering as allocation mechanisms of emission permits when there is a secondary market with market power and the firms have private information. Based on real-life cases such as the EU ETS, we consider a multi-unit, multi-bid uniform auction, modelled as a Bayesian game of incomplete information. At the auction each firm anticipates his role in the secondary market, which affects the firms' valuation of the permits (that are not common across firms) as well as their bidding strategies and it precludes the auction from generating a cost-effective allocation of permits, as it would occur in simpler auction models. Auctioning tends to be more cost-effective than grandfathering when the firms' costs are asymmetric enough, especially if the follower has lower abatement costs than the leader and uncertainty about the marginal costs is large enough. If market power spills over the auction, the latter is always less cost-effective than grandfathering. One central policy implication is that the specific design of the auction turns out to be crucial for cost-effectiveness. The chances of the auction to outperform grandfathering require that the former is capable of diluting the market power that is present in the secondary market.


We describe a novel technique based on stimulated Brillouin scattering for propagating fast light (signal advancement) with low distortion in optical fibers. The essence of the technique relies on the presence of two separate gain resonances in the Brillouin gain spectrum generated by cascading two different fiber segments showing distinct Brillouin shifts. It can be shown that in between these two gain spectra, a reduced group index can be obtained. To further optimize our results, we broadened the pump spectrum by introducing a modulation of the current driving the pump laser to achieve a delay-bandwidth product close to the optimum conditions. This scheme eliminates the need of an external optical modulator and offers the advantage of a much reduced signal distortion.


Most youth in developing countries leave school with only a general academic education level, slowing down their transition to the labor market. We analyze whether work experience during school can help youth transition more easily to a first job in Benin. We used data from the 2014 School-to-Work Transition Survey (SWTS) and a multi-equation model to account for endogeneity and sample-selection bias in estimating the effect of work experience during school on the transition to first job. Our findings are that work during summer breaks or holidays makes the transition from school to first job easier, especially when combined with apprenticeships, but these results were significant only for men and youth who left school with at least a secondary education. The important impact of work experience during studies on the ability to pursue job opportunities after school is highlighted.


The emotions are at the centre of our lives and, for better or worse, imbue them with much of their significance. The philosophical problems stirred up by the existence of the emotions, over which many great philosophers of the past have laboured, revolve around attempts to understand what this significance amounts to. Are emotions feelings, thoughts, or experiences? If they are experiences, what are they experiences of? Are emotions rational? In what sense do emotions give meaning to what surrounds us?

The Emotions: A Philosophical Introduction introduces and explores these questions in a clear and accessible way. The authors discuss the following key topics:

 the diversity and unity of the emotions
 the relations between emotion, belief and desire
 the nature of values
 the relations between emotions and perceptions
 emotions viewed as evaluative attitudes
 the link between emotions and evaluative knowledge
 the nature of moods, sentiments, and character traits.

Including chapter summaries and guides to further reading, The Emotions: A Philosophical Introduction is an ideal starting point for any philosopher or student studying the emotions. It will also be of interest to those in related disciplines such as psychology and the social sciences.


Alagille syndrome (ALGS, OMIM #118450) is an autosomal dominant disorder that affects multiple organ systems including the liver, heart, eyes, vertebrae, and face. ALGS is caused by mutations in one of two genes in the Notch Signaling Pathway, Jagged1 (JAG1) or NOTCH2. In this study, analysis of 21 Vietnamese ALGS individuals led to the identification of 19 different mutations (18 JAG1 and 1 NOTCH2), 17 of which are novel, including the third reported NOTCH2 mutation in Alagille Syndrome. The spectrum of JAG1 mutations in the Vietnamese patients is similar to that previously reported, including nine frameshift, three missense, two splice site, one nonsense, two whole gene, and one partial gene deletion. The missense mutations are all likely to be disease causing, as two are loss of cysteines (C22R and C78G) and the third creates a cryptic splice site in exon 9 (G386R). No correlation between genotype and phenotype was observed. Assessment of clinical phenotype revealed that skeletal manifestations occur with a higher frequency than in previously reported Alagille cohorts. Facial features were difficult to assess and a Vietnamese pediatric gastroenterologist was only able to identify the facial phenotype in 61% of the cohort. To assess the agreement among North American dysmorphologists at detecting the presence of ALGS facial features in the Vietnamese patients, 37 clinical dysmorphologists evaluated a photographic panel of 20 Vietnamese children with and without ALGS. The dysmorphologists were unable to identify the individuals with ALGS in the majority of cases, suggesting that evaluation of facial features should not be used in the diagnosis of ALGS in this population. This is the first report of mutations and phenotypic spectrum of ALGS in a Vietnamese population. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


Many planetary geologists say Titan is alive. Radar images from the Cassini spacecraft show what look like volcanoes thought to spew icy "lavas" and pump methane into Titan9s atmosphere. But a group of planetary physicists report this week that Titan appears to be encased in a shell of rock-hard ice tens of kilometers thick—perhaps too rigid to allow ice magma to rise from the depths. If they are right, the "volcanoes" are something else entirely, Titan is geologically dead, and the moon9s store of atmospheric methane—the source of the rains that cut its canyons and fill its lakes—may be dwindling. Titan may be drying out.


Goldstein or Wolfe conditions can be imposed on a linesearch to ensure convergence of an iterative nonlinear optimization algorithm to a stationary point. However it is actually not necessary to find a single step which satisfies both Goldstein (or both Wolfe) conditions simultaneously in order to ensure global convergence. De-linking the conditions can make it significantly easier to find an acceptable stepsize, which is neither too short nor too long. Although this fact has been known for a long time, the practice seems to have fallen out of fashion. However In this note we give a short, self-contained proof of global convergence for de-linked Goldstein and Wolfe conditions, and advocate their use. In particular, we argue that the increasingly widespread availability of second order adjoints via Automatic Differentiation tools means that the cost of a conventional safe line search is often unacceptably high for algorithms such as Truncated Newton. The de-linked approach advocated here is used with the Goldstein conditions in the OPTIMA Truncated Newton code.


Abstract. In a changing world, the prevalence of land degradation is becoming a serious problem, especially in countries with arid and semi-arid rangelands. There are many techniques to assess rangeland degradation that rely on scientific knowledge but ignore indigenous people. Indigenous people have accumulated precious knowledge about land management through generations of experience. Therefore, a study was conducted to find out how indigenous people assess rangeland degradation and how their ecological knowledge can be used for rangeland degradation assessment. Interviews were conducted with the pastoralists of two sites (Dasht and Mirza Baylu), where part of both areas is located in Golestan National Park (north-eastern Iran). A structured questionnaire was designed based on 17 indicators taken from literature and also primary discussions with pastoralists in order to evaluate land degradation. A qualitative Likert five-point scale was used for scoring rangeland degradation indicators. The results revealed that pastoralists pay more attention to edaphic indicators than to vegetative and other indicators. There were significant differences between the inside and outside of the park in terms of rangeland degradation indicators for both sites. The results show that the rangelands outside of the park in both sites were degraded compared to those inside of the park, especially in the areas close to villages. It can be concluded that pastoralists have a wealth of knowledge about the vegetation and grazing animal habits that can be used in rangeland degradation assessment. It is therefore necessary to document their ecological indigenous knowledge and involve them in the process of rangeland-degradation assessment.


The work of demographers in developing countries is limited by the fact that demographic data are either nonexistent or of too bad quality to be usable. Therefore, indirect estimation techniques based on survey data are used to estimate levels and trends of mortality and life expectancy. But also mortality researchers in developed countries are often faced with the problem of nonexistent data when they are interested in specific phenomena of mortality differentials. In order to improve the availability of information on specific mortality differentials in cases where no official data are available, Luy (2009, 2012) suggested a modified version of the orphanhood method (MOM) for indirect estimation of adult mortality from survey information on maternal and paternal survival to permit its application to populations of developed countries. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the formal demographic relationships behind the MOM and to illustrate the method's potentials and limitations by summarizing the findings of different empirical applications. The latter will provide additional insights not only for the general usefulness of indirect estimation techniques in developed countries but also for the application of the traditional variants of the orphanhood method in developing countries.


An interesting new application domain for handheld devices may be represented by Ambient Intelligence (AmI), where they can be used as intermediaries between us and our surrounding environment. Thus, the devices, which always accompany us, will behave as electronic butlers who assist us in our daily tasks, by interacting with the smart objects (everyday objects augmented with computational services) in our whereabouts. In order to achieve such goal, this paper proposes an AmI-enabling framework providing two main functions: a) facilitate the development and deployment of smart objects and b) transform mobile devices into universal remote controllers of those smart objects.


The early 1990s saw the publication of important academic works on the subject of heavy
metal music. These works were seminal in that they were the first to recognise and
interrogate, in any substantial way, a topic that had been, until then, valued only as a
cultural/sociological subject. Those ground-breaking works included Robert Walser's
1993 publication Running with The Devil: Power, Gender and Madness in Heavy Metal
and Deena Weinstein's Heavy Metal: The Music and its Culture first published in 1991.
Both works however, present heavy metal in broad terms, creating a wide paradigm that
includes bands with widely differing musical syntax and aesthetic concerns (e.g. Cradle
of Filth to Bon Jovi). These generalisations, being based on the perceived commonality
of such concepts as power-chords and gendering, form something of a paradox that has
been unquestioningly embraced by subsequent authors and so sustaining that opinion.
I have challenged these generalisations and asserted that hard rock and heavy metal are
distinctly different generic forms in both musical syntax and aesthetic. Moreover, I have
argued that both Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin were pivotal in the formation of heavy
metal and hard rock respectively and that the first six albums of both bands were
particularly significant to the generic evolution of both forms of music.
Heavy metal has evolved and become an established form of music over the last three
and a half decades but vitally retains the central coding established in Black Sabbath's
early work, not least the consistent utilisation of key intervals such as the tritone and flat
2nd, modal riffs, down-tuned guitars, aggressive performance techniques, episodic
structuring and anti-patriarchal themes. By contrast, Led Zeppelin made significant
contributions to the evolution of hard rock through a re-working of blues-based themes
and syntax and the development of an eclectic repertoire. This work deconstructs that
evolutionary process, highlighting the distinct nature of both forms.


Abstract The present work investigated serum vitamin D (25(OH)D) status in relation to bone and muscle qualities and functions in 19 female soccer players (13–16 years) resident at northern latitude with very low sun exposure (∼32–36 h/month) during winter season (late January to early March). Serum 25(OH)D, parathyroid hormone and bone turnover markers osteocalcin (OC) and beta carboxy-terminal collagen cross-links (β-Ctx), as well as body composition and muscle performance were examined. Hormones were tested using routine laboratory methods. Fat mass, lean mass, and bone mineral density in whole body, as well as femur and lumbar spine were evaluated with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Muscle performance was assessed through isokinetic knee extension and flexion, countermovement jump, and sprint running. 25(OH)D was low (50.5 ± 12.8 nmol l−1), whereas the values of bone turnover markers were markedly high (OC: 59.4 ± 18.6 µg l−1; β-Ctx: 1075 ± 408 ng l−1). All bone and muscle measurements were normal or above normal. 25(OH)D was not significantly correlated with most of the parameters of bone and muscle quality or function, except the knee extension time to peak torque (r  = −0.50, p = .03). In conclusion, the level of vitamin D is markedly low in adolescent female soccer players during the winter in Sweden. However, vitamin D levels did not significantly correlate with measures of bone and muscle except a moderate correlation in time to peak torque in the knee extensors. The practical implication of low vitamin D levels in young growing female athletes remains unclear.


A field study on lighting in the production of meat-type-chickens was conducted between April 2006 and February 2007.
Part 1 comprised a survey on lighting practices in a substantial number of broiler farms in southern Germany (n = 187 broiler stables covering a total area of
276.337 m²). It was carried out on the basis of a questionnaire adapted to broiler management. The focus of data collection was put on animal welfare issues of lighting.
It was found that in conventional broiler farming closed buildings, with or without windows, are the most common kind of facility used. This applies to the number of farms as well as to the total area. A comparatively high proportion of stables from the early days of poultry farming in Germany shows that these agricultural buildings often remain in use unchanged for decades. Thus, once taken, decisions on lighting have practical consequences over the whole life-cycle of an agricultural building. The surroundings in closed stables are primarily conceived to accommodate the need of farm staff for work-efficiency and workplace-safety. Scientific findings on visual perception of poultry have not been implemented systematically in poultry farming, yet even though lighting constitutes a central management factor which can influence behaviour and health of the animals to a substantial degree. An exception is the fact that conventional fluorescent lights with a flicker frequency of 100 Hz, which poultry may perceive as discontinuous, have largely been eliminated from the farms we examined.
Subsequently the lighting environments of characteristic types of broiler sheds were examined by means of spectrophotometry. Data were collected on illuminance, irradiance, UVA-irradiance and colour temperature in summer as well as in winter.
Substantial differences were found between the two sampling dates, particularly where ultraviolet radiation was concerned. Additionally considerable differences between the type of building (with or without daylight) could be described.
Taking into consideration the enlarged sensory facilities of birds (perception of ultraviolet radiation, flicker fusion frequency higher than 100 Hz), it can be concluded that the currently used methods for sampling light intensity, particularly the lux-unit, are suitable for poultry to a limited extent only.
Part 2 was a study on the effects of two lighting programmes which differed exclusively in intensity (5 lx and 20 lx) from the 13th day of the fattening period. The following parameters were collected and evaluated under field conditions:
► Development of intraocular pressure
► Development of eye measures
► Behaviour and time-budget
► Excretion of glucocorticoids (corticosterone)
► Performance parameters
Under 5 lx a modulation of intraocular pressure was observed. Moreover all eye measures were larger under 5 lx than under 20 lx. A biological relevance of these differences, which were very slight, can be denied with a high certainty.
The animals kept under 20 lx showed phases of higher activity and more explorative and comfort behaviour than the group raised under 5 lx. These results could be interpreted as a decrease in global activity due to the low light intensity.
The lighting programme with an intensity of 5 lx resulted in a tendency for a higher excretion of fecal corticosterone, which was significant on day 35 only. This could be interpreted as a direct influence of dark surroundings on glucocorticoid metabolism.
Bright lighting (20 lx) increased the risk for necrotic dermatitis (inflammatory process) by a factor of more than three. A prolonged fattening time of 37-39 days predisposed the animals to the development of necrotic dermatitis as well. Pododermatitis score was better under dim lighting. Further effects of lighting on production parameters could not be found.
Taken together, these results give strong hints that a decrease of light intensity to approximately 5 lx at the beginning of the third week of a production cycle may constitute a tool to improve performance and prevent skin damage. Nonetheless these low light intensities could be stressful for the animals.
These results were collected under field conditions and under certain restrictions. More research under controlled conditions remains therefore to be done.


ABSTRACT Common scab, caused by Streptomyces scabiei is an economically important potato disease worldwide. The potato industry in New Brunswick, Canada experience $1.2 million loss every year due to this disease. Superficial, raised, or deep-pitted brownish lesions on infected tubers reduce the quality and marketability of both fresh-market and processing potatoes, and hence, common scab is considered a priority disease for which adequate control measures are lacking. The objective of this research was to compare various potential treatments in suppressing the disease. Two field experiments were conducted at McCain's Research Farm, Florenceville-Bristol, New Brunswick, Canada, in 2008 and 2009 to assess the efficacy of Bacillus subtilis, Enterobacter cloacae, Chloropicrin, Pic-Plus, manganese sulphate and mustard meal in comparison with the chemical controls fludioxonil and mancozeb against common scab of potato. The disease incidence was significantly reduced by 36% due to the addition of mustard meal to the soil; 35.4% due to fludioxonil seed treatment; 30.0% due to soil fumigation with Pic-Plus; or by 27.2% due to soil fumigation with Chloropicrin. Potato tubers with scab severity ≥5% which are considered unmarketable in Canada were significantly reduced by 56.1% due to seed treatments with B. subtilis; by 57.8% due to fludioxonil; or by 63.1% due to the soil addition of mustard meal. The same treatments significantly increased marketable yield by 32.5%, 24.6%, and 24.6%, respectively. Soil fumigation with Chloropicrin or Pic-Plus increased marketable yield by 9.5% or 7.1%, respectively. These findings indicate that, in addition to the fludioxonil seed treatment, the seed treatment with the biopesticide containing B. subtilis and the soil addition of mustard meal treatments are potential alternatives for managing common scab of potatoes.


Chronic conditions negatively impact well-being, and the negative impact of a chronic condition can extend beyond the diagnosed person to his or her spouse. This association may be further influenced by gender, as gender can shape how individuals experience their own chronic conditions-including what conditions they develop-and how they react to the conditions and distress of their spouses. In my dissertation, I examine how one spouse's chronic conditions are related to the other spouse's psychological distress over time. I address this using quantitative analysis of the Health and Retirement Study and qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews. In my quantitative analysis, I find that the association between one spouse's chronic conditions and the other spouse's distress differs by gender, number of conditions, whether one or both spouses have chronic conditions, and type of condition. Regarding number of conditions, a husband's number of chronic conditions increases his wife's distress more so than a wife's number of chronic conditions increases her husband's. These associations are mitigated by the chronically ill spouse's own distress and functional limitations. Additionally, this gender difference is more pronounced if both spouses have chronic conditions compared to if only one has chronic conditions. Regarding type of condition, lung disease and stroke are the most negatively impactful for spouses' distress, whereas high blood pressure, cancer, and arthritis are not related to spouses' distress. All conditions, except for stroke, relate to husbands' and wives' vii distress similarly, but a husband's stroke increases a wife's distress initially whereas the wife's stroke increases the husband's distress over time. In my qualitative analysis, I find that when women are chronically ill, they continue to emotionally care for their husbands, which likely protects their husbands from psychological distress but exacerbates women's own distress. My results point to the importance of promoting the psychological well-being of both spouses during periods of chronic conditions. This is especially critical for spouses of people with more than one condition, chronically ill women whose husbands are also chronically ill, and spouses of people experiencing stroke and lung disease.


Over the last decade, many articles have suggested that the "badness" of side-effect outcomes influences perceivers' intuitions about intentionality, contradicting the traditional notion that mental state inferences lead to moral judgments rather than the reverse. Challenging this assertion, we argue that typically, consideration of intentionality involves thinking about "intentional actions" (things people do) rather than unintended outcomes. Across several studies, we offer an explanatory framework describing why side-effect asymmetries emerge. We first establish that people differentiate actions, outcomes, goals, and side effects, associating intentions with goals but intentionality with actions in furtherance of goals, and that each of these components is readily identified in side-effect scenarios. We then demonstrate that when relationships among actions, goals, and side effects are available for consideration in response options, side-effect effects disappear. We additionally show that, because actions are not explicitly referenced, people reinterpret questions about the intentionality of side effects-particularly for harmful outcomes-as asking about intentional actions that caused side effects, creating a mismatch between participants' pragmatic and researchers' literal interpretations. Finally, we demonstrate how harmful side effects shift perceivers' attention toward considering agents' knowledge/awareness, whereas beneficial side effects focus attention on intentions/motives, which serves a useful social purpose. We discuss how perceptions of intentionality are not influenced by side-effect valence, although, because of structural differences in how people view harm versus benefit, outcomes influence which mental states perceivers consider important when answering questions that are typically asked in side-effects research. Beyond intentionality, we consider how these findings may shed light on trait attribution processes, more generally.


Amyloid β40 (Aβ40) and its derivatives are being developed as probes for the ante-mortem diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Putrescine-Aβ40 (PUT-Aβ40) showed better plaque targeting than the native Aβ40, which was not solely explained by the differences in their blood-brain-barrier (BBB) permeabilities. The objective of this study was to elucidate the physiological and biophysical factors influencing the differential targeting of Aβ40 and PUT-Aβ40. Despite better plaque-targeting ability 125I-PUT-Aβ40 was more rapidly cleared from the systemic circulation than amyloid β40 labeled with 125I (125I-Aβ40) after i.v. administration in mice. The BBB permeability of both compounds was inhibited by circulating peripheral Aβ40 levels. 125I-Aβ40 but not 125I-PUT-Aβ40 was actively taken up by the mouse brain slices in vitro. Only fluorescein-Aβ40, not fluorescein-PUT-Aβ40, was localized in the brain parenchymal cells in vitro. The metabolism of 125I-Aβ40 in the brain slices was twice as great as 125I-PUT-Aβ40. 125I-Aβ40 efflux from the brain slices was saturable and found to be 5 times greater than that of 125I-PUT-Aβ40. Thioflavin-T fibrillogenesis assay demonstrated that PUT-Aβ40 has a greater propensity to form insoluble fibrils compared with Aβ40, most likely due to the ability of PUT-Aβ40 to form β sheet structure more readily than Aβ40. These results demonstrate that the inadequate plaque targeting of Aβ40 is due to cellular uptake, metabolism, and efflux from the brain parenchyma. Despite better plaque targeting of PUTAβ40, its propensity to form fibrils may render it less suitable for human use and thus allow increased focus on the development of novel derivatives of Aβ with improved characteristics.


Curzio Giannini's history of the evolution of central banks illustrates how the most relevant institutional developments have taken place at times of widespread confidence crises and in response to deflationary pressures. The eminent and highly-renowned author provides an analytical perspective to study the evolution of central banking as an endogenous response to crisis and to the ever increasing needs of economic growth. The key argument of the analysis is that crucial innovations in the payment technology (from the invention of coinage to the development of electronic money) could not have taken place without an institution – i.e. the central bank - that could preserve confidence in the instruments used as money. According to Curzio Giannini's 'neo-institutionalist' methodological approach, social institutions are, in fact, essential in the coordination of individual decisions as they minimize transaction costs, overcome information asymmetries and deal with incomplete contracts.


Recommender systems exploit a set of established user preferences to predict topics or products that a new user might like [2]. Recommender systems have become an important research area in the field of information retrieval. Many approaches have been developed in recent years and the interest is very high. However, despite all the efforts, recommender systems are still in need of further development and more advanced recommendation modelling methods, as these systems must take into account additional requirements on user preferences, such as geographic search and social networking. This fact, in particular, implies that the recommendation must be much more "personalized" than it used to be.
In this paper, we describe the recommender system used in the "DisMoiOu"("TellMeWhere" in French) on-line service (http://dismoiou.fr), which provides the user with advice on places that may be of interest to him/her; the definition of "interest" in this context is personalized taking into account the geographical position of the user (for example when the service is used with portable phones such as the Apple iPhone), his/her past ratings, and the
ratings of his/her neighbourhood in a known social network.
Using the accepted terminology [6], DisMoiOu is mainly a Collaborative Filtering System (CFS): it employs opinions collected from similar users to suggest likely places. By contrast with existing recommender systems, ours puts
together the use of a graph theoretical model [4] and that of combinatorial optimization methods [1]. Broadly speaking, we encode known relations between users and places and users and other users by means of weighted graphs. We then define essential components of the system by means of combinatorial optimization problems on a reformulation of these graphs, which are finally used
to derive a ranking on the recommendations associated to pairs (user,place). Preliminary computational results on the three classical evaluation parameters for recommender systems (accuracy, recall, precision [3]) show that our system performs well with respect to accuracy and recall, but precision results need to be improved.


The Transformer architecture has achieved remarkable success in a number of domains including natural language processing and computer vision. However, when it comes to graph-structured data, transformers have not achieved competitive performance, especially on large graphs. In this paper, we identify the main deficiencies of current graph transformers:(1) Existing node sampling strategies in Graph Transformers are agnostic to the graph characteristics and the training process. (2) Most sampling strategies only focus on local neighbors and neglect the long-range dependencies in the graph. We conduct experimental investigations on synthetic datasets to show that existing sampling strategies are sub-optimal. To tackle the aforementioned problems, we formulate the optimization strategies of node sampling in Graph Transformer as an adversary bandit problem, where the rewards are related to the attention weights and can vary in the training procedure. Meanwhile, we propose a hierarchical attention scheme with graph coarsening to capture the long-range interactions while reducing computational complexity. Finally, we conduct extensive experiments on real-world datasets to demonstrate the superiority of our method over existing graph transformers and popular GNNs.