This paper explores the legal nature of a Personal Identification Number (PIN) and the legal position when it is voluntarily or involuntarily disclosed to a third party. It also comments on the legality of the standard form contracts that contain terms relating to the use of PINs. It will be argued that the common law should now regard a PIN as a signature, in light of the development of modern information technology. Further, a PIN holder owes a duty of care to his bank when using his PIN. However, if the PIN disclosure is obtained from the holder by unconscionable or deceptive means, the holder should not be held liable for any consequential losses. Moreover, a bank has a duty to warn its customers of any criminal act which may be practised upon a PIN holder.


Negotiation, mediation, and other consensus-based alternatives to litigation are most often studied and defended in the context of ordinary disputes, in which liability and distributive issues are contested, but the background norms that govern the outcome of a lawsuit are not. Many consider adjudication to be the only acceptable process for addressing "significant cases": disputes about abortion, school prayer, the environment, and other value-laden issues in which background norms are contested. I argue that this perspective is ironic because litigation, like negotiation, entails compromise. Litigation is a lottery in which the substantive values a party seeks to defend, and which it claims are absolute, may be wholly or partially discredited by the court. Furthermore, litigation merely shifts the burden of negotiation to judges. I distinguish two types of negotiation, bargaining and moral deliberation, and argue that both should be viewed as legitimate alternatives to litigation for processing disputes involving deep moral disagreement. Deliberative dispute resolution processes present important opportunities for democratic participation, and settlements resulting from them may benefit both the parties and society in ways that litigation cannot. Even where parties are incapable of engaging in genuine moral deliberation, however, settlement for strategic reasons sometimes may be a sensible alternative for parties to a significant case, and should not invite scorn. Litigation and negotiation are complementary, mutually reinforcing social processes, and each has a legitimate role to play in our nation's moral discourse and the evolution of social norms.


This study surveyed obligate carriers of the fragile X syndrome fra(X) to ascertain opinions and attitudes regarding carrier testing. Female carriers of fra(X) syndrome were recruited during their visits to the Fragile X Clinic at Duke University Medical Center. Twenty-eight obligate carriers completed a 48 question structured interview and a visual analog scale (VAS). Strong trends in the responses were identified. Fra(X) syndrome was viewed as a very serious problem and the risk to offspring high. Subjects reported that prior knowledge of carrier status would have changed their reproductive plans. All felt that relatives should be informed about the inheritance of fra(X) syndrome; the mean age given for preferred age to inform their children of the inheritance of fra(X) syndrome was 12 years, and mean age given for optimal timing of carrier testing was 10 years. The women interviewed indicated that growing up with knowledge of their carrier status would have been preferable to learning this information as adults and they endorsed an aggressive approach to informing and testing their children. Further investigation is warranted to determine the psychological consequences of carrier testing for fra(X) syndrome in order to develop appropriate guidelines for testing and informing individuals at risk for fra(X) syndrome.


Cosmetic tattooing involves implantation of pigments into the dermis in order to create a permanent makeup. Here, we report a case of sarcoidal granulomatous reaction to old cosmetic tattoos after an intense pulsed light (IPL) treatment for facial skin rejuvenation. We consider this case as a peculiar example of photo‐induced reaction to tattoo. In addition, we hypothesize that an underlying immune dysfunction was present, and acted as a predisposing factor for this unusual response, as the patient had suffered from an episode of acute pulmonary sarcoidosis 15 years before. Overall, our observation suggests that IPL treatment should be used cautiously in patients with tattoos, especially when a history of autoimmune disease is present.


R. Baumeister, The Nature and Structure of the Self: An Overview. Part I: Self-Knowledge. J. Shrauger & T. Schoeneman, Symbolic Interactionist View of Self-Concept: Through the Looking Glass Darkly. S. Taylor & J. Brown, Illusion and Well-Being: A Social Psychological Perspective on Mental Health. Part II: Self-Conceptions. W. James, The Self. H. Turner, The Real Self: From Institution to Impulse. Part III: Motivational Roots. M. Leary, E. Tambor, S. Terdal, & D. Downs, Self-Esteem as an Interpersonal Monitor: The Sociometer Hypothesis. J. Greenberg, S. Solomon, T. Pyszczynski, A. Rosenblatt, J. Burling, D. Lyon, L. Simon, & E. Pinel, Why Do People Need Self-Esteem? Converging Evidence that Self-Esteem Serves an Anxiety-Buffering Function. Part IV: Self and Information Processing. H. Markus, Self-Schemata and Processing Information about the Self. T. Rogers, N. Kuiper, & W. Kirker, Self-Reference and the Encoding of Personal Information. E. T. Higgins, Self-Discrepancy: A Theory Relating Self and Affect. Part V: Self-Presentation. M. Leary, L. Tchividjian, & B. Kraxberger, Self-Presentation Can Be Hazardous to Your Health: Impression Management and Health Risk. D. Tice, Self-Concept Change and Self-Presentation: The Looking Glass Self is also a Magnifying Glass. Part VI: Self-Esteem. J. Campbell, Self-Esteem and Clarity of the Self-Concept. R. Baumeister, L. Smart, & J. Boden, Relation of Threatened Egotism to Violence and Aggression: The Dark Side of High Self-Esteem. Part VII: Self-Regulation. A. Bandura, Self-Efficacy: Toward a Unifying Theory of Behavior Change. C. Carver & M. Scheier, Control Theory: A Useful Conceptual Framework for Personality-Social, Clinical and Health Psychology. R. Baumeister, E. Bratslavsky, M. Muraven, & D. Tice, Ego Depletion: Is the Active Self a Limited Resource? Part VIII: Self and Culture. H. Markus & S. Kitayama, Culture and the Self: Implications for Cognition, Emotion, and Motivation. Part IX: Motivation and Self-Knowledge. C. Steele, The Psychology of Self-Affirmation: Sustaining the Integrity of the Self. W. Swann, J. Griffin, S. Predmore, & B. Gaines, The Cognitive-Affective Crossfire: When Self-Consistency Confronts Self-Enhancement. C. Sedikides, Assessment, Enhancement, and Verification Determinants of the Self-Evaluation Process. Part X: Strategies. E. Jones, & S. Berglas, Control of the Attributions about the Self Through Self-Handicapping Strategies: The Appeal of Alcohol and the Role of Underachievement. R. Cialdini, R. Borden, A. Thorne, M. Walker, S. Freeman, and L. Sloan, Basking in Reflected Glory: Three (Football) Field Studies. A. Tesser, Toward a Self-Evaluation Maintenance Model of Social Behavior. Appendix: How to Read a Journal Article in Social Psychology.


Machine reading comprehension tasks require a machine reader to answer questions relevant to the given document. In this paper, we present the first free-form multiple-Choice Chinese machine reading Comprehension dataset (C3), containing 13,369 documents (dialogues or more formally written mixed-genre texts) and their associated 19,577 multiple-choice free-form questions collected from Chinese-as-a-second-language examinations. We present a comprehensive analysis of the prior knowledge (i.e., linguistic, domain-specific, and general world knowledge) needed for these real-world problems. We implement rule-based and popular neural methods and find that there is still a significant performance gap between the best performing model (68.5%) and human readers (96.0%), especiallyon problems that require prior knowledge. We further study the effects of distractor plausibility and data augmentation based on translated relevant datasets for English on model performance. We expect C3 to present great challenges to existing systems as answering 86.8% of questions requires both knowledge within and beyond the accompanying document, and we hope that C3 can serve as a platform to study how to leverage various kinds of prior knowledge to better understand a given written or orally oriented text. C3 is available at https://dataset.org/c3/.


The objectives of 7-SEAS/BASELInE (Seven SouthEast Asian Studies/Biomass-burning Aerosols & Stratocumulus Environment: Lifecycles & Interactions Experiment) campaigns in spring 2013-2015 were to synergize measurements from uniquely distributed ground-based networks (e.g., AERONET, MPLNET) and sophisticated platforms (e.g., SMARTLabs, regional contributing instruments), along with satellite observations/retrievals and regional atmospheric transport/chemical models to establish a critically needed database, and to advance our understanding of biomass-burning aerosols and trace gases in Southeast Asia (SEA). We present a satellite-surface perspective of 7-SEAS/BASELInE and highlight scientific findings concerning: (1) regional meteorology of moisture fields conducive to the production and maintenance of low-level stratiform clouds over land, (2) atmospheric composition in a biomass-burning environment, particularly tracers/markers to serve as important indicators for assessing the state and evolution of atmospheric constituents, (3) applications of remote sensing to air quality and impact on radiative energetics, examining the effect of diurnal variability of boundary-layer height on aerosol loading, (4) aerosol hygroscopicity and ground-based cloud radar measurements in aerosol-cloud processes by advanced cloud ensemble models, and (5) implications of air quality, in terms of toxicity of nanoparticles and trace gases, to human health. This volume is the third 7-SEAS special issue (after Atmospheric Research, vol. 122, 2013; and Atmospheric Environment, vol. 78, 2013) and includes 27 papers published, with emphasis on air quality and aerosol-cloud effects on the environment. BASELInE observations of stratiform clouds over SEA are unique, such clouds are embedded in a heavy aerosol-laden environment and feature characteristically greater stability over land than over ocean, with minimal radar surface clutter at a high vertical spatial resolution. To facilitate an improved understanding of regional aerosol-cloud effects, we envision that future BASELInE-like measurement/modeling needs fall into two categories: (1) efficient yet critical in-situ profiling of the boundary layer for validating remote-sensing/retrievals and for initializing regional transport/chemical and cloud ensemble models, and (2) fully utilizing the high observing frequencies of geostationary satellites for resolving the diurnal cycle of the boundary-layer height as it affects the loading of biomass-burning aerosols, air quality and radiative energetics.


As an application of the theoretical procedure suggested in the first part of the paper, the design of a general optical system is considered. In order that the formulation may be useful, the general equations deduced in Part I, which merely expressed the classic laws of geometrical optics, should be supplemented by a number of equations expressing the elimination of the principal aberrations: this requires that a literal "ray tracing" be effected. In the tangential plane, this projective ray tracing is merely an application of elementary principles: in the extrameridian case, an artifice is introduced by which points and lines of a tridimensional space can be mapped in a plane through the use of complex coordinates. Though the discussion of such complex mapping requires some supplementary theory to be developed, the extrameridian ray tracing can eventually be performed without greater difficulty than that encountered in the tangential case.The conclusions are illustrated by the discussion of the design of a general Schmidt system.


Unusually high concentrations of the neurotoxin domoic acid (DA) were detected in a minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) carcass recovered during a severe harmful algal bloom (HAB), which occurred in southern California in April 2007. Cell fragments of the toxigenic diatom Pseudonitzschia australis were observed in whale gastric fluid and feces, corresponding to a dominance of Pseudo-nitzschia spp. in the phytoplankton community at the time of stranding. A high abundance of otoliths from a prominent DA vector, the northern anchovy (Engraulis mordax), were recovered in whale stomach contents, indicating trophic transfer of DA via the food web. Whale feces contained 258 µg DA per gram sample, exceeding DA concentrations reported for any marine mammal. DA intoxication was identified as the cause of mortality of this animal, expanding on the limited understanding of the impacts of DA-producing HABs on large whales.


BACKGROUND Intraoperative hypotension is associated with an increased risk of end organ damage and death. The transient preoperative interruption of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) therapy prior to cardiac and vascular surgeries decreases the occurrence of intraoperative hypotension. OBJECTIVE We sought to compare the effect of two protocols for preoperative ACEI management on the risk of intraoperative hypotension among patients undergoing noncardiac, nonvascular surgeries. DESIGN Prospective, randomized study. SETTING Midwestern urban 489-bed academic medical center. PATIENTS Patients taking an ACEI for at least six weeks preoperatively were considered for inclusion. INTERVENTIONS Randomization of the final preoperative ACEI dose to omission (n = 137) or continuation (n = 138). MEASUREMENTS The primary outcome was intraoperative hypotension, which was defined as any systolic blood pressure (SBP) < 80 mm Hg. Postoperative hypotensive (SBP < 90 mm Hg) and hypertensive (SBP > 180 mm Hg) episodes were also recorded. Outcomes were compared using Fisher's exact test. RESULTS Intraoperative hypotension occurred less frequently in the omission group (76 of 137 [55%]) than in the continuation group (95 of 138 [69%]) (RR: 0.81, 95% CI: 0.67 to 0.97, P = .03, NNH 7.5). Postoperative hypotensive events were also less frequent in the ACEI omission group (RR: 0.49, 95% CI: 0.28 to 0.86, P = .02) than in the continuation group. However, postoperative hypertensive events were more frequent in the omission group than in the continuation group (RR: 1.95, 95%: CI: 1.14 to 3.34, P = .01). CONCLUSION The transient preoperative interruption of ACEI therapy is associated with a decreased risk of intraoperative hypotension. REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01669434.


Most contemporary models of spatial vision include a cross-oriented route to suppression (masking from a broadly tuned inhibitory pool), which is most potent at low spatial and high temporal frequencies (T. S. Meese & D. J. Holmes, 2007). The influence of this pathway can elevate orientation-masking functions without exciting the target mechanism, and because early psychophysical estimates of filter bandwidth did not accommodate this, it is likely that they have been overestimated for this corner of stimulus space. Here we show that a transient 40% contrast mask causes substantial binocular threshold elevation for a transient vertical target, and this declines from a mask orientation of 0° to about 40° (indicating tuning), and then more gently to 90°, where it remains at a factor of ∼4. We also confirm that cross-orientation masking is diminished or abolished at high spatial frequencies and for sustained temporal modulation. We fitted a simple model of pedestal masking and cross-orientation suppression (XOS) to our data and those of G. C. Phillips and H. R. Wilson (1984) and found the dependency of orientation bandwidth on spatial frequency to be much less than previously supposed. An extension of our linear spatial pooling model of contrast gain control and dilution masking (T. S. Meese & R. J. Summers, 2007) is also shown to be consistent with our results using filter bandwidths of ±20°. Both models include tightly and broadly tuned components of divisive suppression. More generally, because XOS and/or dilution masking can affect the shape of orientation-masking curves, we caution that variations in bandwidth estimates might reflect variations in processes that have nothing to do with filter bandwidth.


Being part of a larger research project named "Distribution 2020", the focus of this work has been on increasing the automation of the fault handling in distribution networks, taking into consideration the increasing number of distributed generation (DG) units. The main goal of this work has been to investigate, and further develop methods for locating short circuit faults in distribution networks, with possible presence of DG-units. Also, the developed methods should be simple, and the use of measurements communicated from other locations than the substation should be kept at a minimum. Finally, the fault localization methods should be applicable for a general network. The development of such general methods is meant to be a step towards a more automated fault handling in distribution networks, leading to increased network reliability and reduced outage costs.Fault data have been generated through simulations in the transient electromagnetic program PSCAD, where a simple model of a medium voltage (MV) distribution network was developed. Short circuit data from a real network was not available for this work. A distribution network may have various appearances, as the total length, number of branches, loading, short circuit capacity and other parameters may vary greatly, and generalizing the characteristics for a typical distribution network is not possible. The model parameters are chosen based on real network data, but the model is typically simplified compared to a real network.This work has focused on short circuit faults. Fault simulations have been performed for a feeder without DG, with one DG- and with three DG-units. The impacts of various parameters on the distance estimate obtained by use of conventional distance relays have been investigated. Focus in the investigation was to find which parameters that impact most on the accuracy, and on quantifying the errors in the estimates. It is shown how load and DG introduce substantial errors in the distance estimates from traditional distance relays, and that there is a need for methods to compensate for these impacts in order to obtain a fault localization of sufficient accuracy.Two methods for compensation of the impact from the load and DG-unit(s) on the distance estimates are presented. Both methods make use of pre-fault measurements from the DG-unit together with pre-fault substation measurements, and make rough estimations of the pre-fault load distribution on the feeder. In method 1 the required DG-quantities during fault are estimated, while in method 2 the DG voltage- and current- magnitude and the power factor angle are available from measurements. Requiring only magnitude values from the DG allows for simple communication solutions. In both method 1 and 2 a simple lumped feeder model is utilized for analytical estimation of unknown quantities. This includes estimation of the DG voltage phasor angle referred to the substation voltage.The estimated DG currents during fault in method 1 are quite accurate, especially for twophase short circuits, as seen in Ch. 6.2.5. For three-phase short circuits the estimated currents are generally a bit higher than the simulated. This results in overcompensation of the impact due to the DG in the distance-to-fault estimation. Despite of the overcompensation, the accuracy is improved with compensation 1 in most cases. The improvement is however dependent on the DG location. With a three-phase short circuit at the end of a 30 km long feeder, the largest improvement is seen when the DG is located close to (5 km) the substation, with a reduction of the error from +7.8 km to -1 km. The lowest accuracy of the compensated estimate is obtained when the DG is located at the middle of the feeder. The error is then -1.9 km, which still is an improvement compared to worst case without compensation. The estimates obtained at high load are only slightly more accurate than for low load, despite of the larger difference without compensation. If the DG location is fixed and the fault location is varied, the accuracy of the compensated estimate is decreasing as the fault is moved away from the substation, and the lowest accuracy is obtained when the fault is at the feeder-end. Generally, compensation method 1 results in larger improvement of the accuracy for twophase short circuits, than for three-phase.In method 2, measurements of the DG current- and voltage- magnitudes and the power factor angle during fault are utilized, and very accurate distance estimates are obtained for all cases (largest error with compensation 2 for the shown cases is 0.7 km). The DG-voltage phasor angle relative to the substation voltage is estimated from the lumped feeder model, like in the pre-fault state. The distance estimates are very accurate for all fault cases, so to have measurements from the DG during fault is very advantageous.If the DG voltage magnitude is available during fault it can be utilized for finding the correct faulted branch if there is more than one candidate location. A method where the corresponding DG voltage is estimated for each possible fault location has been suggested. For the example feeder the smallest difference between the estimated and simulated voltage magnitudes corresponded to the correct fault location in all cases. Measurements from the DG-unit during fault result in both more accurate distance estimates and can be used to decide the correct faulted branch, and to have such measurements is therefore very beneficial.


It is increasingly recognised that the burden of infectious intestinal diseases (IID) in a population is an important indicator of food safety. This report has examined four bacterial infections that frequently cause IID on the island of Ireland (IOI).
 Over the decade covered by this report, levels of Salmonella have declined substantially while levels of Campylobacter remain a real problem for Food Safety professionals on the IOI.
 Although much less common, the verocytotoxigenic Escherichia coli O157 (VTEC O157) and Listeria infections present an on-going challenge because of their severity and associated long-term sequelae.
 Northern Ireland (NI) has a higher reported crude incidence rate of three of the included pathogens (Salmonella, Campylobacter and Listeria) than the Republic of Ireland (ROI), while VTEC 0157 was the exception. This may reflect differences in health seeking behaviour and reporting between the two jurisdictions and/or actual differences in incidence rates.


The distribution of revenge porn is a cyber-bullying phenomenon that has proliferated on the Internet. The nonconsensual sharing of sexually explicit photographs and videos causes irreparable harm to revenge porn victims. The current state of the law, however, does little to redress the damage. Tort claims are often unsuccessful because many victims do not have the resources necessary to initiate a lawsuit. Furthermore, federal law grants operators of revenge porn websites immunity from state tort claims. In an effort to fill this gap in the law, many states have made changes or additions to their criminal statutes. To date, thirty-eight states have legislation prohibiting the distribution of nonconsensual pornography. Some states, including New Jersey and California, successfully passed anti-revenge porn legislation, while others, such as Arizona and Vermont, faced constitutional challenges. In July 2016, Congresswoman Jackie Speier introduced the Intimate Privacy Protection Act of 2016 ("IPPA"), a proposed federal law criminalizing revenge porn. This Note argues that the IPPA effectively balances the competing interests of revenge porn victims and Internet service providers and thus should be adopted by Congress.


Dive into the wonderful world of Building Information Modeling (BIM) to become a productive ArchiCAD user About This BookCreate a house and a commercial office building in a virtual 3D environmentStrategically placed best practice tips to help you create better and exciting modelsStep-by-step tutorial, covering the advanced tools and features of ArchiCAD while creating two complete construction projectsWho This Book Is ForThis book is for architects, architectural technicians, and construction professionals who are familiar with 2D CAD programs such as AutoCAD Lite, or have some exposure to a 3D BIM package such as Revit. No experience with ArchiCAD is required. If you want to learn the skills needed for architectural drawing production in the real world, then this book is for you.What You Will Learn Acquaint yourself with various project settings Explore a wide range of selection methods and modification features Create the walls, floor slabs, ceilings, and roofs of the residential and the commercial building Use the drafting and annotation tools Make objects and modify them to suit your needs Master view creation and graphic control Link and export files and discover the fundamentals of rendering In DetailArchiCAD 19 The Definitive Guide ensures that you are equipped with the knowledge and skills required to take up any construction project, empowering you to successfully create your own projects.You will create two complete projects right from scratch, including a residential and a healthcare building. The first is a small residential house that utilizes all the basic modeling and drafting tools in ArchiCAD. It will give you a firm grip on the fundamentals of ArchiCAD before we move on to take up the more advanced and complex project that follows. The second project is a multi-storey healthcare building, where you will explore the leading-edge tools of ArchiCAD, thereby gaining the skills needed to use them in your own projects. The book will also take you through the design of the buildings, the output of all drawings, and associated construction documents. Best practice tips are inserted at key points along the way.


A calibrated and validated finite difference numerical model was used to estimate the spatial and temporal distribution of the Meteoric Groundwater Discharge (MGWD) and Submarine Groundwater Discharge (SGD) into a coasted estuary known as the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) at two transects. Specifically, this paper describes the methodology used to determine: a) the quantity of MGWD originating from the mainland and the barrier island, b) the spatial distribution of the SGD into the IRL, c) the groundwater salinity and hydraulic head distribution below the IRL, and d) the regional flow directions of the MGWD and the Oceanic Groundwater Discharge (OGWD) in a vertical plane below the transects. It was found that a brackish transition zone, in which groundwater salinity varies from freshwater salinity to lagoon water salinity, exists in the surficial aquifer, below the IRL, at both the Palm Bay and Titusville transects. The daily SGD flow into the IRL for each month ranged from 1.77 to 2.10 m3/d, and from 0.37 to 0.42 m3/d, per meter of lagoon shoreline, at the Palm Bay and Titusville transects, respectively. These numbers are close to the 0.45 m3/d per meter of lagoon shoreline MGWD, through a 22 m outflow face, estimated by at the Eau Gallie transect. The mainland produced 98% of the MGWD at the Palm Bay transect and 86% of the MGWD at the Titusville transect. The estimated annual MGWD were 9.0 % and 1.6 % of the annual rainfall at the Palm Bay and Titusville transects. These numbers are reasonable given the impervious character of the watersheds that discharge into the IRL at these transects. The MGWD can occur at distances of several kilometers from the groundwater divide and up to a kilometer away from the IRL shoreline, and can affect the brackish water salt concentration below the IRL. Also, it is possible that, below the lagoon, zones of meteoric ground water may occur below the brackish water at depths of 20 to 30 m as in the case of the Palm Bay transect. The MGWD appears to be the primary source of SGD into the IRL at the study transects, as no ocean water enters the lagoon, and there is virtually no tidal influence at any of the transects which implies that the reversed estuarine water discharge (REWD) is also negligible.


The optical mask prepared by using a LCLV (liquid-crystal light valve) are first proposed for light-induced photoreactive waveguides in photorefractive materials. Employing this technique, various waveguide structures can be fabricated, e.g., Y- or multiple-branches waveguides, fiber-like waveguides, and Mach-Zehnder-like switches, and even whole optical circuits may be formed. A Y-branches waveguide and a fiber-like waveguide were demonstrated in a LiNbO3:Fe crystal. Several technical problems, such as intensities, resolutions, writing speed, and so on, were also discussed in detail. Using a LCLV with a fast response and a writing beam with a high intensity, the waveguide structures may be changed in real time.


Abstract. Part 1 of this paper has discussed the uncertainties arising from gaps in
knowledge or limited understanding of the processes involved in different
natural hazard areas. Such deficits may include uncertainties about
frequencies, process representations, parameters, present and future boundary
conditions, consequences and impacts, and the meaning of observations in
evaluating simulation models. These are the epistemic uncertainties that can
be difficult to constrain, especially in terms of event or scenario
probabilities, even as elicited probabilities rationalized on the basis of
expert judgements. This paper reviews the issues raised by trying to quantify
the effects of epistemic uncertainties. Such scientific uncertainties might
have significant influence on decisions made, say, for risk management, so it
is important to examine the sensitivity of such decisions to different
feasible sets of assumptions, to communicate the meaning of associated
uncertainty estimates, and to provide an audit trail for the analysis. A
conceptual framework for good practice in dealing with epistemic
uncertainties is outlined and the implications of applying the principles to
natural hazard assessments are discussed. Six stages are recognized, with
recommendations at each stage as follows: (1) framing the analysis, preferably with
input from potential users; (2) evaluating the available data for epistemic uncertainties,
especially when they might lead to inconsistencies; (3) eliciting information on sources
of uncertainty from experts; (4) defining a workflow that will give reliable and accurate
results; (5) assessing robustness to uncertainty, including the impact on any
decisions that are dependent on the analysis; and (6) communicating the findings and meaning
of the analysis to potential users, stakeholders, and decision makers. Visualizations are
helpful in conveying the nature of the uncertainty outputs, while recognizing that the
deeper epistemic uncertainties might not be readily amenable to visualizations.


Clearer pronunciation for better communication If your English accent is letting you down, this is the perfect book for you. You'll see and hear how to soften the influence of your mother tongue and speak clear English everyone will understand. Professional accent coaches Sarah and Helen show you how to pronounce each sound and when to use them. They will help you recognize why your native language makes you mispronounce certain sounds and which sounds you therefore need to focus on. Collins Work on your Accent features: * Thirty-six units on the main consonant and vowel sounds in English * 'What am I doing wrong?' section looks at the mistakes you are most likely to be making based on your native language * Advice on rhythm, stress and pitch * Videos, illustrations and photos demonstrating the correct positions to produce accurate sounds * A DVD-ROM with video and audio clips providing clear native speaker model pronunciation * Extra practice sections concentrating on the most problematic sounds CEF level B1-C2 Suitable for self-study and classroom use.


Automated stratigraphic classification and feature detection from images of borehole cores S.J. van der Walt Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering University of Stellenbosch Private Bag X1, 7602 Matieland, South Africa Thesis: MScEng (E&E with CS) April 2005 This thesis describes techniques proposed for analysing images of borehole cores. We address two problems: firstly, the automated stratigraphic classification of cores based on texture and secondly, the location of thin chromitite layers hidden in pyroxenite cores. Texture features of different rock types are extracted using wavelets, the theory of which provides an intuitive and powerful tool for this purpose. A Bayesian classifier is trained and used to discriminate between different samples. Thin, planar chromitite layers are located using a shortest path algorithm. In order to estimate the physical orientation of any layer found, a sinusoidal curve is fitted. The proposed algorithms were implemented and tested on samples taken from photographed cores. A high success rate was obtained in rock classification, and thin planar layers were located and characterised.


Background & Rationale: The national vision of Qatar 2030 seeks to advance human development, social development, economic development and environmental development in the region, allowing it to modernize and stay relevant to 21st century global interactions while maintaining its morals, traditions, and culture. The Qatari government has already devoted significant resources toward providing services that strengthen families in Qatar. As in many countries, various social campaigns are promoted through public service announcements in print media, billboards, and via radio and TV. However, technology and society are changing and these traditional approaches may not be the only way (or the best way) to reach all intended audiences especially in the field of developmental and charity work. Purpose: The study tested and evaluated the effectiveness of public service announcement campaigns and determineed if utilization of newer communication technologies (SMS, social media, etc.) can positively supplement more traditional methods of distributing public service announcements (e.g. billboard, radio, TV) and how this would be reflected on shaping public awareness and response to these campaigns in developmental and charity work. The project enlisted the support of local organizations (such as Qatar Foundation, Supreme Council of Education, Supreme Council of Family Affairs, Supreme Council of Communication) and non-governmental organizations, regional and international agencies to assess the effectiveness of various public service announcement campaigns. In particular we were interested in how well messages reach target audiences via traditional means and what is the impact of these messages on public awareness and response. The project also investigated the effectiveness of new alternative messaging strategies to see if alternative messaging techniques such as SMS and social networking pages could enhance and improve the effectiveness of these campaigns. Methodology: The study depended on comparative methodology using content analysis, focus group discussions and surveying target audience. The study will compare and assess different campaigns locally, regionally and internationally so as to set a new model of designing and better use new media tools and techniques. The results of this research provided useful data to help agencies determine the best ways to reach communities for which they can provide services.


The Supreme Court's decision in Boumediene v. Bush gave suspected terrorists at Guantanamo Bay access to a system in which federal judges in Washington, D.C. adjudicate the legality of their detention. While many, perhaps most, legal commentators praise Boumediene as a victory for individual rights, critics argue that the habeas process raises grave concerns about the maintenance of national security. Others worry that the paucity of clear standards may disadvantage detainees. Accordingly, some legislators, judges, and scholars have called for Congress to pass new detention legislation to provide guidance to the courts. After more than two years of district court wrangling with the implications of Boumediene, these criticisms need not be assessed in the abstract. This Note comprehensively reviews the habeas cases decided since Boumediene with a view to assessing these arguments and the ultimate wisdom of passing new detention legislation. The story is complex. In the first eighteen months of litigation, murky Supreme Court precedent gave rise to significant differences in the standards employed among district court judges adjudicating habeas cases. That state of affairs benefited neither detainees nor the government, and strongly militated in favor of further guidance from Congress. But the pragmatic case for new detention legislation will no longer write. The D.C. Circuit has stepped in to answer many of the tough questions that plagued the early months of habeas litigation and arguably threatened the equal application of law; detainees are increasingly held to the same standard in every federal courtroom. Moreover, the D.C. Circuit has proven to be highly protective of national security prerogatives; the standards emerging from that court almost uniformly favor the government, and thus undermine the key motivation for Congress to pass new detention legislation-national security concerns. In short, more than two years after the Supreme Court handed the reins of executive detention to federal judges in Washington, D.C., it is increasingly clear that the habeas process effectively balances U.S. national security and detainee liberty concerns. Through a critical examination of how the jurisprudence has unfolded, this Note tells the story of how and why habeas works. It concludes that new detention legislation would be unnecessary and possibly counterproductive; rather, the most prudent approach is to allow the D.C. Circuit to continue to resolve disagreements among lower court judges as they arise.


6LoWPAN (IPv6 over Low Power Wireless Personal Area Networks) is gaining more and more attraction for the seamless connectivity of embedded devices for the Internet of Things (IoT). Whereas the lower layers (IEEE802.15.4 and 6LoWPAN) are already well defined and consolidated with regard to frame formats, header compression, routing protocols and commissioning procedures, there is still an abundant choice of possibilities on the application layer. Currently, various groups are working towards standardization of the application layer, i.e. the ETSI Technical Committee on M2M, the IP for Smart Objects (IPSO) Alliance, Lightweight M2M (LWM2M) protocol of the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA), and OneM2M. This multitude of approaches leaves the system developer with the agony of choice. This paper selects, presents and explains one of the promising solutions, discusses its strengths and weaknesses, and demonstrates its implementation.


Extreme value theory (EVT) has been applied in fields such as hydrology and insurance. It is a tool used to consider probabilities associated with extreme and thus rare events. EVT is useful in modelling the impact of crashes or situations of extreme stress on investor portfolios.


This study investigated retrofitting measures applied to 2/5-scale shear-deficient columns representative of rectangular bridge columns in the Puget Sound area of Washington state. The retrofit methods studied included external hoops applied over the height of the column and full-height rectangular steel jacketing. Test specimens consisted of a single column connected at the base to a rectangular footing. The specimens were subjected to increasing levels of cycled inelastic displacements under constant axial load. The performance of the specimens was evaluated in terms of load capacity and ductility. Tests on the as-built column resulted in a brittle shear failure at the calculated yield displacement, i.e., at a displacement ductility factor of 1. Both retrofit methods improved the behavior of the deficient column. With the external hoop retrofit, performance of the retrofitted columns was only moderately improved over that of the as-built column. Brittle fracture of the retrofit hoops limited the load-carrying capability and ductility enhancement, and displacement ductility factors of 2 and 4 were achieved. With the rectangular steel jacket retrofit, performance was significantly improved over that of the as-built column. The jacket retrofit resulted in a ductile column response with good load-carrying capability through a displacement ductility factor of 8. When this retrofit was applied over the full height of the column, the steel jacket increased the column shear strength enough that flexural failure resulted. Although buckling of the steel jacket and longitudinal reinforcement occurred near the maximum moment section, sufficient confinement to the hinging region was provided by the buckled steel jacket to maintain load-carrying capability.


DNA sequence variation of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of nuclear ribosomal DNA from Arabis holboellii, A. drummondii, and its putative hybrid A. divaricarpa was analyzed to study hybrid speciation in a species system geographically covering nearly the entire North American continent. Based on molecular systematics the investigated species are better combined under the genus Boechera. Multiple intraindividual ITS copies were detected in numerous accessions of A. divaricarpa, and, to a minor extent, in the parental taxa. Comparative phylogenetic analysis demonstrates that reticulate evolution is common. Consequently, concerted evolution of ITS regions resulted in different types of ITS fragments not only in hybrid populations but also in one of the parental taxa, A. holboellii. Hybrid formation often occurred independently at different sites and at different times, which is reflected by ITS copies resampling the original parental sequence variation in different ways. Some biogeographic structuring of genetic diversity is apparent and mirrors postglacial migration routes. Hybridization, reticulation, and apomixis are assumed to be the major forces driving speciation processes in this species complex. Analysis of conserved regions and secondary structures of the ITS region provided no evidence that, in this system, hybrid ITS evolution is predominantly driven in a particular direction. However, two regions in the ITS1 and ITS2, respectively, show higher mutation rates than expected from outgroup comparisons. Strong evidence for the occurrence of apomixis in A. holboellii and A. divaricarpa has come from pollen size measurements and estimations of pollen quality, which favor the hypothesis that A. drummondii served as paternal hybridization partner more frequently than A. holboellii.


This study represents the first qualitative census of the reef fish assemblage of coral reefs in the vicinity of Andavadoaka, south-west Madagascar. Observational data of fish species sightings were collected over the course of a year, while visual census data, with low observer bias, detailing fish assemblage from the four major reef zones of the area were collected in a shorter 5-week period. A total of three hundred and thirty four (334) species from 58 families were recorded throughout the year, while one hundred and eighty seven (187) species were observed during the shorter assemblage study. The trophic habits of the fish population are comparable with other sites in the Western Indian Ocean, and suggest a healthy fish community, despite evidence of broad-scale damage from coral bleaching and associated mortality. The authors suggest that this can be explained by current relatively low levels of anthropogenic impacts from fishing. However, given the extent of regional reef degradation, fish species diversity may now be particularly vulnerable to future anthropogenic or climatic disturbances, such as increased fishing effort or renewed coral bleaching episodes.


Paxillin and focal adhesion kinase (pp125FAK) co-localize in focal adhesions; recently insulin has been shown to stimulate the dephosphorylation of pp125FAK; however, its effect on paxillin is unknown. We show that insulin and IGF-1 can stimulate the dephosphorylation of paxillin in CHOT (overexpress human insulin receptors) and CHO delta CT69 (overexpress insulin receptors lacking C-terminal 69 amino acids) cells. Furthermore, the insulin-receptor C-terminus is not needed for either insulin or IGF-1 to stimulate paxillin or pp125FAK dephosphorylation in the CHO (Chinese-hamster ovary) cell lines used.


The Swedish healthcare systems have over the past decades experienced a major reorganization that involves reduction of costs and cuts due to the financial problems that the public health system faced. Healthcare was criticized because it was considered to be bureaucratic and inefficient (Funck, 2007). The solution to this problem was to focus on other measures rather than the economic measures, such as modernizing the healthcare instead of cutting down. Implementing a balanced scorecard in a public sector as a hospital, perceived as failures. This is due to several factors such as communication, knowledge and expected time are not taken into consideration when implementing the scorecard. The purpose of this study is to analyze how the balanced scorecard serves as an approach for controlling the hospital. The purpose of the study is to increase our knowledge and get better insight by examining the problems that may arise during the implementation of a balanced scorecard. The chosen method to this study is qualitative research with the influence of the inductive approach. Eight interviews were carried out at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital to get an overview about the selected topic. The chosen theory to the study is based on Kaplan and Norton's theories and other scientists as Funck, Assiri, Johnson and Atkinson. The study also applied research articles and literature in the theoretical framework. The study's research question is clarified as what types of problems can arise during the design and implementation of a balanced scorecard in hospitals. We have found that the balanced scorecard requires success factors such as communication, knowledge and learning, motivation, commitment, time management, a relevant and easy used scorecard and a clear vision, strategy and results for a successful implementation.


AIM
This study was designed to determine the anatomic position of the asterion and the relationship between the asterion and the transverse sigmoid sinus junction (TSSJ) in a Chinese cohort.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Venous computed tomography (CT) angiography was performed in 32 patients to simultaneously obtain 3D-CT volume rendering images of the cranial bone and the dural sinus. The relationship between the TSSJ and the asterion was analyzed.

RESULTS
The distance from the asterion to root of zygoma (ROZ) was 54.6 ± 5.50 mm on the right side and 54.1 ± 5.42 mm on the left side. The asterion was 49.10 ± 3.56 mm above the tip of mastoid process (TOP) on the right side and 48.70 ± 2.23 mm on the left side. The asterion's position was at the junction of the transverse-sigmoid sinus complex in 44 cases, below it in 19 cases, and above it in one case.

CONCLUSION
3D-CT volume rendering imaging is capable of accurately and simultaneously visualizing the bony landmark and the dural sinus structure outline in vivo, thus offering a new option for anatomic research and morphometric investigation. The accurate location of asterion can be found using the root of the zygoma and the tip of the mastoid process.


This short essay, prepared for the Future of Privacy Forum's Big Data and Privacy: Making Ends Meet event in September 2013, makes two observations concerning "big data." First, big data is not new. Consumer reporting, a field where information about individuals is aggregated and used to assess credit, tenancy, and employment risks, achieved the status of big data in the 1960s. Second, the Fair Credit Reporting Act of 1970 (FCRA) provides rich lessons concerning possible regulatory approaches for big data. Some say that "big data" requires policymakers to rethink the very nature of privacy laws. They urge policymakers to shift to an approach where governance focuses upon "the usage of data rather than the data itself." Consumer reporting shows us that while use-based regulations of big data provided more transparency and due process, they did not create adequate accountability. Indeed, despite the interventions of the FCRA, consumer reporting agencies (CRAs) remain notoriously unresponsive and unaccountable bureaucracies. Like today's big data firms, CRAs lacked a direct relationship with the consumer, and this led to a set of predictable pathologies and externalities. CRAs have used messy data and fuzzy logic in ways that produce error costly to consumers. CRAs play a central role in both preventing and causing identity fraud, and have turned this problem into a business opportunity in the form of credit monitoring. Despite the legislative bargain created by the FCRA, which insulated CRAs from defamation suits, CRAs have argued that use restrictions are unconstitutional. Big data is said to represent a powerful set of technologies. Yet, proposals for its regulation are weaker than the FCRA. Calls for a pure use-based regulatory regime, especially for companies lacking the discipline imposed by a consumer relationship, should be viewed with skepticism.


Whether you're looking for a step-by-step guide to introduce you to Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 or a solid reference to assist you as you continue your work in web design, this is the resource you've been looking for! Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 Revealed uses detailed, vibrant illustrations, clear, straightforward lessons, and real-world case studies to provide an overview of the Dreamweaver interface and how to use it effectively. This latest edition includes expanded content on using CSS, inserting video files, using Adobe Bridge CS3, conducting browser compatibility checks and more, reflecting the most recent updates to the Dreamweaver software, as well as those that have occurred in the larger environment of web design. Sidebars throughout the book incorporate basic web design principles, providing readers with a skill set that goes beyond the software interface and can be applied in a variety of situations.


Estrogen inhibits osteoclastogenesis and induces osteoclastic apoptosis; however, the molecular mechanisms remain controversial. Recently, a group has demonstrated that osteoclasts are a direct target for estrogen because estrogen stimulates transcription of the Fas Ligand (FasL) gene in osteoclasts, which in turn causes cell death through an autocrine mechanism. In contrast, other groups have shown that the cells are an indirect target for estrogen because estrogen fails to stimulate the transcription of that in osteo-clasts. Thus, two quite different molecular mechanisms have been suggested to explain the effects of estrogen in osteoclastic apoptosis. Here it is shown that the proapoptotic effect of estrogen during osteoclastogenesis is regulated by a posttranscriptional increase in FasL production by down-regulated microRNA-21 (miR-21) biogenesis. Previously, it was reported that miR-21 is highly expressed in osteoclastogenesis. It was found that estrogen down-regulates miR-21biogenesis so that FasL, the targets of miR-21, protein levels are posttranscriptionally increased that induce osteoclastic apoptosis. Moreover, the gain-of-function of miR-21 rescued the apoptosis. In addition, there was failure to detect estrogen-enhanced FasL levels at mRNA levels. Thus, osteoclastic survival is controlled by autocrine actions of FasL regulated by estrogen and miR-21 plays a central role during estrogencontrolled osteoclastogenesis.


ZBP-89 (ZNF148, Zfp148) is a zinc-finger transcription factor that inhibits cellular proliferation when overexpressed in cell lines. ZBP-89 forms a protein-protein interaction with p53 and Ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM). However, it is unclear how the interaction modulates the function of these two proteins in vivo. Double strand DNA breakage induced by -irradiation induces ATM phosphoinositol kinase activity, which initiates a cascade of events culminating in cell cycle arrest, DNA repair or apoptosis. Elevated levels of ZBP-89 induce growth arrest and apoptosis in gastrointestinal cell lines. Therefore, we hypothesize that ZBP-89 facilitates cell growth arrest and activation of the DNA repair pathway after ATM activation. To test this hypothesis, we irradiated 4 groups of mice—1) C57BL/6 mice without any genetic deletion; 2) mice with one or both copies of ATM deleted from the intestinal mucosa; 3) mice with the ATM deletion and one copy of Zfp148 deleted; 4) ATM deletion with both copies of Zfp148 deleted. After the intestines were fixed, paraffin-embedded and sectioned, I performed the de-paraffinization step for immunohistochemistry of ZBP-89, p53 and H2AX. To stain for ZBP-89 protein, I performed an antigen retrieval step using sodium citrate, followed by blocking with 3% hydrogen peroxide and serum. I then added the primary antibody then the secondary antibodies. I used diaminobenzidine (DAB), a chromogenic detection method to visualize the antigen-antibody complex. I then counterstained with hematoxylin. We predict that the mice with a deletion of ZBP-89 will exhibit more tissue damage as a result of the irradiation and DNA damage. Results are pending.


To better understand the stage(s) of differentiation reached by B-type chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) cells and to gain insight into the potential role of antigenic stimulation in the development and diversification of these cells, we analyzed the rearranged VH genes expressed by 83 B-CLL cells (64 IgM+ and 19 non-IgM+). Our results confirm and extend the observations of a bias in the use of certain VH, D, and JH genes among B-CLL cells. In addition, they indicate that the VH genes of approximately 50% of the IgM+ B-CLL cells and approximately 75% of the non-IgM+ B-CLL cells can exhibit somatic mutations. The presence of mutation varies according to the VH family expressed by the B-CLL cell (VH3 expressers displaying more mutation than VH1 and VH4 expressers). In addition, the extent of mutation can be sizeable with approximately 32% of the IgM+ cases and approximately 68% of the non-IgM+ cases differing by > 5% from the most similar germline gene. Approximately 20% of the mutated VH genes display replacement mutations in a pattern consistent with antigen selection. However, CDR3 characteristics (D and JH gene use and association and HCDR3 length, composition, and charge) suggest that selection for distinct B cell receptors (BCR) occurs in many more B-CLL cells. Based on these data, we suggest three prototypic BCR, representing the VH genes most frequently encountered in our study. These data suggest that many B-CLL cells have been previously stimulated, placing them in the "experienced" or "memory" CD5(+) B cell subset.


Rhodamine-labeled phalloidin staining of morphologically differentiated 3T3L1 adipocytes demonstrated that F-actin predominantly exists juxtaposed to and lining the inner face of the plasma membrane (cortical actin) with a smaller amount of stress fiber and/or ruffling actin confined to the cell bottom in contact with the substratum. The extent of cortical actin disruption with various doses of either latrunculin B or Clostridium difficiletoxin B (a Rho family small GTP-binding protein toxin) directly correlated with the inhibition of insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and GLUT4 translocation. The dissolution of the cortical actin network had no significant effect on proximal insulin receptor signaling events including insulin receptor autophosphorylation, tyrosine phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate and Cbl, or serine/threonine phosphorylation of Akt. Surprisingly, however, stabilization of F-actin with jasplakinolide also resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and GLUT4 translocation. In vivo time-lapse confocal fluorescent microscopy of actin-yellow fluorescent protein demonstrated that insulin stimulation initially results in cortical actin remodeling followed by an increase in polymerized actin in the peri-nuclear region. Importantly, the insulin stimulation of cortical actin rearrangements was completely blocked by treatment of the cells with latrunculin B, C. difficile toxin B, and jasplakinolide. Furthermore, expression of the dominant-interfering TC10/T31N mutant completely disrupted cortical actin and prevents any insulin-stimulated actin remodeling. Together, these data demonstrate that cortical actin, but not stress fibers, lamellipodia, or filopodia, plays an important regulatory role in insulin-stimulated GLUT4 translocation. In addition, cortical F-actin does not function in a static manner (e.g.barrier or scaffold), but insulin-stimulated dynamic cortical actin remodeling is necessary for the GLUT4 translocation process.


In order to develop computer applications that successfully process natural language data (text and speech), one needs good models of the vocabulary and grammar of as many languages as possible. According to standard linguistic theory, words consist of morphemes, which are the smallest individually meaningful elements in a language. Since an immense number of word forms can be constructed by combining a limited set of morphemes, the capability of understanding and producing new word forms depends on knowing which morphemes are involved (e.g., "water, water+s, water+y, water+less, water+less+ness, sea+water"). Morpheme boundaries are not normally marked in text unless they coincide with word boundaries. The main objective of this thesis is to devise a method that discovers the likely locations of the morpheme boundaries in words of any language. The method proposed, called Morfessor, learns a simple model of concatenative morphology (word forming) in an unsupervised manner from plain text. Morfessor is formulated as a Bayesian, probabilistic model. That is, it does not rely on predefined grammatical rules of the language, but makes use of statistical properties of the input text. Morfessor situates itself between two types of existing unsupervised methods: morphology learning vs. word segmentation algorithms. In contrast to existing morphology learning algorithms, Morfessor can handle words consisting of a varying and possibly high number of morphemes. This is a requirement for coping with highly-inflecting and compounding languages, such as Finnish. In contrast to existing word segmentation methods, Morfessor learns a simple grammar that takes into account sequential dependencies, which improves the quality of the proposed segmentations. Morfessor is evaluated in two complementary ways in this work: directly by comparing to linguistic reference morpheme segmentations of Finnish and English words and indirectly as a component of a large (or virtually unlimited) vocabulary Finnish speech recognition system. In both cases, Morfessor is shown to outperform state-of-the-art solutions. The linguistic reference segmentations were produced as part of the current work, based on existing linguistic resources. This has resulted in a morphological gold standard, called Hutmegs, containing analyses of a large number of Finnish and English word forms.


William Gandy was the son of English painter James Gandy (1619-1689). The present painting is a portrait of Matthew Pear. A note on the Exeter City Council website states: 'This oil painting, by William Gandy, was passed down through the Pear family and presented to the museum in 1893. It shows Matthew Pear, Sword bearer of Exeter, and his brother Philip Pear. The painting must date to c. 1715, since Matthew Pear became an apprentice in 1725. Both brothers are recorded as freemen of Exeter in 1739: William a surgeon, Philip a sergemaker.'


In most cases, the slag used in hot metal dephosphorization is saturated with dicalcium silicate in the solid phase and the partition ratio of phosphorus between dicalcium silicate and the liquid slag is high. This indicates the important role of dicalcium silicate in dephosphorization. To understand the reaction kinetics and identify optimum treatment conditions, it is very important to know the influence of the solid phases in the slag. In this study, a new reaction model for hot metal dephosphorization that considers the effects of dicalcium silicate and the dissolution rate of lime is applied to simulate laboratory-scale experiments. The calculated results are in good agreement with the experimental results for various slag compositions and methods of flux and oxidizer addition. The influence of various factors on the reaction efficiency is discussed using this simulation model. The optimum basicity and combination of stirring energy and oxidizer supply rate are found. The importance of the precipitation behavior of the solid phase in slag is clarified.


Information systems have become a critical part of the infrastructure of most, if not all, businesses, government organizations, and even individual households. To be useful, an information system must integrate and align with the way the business conducts its operations. By necessity this means that information systems construction requires an understanding of the organization's procedures, operations, and processes. Articulating, modeling, and managing business processes and workflows are pre-conditions to successful automation. Business processes are part of the fabric of the business and represent a strategic and critical intellectual asset that needs to be understood and proactively managed. Processes are often cross-functional and involve multiple systems, software applications, and human assets - including employees, customers, partners, and vendors. Processes must be formally defined and documented so that they can be practiced uniformly and consistently across the organization. Explicit articulation of processes is essential so that the processes truly become intellectual property of the organization rather than being tied to a specific individual. Business process modeling (or BPM for short) is the activity of eliciting, documenting, modeling, and analyzing work procedures within an organization. To be successful, the business analyst must possess the necessary modeling skills and business knowledge to carry out these responsibilities. The first step in business process management is capturing and articulating the processes. This is done through process modeling. Once processes have been documented, then the organization can think about optimizing and eventually automating the processes. Optimization is done through a combination of manual analysis as well as automated simulation. This book describes the PROMAP methodology for articulating and modeling business processes. PROMAP is practical and based on over 20 years of experience in modeling.


The value of the small-, mediumand micro-enterprizes (SMME's) to increase entrepreneurship, to create new work opportunities and to increase economic wealth in the country, has been increasingly realised in last few decades. Despite the importance of SMME's, they're threatened by unique problems due to the smaller nature of the organisation. To better understand the concept of entrepreneurship, it is important to realise exactly what a SMME is, why this sector is so important and what unique problems threaten the existence and the success of SMME's. This dissertation aims to investigate 10 factors that influence the profitability of SMME's in South-Africa. The methodology used, was both qualitative and quantative of nature. Data was gathered and was used as the staring point to this study. With the literary study, background information about SMME's was gathered and factors that will be investigated are identified. Following that, an empirical study was done by using questionnaires. The findings of the study revealed that certain factors are out of the control of the organisation, whilst other factors are not. The organisation can however reduce the risks and by doing so can optimally increase profitability.


Predicting the binding affinity between MHC proteins and their peptide ligands is a key problem in computational immunology. State of the art performance is currently achieved by the allele-specific predictor NetMHC and the pan-allele predictor NetMHCpan, both of which are ensembles of shallow neural networks. We explore an intermediate between allele-specific and pan-allele prediction: training allele-specific predictors with synthetic samples generated by imputation of the peptide-MHC affinity matrix. We find that the imputation strategy is useful on alleles with very little training data. We have implemented our predictor as an open-source software package called MHCflurry and show that MHCflurry achieves competitive performance to NetMHC and NetMHCpan.


This paper documents the rate at which labour flows between industries and between firms within industries using the most recent data available. It examines the determinants of these flows and their relationship with the productivity growth. It is found that the dispersion of industry employment growth rates has been elevated since 2005, and that this increase is not likely to be related to the business cycle. It is also found that changes in real exchange rates and commodity prices can account for a significant part of the employment dispersion across industries, especially since 2005. However, shifts of employment labour between industries have generally not contributed positively to aggregate labour productivity growth. With respect to movements of labour between firms within industries, it is found that the job reallocation rates have fallen steadily over the past decade and a half. Finally, unlike labour flows between industries, excess job reallocation rates within industries are found to be strongly related to multifactor productivity and labour productivity growth at the industry level.


The Planetary Image Atlas (PIA) is a Rich Internet Application (RIA) that serves planetary imaging data to the science community and the general public. PIA also utilizes the USGS Unified Planetary Coordinate system (UPC) and the on-Mars map server. The Atlas was designed to provide the ability to search and filter through greater than 8 million planetary image files. This software is a three-tier Web application that contains a search engine backend (MySQL, JAVA), Web service interface (SOAP) between server and client, and a GWT Google Maps API client front end. This application allows for the search, retrieval, and download of planetary images and associated meta-data from the following missions: 2001 Mars Odyssey, Cassini, Galileo, LCROSS, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, Mars Exploration Rover, Mars Express, Magellan, Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Pathfinder, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, MESSENGER, Phoe nix, Viking Lander, Viking Orbiter, and Voyager. The Atlas utilizes the UPC to translate mission-specific coordinate systems into a unified coordinate system, allowing the end user to query across missions of similar targets. If desired, the end user can also use a mission-specific view of the Atlas. The mission-specific views rely on the same code base. This application is a major improvement over the initial version of the Planetary Image Atlas. It is a multi-mission search engine. This tool includes both basic and advanced search capabilities, providing a product search tool to interrogate the collection of planetary images. This tool lets the end user query information about each image, and ignores the data that the user has no interest in. Users can reduce the number of images to look at by defining an area of interest with latitude and longitude ranges.


Archetypal analysis represents instances as linear mixtures of prototypes (the archetypes) that lie on the boundary of the convex hull of the data. Archetypes are thus often better interpretable than factors computed by other matrix factorization techniques. However, the interpretability comes with high computational cost due to additional convexity-preserving constraints. In this paper, we propose efficient coresets for archetypal analysis. Theoretical guarantees are derived by showing that quantization errors of k-means upper bound archetypal analysis; the computation of a provable absolute-coreset can be performed in only two passes over the data. Empirically, we show that the coresets lead to improved performance on several data sets.


Background: A poor understanding of the specific lifestyle behaviors that result in weight loss has hindered the development of effective interventions. The aim of this paper was to identify potential behavioral mediators of weight loss in the Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids (HDHK) intervention for overweight fathers. Findings: The three-month intervention was evaluated in a randomized controlled trial and conducted in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. Baseline, three month (immediate post-intervention) and six month assessments were conducted. Recruitment and follow-up occurred between October 2008 and May 2009. The study sample included 53 overweight/obese men [mean (± SD) age = 40.6(± 97.1) years; body mass index (BMI) = 33.2 (±3.9) kgm -2 ] and their primary school-aged children [n = 71, 54% boys; age = 8.2 (±2.0) years] who were randomized to HDHK program or a wait-list control group. Physical activity (PA) was assessed using pedometers and dietary behaviors were measured using a validated food frequency questionnaire. The intervention resulted in significant weight loss ( − 5.13 ± 1.27 kg, P < 0.0001) and increased PA among fathers (2769 ± 750 steps/day, P < 0.001) and their children (1486 ± 521 steps/day, P < 0.01). Fathers ' PA mediated weight loss in the intervention (AB = − 2.31, 95% CI = − 4.63 to − 0.67) and was responsible for 47% of the intervention effect. Changes in dietary behaviors were not statistically significant. Conclusions: PA was an important mediator of weight loss in the HDHK intervention. Encouraging overweight fathers to be more active with their children appears to be a promising strategy for obesity treatment in men.


In designing and analysing the systems of automatic regulation of substrate temperature for champignon cultivation it is necessary to know substrate thermal properties (thermal conductivity and specific heat), intensity of substrate self-heating and the distribution of overtemperature caused by self-heating within a substrate briquette. It is proposed to estimate substrate thermal properties by the nonsteady method of combined determination of thermal characteristics using a flat constant power heat source. The scheme of experiments, mathematical expressions for calculating thermal indicators, examples of temperature variation, examples of thermal indicators calculations and the established mean thermal indicators for champignon cultivation substrate are presented. An electrical analogy model of thermal process in substrate briquette was made for self- heating investigations. It was established by modelling that the distribution of overtemperature caused by self-heating within the thickness of a briquette is parabolic. The mean specific heat of substrate self-heating was established by comparison of modelling and experiments results. An equation to assess the overtemperature of substrate briquette centre in engineering calculations is presented.


A major change in the electrical transmission and distribution system is taking place in Europe at the moment. The shift from a centralised energy production to a distributed generation profoundly changes the behaviour of the grid. Environmental or social issues associated with the construction of new power lines to relieve bottlenecks, together with aged equipment dating from the 1960s, pose some serious challenges to government, the research community and the economy. Concepts of reactive compensation, harmonic cancellation, voltage stability, power quality and bulky low-frequency transformers need to be redefined for power exchange and transmission in the future. Photovoltaics, wind turbines, fuel cells, storage systems and uninterruptible power supplies use many power electronic interface circuits, where DC intermediate levels already exist. Large photovoltaic- or wind- powered installations, which are connected to a cable network, are characterised by non-negligible distances due to their low power-by-surface density. On the side of the consumer, current trends show an increasing use of DC in end-user equipment. In such a context, the numerous advantages of power electronics and DC cables may sometimes out-weigh their higher cost. In the future, high-power semiconductor devices that allow higher switching frequencies of the converters may make it possible to down-size even more the passive components. This would significantly reduce raw material consumption and therefore cost, something that is crucial for the market to accept the technology. In the first part of this PhD thesis, the advantages of DC distribution in terms of transmission losses are illustrated with the help of three case studies. The second part and the main contribution of this thesis is the analysis of a promising candidate for a power electronic transformer, the key component of any DC based grid. It is a bidirectional isolated DC/DC converter based on modular multilevel converters, which are well suited for medium or even high voltage range. The motivation was to investigate a converter operation with important voltage elevation ratios, capable of adapting the voltage level between low, medium and high voltage. A medium-frequency isolation stage provides the possibility of downsizing the passive components. Two modulation methods, a multilevel and a two-level operation, were analysed and compared in terms of losses. The modular DC/DC converter is an attractive solution for the sensitive aspect of the short-circuit behaviour of classical DC links and power lines. The converter can also handle short circuits without the need for additional protection devices, such as circuit breakers. Given the many advantages of DC systems (reduced environmental impact, reduced space requirements, reduced raw material use, high power quality, power flow control, low transmission losses), this new technology must, at least, be considered when assessing the extension or the renovation of conventional AC grids.


An optical decision circuit is constructed by modifying the stability conditions of a previously introduced optical flip-flop memory (Appl. Phys. Lett., vol. 88, p. 181 118, May 2005). The simulations using a rate-equation model of the circuit predict fast operation speed (rise and fall times of the order of 20 ps are reached), which is most likely beyond the capabilities of recent semiconductor decision circuits that are suitable for integration (J. Lightw. Technol., vol. 24, p. 642, Mar. 2005). The decision characteristics are also better and close to the ideal digital response. They also enable realizing optical logic gates by using an interferometer and a single decision circuit. The output characteristics of an and and an or gate realized using the decision circuit are also studied


The glorification of the historical monument - a European phenomenon that emerged during the first quarter of the 19th Century - occupied a place of great theoretical and iconographic importance in the Portuguese press. Through engravings, its image attained a power of synthesis, both in the creation of symbols and in the understanding of stylistic categories, becoming a major driving force behind the greater value that was given to the medieval architectural heritage and its consequent restoration. Despite being given a relatively ineffective and somewhat belated administrative and legal framework, the prestige and popularity of medieval monuments were sufficient to ensure a significant number of restoration works after 1840. Literature on art, the press and manuscript sources of the period, sought to identify the principles to underlie the idea of restoration in Portugal between 1839 and 1925, as compared to models adopted throughout Europe. Although Portuguese artistic culture lagged far behind other European nations, the restoration of medieval religious architecture was common practice in Portugal at that time, both due to the idea that unity had always been one of the fundamental principles of architecture and because the cult of monuments stemmed from a mythical and symbolic production of national identity.


This is an investigation of the Japanese yen and U.S. dollar interest rate swap markets during 1990–2000. It examines spreads over comparable Treasury yields for different maturities and the transmission of shocks to swap spreads and volatilities from one market to the other. The correlations between yen and dollar interest swap spreads are low, indicating that the credit risk factor is country-specific. Changes in the dollar interest rate swap spreads "Granger-cause" changes in the spreads of yen interest rate swaps for the long (ten-year) maturities. Yen swap spreads are highly correlated with interest rate differentials between the two markets, which influence subsequent movements in yen swap spreads. Transmission of the volatility of swap spreads is strong from the dollar to the yen markets and relatively weak in the other direction. These and other results suggest that specific institutional aspects, such as illiquidity and market frictions, may have affected the yen interest swap market more than the dollar market.


Recently, several competing smart home programming frameworks that support third party app development have emerged. These frameworks provide tangible benefits to users, but can also expose users to significant security risks. This paper presents the first in-depth empirical security analysis of one such emerging smart home programming platform. We analyzed Samsung-owned SmartThings, which has the largest number of apps among currently available smart home platforms, and supports a broad range of devices including motion sensors, fire alarms, and door locks. SmartThings hosts the application runtime on a proprietary, closed-source cloud backend, making scrutiny challenging. We overcame the challenge with a static source code analysis of 499 SmartThings apps (called SmartApps) and 132 device handlers, and carefully crafted test cases that revealed many undocumented features of the platform. Our key findings are twofold. First, although SmartThings implements a privilege separation model, we discovered two intrinsic design flaws that lead to significant overprivilege in SmartApps. Our analysis reveals that over 55% of SmartApps in the store are overprivileged due to the capabilities being too coarse-grained. Moreover, once installed, a SmartApp is granted full access to a device even if it specifies needing only limited access to the device. Second, the SmartThings event subsystem, which devices use to communicate asynchronously with SmartApps via events, does not sufficiently protect events that carry sensitive information such as lock codes. We exploited framework design flaws to construct four proof-of-concept attacks that: (1) secretly planted door lock codes, (2) stole existing door lock codes, (3) disabled vacation mode of the home, and (4) induced a fake fire alarm. We conclude the paper with security lessons for the design of emerging smart home programming frameworks.


We propose and test empirically a theory describing the endogenous formation and persistence of mega-states, using China as an example. We suggest that the relative timing of the emergence of agricultural societies, and their distance from each other, set off a race between their autochthonous state-building projects, which determines their extent and persistence. Using a novel dataset describing the historical presence of Chinese states, prehistoric development, the diffusion of agriculture, and migratory distance across 1 ◦ × 1 ◦ grid cells in eastern Asia, we find that cells that adopted agriculture earlier and were close to Erlitou – the earliest political center in eastern Asia – remained under Chinese control for longer and continue to be a part of China today. By contrast, cells that adopted agriculture early and were located further from Erlitou developed into independent states, as agriculture provided the fertile ground for state-formation, while isolation provided time for them to develop and confront the expanding Chinese empire. Our study sheds important light on why eastern Asia kept reproducing a mega-state in the area that became China and on the determinants of its borders with other states


Understand how to use the new features of Microsoft SQL Server 2008 for data mining by using the tools in Data Mining with Microsoft SQL Server 2008, which will show you how to use the SQL Server Data Mining Toolset with Office 2007 to mine and analyze data. Explore each of the major data mining algorithms, including naive bayes, decision trees, time series, clustering, association rules, and neural networks. Learn more about topics like mining OLAP databases, data mining with SQL Server Integration Services 2008, and using Microsoft data mining to solve business analysis problems.


We present a preliminary checklist of bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila) compiled for St. Eustatius, an island located in the Lesser Antilles of the eastern Caribbean. The list has nine species, including six that have not been previously documented on St. Eustatius. One species is exotic to the Caribbean, one species is found only on St. Eustatius and St. Kitts, and five species occur elsewhere in the Lesser and Greater Antilles. Two of the collected specimens could not be assigned to a species; their geographical distributions are unknown.


Theft, deception, bribery, rogue trading and money laundering present massive and apparently insuperable problems for governments worldwide. On a national and international scale, these types of activities may have social, economic and political repercussions. This new book is primarily concerned with the impact of these activities upon private individuals. The text analyses the position of the victim, the fraudster, recipients of property and accessories. The focus is upon the civil law aspects of fraud and the increasing significance of money laundering legislation and the law of human rights.

The main theme of this book is an examination of the extent to which fraudulent activity triggers special rules which are exceptions to the general principles of civil law. There is the further question of the extent to which theft and fraud affect transactions which are interlinked. Policy issues are weighed in the balance, such as the protection of property rights against the need to ensure the free circulation of goods and the security of good faith purchase, and the demand for certainty in the law against the need to deter fraud.


In New Zealand few teenagers cycle to school and the percentage of teenagers cycling to school has dropped greatly since the 1990s. This research investigates why more teenagers do not cycle to school in Christchurch, New Zealand. Specifically it aims to identify: 1) the nature of teenagers'cycling behaviour in Christchurch; 2) the key barriers to teenagers cycling to school; and 3) whether theories of behaviour change are useful in predicting cycling to school by teenagers. The research uses the results of interviews with staff, and focus groups and surveys with students at seven high schools in Christchurch, New Zealand. Focus groups with students at a British international high school in Voorschoten in the Hague Region of the Netherlands also enabled comparison of whether teenagers who had grown up in places where few teenagers cycled to school (such as the UK) were influenced by different factors when they moved to places like the Netherlands where almost everyone cycles. Perceived social pressure by friends had the greatest influence over whether or not students intended to cycle to school, closely followed by perceived social pressure by parents. Both of these factors are classified in the literature as 'subjective norms'. Analysis also showed additional factors concerning the individual and the behavioural setting also influenced teenagers' decisions to cycle to school. The comparative study showed students who had grown up in places where few people cycled changed their behaviour and cycled to school when they moved to places where lots of people cycled, due to the influence of norms. Teenagers who cycled the least were girls, older students and students from lower socioeconomic areas. Therefore, to be effective, any programmes to increase cycling to school would need to be targeted in recognition of the differences between these groups. After all, a thirteen year-old teenage boy is quite different to an eighteen year-old girl. To increase the number of teenagers cycling to school in Christchurch, the most important thing required is change to societal attitudes and norms in favour of cycling. In addition, a range of practical initiatives such as improved infrastructure and cycle skills programmes are recommended. Overall what is required is change at multiple levels, targeting individuals, social environments, physical environments, and policies. Change will never be achieved by tinkering around the edges.


The financial crisis prompted widespread interest in developing a better understanding of how market and regulatory driven capital targets affect bank behaviour. Such considerations are important to assessing the effects of shocks to banks' capital ratios on their supply of financial intermediation services to the real economy, whether those shocks originate in higher regulatory capital requirements, unexpected losses, or demands from investors or counterparties. In particular, my research is relevant to the effects of changes in capital requirements or the imposition of explicitly counter-cyclical capital requirements, as proposed by the Basel III agreement. In this thesis, I describe three related research chapters focusing on how banks' actual capital ratios and long-run capital ratio targets affect bank behaviour.

The first chapter uses a unique, comprehensive database of regulatory capital requirements on all UK banks to examine their effects on capital, lending and balance sheet management behaviour in the pre-crisis period 1996-2007. We find that capital requirements that include firm-specific, time-varying add-ons set by supervisors affect banks' desired capital ratios and that resulting adjustments to capital and lending depend on the gap between actual and target ratios. We use these results to measure the effects of a capital regime that includes features similar to those embedded in the UK framework. Our results suggest that countercyclical capital requirements may be less effective in slowing credit activity when banks can readily satisfy them with lower-quality (lower-costing) capital elements versus higher-quality common equity. Finally, we apply a simple version of our model to a small sample of large banks in the crisis period 2007-2011 and find that balance sheet adjustments to achieve target tier 1 capital ratios focused on risk-weighted assets, and changes in tier 1 and total capital played a reduced role compared to the pre-crisis period. Given the size of the UK banking sector and the global nature of many of the largest institutions in the UK banking sector, the results have implications for the ongoing debate surrounding the design and calibration of international capital standards.

The second chapter assesses the relation between bank capital ratios and lending rates for the 8 largest UK banks over the period 1998-2011. The methods differ from previous literature in that they employ a dynamic error correction specification and a unique regulatory database to disentangle long- and short-run effects. There is no long-run link in pre-crisis boom times, but a strongly negative association is revealed during the stressed conditions of 2007-11 when well-capitalised banks may have benefited from lower funding costs. Higher capital ratios also have positive short-run effects on lending rates which are sizeable during crisis times. These results imply that countercyclical variations in bank capital requirements, as envisaged by Basel III, need to be very substantial to offset the procyclical reduction in the supply of bank lending during a crisis.

In the third chapter the focus moves to the United States to examine the effect of capital ratios on profitability spanning several economic cycles going back to the late 1970s. Theory suggests that this relationship is likely to be time-varying and heterogeneous across banks, depending on banks' actual capital ratios and how these relate to their optimal (i.e., profit-maximising) capital ratios. We employ a flexible empirical framework that allows substantial heterogeneity across banks and over time. We find that the relationship is negative for most banks in most years, but turns less negative or positive under distressed market conditions. Banks with surplus capital relative to their long-run targets have strong incentives to reduce capital ratios in all periods. Similar to the second research chapter, these results have the policy implication that counter-cyclical reductions in capital requirements during busts may not be effective since, in such conditions, banks have incentives to raise capital ratios.


When recapitulating the career of the French writer Jean Genet, critics and biographers have gathered around the idea of a pivotal moment in the 1960s when Genet abandoned literature and turned to political activism. However, Genet continued to write and publish texts, many of which appear to be literary, up to his death in 1986. In this article, Genet's late works are reviewed and the notion of the turn is questioned. It is argued that the construction of a political turn in Genet's career unjustifiably reduced the weight of his late works and neglected their pioneering hybridity. Rather than abandoning literature, the late Genet enhanced his aesthetics of subversion by developing a more referential style.


This paper presents a Fuzzy Consensus Qualitative Risk Analysis framework to identify and prioritize risks encountered in real estate projects, which is applied to developing countries. The framework incorporates the consensus and quality of experts in the process of evaluating risk events and is composed of (1) a Fuzzy Expert System (FES)to determine qualification of experts;(2) Fuzzy Similarity Aggregation Algorithms to aggregate experts' opinions; and (3) a threedimensional prioritization approach to rank the risks, qualitatively. Risks are identified through a literature review and interviews with experts who rank the risks in terms of their probability of occurrence, impact and level of detection; each is described using five linguistic terms that are defined by membership functions (MFs) on a 5-point rating scale. The FES determines an importance weight factor for each expert, based on a set of predetermined qualification attributes. Experts' opinions are aggregated in a linguistic framework, based on the proximity of their opinions on the scale to ensure that their aggregated decision is a result of common agreement. The importance weight factor is combined with the consensus weight factor of each expert in the aggregation process using a scalar modifier and the Euclidean Distance Measure Function is used to determine the linguistic criticality of every risk event. A threedimensional prioritization approach applies a set of ranking rules to every risk that enables experts to rank and visualize the priority of the risks in a three-dimensional space. The framework contributes to the Real estate industry by solving a major problem for project teams in developing countries to


This research examined the efforts of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to frame ambush marketing as an ethically or morally dubious practice and thus influence consumer opinion. After an extensive documentary content analysis of internal Olympic-marketing and Games-development archival materials from the International Olympic Committee's Library and Olympic Studies Centre, the study's findings offer new insight into the IOC's overt influence on ambush discourse as a strategic communication objective in combatting ambush marketing. Results evidence a deliberate attempt on the part of stakeholders to employ "name and shame" public relations and educational campaigns to position ambush marketing as ethically objectionable. In thus examining the discursive power wielded by the IOC, the study offers new perspective on the implications of such ethical framing and illustrates the way that ambush-marketing research and conceptualizations have been defined by rights holders' influence and censure.


In this work we explore error-correcting codes derived from the "lifting" of "affine-invariant" codes. Affine-invariant codes are simply linear codes whose coordinates are a vector space over a field and which are invariant under affine-transformations of the coordinate space. Lifting takes codes defined over a vector space of small dimension and lifts them to higher dimensions by requiring their restriction to every subspace of the original dimension to be a codeword of the code being lifted. While the operation is of interest on its own, this work focusses on new ranges of parameters that can be obtained by such codes, in the context of local correction and testing. In particular we present four interesting ranges of parameters that can be achieved by such lifts, all of which are new in the context of affine-invariance and some may be new even in general. The main highlight is a construction of high-rate codes with sublinear time decoding. The only prior construction of such codes is due to Kopparty, Saraf and Yekhanin [33]. All our codes are extremely simple, being just lifts of various parity check codes (codes with one symbol of redundancy), and in the final case, the lift of a Reed-Solomon code.
 We also present a simple connection between certain lifted codes and lower bounds on the size of "Nikodym sets". Roughly, a Nikodym set in Fqm is a set S with the property that every point has a line passing through it which is almost entirely contained in S. While previous lower bounds on Nikodym sets were roughly growing as qm/2m, we use our lifted codes to prove a lower bound of (1 - o(1))qm for fields of constant characteristic.


Abstract. Here, we present validation tests of the fluid dynamic solver presented in von Boetticher et al. (2016), simulating both laboratory-scale and large-scale debris-flow experiments. The new solver combines a Coulomb viscoplastic rheological model with a Herschel–Bulkley model based on material properties and rheological characteristics of the analyzed debris flow. For the selected experiments in this study, all necessary material properties were known – the content of sand, clay (including its mineral composition) and gravel as well as the water content and the angle of repose of the gravel. Given these properties, two model parameters are sufficient for calibration, and a range of experiments with different material compositions can be reproduced by the model without recalibration. One calibration parameter, the Herschel–Bulkley exponent, was kept constant for all simulations. The model validation focuses on different case studies illustrating the sensitivity of debris flows to water and clay content, channel curvature, channel roughness and the angle of repose. We characterize the accuracy of the model using experimental observations of flow head positions, front velocities, run-out patterns and basal pressures.


Background: The green tea and pomegranate polyphenols epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and ellagic acid (EA) have previously demonstrated anti-atherosclerotic effects and inhibition of VEGFR-2 phosphorylation in cell models. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) injection into animal models induced atherosclerosis. This thesis aims to investigate whether polyphenols which potently inhibit VEGF-induced VEGFR-2 phosphorylation at physiological concentrations in vitro will be able to inhibit VEGF-induced atherosclerotic development in vivo.
Methods: The inhibition of VEGF-induced VEGFR-2 phosphorylation in Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) by EGCG, punicalagin, EA and the urolithins was investigated. The effect of 1.8 g/kg EGCG and EA dietary supplementation on VEGF-induced atherosclerosis was investigated in the ApoE-/- mouse model.
Results: EGCG, EA and punicalagin inhibited 50 % VEGF activity, quantified by VEGFR-2 phosphorylation in HUVECs, at 96, 310, and 49 nM. EA metabolism reduced the VEGF inhibitory activity. EGCG and EA significantly inhibited VEGFR-2 phosphorylation at physiological concentrations, predominantly through interactions with the VEGF ligand. 3 weekly intraperitoneal injections of VEGF into mice did not induce atherosclerosis. EGCG and EA dietary supplementation did not affect plaque size but induced small increases in circulating LDL and total cholesterol compared to controls. EGCG and EA injection reduced plaque thickness but not overall size. It was shown that foetal calf serum reduced the polyphenol-mediated inhibition of VEGF activity.
Conclusions: The data in this thesis suggest that (1) multiple injections of VEGF does not induce atherosclerotic plaque growth in the ApoE-/- mouse model under the study conditions, (2) a mixture of EGCG and EA had no significant effect on the growth of atherosclerotic plaques when supplemented into the diet of ApoE-/- mice, and (3) serum proteins limit the ability of polyphenols to inhibit VEGFR-2 phosphorylation. These results therefore suggest it is unlikely EGCG and EA reduce atherosclerosis by inhibiting the VEGF ligand in vivo.