Glacier surface mass balance (SMB) observations for the Andes Cordillera are limited and therefore estimates of the SMB contribution to sea‐level rise are highly uncertain. Here (in Part 3), we simulate glacier surface meteorological and hydrological conditions and trends for the Andes Cordillera (1979/80–2013/14; 35 years), covering the tropical latitudes in the north down to the sub‐polar latitudes in the far south, including the Northern Patagonia Icefield (NPI) and Southern Patagonia Icefield (SPI). Surface meteorological conditions and heat‐ and mass‐transfer processes were simulated for all glaciers having an area equal to or greater than 0.5 km2. SnowModel – a fully integrated energy balance, blowing‐snow distribution, multi‐layer snowpack, and runoff routing model – was used to simulate glacier SMBs for the Andes Cordillera. The Randolph Glacier Inventory (RGI; v. 4.0) and NASA Modern‐Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) products, downscaled in SnowModel, allowed us to conduct relatively high‐resolution (1‐km horizontal grid; 3‐h time step) simulations of glacier air temperature, precipitation, sublimation, evaporation, runoff, and SMB. These simulated glacier SMBs were verified against both independent direct observed annual glacier SMB and satellite gravimetry and altimetry derived SMB, indicating a good agreement. For Andes glaciers, the 35‐year mean annual SMB was found to be −1.13 m water equivalent (w.e.), while the cumulative SMB was −39.6 m w.e., which is equal to a cumulative SMB contribution of 3.4 mm sea‐level equivalent (SLE) (∼0.1 mm SLE per year). However, for both NPI and SPI, the mean SMB was positive (where likely calving explains why geodetic estimates are negative). For the Andes Cordillera, the simulated mean glacier‐specific runoff was 41 L s−1 km−2, while for NPI and SPI it was 213 and 198 L s−1 km−2, respectively, indicating available water resources from NPI and SPI.


This research was conducted to investigate the effect of different herbicides with weed management practices on growth and yield performance of mungbean genotypes. The experiment consisted of two factors were mungbean genotypes and weed management. There were two genotypes namely BARI Mung 6 and BARI Mung 8. While there were five weed management practices namely control/no weeding and without herbicide application (T1), hand weeding at 20 and 40 DAS (T2), pre emergence herbicide (Panida) at 1-2 DAS (T3), pre emergence herbicide (Neon) at 2-3 DAS (T4), and post emergence herbicide (Neon) at 10-15 DAS+hand weeding (T5). The results revealed that BARI Mung 6 stand superior to BARI Mung 8 in respect of dry matter content/plant, pods/plant, seeds/plant, seed yield, and 1000 seed weight. Among weed management practices, maximum plant height (53.70 cm), dry matter weight/plant (17.96 g), pods/plant (18.31), seeds/plant (171.47), maximum weed control efficiency (33.78 %) obtained from T3 treatment. Based on the interaction effect showed that BARI Mung 6 weeded with pre emergence herbicide (Panida) at 1-2 DAS produced maximum seed yield (1.79 t/ha) as well as yield attributes showed 2.29 % higher seed yield.


Halonium ions are synthetically useful, transient species that may be stabilized by attachment to two electron donors. Whereas studies of [C–X–C]+-type ions have greatly contributed to the fundamental understanding of chemical bonding and reaction mechanisms, investigations of the corresponding [N–X–N]+ halogen bond complexes are only at an early stage. Herein we present solution NMR spectroscopic and theoretical evidence for the nature of [N–Cl–N]+ and [N–F–N]+ complexes, and we discuss their geometries and stabilities in comparison to their iodine and bromine-centered analogues as well as the corresponding three-center [N–H–N]+ hydrogen bond. We show the chlorine-centered halogen bond to be weaker but yet to resemble the symmetric geometry of the three-center bond of heavier halogens. In contrast, the [N–F–N]+ bond is demonstrated to prefer asymmetric geometry analogous to the [N–H–N]+ hydrogen bond. However, the [N–F–N]+ system has a high energy barrier for interconversion, and due to entropy loss, its formation is slightly endothermic.


Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors. During the recent years, external-beam radiation therapy (EBRT) has been safely and effectively employed for the management of HCC. We overviewed the current evidence regarding the efficacy and safety of EBRT for HCC according to the different target population. PubMed database was searched for identifying English-language full-text articles regarding EBRT for the treatment of HCC. Search items were "hepatocellular carcinoma AND radiation therapy". Until now, preliminary evidence has suggested the following role of EBRT for HCC. 1) EBRT, especially stereotactic body radiation therapy, is an emerging choice of therapy for small HCC. 2) EBRT combined with non-surgical treatment can achieve an excellent intrahepatic tumor control and a potential survival benefit for huge HCC. 3)Adjunctive EBRT may improve the efficacy of transarterial chemoembolization for HCC with portal vein tumor thrombosis. 4) EBRT can relieve the pain and improve the quality of life for patients with extrahepatic metastases. 5) EBRT may be a bridge to liver transplantation by minimizing the tumor progression. 6) Adjunctive EBRT may reduce the tumor recurrence and improve the survival after resection. In summary, EBRT is a promising choice of treatment of HCC. However, more high-quality evidence is needed to further establish the status of EBRT for the management of HCC.


Recent observations of surface meteorology and exchanges of heat, freshwater, and momentum between the ocean and the atmosphere in the Bay of Bengal are presented. These observations characterize air-sea interaction at 18 degrees N, 89.5 degrees E from December 2014 to January 2016 and also at other locations in the northern Bay of Bengal. Monsoonal variability dominated the records, with winds to the northeast in summer and to the southwest in winter. This variability included a strong annual cycle in the atmospheric forcing of the ocean in the Bay of Bengal, with the winter monsoon marked by sustained ocean heat loss resulting in ocean cooling, and the summer monsoon marked by strong storm events with dark skies and rain that also resulted in ocean cooling. The spring intermonsoon was a period of clear skies and low winds, when strong solar heating and weak wind-driven mixing led to ocean warming. The fall intermonsoon was a transitional period, with some storm events but also with enough clear skies and sunlight that ocean surface temperature rose again. Mooring and shipboard observations are used to examine the ability of model-based surface fluxes to represent air-sea interaction in the Bay of Bengal; the model-based fluxes have significant errors. The surface forcing observed at 18 degrees N is also used together with a one-dimensional ocean model to illustrate the potential for local air-sea interaction to drive upper-ocean variability in the Bay of Bengal.


Preventive medicine can be approached in various ways, all with the purpose of avoiding illness or injury before it occurs. Physicians can use their position of influence, clinical skills and medical expertise to promote healthy lifestyles. Emergency medicine physicians and residents at Indiana University School of Medicine have developed a mentoring program in conjunction with an after school program from Indianapolis Public Schools. As part of this program a mentoring notebook was created for both mentor and student. It is founded on the 13 core values of Benjamin Franklin: temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, chastity, tranquility and humility. It helps guide discussion and is used as to aid busy physicians/residents to mentor high risk adolescents in a structured format. ¶ This set of lessons is intended to encourage interaction between students and mentors regarding important topics that affect health. These topics include nutrition, communication, organization skills, and conflict management. The program and notebook are designed to prevent injuries and illnesses commonly encountered, and educate resident physicians regarding community based programs and doctor patient relationships.


An interdisciplinary faculty team at Wright State University (WSU) has developed an innovative graduate program designed to provide a broad and comprehensive education, realistic work experiences, and opportunities for problem-centered research in the area of Learning with Disability (LWD). Faculty members from multiple colleges at the university are collaborating to train a unique cohort of graduate students capable of bridging the gaps between three main areas: a) biology of disability, b) assistive technology, and c) the pedagogy of individualized learning. Currently the program is offered as an interdisciplinary concentration within four of WSU's existing doctoral programs including Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Biomedical Sciences, and Human Factors/Industrial Organizational Psychology. The ultimate aim of the new LWD doctoral concentration is to educate professionals who can develop integrated approaches to problems that impact the lives and education of individuals with disabilities over multiple environments including home, school, work, and community.


The female artist has been almost invisible in historical account
of the mid-Victorian period, yet between 1850 and 1879 many moves were made towards recognising women as practitioners within the
field of the fine arts, and indeed, the woman artist was a part
the 'woman question' which so exercised the period. There is a
stereotypical figure and stereotypical notions of 'woman's art'
at large in the mid-Victorian period which do much to obscure a
distort the actual activities and achievements of women practices
in painting, sculpture and graphic art within the period.
The situation of the woman aspiring to be an artist was very clearly determined by the situation of the mid-Victorian woman in society
at large. Particular factors, however, which form important pa of her circumstances are education, exhibition, patronage, and
employment. Within the period, education was seen as the most crucial factor in allowing women to test their capabilities in
fine arts, though many quarters of opinion, throughout the midcentury
period, held that women were more, and fundamentally, f
for the. applied arts of design or craft than fine art, and would never produce great art regardless of the opportunity they might be offered. The validity and development of such opinion can be t by examining the work which women did produce in this period during which their identity was being resolved, and by-considering the
critical responses made to their work. Unfortunately, much of
actual evidence is now lost or untraced, leaving only verbal or reproductions to stand for the paintings, drawings, and sculptures which the mid-Victorian woman artist produced. When she and he
work are taken into account, however, it can be seen that the
traditional face of mid-Victorian art, as heretofore defined and
described, should be corrected if an accurate and full picture
the art of the mid-Victorian period is to be drawn up. During
years 1850 to 1879, the woman artist became a recognisable figures
the art scene such as she had not been before, although later
historians have largely failed to recognise the fact.


American activists who challenged South African apartheid during the Cold War era extended their opposition to racial discrimination in the United States into world politics. US antiapartheid organizations worked in solidarity with forces struggling against the racist regime in South Africa and played a significant role in the global antiapartheid movement. More than four decades of organizing preceded the legislative showdown of 1986, when a bipartisan coalition in Congress overrode President Ronald Reagan's veto, to enact economic sanctions against the apartheid regime in South Africa. Adoption of sanctions by the United States, along with transnational solidarity with the resistance to apartheid by South Africans, helped prompt the apartheid regime to relinquish power and allow the democratic elections that brought Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress to power in 1994.
 Drawing on the tactics, strategies and moral authority of the civil rights movement, antiapartheid campaigners mobilized public opinion while increasing African American influence in the formulation of US foreign policy. Long-lasting organizations such as the American Committee on Africa and TransAfrica called for boycotts and divestment while lobbying for economic sanctions. Utilizing tactics such as rallies, demonstrations, and nonviolent civil disobedience actions, antiapartheid activists made their voices heard on college campuses, corporate boardrooms, municipal and state governments, as well as the halls of Congress. Cultural expressions of criticism and resistance served to reinforce public sentiment against apartheid. Novels, plays, movies, and music provided a way for Americans to connect to the struggles of those suffering under apartheid.
 By extending the moral logic of the movement for African American civil rights, American anti-apartheid activists created a multicultural coalition that brought about institutional and governmental divestment from apartheid, prompted Congress to impose economic sanctions on South Africa, and increased the influence of African Americans regarding issues of race and American foreign policy.


Automotive industry in Malaysia is one of the booming industries which encompass the design, development and manufacturing of motor vehicles. However, it has its own setback as the interaction between complex tools, machines, and instruments, coupled with humans as workers pose several health hazards. A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) and the association with awkward posture among automotive assembly line workers. A simple random sampling method was adopted and data were collected based on Standardized Nordic Questionnaire (SNQ) and Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) method for analysing awkward posture. With a response rate of 83%, a total of 232 assembly line workers with at least one year job tenure participated in this study. The fi ndings revealed that 78.4% of workers reported MSD while the highest percentage of complaints concerned the lower back (50.9%). Three factors were found to be signifi cantly associated with MSD: age (χ 2 =5.61, p=0.018), job tenure (χ 2 = 8.26, p=0.004) and awkward posture (χ 2 = 65.37, p < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis indicated that signifi cant risk factors for MSD symptoms were workers aged ≥ 25 years old (OR= 2.25, 95%CI 1.14-4.46) and those workers with equal and more than three years job tenure (OR= 2.44, 95%CI 1.04-5.63). In addition, workers in the very high and high RULA action level who were 69 times (OR = 69.38, 95%CI 14.51331.73) and 12 times (OR = 12.42, 95%CI 5.21-29.58), respectively, also had higher odds of complaints of MSD. The high prevalence of MSD shows that MSD symptoms is a signifi cant problem among automotive assembly line workers while age, job tenure and awkward posture based on RULA action level are the signifi cant factors for MSD. In particular, this study proves that the prevalence of MSD increases as the RULA action level and job tenure increases. Thus, this problem could be reduced by decreasing RULA action level through appropriate ergonomic workstation design and ergonomic training for workers.


Filtration acts as the final step in the removal of suspended matter and protozoa. The accumulated residue is removed during the backwash process and any subsequent recycling of filter backwash water could potentially re-introduce these contaminants into the main treatment process. By separating the filter backwash water from the main treatment process, factors that could interfere with the integrity of the primary treatment barriers, will be eliminated. Treatment and recovery of the filter backwash water would be beneficial in terms of water reuse, by replacing a proportion of the freshwater demand. The aim of this study was to investigate possible treatment options for the filter backwash water at Rand Water. Treatment options for filter backwash water treatment plants usually consist of a solids removal process and a disinfection process. Three solid removal processes for filter backwash water from Rand Water9s filtration systems were selected for testing on an experimental basis: (1) sedimentation without flocculation, (2) sedimentation with flocculation, and (3) dissolved air flotation with flocculation. Flocculation with sedimentation produced the best results when compared to the other two treatment options evaluated. It is a simple and effective option for the treatment of filter backwash water.


The legal history of England and the United States of America is commonly recognized as following a unique path distinct from the rest of Europe. Whereas continental European nations followed the Roman civil law (Corpus iuris civilis) compiled by Justinian, England developed its own body of customary law known as common law. Among legal historians of English common law, Sir Matthew Hale (1609–1676) ranks as one of the most familiar names along with Sir Edward Coke and Sir William Blackstone. After an early career as a lawyer, during which time he served as counsel for the defense at the famous trials of Archbishop Laud in 1643 and Christopher Love in 1651, Hale was appointed Justice of the Common Pleas (1654–1658), and at the Restoration was appointed successively as Chief Baron of the Exchequer (1660–1671) and Chief Justice of the King's Bench (1671–1676). In the judgment of one historian, he was not only "accounted by his contemporaries the most learned lawyer of the age" but was so well received over the course of centuries of scholarship that he is now known as "one of the greatest jurists of the modern common law." David S. Systma, "Sir Matthew Hale (1609-1676) and Natural Law in the Seventeenth Century," Journal of Markets and Morality 17, no.1 (Spring 2014): 205-256.


Global youth work (GYW) may be considered as encompassing forms of education with young people which are variously referred to as development education, global citizenship, education for sustainable development, and humanitarian education amongst others. This article reports on primary research in relation to how GYW is conceptualised and addressed in those Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) that deliver youth and community work qualifications across the UK. The research reports specifically on perceived issues of pedagogy, and asks what skills, knowledge and resources are required to deliver an effective curriculum. The article further explores to what extent HEIs are meeting the needs of the field in regards to addressing a global dimension. The research was based on semi-structured interviews with 43 programme/module leaders in HEIs across Britain, 28 recent youth and community development (YCD) graduates and a focus group comprised of 11 representatives of leading international nongovernmental organisations, HEIs and statutory organisations involved in the delivery of GYW.The research concludes that the conceptualisation of and importance attached to global youth work varies greatly both between and within HEIs.The extent to which current YCD students are enabled to 'think globally and act locally'may be subject to the vagaries of particular tutors'interests.In addition, there is no definitive agreement as to whether lecturers need additional skills to deliver effective GYW training.There is agreement, however, that there is a need for the development of suitable GYW curricula and appropriate learning resources within HEIs delivering youth and community work courses.


Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are increasingly used in marine wildlife research. As technological developments rapidly advance the versatility and functionality of affordable UAVs, their potential as a marine aerial survey tool is quickly gaining attention. Currently, there is significant interest in whether cost-effective UAVs can outperform manned aircraft in aerial surveys of marine fauna at sea, although few empirical studies have compared relative sampling efficiency, accuracy and precision. Civil aviation restrictions, and subsequent available civilian technologies, make it unlikely that UAVs will currently be more effective than manned aircraft for large area marine surveys. UAVs do, however, have the capacity to fill a niche for intensive smaller spatial scale sampling and for undertaking aerial surveys in isolated locations. Improvements in UAV sensor resolutions and alternative sensor types, such as multispectral cameras, may increase area coverage, reduce perception error, and increase water penetration for sightability. Additionally, the further development of auto-detection software will rapidly improve image processing and further reduce human observer error inherent in manned aerial surveys. As UAV technologies and associated methodology is further developed and becomes more affordable, these aircraft will be increasingly adopted as a marine aerial survey tool in place of traditional methods using manned aircraft.


AIDS patients/HIV positives have been increasing in Japan, but a large proportion of university students, who have high risk sexual behavior, are not aware of the danger of HIV infection. Because of little disclosure by AIDS patients/HIV positives in Japan, the students have a poor chance of knowing of their risk in sexual behavior situations. Discrimination or prejudice toward AIDS patients/HIV positives has suppressed disclosure. However, as the real risk changes of disclosure is unknown, a simulation study, using case vignettes, was carried out to measure risks. A total of 1,128 university students (487 male and 641 female) were asked to read one of six vignettes describing HIV positives, that consisted of three infection routes (one by blood preparation and two by sexual intercourse) with disclosure or without disclosure. After reading a vignette, they answered questions about the images of HIV positives and their attitudes to him or her. As a result of reading these vignettes, friendly images were enhanced and the disagreeable images were decreased, but students' attitudes were unchanged. Significant differences were recognized in attitudes concerning responsibility for the infection and sympathy toward HIV positives, depending on the infection routes (blood preparation or sexual intercourse). Female students had a tendency to be more favorable to HIV positives than the male students. This simulation study showed the difficulty of changing students' attitudes regardless of the image of HIV positives, and demonstrated the need for effective action toward reducing discrimination or prejudice.


Randolph B. "Mike" Campbell has spent the better part of the last five decades helping Texans rediscover their history, producing a stream of definitive works on the social, political, and economic structures of the Texas past. Through meticulous research and terrific prose, Campbell's collective work has fundamentally remade how historians understand Texan identity and the state's southern heritage, as well as our understanding of such contentious issues as slavery, westward expansion, and Reconstruction. Campbell's pioneering work in local and county records has defined the model for grassroots research and community studies in the field. More than any other scholar, Campbell has shaped our modern understanding of Texas. In this collection of seventeen original essays, Campbell's colleagues, friends, and students offer a capacious examination of Texas's history—ranging from the Spanish era through the 1960s War on Poverty—to honor Campbell's deep influence on the field. Focusing on themes and methods that Campbell pioneered, the essays debate Texas identity, the creation of nineteenth-century Texas, the legacies of the Civil War and Reconstruction, and the remaking of the Lone Star State during the twentieth century. Featuring some of the most well-known names in the field—as well as rising stars—the volume offers the latest scholarship on major issues in Texas history, and the enduring influence of the most eminent Texas historian of the last half century.


The cloud top height of marine boundary layer clouds (MBLCs) in the mid-latitudes has received less attention than that of subtropical MBLCs and is investigated here using cloud mask data, which were based on observations from the cloud–aerosol lidar and infrared pathfinder satellite observation (CALIPSO) satellite. This study provides a comprehensive overview of the observational characteristics of variations in cloud top height of MBLCs and fog frequency over the mid-latitudes. Seasonal variations in the cloud top height of mid-latitude MBLCs as well as the differences in these seasonal variations between the Northern and Southern hemispheres were determined. For example, over the North Pacific, the cloud top height is high in winter (up to 1800 m) but low in summer (down to 800 m), whereas in the Southern Hemisphere, the seasonal variation is not well defined, with heights ranging from 1300 to 1500 m. While clear seasonal variations in the frequency of fog occurrence are found over the North Pacific and the northwest Atlantic, the fog frequency over the Southern Ocean is almost constant irrespective of the season. High correlations were found between the MBLC top height and stability indexes and between the fog frequency and some surface parameters such as temperature difference between the surface air and the sea surface. The latitudinal variations in the cloud top height of MBLCs in summer and winter over the Southern Ocean were compared with those over the North Pacific. The difference in cloud top heights between nighttime and daytime is also presented.


Global Positioning System (GPS) from the USA, Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) from the Russian Federation and the proposed GALILEO satellite navigation system from Europe are meant for providing position and timing information for a variety of applications. However, for Safety Critical applications the basic constellations cannot meet the requirements in terms of accuracy, integrity and availability. For this purpose, the basic constellations are augmented by an overlay system. Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), along with Airport Authority of India (AAI) is implementing the Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS) for the Indian region. The project called GAGAN (GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation) has a full complement of the SBAS inclusive of ground and onboard segment. The first phase of GAGAN is nearing completion. This paper deals with the basic SBAS concept, GAGAN configuration, implementation and the challenges involved. The roadmap towards the final operational phase is also indicated.


In April 1997-98 Camilla Carr and Jon James set off as volunteers in a GBP500 Lada stacked high with toys, games, footballs, paints and a parachute. Their destination was Chechnya and their aim was to work with children who had been traumatised by war. After working for two months setting up and teaching in a rehabilitation centre and watching the children begin to smile and play again, they were kidnapped by Chechen guerrillas. There followed fourteen months of incarceration in homes that varied from a concrete box with no natural light or fresh air, to a pink trompe la oeil bedroom via a sauna and various cellars. They experienced everything from rape and mental torture to moments of compassion and kindness. They survived by using tools such as tai chi, yoga, meditation and humour; and through creating a dialogue with their captors, looking beneath their masks of fear and anger to reach the small flame of love and laughter unquenched by the demonising nature of war.


This paper examines the tradeoff between early and late specialization in the context of higher education. While some educational systems require students to specialize early by choosing a major field of study prior to entering university, others allow students to postpone this choice. I develop a model in which individuals, by taking courses in different fields of study, accumulate field-specific skills and receive noisy signals of match quality in these fields. With later specialization, students have more time to learn about match quality in each field but less time to acquire specific skills once a field is chosen. I derive comparative static predictions between educational regimes with early and late specialization, and examine these predictions across British systems of higher education. Using survey data on 1980 university graduates, I find strong evidence in support of the prediction that individuals who switch to unrelated occupations initially earn lower wages but less evidence that the cost of switching differs between England and Scotland. Although more switching occurs in England where students specialize early, higher wage growth among those who switch eliminates the wage difference after several years.


Only a few dozen firms across different industries have been able to appropriate a large share of the trillions of dollars of total net value appropriation in US markets over the past decades. This dissertation examines, using formal modeling, how resource dynamics in competitive markets shape such long term profit patterns. Chapter 1 introduces the main questions and concepts, including a general formal framework that can be used to represent RBV-based theories in terms of stochastic state space models, as well as a five-step program to do so. In chapter 2 a new measure of long-term firm performance is developed: LIVA (long-term investor value appropriation). This measure helps to address a disconnect between the common theoretical assumption that managers optimize firm value, and the widespread empirical practice of measuring performance using shortterm ratios such as ROA (return on assets). Chapter 3 describes a dynamic model and empirical inference of the relation between resource competition and the decomposition of variations in returns into firm-specific and industry components. The model shows that the investment dynamics for scarce resources amplify any idiosyncratic shocks to their resource positions, thus providing a very general mechanism for the empirical regularity that variations in return have a high firm-specific component. Empirical results from a Bayesian hierarchical analysis of stock market returns support the model predictions. Chapter 4 describes a formal model to analyze how profit persistence is affected by higher order resources, which are an abstract representation of dynamic capabilities. The model in this chapter indicates that higher order resources should lead to the presence of a second order autoregressive term in profit time series. Empirical estimation of the model using both classical and Bayesian hierarchical methods indeed provides evidence for the existence of such a second order autoregressive term. The models in these final two chapters are implementations of the formal RBV framework introduced in chapter 1, and thus exemplify the value of such a framework to the strategy field. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Management First Advisor Nicolaj Siggelkow


This paper presents an innovative double cell triaxial system developed for better understanding of the complex thermo-hydro-mechanical behaviour of soils. In addition to the conventional triaxial mechanical testing, the equipment is aimed to perform suction controlled tests under wide range of temperature and confining pressure. Suction controlled tests are implemented by the axis translation as well as vapor techniques to control the matric and total suction. The device is provided with two advanced features; the double-wall system which allows precise measurement of volume variation of the sample in unsaturated conditions, and the hydraulic and pneumatic circuits, which allow several testing layouts to apply. Both complexity of the mechanical components of the system, and their evolutions under thermal and mechanical loading impose several aspects to the calibration process. An analytical approach is presented for the calibration of the force-displacement and soil sample volume change of the system under high axial loading. The calibration has been done using solid PVC (Polyvinyl chloride) samples. Results show the efficiency of the approach in order to formulate the force-displacement and sample volume change relationships in closed form equations. This approach can be efficiently used to calibrate such complex experimental testing systems working under wide range of mechanical loading.


This thesis evaluates the prehospital care and outcomes of severely injured patients. Chapter 1 addresses the impact of trauma on society and presents a brief outline of this thesis with description of the different studies that are reported. Chapter 2 describes the patients who were studied and the methods that were used. The studies had a prospective cohort design. Data were collected on 507 trauma patients with multiple injuries, with a Hospital Trauma Index-Injury Severity Score (HTI-ISS) of 16 or more. Data were also collected on 574 victims of non-natural death during the same period (1999, 2000). Chapter 3 describes the history of prehospital care from ancient times to the present with emphasis on the Dutch situation. Chapter 4 presents the results of the study on non-natural deaths. included 361 (63%) men and 213 women who had died from non-natural causes. Suicide was the most frequent cause, followed by traffic accidents and accidents at home. Chapter 5 reports on the study entitled 'Ambulance care for seriously injured patients: do intensive training and examinations result in better outcome for patients?' The study compared the ambulance services offered by the RAVU, whose staff had been receiving additional intensified in-house training and other services whose staff at the time were receiving only the compulsory national training for all Dutch ambulance staff. Patients handled by RAVU staffs were more likely to receive intravenous infusion therapy and painkillers. Treatment time at the scene of the accident was 4.7 minutes shorter for those handled by RAVU. There was no relation between these measures and ultimate mortality rates or morbidity. Chapter 6 describes the value and reliability of the Triage-Revised Trauma Score in ambulance care. The time patients spent in the crashroom and duration of ICU admission were highly dependent on the T-RTS. There was a good correlation between the T-RTS and the HTI-ISS. The T-RTS was a good predictor of a patient's probability of survival. Chapter 7 reports on a study of the changes in Triage-Revised Trauma Score between first assessment in the field and arrival at the hospital, as a predictor of mortality. Intubation and deteriorating T-RTS values are powerful predictors of mortality after presentation in the hospital. Chapter 8 discusses a study with the objective to determine which factors predict death in trauma patients who are alive on arrival in hospital. There was a clear relationship between the base excess (BE) and haemoglobin levels measured at arrival in the ER and the risk of death. The risk of death was 3.4 times higher in cases with isolated neurotrauma. Chapter 9 discusses a study to determine the background and consequences of failing to diagnose certain injuries in severely injured accident victims in prehospital care. The percentage of diagnoses missed varied from 9 to 55%. Failing to diagnose an injury did not in itself increase the risk of death. Spine injuries were more frequently missed if associated injuries were more serious.


The influence of different thiophene donor units on electrochemical and spectroscopic properties of benzothiadiazole based donor–acceptor π-conjugated organic materials is studied. Two different structure modification vectors of the donor units are being considered – one addressing the intermolecular interactions through off-conjugation side chain architecture, and the other focusing on intramolecular interactions tuned by in-conjugation substituents. Electrochemical and simultaneous in situ EPR-UV-Vis-NIR spectroelectrochemical studies of the oxidative (p-) and reductive (n-) doping processes, which are responsible for the optoelectronic properties of these materials, revealed their disparate course and dissimilar effects of redox reactions of the conjugated π-bond. While p-doping prevalent species were found to comprise intensively interacting spin bearing and spinless charge carriers, the n-doping state was found to involve only one type of negatively charged carrier, with spin carrying species being selectively generated at due cathodic potentials. No spin pairing of these negative polarons was observed with their increasing population behaving like a collection of localised charge carriers. Qualitative and quantitative comparisons between the p- and n-doping carrier populations provided independent support for the spin pairing phenomena of positive charge carriers. Steric effects of varying alkyl side chain substitution have demonstrated predominant impact on the electrochemical properties of investigated polymers, and, thereto related, stability of n-doped state, while mesomeric effects of different 3,4-ethylenechalcogenide thiophene functionalities have been found to shape the energy level related spectral properties of these polymers, with particular reference to p-doping induced charged states. These findings provide new insights into the factors requiring attention during structure tailoring of donor–acceptor assemblies for organic optoelectronic applications.


Automatic software reengineering changes or repairs existing software systems. They are usually tailor-made for a specific customer and language dependent. Maintaining similar reengineering for multiple customers and different language dialects may, therefore, soon become problematic unless advanced language technology is used. Generic pretty-printing is part of such technology and is the subject of this paper. We discuss specific pretty-print aspects of software reengineering such as fulfilling customer-specific format conventions, preserving existing layout, and producing multiple output formats. In addition, we describe pretty-print techniques that help to reduce maintenance effort of tailor-made reengineering supporting multiple language dialects. Applications such as COBOL reengineering and SDL documentation generation show that our techniques, implemented in the generic pretty-printer GPP, are feasible.


This paper discusses the evolution of the online learning environment at Murdoch University, in Perth, Western Australia, beginning in 1997, and continuing, in late 1998, with the adoption of the WebCT Learning Management System. WebCT adoption was supported by central funds through the Murdoch Online Mainstreaming (MOLM) Project, which set out to establish online teaching and learning as a mission critical activity of the University, but also to give academics control over their material. The rationale behind the MOLM project is described, in terms of a model of adoption of technological innovations.

The Murdoch Online Mainstreaming Project met its objectives. Currently 223 units are available through WebCT, with the highest uptake in the Schools of Commerce, Law and Information Technology. Over the last twelve months, 9364 individual students have been enrolled in a WebCT course. This is over three quarters of the students enrolled at the University.

However, despite demonstrable and enthusiastic uptake by teaching staff and students, the MOLM initiative encountered significant problems in 2001, when the initial two years of project funding was exhausted. It then became apparent that the University's strategic directions were not well-coupled with its budget allocation processes, with the result that ongoing funding was not initially available to support online learning.

The paper discusses various approaches taken to secure ongoing funding for online learning, including a comprehensive, user-pays model, which was eventually rejected in favour of a central allocation. The paper concludes with a discussion of recent moves by the University to radically redesign the ways in which it conceives of a unit of study, both in pedagogical and administrative terms.


Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore the challenges faced by married women professionals in the private sector and the factors affecting their decisions in leaving the workforce.

Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative approach was used in this study. Data were obtained using a purposive sampling method in selecting ten married women professionals based on the inclusion criteria for this study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and the whole interview sessions were audio recorded. Thematic analysis using the constant comparative method was used in interpreting the data.

Findings
The findings of this study revealed that majority of the married women professionals leaving workforce are affected by "pushed out" factors such as workplace inflexibility, long working hours, high volume of work than "opt-out" factors, which focus on the biological and psychological "pulls" that lure women back into their traditional roles of motherhood. Most of the married women professionals interviewed had no intention to return to the workforce and had lost confidence to join back the workforce.

Research limitations/implications
This study involved married women professionals in the private sector only. As a qualitative study, it limits to voice and views of these particular subjects only and could not be generalised to other group of women.

Practical implications
The findings from this study shall enlighten all parties involved such as women professionals, HR managers and private sector organisations in strategies and plan of action towards minimising the talent drain of women professionals.

Originality/value
This paper offers new insight into debating the opt-out or pushed out factors influencing married women professionals' decisions in leaving the workforce. It provides voice and views of women professionals who faced a predicament in making a decision about their career development.


Cities around the world are growing fast and some without proper organisation and urban planning. The number of people who, by choice or forced by economic or social conditions, are forced to live in big cities without a permanent home is increasing. Rural unemployment and temporary works requires that a significant number of people need to live in the city, sometimes for short periods of time. An unwanted appropriation of public spaces and its negative impact in urban environment, and consequent social and economic impact on the community, is having a huge effect in some cities. This research proposes a mobile city caravan to give answers to the needs of the people that cannot afford to buy a house or an apartment, even temporarily, and introduce an important part of sustainability using cork and bamboo. Habitability and functionality principles, that embrace the design ideas developed through requirements as health and safety, mobility, multifunctionality and connection. Moreover, develops concepts as belonging, connection, engagement with community and design friendly with urban environment. This research follows a preliminary study, for urban mobile shelters and opens new areas of research to use materials that could help developing countries using their local materials with economic solutions.


In this paper a nanorod α-Mn2O3@α-MnO2-500 nanocomposite demonstrated the highest efficiency and remarkable stability in persulfate activation compared with other manganese oxide based catalysts including α-MnO2, β-MnO2, γ-MnO2, δ-MnO2, α-Mn2O3, Mn3O4, etc. This catalyst was easily fabricated using one spot calcination treatment at 500 °C, and a minimal amount of leached Mn ions was detected during the degradation of organic contaminants. The significant performance in persulfate activation was elucidated from the unique structure and physical-chemical properties of α-Mn2O3@α-MnO2-500. Evidenced by XRD and HRTEM, α-Mn2O3@α-MnO2-500 consisted of a well mixed phase structure of tetragonal α-MnO2 and cubic α-Mn2O3 with high crystalline quality. XPS and the inhibition effect by phosphate confirmed the existence of surface hydroxyl groups (0.926 mmol g−1) on α-Mn2O3@α-MnO2-500, while FTIR, Raman and ionic strength experiments further demonstrated that the formation inner-sphere interaction was the key step in PMS activation. Supported by XPS and CV, the mixed valence states in the α-Mn2O3@α-MnO2-500 nanocomposite exhibited a more effective redox property, which favored electron transfer between Mn species (MnIV ↔ MnIII), and generated SO4˙−, ˙OH and even 1O2 for the degradation of various hydrocarbon contaminants. Also, the activation energy of α-Mn2O3@α-MnO2-500/PMS for phenol degradation was only 24.7 kJ mol−1, much lower than that of α-MnO2 (38.7 kJ mol−1) and α-Mn2O3 (44.9 kJ mol−1). This Mn catalyst with much lower toxicity can be considered as a green approach in environmental remediation.


This dissertation examines consumer preferences toward authentic producers. It follows on from the work of Doonan (2007) which demonstrated producer authenticity to be extremely persuasive across a number of consumer based contexts. Authenticity is defined as the quality of being true to one's cultural or emotional self. While some attention in this research is initially given to producer emotional authenticity, the scope is reduced to an investigation of producer cultural authenticity. Three broad objectives were established for this research: 1) to identify some of the underlying mechanisms involved in authenticity preferences; 2) to explore the notion that producer authenticity is processed as a heuristic cue; and 3) to demonstrate the irrational nature of preferences toward authentic producers. Five studies were conducted to address the three research objectives. The first study attempted to identify some of the underlying psychological mechanisms involved in preferences towards a Chinese (culturally authentic) acupuncturist, a happy (emotionally authentic) sandwich shop employee, and a blues musician with a history of depression (emotionally authentic). Based on the findings of Doonan (2007), it was expected that preferences would be influenced by individual differences in need for cognition, essentialist beliefs, idiocentrism, magical thinking, and susceptibility to the representativeness heuristic. Furthermore, it was hypothesised that emotional and cultural authenticity preferences would load onto a single factor. Results provided only marginal support for the hypotheses. Specifically, cultural authenticity preferences were influenced by magical beliefs and the gambler's fallacy (a measure of susceptibility to the representativeness heuristic), whereas emotional authenticity preferences were related to low need for cognition. Study 2 was designed to demonstrate that producer cultural authenticity information was processed as a heuristic cue. It was hypothesised that participants would rate a Thai restaurant more favourably when the head chef was Thai (culturally authentic) rather than Hungarian (non-authentic), but only under conditions of low elaboration i.e. when participants were distracted from issue relevant information. The results provided support for this hypothesis with only distracted participants demonstrating a willingness to pay more for a meal made by the Thai head chef. Study 3 aimed to identify some of the underlying psychological mechanisms involved in preferences toward espresso coffee produced by an Italian (culturally authentic) producer. The results indicated that cultural authenticity preferences were predicted by positive contagion beliefs, personal relevance, desire to experience Italian culture and associations of espresso coffee as an Italian product. Furthermore, the results demonstrated a cultural authenticity bias, with participants rating low quality Italian espresso coffee more favourably than high quality Chinese (non-authentic) espresso coffee. Individual cultural authenticity bias scores were predicted by low scores of need for cognition, providing further validation for the existence of an authenticity heuristic. Study 4 attempted to provide additional evidence that participants exhibiting the cultural authenticity bias were engaging in heuristic processing. It was hypothesised that participants in a positive mood (low elaboration likelihood) would be more biased than participants in a negative mood (high elaboration likelihood). While the results failed to provide direct support for this hypothesis, ancillary analyses offered some support for a heuristic account of the cultural authenticity bias. Study 5 investigated the effect of producer cultural authenticity in a product evaluation task. Participants tasted identical chocolate samples with bogus producer authenticity information provided. The results indicated a systematic preference towards chocolate produced by a Swiss (culturally authentic) producer over chocolate produced by an Irish (non-authentic) producer, even though the actual chocolates were identical. Interestingly, product quality acted as a boundary condition, with a cultural authenticity bias only observable for high quality chocolate. Results also indicated that the bias was weaker (but not removed) for participants encouraged to concentrate on intrinsic cues, i.e. high elaboration. Whilst the dissertation focuses on a dual process account of authenticity preferences, alternative interpretations are offered. Furthermore, the results are discussed in relation to the great rationality debate, and consequently, the (ir)rationality interpretations made throughout the dissertation are scrutinised.


Seventy-eight ostracod species belonging to 38 genera are recognized from the late Miocene Fujikotogawa Formation (c. 7–8 Ma), 40 km NE of Akita City, northern Japan. Some 30–40% of the ostracod species belong to the cold water groups (circumpolar and cryophilic species) reported from Plio-Pleistocene formations yielding the Omma-Manganji Fauna, the name given by Otuka (1939) to the Pliocene Japanese cold water molluscan fauna. This study demonstrates that most ostracod species distinguished in deposits yielding the Omma-Manganji Fauna had already appeared in the late Miocene. At least 13 of the ostracod species have been reported from both the Arctic and northern Atlantic Oceans, implying migration from the Pacific to the northern Atlantic through the Arctic after the Bering Strait had been breached. The 13 circumpolar, nine cryophilic and four endemic cold water species are illustrated, with brief taxonomic notes.


Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities need to engage in end of life planning, however it is essential to determine how their support networks fit into the process. As individuals with Intellectual Disabilities require support to live their daily lives, they too need support when making decisions surrounding medical treatments and end of life planning. The purpose of this study was to identify ethical implications for social workers, when working with Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities when engaging in end of life planning. Seven respondents participated in this study consisting of qualitative interviews. Each of the interviewees responded to similar question lists, written to elicit professional and personal opinions regarding end of life planning for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Respondents were identified through previous professional contacts of this researcher, and through professional contacts of faculty from the University of St. Thomas. The themes identified by this study were the importance of the care team relationship, individual client needs, communication, and discrimination in access to medical care. Each of the findings relate to implications for social work practice.


Abstract Explosive seismic reflection data from Halvfarryggen, a 910 m thick local ice dome of the Antarctic ice sheet, show numerous laterally continuous reflections within the ice between 300 and 870 m depth. We compare the quality of data obtained with explosive sources with that obtained using a vibroseis source for detecting englacial reflections with a snowstreamer, and investigate the origin of englacial reflections. We find vibroseis in combination with a snowstreamer is ten times more productive than explosive seismics. However, englacial reflections are more clearly visible with explosives, which have a broader bandwidth signature, than the vibroseis, which is band-limited at the high-frequency end to 100 Hz. Only the strongest and deepest englacial reflection is detected with vibroseis. We interpret the majority of englacial reflections to originate from changes in the crystal orientation fabric in closely spaced layers, less than the vibro-seismic tuning thickness of 13.5 m. Phase analysis of the lowermost englacial reflector, 40 m above the bed, indicates a sharp increase in seismic wave speed. We interpret this reflector as a transition to a vertical single-maximum fabric. Our findings support current results from anisotropic ice-flow models, that crystal fabric is highly anisotropic at ice domes, both laterally and vertically.


Road salting forms an essential element in the winter maintenance of roads. With salt usage increasing there is a need for an optimizing of salt practices. This master thesis is focused on the melting of ice below 0°C with use of salt (the de-icing process). The use of dissolved salt (Sodium Chloride) is considered only, and the melting process that takes place in an adiabatic system. The increased understanding of the physics of ice melting will hopefully contribute into optimizing de-icing operations. The thermodynamics of ice melting by salt has been studied by developing a calculation model, which can be used to predict the final temperature of an "ice-salt solution" system and the amount of melted ice, for a given salt solution. Five solutions with different salt concentrations (5, 10, 15, 20 and 23 w%) have been experimentally tested to determine the temperature change inside the reactor caused by adding of a certain amount of ice to the solution. The calculated and experimentally determined values of final temperature (T_f) have been further compared to identify the discrepancy in obtained results and to which extent the developed model is theoretically applicable. The comparison between the model and experiments has shown that the model was able to predict the final temperature of the "ice-salt solution" system with high precision throughout the investigated temperature range between -16°C and 0°C. In 89% of the cases the error between the determined results lies within temperature interval ± 1°C. The model has showed to have a better performance and gives lower level of discrepancies between the calculated and measured results when the solution has reached its ice melting capacity, i.e. when unmelted ice fractions are present in salt solution. In order for decrease the level of existent uncertainties and obtain more accurate results, it is recommended to incorporate the omitted value for heat loss in the developed model and to conduct all experiments in a cold room under constant, low temperature conditions.


A recent theme that emerges strongly in North American accounts concerning emotion in organisations is the encouragement of positive emotions and the creation of the emotionally intelligent and compassionate worker. In particular, the plea for 'narratives of compassion' (Frost et al. 2000) and 'high quality connections' (Cameron et al 2003) in organisations is intuitively appealing. Various pathways to the foundation of positive 'emotion ecologies' (Frost 2003) and 'virtuous organisational cultures' (Park and Peterson 2003) are suggested, which offer support and empathy to organisational members and promises of improved performance (Cameron, 2003; Fredrickson, 2003; Peterson and Seligman 2003). Little wonder that recent work from this group of thinkers is widely accepted in the practitioner community as an optimistic way forward, receiving little critical attention. This paper seeks to address a gap in current debates on the topic and empirically explore the notion of negative and toxic emotions in a particular organisational setting. Drawing on qualitative data collected from a group of teachers situated in a pupil referral unit (PRU) (North West England) for primary aged children with emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD) the paper reviews the ideas of toxic cultures and negative emotions and reveals some major and quite obvious flaws; not least the functional assumptions concerning the orderly nature of organisational life and the theoretical inadequacy of an approach that attempts to neatly label emotions as either negative or positive; toxic or healing (Bolton, 2005). The loud and harsh occupational culture at the PRU can readily be described as a 'toxic emotional ecology' and it is certainly the case that working with EBD children engenders what would be perceived as negative emotions of anger, aggression, despair. However, within this community there is also joy, warmth, nurturance and care and this paper contends that what might appear to be toxic emotions, in the working environment of the P


The 12 contributions are divided into five parts. Topics
include: * search, indexing and retrieval of mathematical
documents; * ranking of mathematical papers, similarity of
mathematical documents; * math OCR with MathML/TeX output; *
document conversions from/to MathML, OpenMath, LaTeX,
PostScript and [tagged] PDF; * mathematical document
compression; * processing of scanned images; * algorithms for
crosslinking of bibliographical items, intext citations search;
* mathematical document classification, MSC 2010; *
mathematical text mining; * mathematical documents metadata
exchange via OAI-PMH and/or OAI-ORE; * long term archiving,
data migration; * reports and experience from math digitization
projects; * math publishing with long term archival goal; *
software engineering aspects of creating, handling MathML,
OMDoc, OpenMath documents, and displaying them in web browsers.


Over the last two decades there has been continuous tinkering and wholesale review of the remit, governance and territorial focus of sub-national development in England. There has also been mounting agreement that subsidiarity will produce optimum material outcomes. It is against this background that we provide a critical reading of the UK Coalition government's 2010 'White Paper' on Local Growth. Revealing the peculiarities of an economic transition plan which dismantled a regional (strategic) framework, we explore the opportunities that cross-boundary local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) may provide. After abandoning regions, LEPs have been promoted as the only possible 'replacements' for regional development agencies and, thus, a prime example of new 'techniques of government'. We probe the potentials and pitfalls from the dash to establish new sub-national techniques of government, and crystallize some key implications that apply beyond the shores of England. Our key contention is that LEPs have designed-in just as many issues as they have designed-out.


Abstract This essay is a systematic investigation of the problems concerning the measurement of theoretical qualities in the social sciences. If someone wants to measure theoretical qualities like attitudes, intelligence or aggressivity the first and most difficult task is to formulate an operationalisation. To show such operationalisations being correct is the central problem of empirical research. In this essay it is shown that no adequate methods exist to demonstrate operationalisations as true ore false statements. As long as the problem of operationalisation is treated and analysed as a problem of isolated statements it seems to be absolutely unsolvable. The problem of the correctness of operationalisations must be interpreted as the problem of the correctness of the theories in which they are used. Whether an operationalisation is accepted or not depends only on the empiricai success of the theory in which it is contained. This implies that we can only measure theoretical qualities if we have successful theories working with these theoretical qualities.


In this working paper we highlight ways in which mapping approaches can help Ethiopia achieve the
Universal Access Plan for water supply and strengthen links between water and sanitation service
delivery and pro-poor growth. The paper is based on experiences of using mapping approaches as
part of the RiPPLE (Research-inspired Policy and Practice Learning in Ethiopia and the Nile Region)
project, a five year Research Programme Consortium that aims to meet the country's water supply
and sanitation challenges by supporting evidence-based learning in the sector. Our main premise is
that:
The regular collection, organisation and use of spatial data on water availability, access,demand and
use at all levels makes for more effective, sustainable, transparent and accountable WASH. Mapping
is a useful approach for organising and using this spatial information for planning, analysis, advocacy,
implementation and monitoring of WASH services.
The first part of the paper sets out a conceptual framework for mapping. Mapping is more than just
providing colourful pictures to brighten reports and offices – it is about collecting and using spatial
data and information to provide the best available evidence to support decisions at all stages in
projects and programmes. Within Ethiopia, there is growing evidence that maps can be an important
part of the process of turning raw data into useful information and practical knowledge.
There is great diversity in the types of maps and mapping approaches that can help to improve
WASH. The main different uses for maps are: data analysis (particularly interdisciplinary analysis);
advocacy; planning; implementation and monitoring. For a map to be effective, the use to which the
map is to be put must be clear before making the map. Maps for different uses may require different
data, combined in different ways, and displayed at different scales. Within this working paper we
describe various examples from Ethiopia (mostly developed as part of RiPPLE) where maps have
been used for each of these five purposes.
Despite the obvious benefits of using maps within the WASH sector in Ethiopia, maps are not widely
used. Perhaps the main reason is uncertainty about how maps can be used to inform decisions, what
type of map is fit for purpose, and the process of gathering information to develop maps. We trust
that the framework developed in this paper helps to bring clarity about when maps can be of
assistance, and how to develop fit for purpose approaches. As discussed, maps are only part of the
process of turning data into knowledge or even wisdom. They form the useful step of turning data
into more readily interpreted information. However, to truly increase knowledge, they must be used.
The second part of the paper highlights the practical challenges that exist when using mapping to
support decision making in the WASH sector. In particular the challenges of data availability, data
accessibility, poor data management and the capacity required to make maps and manage data.
There is a great appetite for mapping in Ethiopia, but appropriate capacity must first be built before
maps can be used routinely and widely by different WASH stakeholders. .
The paper concludes by summarising the steps needed to integrate mapping in a WASH programme:
1. Decide whether a map is the best tool for the job, and whether the purpose is planning,
advocacy, implementation, analysis or monitoring.
2. Carry out a careful analysis of data requirements and whether the data are available, or need to
be collected from the field. Identify who will be involved in the production and use of the map; who will be developing the
map (often this will mean building the GIS); who will be deep users of the map (able to
manipulate or add data to the map or GIS); who will be shallow users (able to use and interpret
the data); and who will be collecting and generating the data on which the map will be used.
4. Collect data wisely. Careful planning of data collection activities – e.g. water scheme surveys –
will ensure the most useful data is collected.
5. Facilitate communication between users, developers and data collectors. All should be clear on
the purpose of mapping and their role in the process.


Activity Recognition (AR) is a process of identifying actions and goals of one or
more agents of interest. AR techniques have been applied to both large and small scale
activity identification. Examples of AR techniques include Genetic Algorithm, Markov
Chain, and so on.
This research proposes a novel method, Grey Markov Model (GMM), for detection
and prediction of pre-defined activities. There were three objectives of this research.
The first objective was to establish a database of pre-defined human activities. The second
objective was to establish the Grey Markov Model. The final objective was to verify the
model performance using the established database.
This thesis describes the methodology of test setup and data collection, as well as
the procedures of model generation. Furthermore, experimental results of model performance
verification test are also reported.


In a plasma with a transverse density gradient, laser wavefront tilt develops gradually due to phase velocity differences in different plasma densities. The wavefront tilt leads to a parabolic trajectory of the plasma wakefield and hence the accelerated electron beam, which leads to an angular streaking of the emitted betatron radiation. In this way, the temporal evolution of the betatron X-ray spectra will be converted into angular "streak," i.e., having a critical energy-angle correlation. An analytical model for the curved trajectory of a laser pulse in a transverse density gradient is presented. This gives the deflection angle of the electron beam and the betatron X-rays as a function of the plasma and laser parameters, and it was verified by particle-in-cell simulations. This angular streaking could be used as a single-shot diagnostic technique to reveal the temporal evolution of betatron X-ray spectra and hence the electron acceleration itself. © 2018 Author(s).


The paper examines the comparative economic wellbeing of female- and male-headed households among Serbs and Albanians in post-conflict Kosovo. Evidence from the living standards measurement study (LSMS) household survey, 2001, shows that Serb households, both those headed by women and men, are worse off than Albanians households. We find that female-headed households do not generally suffer more than male-headed households, but there is substantial variation among ethnic groups. While Albanian female-headed households are marginally better-off than Albanian male-headed households, Serb female-headed households have the lowest standard of living.


The essays in this book present a complex theme at the heart of the philosophy of Gilles Deleuze, what in his last writing he called simply "a life." They capture a problem that runs throughout his work--his long search for a new and superior empiricism. Announced in his first book, on David Hume, then taking off with his early studies of Nietzsche and Bergson, the problem of an "empiricist conversion" became central to Deleuze's work, in particular to his aesthetics and his conception of the art of cinema. In the new regime of communication and information-machines with which he thought we are confronted today, he came to believe that such a conversion, such an empiricism, such a new art and will-to-art, was what we need most. The last, seemingly minor question of "a life" is thus inseparable from Deleuze's striking image of philosophy not as a wisdom we already possess, but as a pure immanence of what is yet to come. Perhaps the full exploitation of that image, from one of the most original trajectories in contemporary philosophy, is also yet to come.


We present a method for analyzing privacy policies using the framework of contextual integrity (CI). This method allows for the systematized detection of issues with privacy policy statements that hinder readers' ability to understand and evaluate company data collection practices. These issues include missing contextual details, vague language, and overwhelming possible interpretations of described information transfers. We demonstrate this method in two different settings. First, we compare versions of Facebook's privacy policy from before and after the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Our analysis indicates that the updated policy still contains fundamental ambiguities that limit readers' comprehension of Facebook's data collection practices. Second, we successfully crowdsourced CI annotations of 48 excerpts of privacy policies from 17 companies with 141 crowdworkers. This indicates that regular users are able to reliably identify contextual information in privacy policy statements and that crowdsourcing can help scale our CI analysis method to a larger number of privacy policy statements.


Many substance abusers are at risk for HIV due to their drug using and sexual behaviors. HIV interventions developed early on for substance abusers did not account for gender differences. Women's risk for HIV around the world makes them more vulnerable than men, yet their circumstances are different and adaptations to interventions are needed. The Women's CoOp, considered a best-evidence intervention, has been adapted with several groups of noninjecting women in South Africa and with injecting drug-using women in Russia. To reach vulnerable women in diverse settings to test interventions to reduce their risk, researchers also need to mentor the next generation of scientists to help stem the feminization of HIV among substance abusers.


Rechargeable non-aqueous Li–O2 batteries show great potential as an attractive energy storage system due to their ultrahigh theoretical energy density. However, their commercial application is restricted by the large charge overpotential originating from the low conductivity of the discharge product, which thereby results in poor cycle performance. Herein, we develop Co3O4 functionalized porous carbon nanotubes (p-CNT/Co3O4) as an efficient cathode catalyst for Li–O2 batteries. The abundant pore structures of p-CNT can facilitate efficient Li+ and O2 diffusion and provide more buffer interfaces to accommodate the discharge product Li2O2, leading to a high capacity. The functionalization of Co3O4 on the p-CNT surface can significantly enhance the O2 adsorption on the cathode surface and the formation of thin-film Li2O2 proceeds with the surface growth mode, thereby achieving a low charge overpotential. At a current density of 100 mA g−1, the p-CNT/Co3O4 shows an initial discharge capacity of 4331 mA h g−1 with a reduced overpotential of 0.95 V, and is able to work for 116 cycles at 200 mA g−1 with a fixed capacity of 500 mA h g−1.


The aim of the survey was to assess midwives' experiences and knowledge of cleft lip and/or palate (CL+/-P), confidence in supporting the families and giving feeding advice, and to identify areas for input from the cleft team. In order to do so, questionnaires were sent to maternity units across Scotland. The results were as follows: 206 questionnaires were returned (42 per cent response rate). Forty one per cent of the midwives had helped a baby with CL+/-P to be born; 23 per cent knew the incidence of CL+/-P; 33 per cent were aware of the stages in treating CL+/- P; 99 per cent were aware that feeding difficulties are a potential complication. When asked about offering support to the families, 70 per cent were not confident and 60 per cent were not confident at giving feeding advice. Regarding cleft team input, 65 per cent would like a training day, 45 per cent requested small group teaching, 50 per cent would like a website and 57 per cent would like printed literature. Our recommendations are to implement training, for midwives, along with supporting websites and literature.


Solar-driven water evaporation is emerging as a promising solar-energy utilization process. In the present work, a highly stable, flexible and washable nonwoven photothermal cloth is prepared by electrospinning for efficient and durable solar steam evaporation. The cloth is composed of polymeric nanofibers as the matrix and inorganic carbon black nanoparticles encapsulated inside the matrix as light absorbing components. The photothermal cloth with an optimized carbon loading shows desirable underwater black properties, absorbing 94% of the solar spectrum and giving rise to a state-of-the-art solar energy utilization efficiency of 83% during the pure water evaporation process. Owing to its compositions and special structural design, the cloth possesses anti-photothermal-component-loss properties and is highly flexible, mechanically strong, and chemically stable in various harsh environments such as strong acid, alkalis, organic solvents and salty water. It can be hand-washed more than 100 times without degrading its performance and thus offers a potential mechanism for foulant cleaning during practical solar steam generation and distillation processes. The results of this work stimulate more research in durable photothermal materials aiming at real world applications.


Automated negotiation is widely applied in various domains. However, the development of such systems is a complex knowledge and software engineering task. So, a methodology there will be helpful. Unfortunately, none of existing methodologies can offer sufficient, detailed support for such system development. To remove this limitation, this paper develops a new methodology made up of (1) a generic framework (architectural pattern) for the main task, and (2) a library of modular and reusable design pattern (templates) of subtasks. Thus, it is much easier to build a negotiating agent by assembling these standardized components rather than reinventing the wheel each time. Moreover, because these patterns are identified from a wide variety of existing negotiating agents (especially high impact ones), they can also improve the quality of the final systems developed. In addition, our methodology reveals what types of domain knowledge need to be input into the negotiating agents. This in turn provides a basis for developing techniques to acquire the domain knowledge from human users. This is important because negotiation agents act faithfully on the behalf of their human users and thus the relevant domain knowledge must be acquired from the human users. Finally, our methodology is validated with one high impact system.


The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han is the first in this gorgeous series, if you want to lose yourself on the beach, this is the book for you! Everything that happened this past summer, and every summer before it, has all led up to this. To now. Every year Isabel spends a perfect summer at her family friends' house. There's the swimming pool at night, the private stretch of sandy beach ...and the two boys. Unavailable, aloof Conrad - who she's been in love with forever - and friendly, relaxed Jeremiah, the only one who's ever really paid her any attention. But this year something is different. They seem to have noticed her for the first time. It's going to be an amazing summer - and one she'll never forget ..."This book has what every girl wants in a summer". (Sarah Dessen). "Impossible to put down and I read it in one afternoon". (goodreads.com). Jenny Han was born in Richmond, Virginia, and studied at the University of North Carolina. She lives in New York, working part-time as a children's librarian alongside her writing. Find out more at website.


Quality-of-service (QoS) routing is the key to support multimedia services in wireless multihop networks. The goal of QoS routing is to find satisfactory paths that support the end-to-end QoS requirements of the multimedia flows. Previous work has demonstrated a framework for supporting QoS routing in mobile ad hoc networks, where two novel mechanisms for dynamic channel assignment, called the minimum-blocking and bandwidth-reallocation channel-assignment (MBCA/BRCA) algorithms, were proposed. MBCA/BRCA are on-demand channel assignment methods that reactively provide a differentiated service treatment to multimedia traffic flows at the link level using novel techniques for end-to-end path QoS maximization. Efficient QoS routing is then accomplished by giving the routing mechanism access to QoS information, thus coupling the coarse grain (routing) and fine grain (congestion control) resource allocation. In this paper, the specifics and individual mechanisms of the MBCA/BRCA algorithms are presented, whereas their effectiveness and the manner in which they interact in order to contribute to the overall protocol performance is examined and documented. The system performance is studied through simulations experiments under various QoS traffic flows and network scenarios. The protocol's behavior and the changes introduced by variations on some of the mechanisms that make up the protocol is further investigated. As demonstrated, the MBCA/BRCA methods are able to increase system's aggregate traffic by 2.8 Kb/s, on average, comparing to a non-MBCA/BRCA dynamic channel-allocation scheme.


Formal methods are necessary to capture the semantics and behavior of processes of various systems. They characterize and provide insight into the behavior of real systems and thus identify their deterministic and non-deterministic features. The design and deployment of cloud computing systems utilize the current technology development in order to provide the appropriate service and accommodate the increasing demand while maintaining high quality and error free service. In this paper, we discuss the state of the art on using formal methods for the verification of cloud computing systems. Even though formal methods have been used successfully in the design and verification of several aspects of these systems, there are still many design issues in cloud computing that can be enhanced using formal methods. For instance, several scheduling algorithms are being used for cloud frameworks, such as Hadoop for instance, that are found to suffer from scheduling failures. This could have been avoided if the schedular has been properly verified. On the other hand, several new paradigms have evolved with cloud computing such as big data, these require fundamental changed on methods and algorithms that are being used for classical distributed systems, which in turn, increase the chance of having faulty systems that are difficult to highlight using only simulation methods.


Breast cancer is the most common women tumour worldwide, about 2 million new cases diagnosed each year (second most common cancer overall). This disease represents about 12% of all new cancer cases and 25% of all cancers in women. Early detection of breast cancer is one of the key factors in determining the prognosis for women with malignant tumours. The standard diagnostic tool for the detection of breast cancer is x-ray mammography. The disadvantage of this method is its low specificity, especially in the case of radiographically dense breast tissue (young or under-forty women), or in the presence of scars and implants within the breast.

Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging (DCE-MRI) has demonstrated a great potential in the screening of high-risk women for breast cancer, in staging newly diagnosed patients and in assessing therapy effects.

However, due to the large amount of information, DCE-MRI manual examination is error prone and can hardly be inspected without the use of a Computer-Aided Detection and Diagnosis (CAD) system. Breast imaging analysis is made harder by the dynamical characteristics of soft tissues since any patient movements (such as involuntary due to breathing) may affect the voxel-by-voxel dynamical analysis.

Breast DCE-MRI computer-aided analysis needs a pre-processing stage to identify breast parenchyma and reduce motion artefacts. Among the major issues in developing CAD for breast DCE-MRI, there is the detection and classification of lesions according to their aggressiveness. Moreover, it would be convenient to determine those subjects who are likely to not respond to the treatment so that a modification may be applied as soon as possible, relieving them from potentially unnecessary or toxic treatments.

In this thesis, an automated CAD system is presented. The proposed CAD aims to support radiologist in lesion detection, diagnosis and therapy assessment after a suitable preprocessing stage.

Segmentation of breast parenchyma has been addressed relying on fuzzy binary clustering, breast anatomical priors and morphological refinements. The breast mask extraction module combines three 2D Fuzzy C-Means clustering (executed from the three projection, axial, coronal and transversal) and geometrical breast anatomy characterization. In particular, seven well-defined key-points have been considered in order to accurately segment breast parenchyma from air and chest-wall.

To diminish the effects of involuntary movement artefacts, it is usual to apply a motion correction of the DCE-MRI volumes before of any data analysis. However, there is no evidence that a single Motion Correction Technique (MCT) can handle different deformations - small or large, rigid or non-rigid - and different patients or tissues. Therefore, it would be useful to develop a quality index (QI) to evaluate the performance of different MCTs. The existent QI might not be adequate to deal with DCE-MRI data because of the intensity variation due to contrast media. Therefore, in developing a novel QI, the underlying idea is that once DCE-MRI data have been realigned using a specific MCT, the dynamic course of the signal intensity should be as close as possible to physiological models, such as the currently accepted ones (e.g. Tofts-Kermode, Extended Tofts-Kermode, Hayton-Brady, Gamma Capillary Transit Time, etc.). The motion correction module ranks all the MCTs, using the QI, selects the best MCT and applies a correction before of further data analysis.

The proposed lesion detection module performs the segmentation of lesions in Regions of Interest (ROIs) by means of classification at a pixel level. It is based on a Support Vector Machine (SVM) trained with dynamic features, extracted from a suitably pre-selected area by using a pixel-based approach. The pre-selection mask strongly improves the final result.

The lesion classification module evaluates the malignity of each ROI by means of 3D textural features. The Local Binary Patterns descriptor has been used in the Three Orthogonal Planes (LBP-TOP) configuration. A Random Forest has been used to achieve the final classification into a benignant or malignant lesion.

The therapy assessment stage aims to predict the patient primary tumour recurrence to support the physician in the evaluation of the therapy effects and benefits. For each patient which has at least a malignant lesion, the recurrence of the disease has been evaluated by means of a multiple classifiers system. A set of dynamic, textural, clinicopathologic and pharmacokinetic features have been used to assess the probability of recurrence for the lesions.

Finally, to improve the usability of the proposed work, we developed a framework for tele-medicine that allows advanced medical image remote analysis in a secure and versatile client-server environment, at a low cost. The benefits of using the proposed framework will be presented in a real-case scenario where OsiriX, a wide-spread medical image analysis software, is allowed to perform advanced remote image processing in a simple manner over a secure channel.

The proposed CAD system have been tested on real breast DCE-MRI data for the available protocols. The breast mask extraction stage shows a median segmentation accuracy and Dice similarity index of 98% (+/-0,49) and 93% %(+/-1,48) respectively and 100% of neoplastic lesion coverage. The motion correction module is able to rank the MCTs with an accordance of 74% with a 'reference ranking'. Moreover, by only using 40% of the available volume, the computational load is reduced selecting always the best MCT. The automatic detection maximises the area of correctly detected lesions while minimising the number of false alarms with an accuracy of 99% and the lesions are, then, diagnosed according to their stage with an accuracy of 85%. The therapy assessment module provides a forecasting of the tumour recurrence with an accuracy of 78% and an AUC of 79%. Each module has been evaluated by a leave-one-patient-out approach, and results show a confidence level of 95% (p<0.05).

Finally, the proposed remote architecture showed a very low transmission overhead which settles on about 2.5% for the widespread 10\100 Mbps. Security has been achieved using client-server certificates and up-to-date standards.


We present a finite-difference scheme for the dynamics of a growing sandpile on an open flat table when (infinite) vertical walls are present on part of the boundary. This approach generalizes the one studied in Ref. 1 for the numerical resolution of the double-layers model of Hadeler and Kuttler in the case of the totally open table problem. The presence of walls strongly affects the equilibrium solutions for this model, whose characterization has been studied in Ref. 3, introducing singularities which propagate from the extreme points of the walls. The experiments show that the scheme is sufficiently able to detect the development of such singularities.

[ DOI : 10.1685 / CSC06081] About DOI


This article presents a correlation model for pseudo-acceleration, peak ground acceleration, and peak ground velocity residuals using a database of Mexican subduction interface earthquakes at rock sites (NEHRP Class B). A mixed-effect regression model, a ground motion model, and 40 event recordings (418 records) with moment magnitude between five and eight were used to develop a magnitude-independent correlation model. This region-specific model yields consistently higher correlation values compared with similar studies developed for shallow crustal regions and other subduction zones worldwide, particularly for pseudo-acceleration values at distant periods. These results support the idea of using a region-specific and mechanism-specific correlation model for Mexico's subduction zone.


Background Children's exposure to button cell batteries is increasing with the greater number of toys and other consumer products requiring their use. Children frequently mouth objects and may inadvertently swallow them. Ingestion of batteries or insertion into the nasal passages or external auditory canals may lead to serious injury resulting from burns caused by electric discharge. Aims/Objectives/Purpose A variety of hazard mitigation strategies may be utilised to reduce the potential for these injuries, including decreasing accessibility of the batteries or redesign of the batteries themselves. Hazard mitigation strategies are discussed and evaluation methods presented. Methods Data on battery injuries is reviewed and various existing reduced hazard battery modalities are identified. Methods of assessing hazard are discussed. Comparative potential release of current between battery/housing designs has been measured using animal cadaver tissue. Results/Outcomes Existing designs of batteries consistently cause burns to animal cadaver tissue of varied severity depending on power and surface contact area. Significance/Contribution to the Field Although there are problems that remain to be solved in order to economically manufacture button cell batteries and/or housings that have a reduced hazard for electrical burns, this research demonstrates that feasible solutions to this issue are possible.


This essay explores the case of Lifta, a 'ghost village' located just outside of Jerusalem which has recently emerged as a poignant site of Israeli–Palestinian national contestation. The last remaining depopulated village from the 1948 Palestinian Catastrophe (al-Nakba), Lifta has been slated for 'redevelopment' since 2004: a plan that would see the village replaced by a luxury, Jewish-only residential and commercial complex. Employing the dual analytical lens of haunting and imagined geography, this essay examines Lifta as an instance of 'haunted geography' in which settler colonial attempts to write nation are always confronted by what is written underneath. Not only is Lifta a stark fissure in Israeli imagined geographies of nation, in that it speaks to an alternate geography which calls into question the former's legitimacy, but also the attempt to Judaize Lifta has provoked the 'ghosts' of the past. These ghosts demonstrate both the past's continuing legacy in the present and the impossibility of erasing Palestinian claims and memories. With counter-calls for Lifta to become a site of commemoration, I argue that the village has come to be representative of a reconciliatory futurity in Israel–Palestine. This reconciliatory futurity paradoxically derives from the demand to recognize and engage with past injustice; namely, the ongoing historical effects of the Nakba. In Lifta, then, that which haunts underneath becomes a landscape for reconciliation – and a space from which future possibilities of reconciliation may be landscaped.


Judges perform nonjudicial functions in many contexts. Most jurisdictions regulate these functions in multiple ways, by statute and by custom. We provide a theory of judicial demand and judicial supply for nonjudicial functions. By teasing out the determinants of judicial involvement in nonjudicial functions, we show the potential market failures and the need for regulation. We suggest that some limitations on the judicial exercise of nonjudicial functions seem justified. However, these limits might vary across jurisdictions depending on institutional and contextual factors.


MONEVA, P., S. POPOVA-RALCHEVA, D. GUDEV, V. SREDKOVA and I. YANCHEV, 2008. Stress response dynamics in ACTH and formalin treated chickens. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 14: 598-605 This study was conducted with fifteen chickens (White Plymouth rock - pure initial line from the National Genetic Resource) at the age of seven weeks which were randomly allocated into three groups: I experimental group- injected (i.m.) with 1-24 ACTH (Synacthen Depot)., 8 µg.kg -1 B.W.; II experimental group- injected with 0.5 ml formalin (15% formaldehyde); III group (control) - injected with 0.5 ml 0.9% NaCl. They were raised in cages (5 chicks per cage). The chickens were injected at 9h a.m after 2 h period of fasting. Blood samples were obtained by venipuncture of wing vein at 1h, 3h, 5h and 24h after the injection. The objective of this study was to establish: 1).Is ACTH the main secretagogue of the adrenal glands in chickens and 2).The effect of formalin on adrenal glands in chickens. Plama corticosterone (CS) level increased 7-fold in ACTH-treated birds (P 0.05) at 5h following the injection. Hematocrit (at 1h) and erythrocyte numbers (at 3h) following the injection were elevated (P 0.05) in ACTH treated birds. ACTH did not cause any significant elevation in Il-1α concentration in both groups. However, Interleukin-1α level in the formalin treated chickens tended to be higher at 1h (P>0.05) and was significantly lower at 24 following the injection. Plasma cholesterol levels increased significantly at 1h and returned to baseline levels at 3h after the injection of ACTH. Formalin treatment caused insignificant decline of cholesterol levels at 3h and 5h after the injection. Urea levels were significantly elevated in ACTH treated chickens at 1h (P<0.01), 3h (P<0.01) and 5h (P<0.05) and in formalin treated chickens at 24h following the injection. Plasma glucose levels were significantly elevated both in ACTH (P<0.001) and formalin (P<0.001) treated chickens throughout the experimental period. In conclusion: Adrenal responsiveness to ACTH and the negative feedback in chickens is similar to that in mammals. Formalin is less potent stimulator of adrenal glands than ACTH and exerts a definite effect on leukocyte numbers and Il1α level.


This book systematically addresses the issue of interdependence between road projects in a network, when prioritising and scheduling road expansion and maintenance. The book presents substantial applications for both rural and urban projects and to the optimization of maintenance. The authors confirm the extreme sensitivity to project timing but also show that solutions with almost equal net present values may have dissimilar work schedules. One of these may be selected on environmental or other grounds without losing road user benefits. They go on to explore and demonstrate the issues associated with the integration of evolutionary computing techniques, transport modelling and cost–benefit analysis to achieve an optimal road investment timetable.


Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2 or ErBb2) is a receptor tyrosine kinase overexpressed in 20-30% of breast cancers and associated with poor prognosis and outcome. Dysregulation of several micro RNAs (miRs) plays a key role in breast cancer progression and metastasis. In this study, we screened and identified miRs dysregulated in HER2-positive breast cancer cells. Molecular study demonstrated that miR-489 was specifically downregulated by the HER2-downstream signaling, especially the MAPK pathway. Restoration or overexpression of miR-489 in HER2-positive breast cancer cells significantly inhibited cell growth in vitro and decreased the tumorigenicity and tumor growth in xenograft mice. Mechanistically, we found that overexpression of miR489 led to the decreased levels of HER2 and thus attenuated HER2-downstream signaling. To dissect the role of miR-489 in mammary gland development and HER2 induced tumorigenesis, we generated and characterize MMTV-miR-489 mice that overexpressed miR-489 in mammary epithelial cells were developed and these mice exhibited an inhibition of mammary gland development in early ages with a specific impact on highly proliferative cells. Double transgenic MMTV-Her2-miR489 mice were then generated to observe how miR-489 overexpression affects Her2 induced tumorigenesis. miR-489 overexpression delayed Her2 induced tumor initiation significantly. Moreover, miR-489 overexpression inhibited tumor growth and lung metastasis. miR-489 overexpression reduced mammary progenitor cell population significantly in preneoplastic mammary glands of MMTV-Her2 mice which showed a putative transformed population in Her2 induced tumorigenesis. The miR-489 overexpression reduced CD49fCD61 populations in tumors that have stemlike properties, and miR-489 overexpression altered the Her2 signaling pathway in mammary tumors. Also, our in vitro data suggest miR-489 restoration can also induce significant cytotoxicity in basal breast cancer cells. We also have found low amount of miR-489 expression in basal cancer cell lines and basal breast cancer patients compare to other subtypes. Our GO pathway analysis from gene expression pattern from T47D cells transfected with scr and mimic-miR-489 suggest genes involved in cell cycle pathway significantly dysregulated upon miR-489 restoration. We found miR-489 restoration can inhibit CDK1 and FOXM1 in breast cancer cells. Overall, our data indicates that miR-489 acts as a tumor suppressor miRNA at least partially by targeting HER2 signaling pathway by targeting HER2 and SHP2, induce dramatic cell death of basal type of breast cancer cell lines by arresting cell cycle in G2/M phase by targeting CDK1 and FOXM1 and regulates Her2 targeted progenitor population. Thus, miR-489 represents a new prognostic biomarker and potential therapeutic agent in breast cancer. Monday, April 2, 2018 – GSRC 101 at 1 pm Committee: Dr. Hexin Chen (Advisor), Dr. Rekha Patel (Chair), Dr. Alan Waldman, Dr. David Reisman, and Dr. Michael Shtutman


—Over the last years, many feature extraction techniques have been integrated in processing chains intended for hyperspectral image classification. In the context of supervised classification, it has been shown that the good generalization capability of machine learning techniques such as the support vector machine (SVM) can still be enhanced by an adequate extraction of features prior to classification, thus mitigating the curse of dimensionality introduced by the Hughes effect. Recently, a new strategy for feature extraction prior to classification based on spectral unmixing concepts has been introduced. This strategy has shown success when the spatial resolution of the hyperspectral image is not enough to separate different spectral constituents at a sub-pixel level. Another advantage over statistical transformations such as principal component analysis (PCA) or the minimum noise fraction (MNF) is that unmixing-based features are physically meaningful since they can be interpreted as the abundance of spectral constituents. In turn, previously developed unmixing-based feature extraction chains do not include spatial information. In this paper, two new contributions are proposed. First, we develop a new unmixing-based feature extraction technique which integrates the spatial and the spectral information using a combination of unsupervised clustering and partial spectral unmixing. Second, we conduct a quantitative and comparative assessment of unmixing-based versus traditional (supervised and unsupervised) feature extraction techniques in the context of hyperspectral image classification. Our study, conducted using a variety of hyperspectral scenes collected by different instruments, provides practical observations regarding the utility and type of feature extraction techniques needed for different classification scenarios.