Previously, stereo camera systems have been used to track markers attached to the racket frame, allowing for racket position to be measured in three-dimensions (3D). Typically, markers are manually selected on the image plane but this can be time consuming and inaccurate. The purpose of this project was to develop and validate a markerless method to estimate 3D racket position using a camera.The method relies on a silhouette of a racket captured with a camera whose relative pose (rotation and translation) is unknown. A candidate relative pose is used to measure the inconsistency between the silhouette and a set of racket silhouettes captured with a fully calibrated camera (known intrinsic and extrinsic parameters). The measure of inconsistency can be formulated as a cost function associated with the candidate relative pose. By adjusting parameters of the candidate relative pose to minimise the cost, an accurate estimation for the true 3D position of the racket can be made. Previous studies have found that silhouette-based pose optimisation methods depend on accurate camera calibration and silhouette extraction. Therefore, a repeatable and accurate camera calibration method to provide the relative pose of a camera with respect to a racket was developed. To facilitate silhouette extraction, the racket was painted black and a backlight was used.Synthetic camera poses and silhouette views associated with a 3D racket model were generated in Blender v2.70 and used to determine the optimum fully calibrated set configuration for a racket. A laboratory-based fully calibrated set (LFCS) consisting of 21 camera poses in a semispheric configuration was created. On average, using this set, racket position was reconstructed to within +/- 2 mm. This included systematic error arising from the calibration and error in the segmentation of silhouette boundaries. The maximum reconstruction error was 5.3 mm. Further synthetic testing demonstrated the methods ability to estimate 3D racket position during simulated real-play conditions. For racket silhouette orientations that simulated strokes expected to occur in tennis between 0 and 90°, mean RMSE for reconstruction of coordinates on the racket face plane was 1.5 +/- 1.8 mm. An RMSE of 2 mm was obtained from a camera positioned alongside the net, 14 m from the racket. Finally, this same camera position estimated 3D racket position to an accuracy of 1.9 +/- 0.14 mm using a fully calibrated set containing randomly orientated camera poses, during a simulated serve. This project developed and validated a novel markerless method to estimate 3D tennis racket position. A calibration method to obtain the relative pose of a camera with respect to a racket is presented and an appropriate configuration for a fully calibrated set is determined. The method has potential to be used alongside existing ball trajectory analysis tools to provide unprecedented information about player performance and to enhance tennis broadcasts. Future research should use the recommendations made in this project to inform and assist the development of the method for application during real tennis-play conditions.


BACKGROUND
A substantial body of evidence suggests that cytoreductive surgery is a prerequisite to prolonging survival in patients with glioblastoma (GBM).

OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the safety and impact of "supratotal" resections beyond the zone of enhancement seen on magnetic resonance imaging scans, using a subpial technique.

METHODS
We retrospectively evaluated 86 consecutive patients with primary GBM, managed by the senior author, using a subpial resection technique with or without carmustine (BCNU) wafer implantation. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression was used to analyze clinical, radiological, and outcome variables. Overall impacts of extent of resection (EOR) and BCNU wafer placement were compared using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis.

RESULTS
Mean patient age was 56 years. The median OS for the group was 18.1 months. Median OS for patients undergoing gross total, near-total, and subtotal resection were 54, 16.5, and 13.2 months, respectively. Patients undergoing near-total resection ( P = .05) or gross total resection ( P < .01) experienced statistically significant longer survival time than patients undergoing subtotal resection as well as patients undergoing ≥95% EOR ( P < .01) when compared to <95% EOR. The addition of BCNU wafers had no survival advantage.

CONCLUSIONS
The subpial technique extends the resection beyond the contrast enhancement and is associated with an overall survival beyond that seen in similar series where resection of the enhancement portion is performed. The effect of supratotal resection on survival exceeded the effects of age, Karnofsky performance score, and tumor volume. A prospective study would help to quantify the impact of the subpial technique on quality of life and survival as compared to a traditional resection limited to the enhancing tumor.


The conventional methods of application of nitrogen fertilizers might be responsible for the increased nitrate concentration in groundwater of areas dominated by irrigated agriculture. Appropriate water and nutrient management strategies are required to minimize groundwater pollution and to maximize nutrient use efficiency and production. Design and operation of a drip fertigation system requires understanding of nutrient leaching behavior in cases of shallow rooted crops such as potatoes which cannot extract nutrient from a lower soil depth. This study deals with neuro-fuzzy modeling of nitrate (NO 3 − ) leaching from a potato field under a drip fertigation system. In the first part of the study, a two-dimensional solute transport model was used to simulate nitrate leaching from a sandy soil with varying emitter discharge rates and fertilizer doses. The results from the modeling were used to train and validate an adaptive network-based fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) in order to estimate nitrate leaching. Two performance functions, namely mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) and correlation coefficient (R), were used to evaluate the adequacy of the ANFIS. Results showed that ANFIS can accurately simulate HYDRUS-2D behavior regarding nitrate leaching under the circumstances of the present study.


The share of the foreign-born in OECD countries is increasing, and this article summarizes economics research on the effects of immigration in those nations. Four broad topics are addressed: labor market issues, fiscal questions, the political economy of immigration, and productivity/international trade. Extreme concerns about deleterious labour market and fiscal impacts following from new immigrants are not found to be warranted. However, it is also clear that government policies and practices regarding the selection and integration of new migrants affect labour market, fiscal and social/cultural outcomes. Policies that are well informed, well crafted, and well executed beneficially improve population welfare.


To develop potential of the cities in the field of energy efficiency improvements and use of renewables, there is a need for new and more ambitious goals in line with the actual situation. Growing concern of smart city development and urban resilience has become increasingly embedded in urban planning, national security and energy policy. One of the main city documents focused on actions and measures to be implemented in City is Sustainable Energy Action Plan (SEAP), which is the key document in which the Covenant signatory outlines how it intends to reach its CO2 reduction target by 2020. Taking into account specifics of modern cities and future city development at Smart City level the existing SEAP should be enhanced. Nowadays it is necessary to bring existing standalone energy actions at cross sector level in order to ensure urban resilience. Currently there are 3414 cities across the Europe and eastern partners which already have developed SEAP. The paper draws attention to areas with high impact to smart city development. In terms of Smart Cities the most powerful actions are those which directly affect at least these three sectors - energy, ICT and transport. Paper provides some good practice examples from the city of Riga. The losses of the heat transmitted to consumers by JSC "Rigas Siltums" - main heat supplier of Riga have been decreased by 667 thous. MWh or 2.45 times in comparison to year 1996/1997. Following the completion of reconstruction of the boiler houses, construction of a biofuel fired water heating boiler, construction of the biofuel fired cogeneration plant, installation of flue gas condensers for biofuel fired boilers at the DHP the share of biofuel utilization within the fuel balance of the JSC "RĪGAS SILTUMS" will reach 20.4% in fiscal year 2013/2014. The total energy produced from renewable energy sources since 01.01.1996 until 8.04.2014 is 920463.107 MWh. The project "Heat meters automatic remote reading system" proved to be a successful and reliable solution for the control and accounting of consumed heat, as well as related tasks enabling "online communication" with 8000 individual heating units throughout the Riga city. Development and introduction of electric cars and filling station infrastructure in Riga was one more step on the way to the SMART CITY status. Despite a fairly long payback period electric cars are quite beneficial solution for some companies whose activities are related with vehicles' high mileage within the city as LLC "Rigas Satiksme


The aim of this thesis was to explore variations in stroke prevention and the effect of prevention on outcome. The studies were based on patients registered in the Swedish Stroke Register between 2001 and 2009 and although used to different extents in each paper, additional information was retrieved through linkage to The National Patient Register, the Cause of Death Register, the Prescribed Drug Register and the Total Population Register.Cardiovascular risk factors were prevalent among ischemic stroke (IS) patients; however, they were not always prescribed the drugs recommended, and increasing age was an important negative predictor (Paper I).After IS, the rate of hemorrhage in patients prescribed antiplatelet agents (2.4 per 100 person-years) was double to results from randomized controlled trails, but was similar for patients prescribed warfarin (2.5 per 100 person-years). Age ≥75 years and previous hemorrhage were associated with a moderately increased risk of future hemorrhage (Paper II).Among IS patients with atrial fibrillation, one-third was prescribed warfarin and two-thirds were prescribed antiplatelets. After adjustment for a propensity score (used to adjust for the non-randomized design), warfarin was associated with a reduced risk of death (0.67; 95% CI, 0.63-0.71) (Paper III). The rate of subsequent hemorrhagic stroke was 0.4 per 100 person-years and the risk did not change (HR 1.04; 95% CI, 0.73-1.48) when later years of the 2000s (inclusion period 2005-8: follow-up until 2009) was compared with earlier years (inclusion period 2001-4: follow-up until 2005) (Paper IV, cohort).Although the risk of first-ever hemorrhagic stroke more than doubled with warfarin than without, the risk did not change between 2006 and 2009 (Paper IV, case-control).In summary, the prescription of secondary preventive drugs varies with age, even though cardiovascular risk factors are prevalent in all ages. The risk of death and hemorrhage are affected by the type of antithrombotic prescribed. Therefore, it is important individual's stroke and bleeding risks in stroke prevention are assessed.


This paper surveys the evolution and implications of fiscal decentralization in Colombia in recent decades. After describing the fiscal decentralization process and its impact on sub-national finances, the paper presents the evolution of departmental public finances, departmental vertical imbalances and the proposal to levy a VAT surcharge and a retail sales tax for the departments. The paper subsequently describes the evolution of municipal finances and municipal vertical imbalances, then includes calculations of the effective rates of the property and land tax and the industry and commerce tax, estimating the municipal tax burden, the efficiency rate of tax collection, and the determinants of both. The paper concludes with policy recommendations.


José F. A. Oliver between Politics and Literature: of Houses, Mothers and Mother Tongues. Born in the Black Forest to Andalusian parents, the poet José F. A. Oliver has developed in recent decades a complex oeuvre in which multiple languages (German, Spanish, Alemannic and Andalusian) and plural kinships play a chief role. The present paper analyses the prose works of José F. A. Oliver as a fragmentary "language memoir" (Kaplan/Kramsch) while at the same time trying to reconstruct his nomadic identity between and across regions and languages. Special attention will be paid to José F. A. Oliver's use of the metaphors of multiple mothers and the two-storey house when referring to his own multilingual upbringing and literary habitus. In stark contrast to conceptual models of monolingualism which posit the mother tongue as the unique and irreplaceable buttress of national loyalties and literary creativity, José F. A. Oliver's work pleads for an alternative affective relationship to a multiplicity of mother tongues (in plural). In so doing, the present paper underscores the political dimension of José F. A. Oliver's metaphors for multilingualism. His alternative vision allowing the peaceful coexistence of multiple affective loci expressed in very different mother tongues questions the rigid exclusivity of German citizenship politics while simultaneously bringing to light the emancipatory and democratic potential of transregional and multilingual (e.g. Black Forest – Andalusia / Alemannic – Andalusian) identities beyond a national monolingual rationale.


A comparative study on elemental composition of various chickpea (Cicer arientinum L) samples was conducted by using wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF). 22 elements, Al, Ca, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, P, S, Sr, Zn, Br, Cl, K, Mg, Na, Ba, Rb, Si, Au, Cr, La and Sn, were determined in chickpea samples (n = 10) grown under organic and conventional farming regimes. Results obtained from each group were analyzed statistically using the SPSS statistic program. It was observed that the concentration and peak intensity values of Ca, Fe, P, Cl, K, Mg and Na elements were higher in the chickpea samples grown under organic farming regime. Likewise, Al, Ni, Cr and Sn levels were found in higher levels in the samples grown under conventional farming regime. Ba was detected only in organic samples; although Sr, Br, Au, La were detected only in conventional samples. Our findings clearly revealed that organic chickpeas are likely to have higher nutritional mineral content. And the chickpea samples grown under conventional farming regime could contain harmful metals like Al, Ni, Cr and Sn that might damage the various systems and/or organs of humans and animals.


The Tertiary volcanic centre of Rhum is best known for the ultrabasic rocks which outcrop over 9 square miles of mountain country. A. Harker (1908) and subsequent investigators attributed their formation to a series of sill-like injections of magma already partly or completely differentiated into allivalitic and peridotitic material. The object of the present investigation was to describe this interesting assemblage of rocks in more detail and to reconsider its manner of origin in the light of modern petrological research, especially recent work on layered intrusions. The ultrabasic and associated basic rocks were re-mapped over an area of 3 square miles, including Hallival and Askival, the highest mountains of the island. Within a ring-shaped fracture which separates the igneous centre from the Torridonian sediments, there is visible a thickness of 2600 ft. of rock consisting of magnesian olivine, bytownite-felspar, diopsidic pyroxene and chromespinel, the minerals being arranged in layers which differ considerably in thickness and in the proportion of the constituent minerals, but yet dip regularly at about 15° towards a centre lying to the west of the area mapped. The variation in the layers is rhythmic rather than cyclic, and in this respect is comparable with the Bushveld, Skaergaard and Stillwater basic layered intrusions. The broad rhythmic pattern consists of an olivine-rich rock passing gradually upward into a plagioclase-rich rock, termed peridotite and allivalite respectively by Harker. These names are retained but their meaning is more precisely defined. A new rhythm begins abruptly with a fresh olivine-rich rock, the spinels being concentrated at the beginning and the clinopyroxenes near the end of a rhythm. Fifteen major rhythmic units have been recognized and traced over great lateral distances; each has a distinct character yet possesses a majority of characters common to the series. The best developed rhythm , unit 10, has been studied in detail as a type, the others being considered only in so far as they diverge from the standard pattern. The range in mineralogical composition is from a rock containing 80 % of olivine to a pure felspar rock, the clinopyroxene and spinel usually constituting 5 to 15 %. Though rare concentrations of spinel occur there are no monomineralic olivine, pyroxene or spinel rocks. The olivine, plagioclase felspar and clinopyroxene from an allivalite of the type unit were chemically analyzed. The olivine is Fa14, the plagioclase An84 and the pyroxene Ca44Mg49Fe7. There is no appreciable variation in the composition of the unzoned cores of minerals within the layered series, apart from an oscillation in plagioclase composition between An83 and An88. Zoning is practically absent from minerals of the upper seven units, but normal zoning is developed lower in the series, the range being An84 to An44 in the lowest unit. In view of the felspar composition it is suggested that Harker's term allivalite be extended to include rocks in which the felspar, present in excess of olivine, has a composition An80 to An100. Most of the area originally mapped by Harker as eucrite sheets has been shown to form the three lower units of the layered series. Two broad sheets mapped earlier as allivalite are now recognized as later intrusions of a fine-grained olivine-gabbro. The lower of these sheets contains numerous inclusions, many ultrabasic, which led Bailey (1945) to support the separate injection hypothesis of Harker for the whole series, as he believed the sheet to be an allivalite of the ultrabasic series. No inclusions are found in the layered series of this area, such streaks and lenticles as are found being identified as the result of auto-brecciation, frequently associated with slumping. The textures indicate that the layers formed from a body of magma through the bottom accumulation by sinking of crystals whose ultimate size, shape, orientation and distribution were governed by the order of crystallization and relative densities of the minerals, and perhaps also by the winnowing action of currents within the liquid and the occasional release of volatiles and influx of fresh magma associated with surface vulcanicity. The interprecipitate liquid has played an important role, adding material to the margins of the primary precipitate crystals and sometimes forming poikilitic growths where no primary crystals of the particular mineral existed. The ultimate size of minerals with a poikilitic habit is a function of the number of centres of growth developed, which is related to the ease with which diffusion could operate in the interstitial liquid. Some peridotites contain poikilitic plates of felspar and pyroxene 3 cm in diameter each enclosing about 10000 olivine crystals. Fluctuations in the rate of deposition of layers would affect the extent to which diffusion could occur between interstitial and overlying liquid, and they are believed to be responsible for variety in proportions of minerals, including the development of monomineralic felspar layers, and also for the non-systematic variation in the composition of the minerals, usually evidenced by normal zoning. The lower units are considered to have been deposited faster than the upper units, while the rate of deposition within each unit apparently decreased from bottom to top. Periods of non-deposition resulted in the upward growth from the top surface of the accumulating crystals of long, branching olivine crystals forming the 'harrisite structure'. The composition of the magma has been estimated from the composition of interstitial liquid trapped at certain horizons, and from comparison of this with the associated undifferentiated gabbros. The composition thus obtained is that of a tholeiitic basalt, and the minerals of the layered series are such as would form during the early stages of the crystallization of many known basalt magmas. It is suggested that the sub-crustal chamber in which this magma slowly cooled was connected with the main volcanic conduit, and that intermittent surface extrusion occasionally removed liquid from the chamber, while fresh material replaced it from below. Such replenishment would account for the great thickness of ultrabasic material crystallized within a narrow temperature range and for the absence of overlying, lower-temperature layered rocks. Subsequent to consolidation of the layered series in depth a ring-shaped fracture developed and the layered rocks, probably representing only a small portion of an extensive complex, were driven up to their present high level with the help of the lubricating action of what is now the structureless marginal gabbro.


Objectives: Evaluation of postoperative (PO) analgesic effects of intraoperative (IO) Dexmedetomidine (DEX) compared to remifentanil (REMI) infusions during sevoflurane anesthesia for laparoscopic gastric sleeve surgery. Patients and Methods: One hundred and thirty-two patients with body mass index >35 kg.m-2 and ASA Grades II or III were randomly divided into group R received REMI infusion (6–18 μg.kg-1.h-1) and Group D received DEX infusion (0.2–0.5 μg.kg-1.h-1) after tracheal intubation till before stoppage of inhalational anesthetic. Heart rate and mean arterial pressure were noninvasively monitored during and after surgery. Emergence time, time until postanesthetic care unit transfer, and total operating room (OR) time was recorded. PO shoulder-tip pain and wound pain scores were recorded and rescue analgesia was provided as 50 mg pethidine intramuscular injection. Occurrence of PO nausea and vomiting (PONV) and frequency of the need for antiemetic therapy were recorded. Primary study outcome was the ability of the study infusions to reduce consumption of PO pethidine down to one dose during 24-hr PO. Results: IO use of REMI or DEX infusion allowed hemodynamic control to surgical stresses with nonsignificant difference between both infusions. REMI infusion insured significantly rapid recovery and short OR times but required larger volume of sevoflurane during surgery and proper PO follow-up for pain and PONV. DEX infusion significantly improved control of PO pain with a larger number of patient requested rescue analgesia only once, reduced the dose of PO analgesia, reduced the frequency of PONV, and the need for antiemetic therapy. Conclusion: REMI or DEX infusion as IO adjuvant to general anesthesia is appropriate option to achieve hemodynamic control of surgical stresses and to improve perioperative outcomes. REMI infusion may be preferred for its induced rapid recovery and short OR time, whereas DEX infusion may be chosen for its improved control of PO pain and reduction of PO analgesia and frequency of PONV.


Summary 1. Ecosystems at high altitudes and latitudes are expected to be particularly vulnerable to the effects of global change. We assessed the responses of littoral invertebrate communities to changing abiotic conditions in subarctic Swedish lakes with long-term data (1988–2010) and compared the responses of subarctic lakes with those of more southern, hemiboreal lakes. 2. We used a complex systems approach, based on multivariate time-series modelling, and identified dominant and distinct temporal frequencies in the data; that is, we tracked community change at distinct temporal scales. We determined the distribution of functional feeding groups of invertebrates within and across temporal scales. Within and cross-scale distributions of functions have been considered to confer resilience to ecosystems, despite changing environmental conditions. 3. Two patterns of temporal change within the invertebrate communities were identified that were consistent across the lakes. The first pattern was one of monotonic change associated with changing abiotic lake conditions. The second was one of showing fluctuation patterns largely unrelated to gradual environmental change. Thus, two dominant and distinct temporal frequencies (temporal scales) were present in all lakes analysed. 4. Although the contribution of individual feeding groups varied between subarctic and hemiboreal lakes, they shared overall similar functional attributes (richness, evenness, diversity) and redundancies of functions within and between the observed temporal scales. This highlights similar resilience characteristics in subarctic and hemiboreal lakes. 5. Synthesis and applications. The effects of global change can be particularly strong at a single scale in ecosystems. Over time, this can cause monotonic change in communities and eventually lead to a loss of important ecosystem services upon reaching a critical threshold. Dynamics at other spatial or temporal scales can be unrelated to environmental change. The relative 'intactness' of these scales that are unaffected by global change and the persistence of functions at those scales may safeguard the whole system from the potential loss of functions at the scale at which global change impacts can be substantial. Thus, an understanding of scale-specific processes provides managers with a realistic assessment of vulnerabilities and the relative resilience of ecosystems to environmental change. Explicit consideration of 'intact' and 'affected' scales in analyses of global change impacts provides opportunities to tailor more specific management plans.


A Review of:
Mulliken, A. (2017). There is nothing inherently mysterious about assistive technology: A qualitative study about blind user experiences in US academic libraries. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 57(2), 115-126. https://doi.org/10.5860/rusq.57.2.6528
Abstract
Objective – To explore blind users' experiences with academic libraries.
Design – Qualitative questionnaire.
Setting – Academic libraries within the United States of America.
Subjects – 18 individuals who are legally blind, have experience relying on a screen reader to access the internet, and have used an academic library either online or in person within the previous two years.
Methods – An open-ended questionnaire was administered via telephone interview. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed using an inductive approach to identify themes using Hill et al.'s (2005) approach.
Main Results – The author found seven themes in the interview data: experiences working with reference librarians in person, difficulty with library websites, screen reader use during reference transactions, preferences for independence, using chat, interactions with disability officers, and challenges of working with citation styles.
Conclusion – The study concluded that academic libraries and librarians should be more proactive when approaching reference services for blind users. The author offered suggestions for practice about how to improve blind user experiences of academic libraries.


There is substantial current interest in the potential of radiation therapy for synergizing with novel immunotherapies to transform irradiated tumor into an immunogenic hub with capacity to ignite a powerful and adaptive longterm anti-cancer response. Interest stems from new insights into fundamental mechanisms underlying interactions between cancer, radiation and the immune system. Radically new immunotherapy approaches have been proposed, which target the immune system, rather than the cancer itself. Promising preliminary results on subsets of patients have led to a surge in research and clinical trials investigating the potential for combining new immunomodulatory agents with radiation therapy. In this symposia, we undertake a basic review of key topics and questions relating to the potential for combining radiation therapy and new immunotherapy approaches, including a focus on opportunities for medical physicists.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Gain insight into approaches to combining immunotherapy and radiation therapy. 2. Review latest clinical trial data investigating radiation and immunotherapy. 3. Consider how radiation therapy can better stimulate immunogenicity. 4. Explore opportunities for medical physicists in radiation and immunotherapy M Oldham has funding support from Immunolioght Llc.


Product performance varies with respect to time and space in many engineering applications. This paper discusses how to measure and evaluate the robustness of a product or component when its quality characteristics (QCs) are functions of random variables, random fields, temporal variables, and spatial variables. At first, the existing time-dependent robustness metric is extended to the present time- and space-dependent problem. The robustness metric is derived using the extreme value of the quality characteristics with respect to temporal and spatial variables for the nominal-the-better type quality characteristics. Then, a metamodel-based numerical procedure is developed to evaluate the new robustness metric. The procedure employs a Gaussian Process regression method to estimate the expected quality loss that involves the extreme quality characteristics. The expected quality loss is obtained directly during the regression model building process. Four examples are used to demonstrate the robustness analysis method. The proposed method can be used for robustness analysis during robust design optimization (RDO) under time- and space-dependent uncertainty.


Cleaner and less polluting public transport buses based on alternative fuels are of paramount importance if cities are to attain their ambitious emissions reduction targets. Public transport buses are high usage vehicles that operate in heavily congested areas where air quality improvements and reductions in public exposure to harmful air contaminants are critical. As such, they are good candidates for achieving both near-term and long-term emission reductions. Decision making for the investment in alternative fuel buses is dependent on future technological development and emissions standards, and it is difficult, given the uncertainty in regards to both these factors. The objective of this paper is to develop an analytical framework that will give us more insight into the trends in emissions standards as well as technology development, and eventually translate these insights into a sound investment decision making strategy. This paper concludes that, due to presence of uncertainties, the decision maker (public transport fleet manager) can take only incremental steps that will allow him or her to safeguard investments. Furthermore, if policy makers are serious about accelerating the diffusion of alternative fuels, they should aim at creating stable policy environment.


This captivating selection of 70 intimate black and white photographs conveys Patti Smith's singular experience as a photographer as it relates to many facets of her fascinating life and career. Exquisitely designed and produced, Patti Smith: Camera Solo accompanies the first museum exhibition of the artist's photography in the United States. Using either a vintage Land 100 or a Land 250 Polaroid camera, Smith photographs subjects inspired by her connections to poetry and literature as well as pictures that honor the personal effects of those she admires or loves. In the catalogue's interview, conducted by Susan Lubowsky Talbott, the artist talks about her "respect for the inanimate object" as well as the talismanic qualities of things in her life. We see, for instance, a picture of Mapplethorpe's slippers or a porcelain cup that belonged to her father, and are drawn into their intimacy and quiet power. Moreover, these images reveal how the camera has proven to be a means for Smith to retreat-undisturbed-to "a room of my own." From her explorations as a visual artist in the 1960s and 70s and her profound influence on the nascent punk rock scene in the late 1970s and 80s, to Just Kids, her National Book Award-winning memoir of life with her beloved friend Robert Mapplethorpe, Smith continues to make an indelible mark on the American cultural landscape.


Background and objectives Dystonia is a genetically complex disease with both monogenic and polygenic causes. For the latter, numerous genetic associations studies have been performed with largely inconsistent results. The aim of this study was to perform a field synopsis including systematic meta-analyses of genetic association studies in isolated dystonia Methods For the field synopsis we systematically screened and scrutinized the published literature using NCBI's PubMed database. For genetic variants with sufficient information in at least two independent datasets, random-effects meta-analyses were performed, including meta-analyses stratified by ethnic descent and dystonia subtypes. Results A total of 3,575 articles were identified and scrutinized resulting in the inclusion of 42 independent publications allowing 134 meta-analyses on 45 variants across 17 genes. While our meta-analyses pinpointed several significant association signals with variants in TOR1A, DRD1, and ARSG, no single variant displayed compelling association with dystonia in the available data. Conclusions Our study provides an up-to-date summary of the status of dystonia genetic association studies. Additional large-scale studies are needed to better understand the genetic causes of isolated dystonia.


This paper introduces a novel data driven yaw control algorithm synthesis method based on Reinforcement Learning (RL) for a variable pitch variable speed wind turbine. Yaw control has not been extendedly studied in the literature; in fact, most of the currently considered developments in the scope of the wind energy are oriented to the pitch and speed control. The most important drawbacks of the yaw control are the very large time constants and the strict yaw angle change rate constraints due to the high mechanical loads when the wind turbine angle is changed in order to adequate it to the wind speed orientation. An optimal yaw control algorithm needs to be designed in order to adapt the rotor orientation depending on the wind turbine dynamics and the local wind speed regime. Consequently, the biggest challenge of the yaw control algorithm is to decide the moment and the quantity of the wind turbine orientation variation to achieve the highest quantity of power at each instant, taking into account the constraints derived from the mechanical limitations of the yawing system and the mechanical loads. In this paper, a novel based algorithm based on the RL Q-Learning algorithm is introduced. The first step is to obtain a model of the power generated by the wind turbine (a real onshore wind turbine in this paper) through a power curve, that in conjunction with a conventional proportional regulator will be used to obtain a dataset that explains the actual behaviour of the real wind turbine when a variety of different yaw control commands are imposed. That knowledge is then used to learn the best control action for each different state of the wind turbine with respect to the wind direction represented by the yaw angle, storing that knowledge in a matrix Q(s,a). The last step is to model that matrix through a MultiLayer Perceptron with BackPropagation (MLP-BP) Artificial Neural Network (ANN) to avoid large matrix management and quantification problems. Once that the optimal yaw controller has been synthetized, its performance has been assessed using a number of wind speed realizations obtained using the software application TurbSim, in order to analyze how the introduced novel algorithm deals with different wind speed scenarios.


This article critically reexamines Naro's (1978) account of the origin of Pidgin Portuguese in the 15th century. His claim that the pidgin originated in Portugal and was created by the Portuguese themselves is shown to rest on a number of serious errors, oversights, and misinterpretations with respect both to the historical background and to the Portuguese literary texts of the period which depict the speech of Africans and other foreigners as well as the speech of Portuguese to them. Naro's explanation of the process of pidginization, the so-called "factorization principle," is also reexamined and an attempt is made to look at all factors which might have played a role.


THE EFFICACY OF A SCREENING TOOL TO ASSESS MALNUTRITION IN ADULTS ADMITTED TO A LARGE URBAN UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL by Alexandra N. Moshier Background: The increasing use of electronic health records (EHR) provides a novel opportunity to evaluate hospital-based nutritional outcomes, such as malnutrition. There is no universally accepted screening tool for the detection of malnutrition. However, assessment for malnutrition should be made early, be simple, based on scientific evidence, and include data on age, gender, and disease severity. The malnutrition screening tool (MST) used in this study is a two question tool that assesses two parameters commonly seen when diagnosing malnutrition (weight loss and loss of appetite). Objective: The purpose of this study is to determine the ability of the MST used at a tertiary or quaternary hospital to accurately identify patients with malnutrition by comparing it against the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition criteria for malnutrition. Participants/setting: A descriptive cohort study was conducted that included 167 patients admitted to Emory University Hospital between October 1 14, 2014. MST score, malnutrition diagnostic criteria, and demographic and anthropometric characteristics were obtained to describe and assess the study population. Statistical Analysis: Frequency statistics were used to describe the demographic and anthropometric characteristics and MST score results. Normality statistics were used to determine the distribution of continuous variables. A Chi Square table was used to determine the significance of the association between the MST score and diagnosis of malnutrition made by the Registered Dietitian (RD) as well as the sensitivity and specificity of the MST. Results: A total of 167 patients (48.5% male, 51.5% Caucasian, non-Hispanic) were admitted during the study period. The vast majority of the patient population with malnutrition (79%), as diagnosed by the RD, was identified as such by the MST (p < 0.01). The sensitivity and specificity of the MST was 79% and 62%, respectively. Conclusion: The MST is a useful screening tool for malnutrition in adults admitted to a large urban university hospital. There is a lack of research validating the MST in the adult outpatient population. Therefore, future studies are necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of the MST in this population.


This case study describes a Kenyan demand- and supply- side pay-for performance (P4P) scheme that uses vouchers as a means to reduce maternal and child mortality. Subsidized vouchers are targeted to poor women enabling increased access to a range of safe motherhood and family planning services. Accredited public and private health service providers are reimbursed for voucher-supported services provided. Findings show that uptake of safe motherhood vouchers was very successful; however uptake of family planning vouchers proved more complex. This case study provides an example of a Government-led program to increase service utilization and offers lessons for countries considering implementing similar voucher-driven schemes.


Attentional templates guide the selection of target objects in visual search. The efficiency of template-guided target selection can be determined by measuring the N2pc component of the event-related brain potential. When word cues specify the target object for three subsequent search displays, the N2pc is delayed for the first search display after the cue relative to the second and third display, demonstrating that word cues are insufficient to fully activate target object templates (Nako et al., in press). We conducted two experiments to determine how the acquisition of target templates is affected by color. Word cues (e.g., "apple") were followed by three search displays that each contained the cued target together with three distractor objects. In Experiment 1, grayscale or colored search displays were shown in different blocks. In Experiment 2, cued trial runs of search displays with grayscale or colored objects were presented in a random unpredictable sequence. In both experiments, N2pc components were delayed for the first relative to two subsequent displays in each trial run. The N2pc for the second and third display emerged earlier on trials with colored objects relative to trials with monochrome objects, demonstrating that color information facilitates target selection once a target object has been encountered at least once. There was no such facilitation by color for the display that immediately followed the cue in Experiment 1 where participants knew in advance that either colored or grayscale objects would be shown. However, when color and grayscale trial runs were mixed and thus unpredictable, the N2pc to the first display emerged earlier when it contained colored objects, indicating that color was included by default in the attentional templates set up in response to word cues. These results show that color information plays a central role in the guidance of object selection by attentional templates. Meeting abstract presented at VSS 2015.


We investigate in this work the fabrication of polymer fluidic and mechanical devices based on evaporable compounds as sacrificial layers using the screen-printing process. The combination of thermosetting polymer resins with evaporable compounds as sacrificial layers allows straightforward fabrication of polymer microfluidic and micromechanical devices. Channel, cavities and spacings are first defined by sacrificial material layers. This is followed by polymer resin deposition and polymerization / solvent removal. Removal of the sacrificial layers is then accomplished by heating at their decomposition / evaporation temperature. This process does not require an ulterior dissolution step, and systems exist where the sacrificial layer molecules escape by diffusion through the polymer at high temperature: we are therefore not limited to open structures. Furthermore, the use of screen-printed thick-film compositions is very advantageous regarding process cost and flexibility. The selected sacrificial layer must be stable at the polymer processing temperature, yet decompose / evaporate cleanly at a temperature low enough to avoid degradation of the polymer. In this work, we used polymers such as ethylcellulose and silicone resins filled with graphite to impart electrical conductivity and improve mechanical stability. The selected sacrificial materials were polyol-based and were formulated to sublime rather than evaporate, in order to preserve the structures. They were formulated as thick-film pastes using a suitable cyclohexanol-based solvent mix.


Evolutionary psychologists claim that women have adaptive preferences for specific male physical traits. Physical strength may be one of those traits, because recent research suggests that women rate faces of physically strong men as more masculine, dominant, and attractive. Yet, previous research has been limited in its ability to statistically map specific male facial shapes and features to corresponding physical measures (e.g., strength) and ratings (e.g., attractiveness).


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the efficacy of the centralization by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of their pediatric vaccine distribution system.

STUDY DESIGN
In March 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began a pilot program to reform the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program. All California VFC providers were required to place vaccine orders under the centralized logistic system of the Vaccine Management Business Improvement Project (VMBIP). For this study, VFC ordering, use, and delivery data were collected from 2 large southern California healthcare providers that collectively served more than 200,000 children. Data collection occurred between January 2005 and June 2008.

METHODS
This case study measures the change in the mean VFC delivery times before and after the VMBIP. The data underwent simulation to estimate the number of days per year a provider would have zero VFC inventory before and after the VMBIP.

RESULTS
After the VMBIP was implemented, delivery times increased from 1.6 to 12.3 business days (P <.001). The probability that VFC deliveries took longer than 1 week increased from 7% before the VMBIP to 89% afterward. Our simulation demonstrates that for 7 of 11 vaccines investigated there was a statistically significant increase in the number of days a provider would be without VFC (P <.01).

CONCLUSION
Although the VMBIP was implemented to save costs, this study finds that during the VMBIP's initial implementation timeline, providers experienced longer delivery delays and a higher probability of a VFC stockout.


In this article I critically explore the work of the social theorists Klaus Eder
and Ulrich Beck, who in different ways use an account of the 'postmodern',
plural character of contemporary ideas of nature to argue for the necessity
and possibility of an ecological democracy. I argue that within such social
theoretical understandings of the contemporary politics of nature is a
tension between pagan and Christian understandings of difference—
between an understanding of difference as fundamentally irreducible and
irreconcilable, and one that sees difference as contained within an overarching
harmony. I cast suspicion on an account of postmodern difference
which would see it as the resurgence of a pagan polytheism which had
merely suppressed by two millennia of monotheism, in favour of an alternative
account in which it appears as a historical product of the contingent
path taken by the development of the Western sacred. I then explore ways
in which Christian thought can provide the basis for an ontology of
original peace in contrast to the original violence of pagan thought, on the
basis of which might be built a different, 'gothic' understanding of
ecological democracy, in which consensus is not grounded in the suppression
of polysemy but in the harmonization of generative difference.


The Pasture Condition Score (PCS) system, developed by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, is a monitoring and assessment tool for pastureland enrolled in conservation programs. Ten indicators of vegetation and soil status are rated on a 1 to 5 scale and are summed to give an aggregate score, which is interpreted for management recommendations. Information is lacking, however, on how PCS results vary within and among environments and farms. We applied the PCS on two farms in Pennsylvania (one dairy, one beef), two dairy farms in New York, and an organic dairy in Maryland. All pastures (25 to 63 per farm) on each farm were evaluated according to PCS methodology in spring, summer, and autumn of 2004, 2005, and 2006. Aggregate PCS scores ranged from 30 to 40 (indicating some improvements were needed to pasture management) and were relatively stable within management recommendation categories across seasons in 2004 and 2006. The PCS scores in 2005, however, plummeted (below 25 to 30—indicating major management changes to prevent degradation) on the Pennsylvania and Maryland farms because of drought. Pastures used for heifers and dry cows or as wintering areas often had lower scores than other pastures. Typically, these pastures were on less productive soils, steep slopes, and were stocked intensively. There was much overlap among individual score categories for some indicators, which suggests that fewer but broader score categories (e.g., low, medium, high) would simplify the system for farmers. The monitoring workload could be reduced by assessing representative subsets of pastures managed similarly or in similar landscape positions instead of all pastures on a farm.


Over a few decades, Korean diet has changed from traditional diet, mainly composed of rice and vegetables, to Westernised diet rich, in meat and milk, along with the economic development and globalisation. Increasing prevalence of diet-related chronic diseases such as cancer and metabolic syndrome (MetS) is becoming a heavy burden to society and requires further attention. In this review, the association of meat and milk consumption with cancer and MetS among Koreans was discussed. Previous meta-analyses showed that meat intake was positively associated with increased risk of cancers, especially colon, as well as obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus, and that the intake of milk and dairy products was negatively associated with colorectal cancer, obesity, and type 2 diabetes mellitus, based on studies conducted mostly in Western countries. In Korea and other Asian countries, the association of meat and milk intake with cancers were inconclusive and varied by types of cancers. Conversely, milk intake was negatively associated with MetS risk as reported in Western countries. The difference in results between Korea and Western countries might come from the differences in dietary patterns and study designs. Most Koreans still maintain traditional dietary pattern, although rapid change towards Westernised diet is underway among the younger age group. Randomised clinical trials or prospective cohort studies with consideration of combined effects of various dietary factors in Korea and other Asian countries are needed to elucidate the impact of meat and milk or related dietary patterns in their diet.


ABSTRACT Breath builds intimate and physical connections beyond the individual, at the same time as it also poses challenges to sharing experience with others. However, performance has the capacity to archive multidimensional sensory experience and recompose it in a manner that is palpable to an audience. This essay addresses the problem of collecting, re-accessing, and sharing breath, from the indexing of breath as biodata to the use of 'breath media' in performance. The phenomenology of breath is interwoven with critical theorization of contemporary interactive biofeedback techniques, and grounded in reflexive analysis of creative practice, specifically the practice research project Breath Catalogue, in which experimental choreography and technology create a cabinet of breath curiosities in performance. This living catalogue – distributed between bio-media and somatic tasks of embodied memory – is contextualized within medical humanities, archive theory, choreographic practices, digital performance, and feminist technology studies.


LEADERSHIP PERSPECTIVES OF TENNESSEE SCHOOL LEADERS by Jessie Shields Strickland The problem was to determine factors Tennessee school leaders consider important to effective leadership. Organizational frames by Bolman and Deal were used. The four organizational frames used in the study were structural, human resource, political, and symbolic approaches to leadership. The frames were examined with regard to their relationship to Tennessee superintendent's leadership and management styles with the perception of his/her style by their superordinates and subordinates. Leadership Orientations. a validated instrument designed by Bolman and Deal, was used to gain insight about school leader perceptions from superintendents and from individuals who work in school administration with the superintendents. Individual school systems, the director of the Tennessee Academy of School Leaders (TASL), the Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents (TOSS), and the Tennessee School Board Association (TSBA) received the data analysis results about leadership perspectives. The research provided school system personnel a method to understand individual, subordinate, and superordinate expectations as they relate to the four organizational frames. Additionally, the findings indicated predictors of management and leadership effectiveness as perceived by the respondents.


We propose a novel terahertz-wave source through the four-wave mixing effect in a conventional single-mode optical fiber pumped by a dual-wavelength laser whose difference frequency lies in the terahertz range. Surface-emitted geometry is employed to decrease absorption loss. A detailed derivation of the terahertz-wave power expression is presented using the coupled-wave theory. This is a promising way for realizing a reasonable narrow-band terahertz-wave source.


This Ph.D. thesis advances the fully coupling of robust shallow water flow and sediment transport modeling. The first part mainly focuses on the multislope MUSCL reconstruction for shallow water flow on unstructured grids. A limitation method for reconstruction of velocities avoids extremely high values for wet/dry fronts. The reconstruction methods are tested via analytical benchmarks and laboratory experiments and it has been shown that the MUSCL reconstruction at the middle point of the edge can obtain better results than the intersection point of the edge and the neighboring two cell centers. An improved vector manipulation method including more downwind information also provides more promising results than the original vector manipulation method based on the local value slopes. Further additional work related to a vector manipulation method considers a larger geometry stencil and more geometry relationships and through a straightforward implementation, a higher order accuracy and an increasing computational efficiency with increasing mesh size is obtained when compared to the previous work. In the second part, sediment movement is treated as additional transport source terms in the shallow water model and the coupled shallow water flow and sediment transport model is also discretized on unstructured grids using the aforementioned multislope MUSCL scheme of the first part to obtain high order accuracy. Regarding sediment transport, a bed load flux and a depth-averaged concentration flux sediment transport approach to be chosen depending on the flow conditions are compared. Sensitivity studies are carried out showing that Manning number and the sediment porosity are the most influencing parameters for bed load flux and depth-averaged concentration flux sediment transport model, respectively. Further development of the depth-averaged concentration flux model introduces the sediment velocity ratio to differentiate between the advection of the sediment and the advection of water. A modified Harten, Lax and van Leer Riemann solver with the contact wave restored (HLLC) is derived for the flux calculation based on the new wave pattern involving the sediment velocity ratio. The source term calculation is enhanced by means of a novel splitting-point implicit discretization. The slope effect is introduced by modifying the critical shear stress, with two treatments being discussed. The numerical scheme is tested in five examples that comprise both fixed and movable beds, model predictions show good agreement with measurements, except for cases where local three-dimensional effects dominate. Slope ef-


AIMS
To determine the characteristics of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), peripheral artery disease (PAD), or both, initiating dual pathway inhibition (DPI) using rivaroxaban 2.5 mg twice daily plus aspirin, and to report their clinical outcomes and bleeding rates in clinical practice compared to the COMPASS randomized trial, which provided the basis for using DPI in this patient population.

METHODS AND RESULTS
XATOA is a prospective registry of 5532 patients: of which, 72.7% had CAD, 58.9% had PAD, and 31.6% had both. The mean age of patients was 68 years and 25.5% were women. The mean follow-up period was 15 months. The most frequently reported reason for initiating DPI was the presence of existing, worsening or newly diagnosed risk characteristics (n = 4753, 85.9%). Before initiating DPI, 75.3% received a single antiplatelet and 18.3% received various antiplatelet combinations. The incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), major adverse limb events (MALE) and acute or severe limb ischaemia was 2.26, 3.57, and 1.54 per 100 patient-years, respectively, among the 5532 patients in XATOA. Corresponding rates in COMPASS were 2.18, 0.19, and 0.12 per 100 patient-years, respectively. Major bleeding rates were 0.95 and 1.67 per 100 patient-years in XATOA and COMPASS, respectively.

CONCLUSION
High-risk vascular patients are prioritized for DPI in clinical practice, and rates of MACE are similar to COMPASS, but MALE rates are higher in XATOA, consistent with the greater proportion of PAD patients. Major bleeding rates were lower in XATOA. The findings provide support for favourable net clinical benefit of DPI in high-risk vascular patients.

ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY
The characteristics of patients initiated on dual pathway inhibition (DPI: rivaroxaban 2.5  mg twice daily plus aspirin) have not previously been defined in clinical practice and the XATOA registry findings demonstrate patient outcomes are consistent with those of the COMPASS trial, despite geographic differences in recruitment and the higher proportion of PAD patients.


Resource scheduling and coordination is an NP-hard optimization requiring an efficient allocation of agents to a set of tasks with upper- and lower bound temporal and resource constraints. Due to the large-scale and dynamic nature of resource coordination in hospitals and factories, human domain experts manually plan and adjust schedules on the fly. To perform this job, domain experts leverage heterogeneous strategies and rules-of-thumb honed over years of apprenticeship. What is critically needed is the ability to extract this domain knowledge in a heterogeneous and interpretable apprenticeship learning framework to scale beyond the power of a single human expert, a necessity in safety-critical domains. We propose a personalized and interpretable apprenticeship scheduling algorithm that infers an interpretable representation of all human task demonstrators by extracting decision-making criteria via an inferred, personalized embedding non-parametric in the number of demonstrator types. We achieve near-perfect LfD accuracy in synthetic domains and 88.22\% accuracy on a planning domain with real-world, outperforming baselines. Finally, our user study showed our methodology produces more interpretable and easier-to-use models than neural networks ($p < 0.05$).


Abstract. Climate warming is amplified in the land-sea system of the East Siberian Arctic, which also holds large pools of vulnerable carbon in permafrost. This coastal area is strongly influenced by sediment and carbon transport from both its large rivers and extensive erosion of Pleistocene permafrost along its coastline. This study is investigating the coastal fate of the sediment and organic carbon delivered to the Buor-Khaya Gulf, which is the first recipient of the overwhelming fluvial discharge from the Lena River and is additionally receiving large input from extensive erosion of the coastal ice-complex (permafrost a.k.a. Yedoma; loess soil with high organic carbon content). Both water column suspended particulate matter (SPM) and surface sediments were sampled at about 250 oceanographic stations in the Gulf in this multi-year effort, including one winter campaign, and analyzed for the distribution and sorting of sediment size, organic carbon content, and stable carbon isotope signals. The composition of the surface sediment suggests an overwhelmingly terrestrial contribution from both river and coastal erosion. The objective of this paper is to improve our understanding of the seasonal (i.e., winter vs summer) and interannual variability of these coastal sedimentation processes and the dynamics of organic carbon (OC) distribution in both the water column SPM and the surface sediments of the Buor-Khaya Gulf. Based on data collected during several years in the period 2000–2008, two different sedimentation regimes were revealed for the Buor-Khaya Gulf, the relative importance of each at a given time depend on hydrometeorological conditions, the Lena River water discharge and sea-ice regime: Type 1 erosion-accumulation and Type 2 accumulation. The Type 1 erosion-accumulation sedimentation regime is typical (2000–2006) for the ice-free period of the year (here considered in detail for August 2005). Under such conditions terrigenous sources of SPM and particulate organic carbon (POC) stem predominantly from river discharge, thermal erosion of coastal ice-complex and remobilized bottom sediments. The Type 2 accumulation sedimentation regime develops under ice-covered conditions, and only occasionally during the ice-free period (August 2008). In Type 2 winter, combined terrigenous and marine-biogenic SPM and POC sources are dominating due to relatively low overall terrigenous input (April 2007). In Type 2 summer, river alluvium becomes the major SPM and POC source (August 2008). The water column SPM and POC loadings vary by more than a factor of two between the two regimes. This study underscores the necessity of multi-year investigations to better understand the functioning of the primary recipient of terrestrially expulsed matter in the East Siberian Arctic.


The third edition of the Encyclopedia of Toxicology presents entries devoted to key concepts and specific chemicals, and is updated to reflect current advances in the field. It contains new information on nanotoxicology, epigenetics, persistent organic pollutants, computational toxicology and bioinformatics, controversial chemicals, and much more. Along with the traditional scientific entries, new articles focus on worldwide initiatives, the potential health and environmental effects of new technologies, and the societal implications of global legal and regulatory issues. With thoroughly updated articles, references, and resources for recommended reading, the third edition has been expanded in length, breadth, and depth, and continues to provide an extensive overview of the many facets of toxicology. It provides easy access to content on chemicals and all core areas of toxicology. It thoroughly updated with the latest advances in toxicology, including epigenetics, nanotoxicology, computational toxicology, and translational toxicology. New topics include implications of global legal and regulatory issues, persistent organic pollutants, REACH, SAICM, e-waste, and many more.


The carcinogenicity and mutagenicity of chemicals may be modulated by other chemicals, including those prepared by organic synthesis. Considering the several drawbacks of synthetic compounds vis-a-vis the human organism, the lignin biomass component was examined for this purpose. The binding affinity of lignin samples prepared by chemical and biological modification of lignin products derived from chemical wood treatment towards for N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDA) was examined. The protective role of the lignin samples against carcinogenesis was tested on a well-known model carcinogen, N-methyl-N´-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG). The observed ability of a series of lignin preparations to reduce alkylation damage of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) on hamster cells in vitro could be explained by their affinity to bind N-nitrosoamines. The results indicate that lignin has potential to protect living organisms against damaging effects of different genotoxicants.


Give students a full understanding of today's digital world with the cohesive framework and complete coverage in NEW PERSPECTIVES ON COMPUTER CONCEPTS 2018, COMPREHENSIVE. Leading technology author June Parsons provides the latest updates on emerging technology with engaging learning features, informative visuals and hands-on activities proven to increase learning effectiveness. An insightful overview highlights the evolution of today's digital technology as well as virtual reality, augmented reality, the Internet of Things, and the sharing economy that has emerged with apps such as Uber, Etsy, and Airbnb. Extensive coverage of social media and online security examines concepts behind today's technology trends. Students explore the underlying principles supporting current digital devices with a focus on connectivity. This edition includes a hands-on programming module ideal to help students with no prior coding experience learn programming with immediate success using Python.


Online in depth interviews were conducted with 29 participants. The interview transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. All participants believed that online dating was risky in some manner. To manage these risks participants used technology in various ways: to assist them in assessing authenticity and compatibility, to limit their self disclosure and exposure, to undertake surveillance of others and to control their online interactions. The participants made pragmatic use of the technologies available to them to minimise the risks, deploying risk management strategies throughout their online dating experiences.


Emerging applications such as high definition television (HDTV), streaming video, image processing in embedded applications and signal processing in high-speed wireless communications are driving a need for high performance digital signal processors (DSPs) with real-time processing. This class of applications demonstrates significant data parallelism, finite precision, need for power-efficiency and the need for 100's of arithmetic units in the DSP to meet real-time requirements. Data-parallel DSPs meet these requirements by employing clusters of functional units, enabling 100's of computations every clock cycle. These DSPs exploit instruction level parallelism and subword parallelism within clusters, similar to a traditional VLIW (Very Long Instruction Word) DSP, and exploit data parallelism across clusters, similar to vector processors.
Stream processors are data-parallel DSPs that use a bandwidth hierarchy to support dataflow to 100's of arithmetic units and are used for evaluating the contributions of this thesis. Different software realizations of the dataflow in the algorithms can affect the performance of stream processors by greater than an order-of-magnitude. The thesis first presents the design of signal processing algorithms that map efficiently on stream processors by parallelizing the algorithms and by re-ordering the flow of data. The design space for stream processors also exhibits trade-offs between arithmetic units per cluster, clusters and the clock frequency to meet the real-time requirements of a given application. This thesis provides a design space exploration tool for stream processors that meets real-time requirements while minimizing power consumption. The presented exploration methodology rapidly searches this design space at compile time to minimize power consumption and selects the number of adders, multipliers, clusters and the real-time clock frequency in the processor. Finally, the thesis improves the power efficiency in the designed stream processor by adapting the compute resources to run-time variations in the workload. The thesis presents an adaptive multiplexer network that allows the number of active clusters to be varied during run-time by turning off unused clusters. Thus, by efficient mapping of algorithms, exploring the architecture design space, and by compute resource adaptation, this thesis improves power efficiency in stream processors and enhances their suitability for high performance, power-aware, signal processing applications.


In the literature it has so far been common practice to consider solitary waves and N-waves (composed of solitary waves) as the appropriate model of tsunamis approaching the shoreline. Unfortunately, this approach is based on a tie between the nonlinearity and the horizontal length scale (or duration) of the wave, which is not realistic for geophysical tsunamis. To resolve this problem, we first derive analytical solutions to the nonlinear shallow-water (NSW) equations for the runup/rundown of single waves, where the duration and the wave height can be specified separately. The formulation is then extended to cover leading depression N-waves composed of a superposition of positive and negative single waves. As a result the temporal variations of the runup elevation, the associated velocity and breaking criteria are specified in terms of polylogarithmic functions. Finally, we consider incoming transient wavetrains generated by monopole and dipole disturbances in the deep ocean. The evolution of these wavetrains, while travelling a considerable distance over a constant depth, is influenced by weak dispersion and is governed by the linear Korteweg–De Vries (KdV) equation. This process is described by a convolution integral involving the Airy function. The runup on the plane sloping beach is then determined by another convolution integral involving the incoming time series at the foot of the slope. A good agreement with numerical model results is demonstrated.


ABSTRACT The New World species of Oedichirus Erichson, 1839, are revised, redescribed, or newly described, illustrated, and included in keys for identification. The morphology of the ventral pterothoracic sclerites is examined and Matsuda's (1970) interpretation is largely adopted over that of Ferris (1940b). Newly discovered characters of the median gonocoxal plate and associated vulvar plate, including its microstructures, are discussed. Prior to the present paper New World species were known in Brazil and Costa Rica, but are herein newly reported for the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina; a specimen intercepted at a port in the United States was said to have come from Nicaragua. Eight species were previously described; 19 new ones are added herein, 12 from Brazil (O. apiculus, O. batillus, O. bicristatus, O. bullaglaber, O. bullahirtus, O. clavolateralis, O. clavulus, O. echinatus, O. exilis, O. glabrihamus, O. lunatus, and O. procerus), two from Mexico (O. isthmus and O. sinuosus), and one each from Argentina (O. misionesiensis), Bolivia (O. dilophus), Ecuador (O. distortus), Peru (O. hamatus), and Dominican Republic (O. dominicanensis). A neotype is designated for O. geniculatus and lectotypes are designated for O. brunneus Wendeler, O. pictipes Bierig, O. ohausi Wendeler, O. optatus Sharp, O. sparsipennis Bernhauer, and O. speculifrons Bernhauer. Some species are included in species groups.


The « positive energy house » concept combines energy saving, e.g. applying the passive house approach, and electricity production using a renewable resource, leading to a positive primary energy balance on a yearly basis. Compared to a standard house, more materials and components are used (thicker insulation, triple glazing windows, renewable energy systems...), this is why the environmental relevance of this concept is often questioned. In order to contribute to answer this question, a life cycle assessment (LCA) has been used to evaluate the environmental impacts of such buildings, including the fabrication of components, construction, operation, maintenance, dismantling and waste treatment. This paper presents results in the case of a positive energy building, showing also the influence of the choice of the heating system on various environmental impacts considered in this assessment (e.g. global warming potential, radioactive waste production, photochemical oxidant formation potential, cumulative energy demand, abiotic depletion potential). The case study concerns two attached passive houses built in Picardy, France, in which renewable energy systems are studied theoretically: the real houses include solar water heating but no renewable electricity production. The envelope has a high insulation, high airtightness and very low thermal bridges. The technical equipment includes a heat recovery ventilation and an earth-to-air heat exchanger. In this study, PV solar panels mounted on the roof have been added so as to obtain a positive primary energy assessment. For these houses, three different heating solutions have been studied: an electric heat-pump, a wood pellet condensing boiler and a wood pellet micro-cogeneration unit. The three alternatives have been modeled using the building thermal simulation tool COMFIE, in order to evaluate their heating load, possibly cooling load and thermal comfort level. Environmental impact indicators have been evaluated for these alternatives applying the LCA tool EQUER, linked to the building simulation tool COMFIE and using life cycle inventories from the Swiss Ecoinvent data base.


The world is increasingly turbulent and complex, awash with disruptions, tipping points and knock-on effects exemplified by the implosion of financial markets and economies around the globe.

This book is for business and organizational leaders who want and need to think through how best to deal with increasing turbulence, and with the complexity and uncertainty that come with it. The authors explain in clear language how future orientation and, specifically, modern scenario techniques help to address these conditions. They draw on examples from a wide variety of international settings and circumstances including large corporations, inter-governmental organizations, small firms and municipalities. Readers will be inspired to try out scenario approaches themselves to better address the turbulence that affects them and others with whom they work, live and do business.

This second edition extends the use of scenarios planning and methods to tackle the risk and uncertainty of financial markets and the potentially massive impacts on businesses of all kinds, providing powerful tools to give far thinking executives an advantage in these turbulent times.

Edited By Rafael Ramirez, John W. Selsky and Kees van der Heijden with foreword by Vince Cable


Organizations today are in trust of the diversity the Internet gives. With a connection they're able to do end-to-end communication with customers and partners everywhere in the world, and because the diversity of Internet, the information security is very important against threats and vulnerabilities. Inner and outer affections happen regularly, and as a response to this, security settings have to be reconfigured. This is making policy management important, and especially in complex and high risk organizations. Because error configurations may be a challenge, and costly in time and money, these configurations in such organizations should be available to do from a single interface to ease up management and to avoid errors that could produce security breaches. Firewalls have been around for 20 years making them one of the first security devices in the market. The configuration and security is made by writing rules that's deciding what traffic is allowed or denied via the firewall. These rules are usually made out of a traffic matrix that illustrates a summary of legal and illegal traffic through a given perimeter. The matrix could be made by a table insertion, or like the one evaluated in this paper, a method creating a traffic matrix existed by boxes and pointers making a complete graphical one. In addition to boxes and pointers, the method also includes an indexing of the rule set which makes the rule sets and security policy even easier to understand. There are several existing solutions of policy management software developed by hardware vendors, or by pure software companies. While hardware vendors may develop complementary solutions to their own products, software companies have to develop solutions that are complementary to several hardware vendors. Some examples of the companies developing policy management products are Cisco, Checkpoint and Solsoft. There's a missing link between the traffic matrix and policy management software which eventually could provoke a security breach if rapidly changes is occurring often. The frequently and continuous changes to both matrix and rule set could then get the security administrators into a scrape, and the compliance of keeping the policy consistent according to both matrix and software could vanish. A friendlier way to describe the matrix could assist the security administrators to keep the policy consistent according to what is actually secured.


Two non-linear Rankine-source panel methods are developed and implemented in the same computer code. The first method uses a four-point upwind operator on the free-surface to compute the velocity derivatives and to enforce the radiation condition while the second method uses an analytical expression for the velocity derivatives and a collocation point shift one panel upstream to prevent upstream waves. First and higher order panels can be used for both methods. Source panels raised a small distance above the free-surface collocation points can be used together with both the four-point operator and the analytical method. A small upstream shift of the free-surface collocation points is also introduced to further enforce the radiation condition for the four-point operator. Lifting surfaces can be used together with the non-linear methods. The lift force is introduced as a dipole distribution on the lifting surfaces and on the trailing wake together with a flow tangency condition at the trailing edge of the lifting surface. The methods are compared by numerical computations in three dimensions and by a two-dimensional Fourier analysis to compare dispersion and damping. The Fourier analysis shows that the analytical method with raised panels has the best dispersion and damping properties of the methods investigated. A combination of raised source panels and a local upstream collocation point shift improves the dispersion for the four-point operator. In the present implementation both methods perform well for the Series 60 hull, C.BETA.=0.6, but for the Dyne tanker, C.BETA.=0.85, which may be of more practical interest the four-point operator gives the best results. Good agreement with measurements of the wave pattern and a possibility to include the interaction between the free-surface and the lift produced close to the surface is demonstrated. The three-dimensional numerical computations show that the non-linear convergence is improved when raised panels are used. First and higher order free-surface panels perform equally well in the present computations. Non-linear and linear computations are compared. Both the non-linear wave amplitude and the phase agree better with measurements than linear computations. This shows that it is important to satisfy the free-surface boundary conditions on the wavy free-surface. The improved geometry description of the hull due to the intersection with the wavy free-surface may also play an important role for the wave prediction. A method for automatic shape optimization of ship hulls is also developed. The wave resistance is computed from a linear potential-flow method and the viscous resistance is computed from a boundary layer and a Navier-Stokes method. The shape optimization worked well from a computational point of view but limitations in the ability to predict the resistance are identified for the computational methods.


An assumption is often made that treaty-making in the sphere of international environmental law is at the vanguard of more general developments in treaty law. Patricia Birnie, Alan Boyle and Catherine Redgwell for example, describe the development of international environmental law as 'one of the most remarkable exercises in international law making, comparable only to the law of human rights and international trade in the scale and form it has taken'. However, this assumption—though not without notable elements of accuracy, especially as regards progress by, and within, multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs)—risks caricaturing the supposed innovation and progression in the use of treaties to resolve many of the world's environmental problems. In particular, whereas key developments in matters such as amendment, breach, the relationship between treaty rules and institutional law have indeed been novel, much of what has been achieved so far is either a logical extension of developments in other fields of law or is much less innovative when considered alongside the challenges that remain. Moreover, the developments that have taken place—and by no means in all environmental treaties or in all subject-matters of environmental law—invariably occur within the conceptual boundaries of pacta sunt servanda and the underlying principles of the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (VCLT). Thus innovations which have undoubtedly occurred do not challenge the underlying features of treaties in general international law. Nevertheless, there remains a growing body of opinion which seeks to argue that the nature and extent of the environmental problems facing the international community demands a much more radical response, including moving towards a form of international legislation, namely binding rules which have not otherwise been expressly consented to ex ante. The issues of consent and treaty-making thus provide much of the central narrative of this chapter.


Young giant exoplanets are a unique laboratory for understanding cool, low-gravity atmospheres. A quintessential example is the massive extrasolar planet β Pic b, which is 9 AU from and embedded in the debris disk of the young nearby A6V star β Pictoris. We observed the system with first light of the Magellan Adaptive Optics (MagAO) system. In Paper I we presented the first CCD detection of this planet with MagAO+VisAO. Here we present four MagAO+Clio images of β Pic b at 3.1 μm, 3.3 μm, L′, and M ′ , ?> including the first observation in the fundamental CH4 band. To remove systematic errors from the spectral energy distribution (SED), we re-calibrate the literature photometry and combine it with our own data, for a total of 22 independent measurements at 16 passbands from 0.99 to 4.8 μm. Atmosphere models demonstrate the planet is cloudy but are degenerate in effective temperature and radius. The measured SED now covers >80% of the planet's energy, so we approach the bolometric luminosity empirically. We calculate the luminosity by extending the measured SED with a blackbody and integrating to find log(  bol ?> /  ⊙ ?> ) = − 3.78 ± 0.03 . ?> From our bolometric luminosity and an age of 23 ± 3 Myr, hot-start evolutionary tracks give a mass of 12.7 ± 0.3  Jup ?> , radius of 1.45 ± 0.02  Jup ?> , and Teff of 1708 ± 23 K (model-dependent errors not included). Our empirically determined luminosity is in agreement with values from atmospheric models (typically − 3.8 ?> dex), but brighter than values from the field-dwarf bolometric correction (typically − 3.9 ?> dex), illustrating the limitations in comparing young exoplanets to old brown dwarfs.


Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is a major horticultural insect pest in Australia which significantly limits domestic and international market access for Australian horticultural produce. Citrus is one of the industries seriously affected by the fruit fly problem in Australia. This research investigated the effect of citrus peel essential oil chemicals on B. tryoni larval survival in five different commercially important Citrus species and cultivars as a way of better understanding fruit susceptibility. The fruits used were Murcott Mandarin, Navel orange, Eureka lemon, Valencia orange and yellow grapefruit. The essential oils of each citrus type were extracted using hydrodistillation and then mixed, at different concentrations, with artificial larval diets to which B. tryoni eggs were added. Surviving larvae were counted after five trial days. The same process was repeated for six essential oil components. Regression analysis of increasing oil concentration against larval survival showed that the crude oil blends of Navel orange, Eureka lemon and yellow grapefruit had significant negative effects on B. tryoni larval survival, but no such effects were seen for Murcott Mandarin and Valencia orange. Of the individual essential oil fractions, only D-limonene had a significant effect on B. tryoni larval survival, with this chemical being highly toxic at very low concentrations. The results of this study open up opportunities for incorporating B. tryoni resistance mechanisms into citrus through minor peel property changes which would not impact on the eating attributes of the fruit.


We employ existing data sets and agent-based modeling to forecast changes in religiosity and existential security among a collective of individuals over time. Existential security reflects the extent of economic, socioeconomic and human development provided by society. Our model includes agents in social networks interacting with one another based on the education level of the agents, the religious practices of the agents, and each agent's existential security within their natural and social environments. The data used to inform the values and relationships among these variables is based on rigorous statistical analysis of the International Social Survey Programme Religion Module (ISSP) and the Human Development Report (HDR). We conduct an evaluation that demonstrates, for the countries and time periods studied, that our model provides a more accurate forecast of changes in existential security and religiosity than two alternative approaches. The improved accuracy is largely due to the inclusion of social networks with educational homophily which alters the way in which religiosity and existential security change in the model. These dynamics grow societies where two individuals with the same initial religious practices (or belief In God, or supernatural beliefs) evolve differently based on the educational backgrounds of the individuals with which they surround themselves. Finally, we discuss the limitations of our model and provide direction for future work.


1. Experiments were undertaken to determine the site of water uptake, and the conditions in which it occurs, in Ligia oceanica, Oniscus asellus, Porcellio scaber and Armadillidium vulgare .

2. Besides absorbing water with moist food, all four species were capable of active imbibition of water through both mouth and anus when a free water surface was available. In Ligia oceanica , imbibition occurred largely through the anus, in other species, through the mouth. Absorption through the anus was demonstrated by blocking the mouth by electro-cautery.

3. All species save L. oceanica could imbibe water through the mouth from a damp surface (plaster of Paris) sufficiently rapidly to counteract the effect of transpiration from the integument in air at c . 85 % R.H. No water was absorbed through the anus in these conditions.

4. The results help to resolve certain conflicting statements regarding the distribution of different species in the field. All species are for the most part 'wet living', but they differ as regards tolerance of suboptimal conditions.


Chronic Kidney disease (CKD) is a pressing public health burden occurring in about 10% of the population. The majority of them die before reaching End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) due to cardiovascular disease (CVD). Hypertension (HTN) and anaemia are two reversible factors for progression of CKD. Besides asymptomatic coronary artery disease, the electrolyte abnormalities such as hyperkalaemia and hypocalcaemia also subject these patients to sudden cardiac death. This study is aimed at to see the changes in electrocardiogram (ECG) in hospitalized predialytic CKD patients due to these abnormalities. Methods: This is a 6 months cross-sectional study carried out at Chittagong Medical College Hospital in Chittagong, Bangladesh. 50 patients with stages 3, 4 and 5 CKD were recruited from the Nephrology and Medicine wards. Patients with prior history of coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, valvular heart disease and dialysis were excluded. All had their standard 12–lead electrocardiogram (ECG) recorded and various findings were critically studied and interpreted independently by two consultant physicians including a cardiologist. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 19. Results: LVH (left ventricular hypertrophy) (66%), LAE (left atrial enlargement) (30%) and unrecognized myocardial infarction (28%) were very common ECG abnormalities in our predialytic CKD patients. HTN, anaemia, late presentation, and male gender appear to be associated with ECG abnormalities. Though 28 patients (56%) were hyperkalaemic only 9 patients (38%) of them had tall tented T wave in ECG. Conclusion: Detection of HTN and anaemia in male predialytic CKD patients will arouse suspicion which will help in early detection of cardiac outcome by ECG abnormality which will help in taking treatment strategy in resource limited country.


An emergency eye operation (for a torn and detached retina) forced my absence from the DATA research conference, so it was really interesting to receive all the papers in the conference book, which has been admirably edited by Eddie Norman. There is an abundance of riches here. The Editorial Board of the Journal has debated how the Journal should best respond to all these papers, and, specifically, how the Journal should seek to bring to a wider audience the excellence of those papers. This piece is an attempt at that process, and I propose to take a single theme and explore how a number of the papers tackled it. In the following text, I have quoted liberally from the presenters' texts, and the reader needs to understand my system for doing that for there are often three voices at work simultaneously throughout the piece with much potential for confusion. My voice is written in plain text. The presenters' voices are indented in italics and quoted directly from their various papers and, where the presenter is quoting a separate source, this is further indented and condensed. I hope, in this way, to give the reader a direct source back to the original paper, to which reference should be made in the event of confusion.


The National Plan for Assisting States, Federal Agencies, and Tribes in Managing White-Nose Syndrome in Bats (National WNS Plan), is a document prepared jointly by the U.S. Departments of the Interior, Agriculture, and Defense, along with the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. This document provides a strategic framework for the investigation and management of WNS, including key action items and the role(s) of agencies and entities involved in the continental effort. USFS has been a key partner in the development of this plan, and has been engaged in WNS management and science response since the beginning of the WNS outbreak in 2006. USFS R/D has been providing science products and partnership resources to help address the research, monitoring, management, and conservation needs.


From 1500 to 1825, Europe remained in an almost perpetual state of war. Religion, politics, economics, and dynastic ambition all played a role in the turmoil that spread across the continent. War-related printed images also proliferated during this time, serving a variety of functions--commemorative, propagandistic, iconic, narrative, eulogistic, critical, or instructional. This handsome volume is the first graphic print survey of the theme of war in the early modern period. Featuring work by such artists as Durer, Goya, and Gericault, the book presents varied images of soldiers; battles (including specific historical events); production, innovation, and instruction in arms and armor; and representations of abstract concepts related to war and peace. The text includes essays by eminent authorities that illuminate artistic and historical issues of the era.


A channel assignment scheme for multi-radio WMNs (Wireless Mesh Networks) to provide high-throughput paths especially for the highly loaded node with the best connectivity to the gateway(e.g. in terms of highest rate, lowest interference or both) is provided in this paper. We observed the flows on the links and data packets at each wireless access point in an existing wireless mesh backbone from logs files of traffic flows generated at gateway level. After observing, we estimate the traffic load for each network link using load estimation algorithm. We provide the links having maximum load to minimum interference channel i.e. non-interference channel based on IEEE 802.11. The performance evaluation shows that by using the proposed channel assignment, the network performance is improved.


Vegetation controls carbon and water fluxes because of the fundamental tradeoff between carbon dioxide uptake and water loss occurring when stomata are open. Quantifying the rates of this exchange typically requires either intensive gas exchange or destructive harvesting of tissues and mass spectrometry analyses. Recent developments in high-throughput methods have enhanced our capacity to empirically test plant–environmental interactions. The vast integration characterizing satellite remote sensing methods masks organ-level physiological mechanisms limiting the predictive capability of current process models. Hence, more ground truth studies are necessary to determine the amount of mechanistic information needed to improve our understanding of forest, crop, and land management. Imaging methodologies, such as thermal and chlorophyll a fluorescence, are currently used to collect information for relevant traits such as water use, growth, and stress response. We tested these techniques during progressive drought across species with different susceptibility in controlled greenhouse conditions. We chose two highly represented tree species in North America: the gymnosperm Pinus ponderosa and the angiosperm Populus tremuloides. To better explore the whole drought response parameter space, we also tested a crop (Brassica rapa) and desert shrub (Artemisia tridentata). Thermal and fluorescence images of the canopy were coupled with leaf-level measurements as we performed three tests to predict drought response using (1) leaf temperature, (2) chlorophyll a fluorescence, and (3) the combination of the two. At 5 days of drought, leaf temperature increased 7 and 10%, accounting for 63 and 73% of the variation in stomatal conductance for both tree species, respectively. The fluorescence signal from images decreased ∼12% and ∼83% in moderately and severely droughted leaves respectively, reaching zero at mortality. Leaf water status was then predicted using a Bayesian approach that incorporated measurements' uncertainty and parsimony in the analysis of the parameters. Changes in canopy temperature provided confident predictions for the reductions of daily evapotranspiration at the onset of drought. Empirically combining thermal and fluorescence measurements improved predictions (R2 = 0.81) of midday leaf water potential compared to univariate models. Our results represent an important step toward quantifying plant water status during drought using first principles that do not require species-specific information.


Abstract How does the general public understand media coverage of immigration issues? The present article analyses the media effects of an extensive news series focusing on the harassment of people believed to disrespect traditional Muslim norms. Through an explorative survey study, it traces how Norwegian media launched and covered what was labeled "the moral police" phenomenon, and to what extent the media framing of the issue had an agendasetting and/or frame-setting effect on the public. It finds that, although most respondents had become aware of the issue through the media, they did not necessarily adopt the media's framing of the phenomenon. The respondents did not primarily relate the "moral police" to immigration (the dominant media frame), they understood the new phenomenon through experiences from their own lives and framed it as a general social problem.


We study the self-assembly of a system of self-propelled, Lennard-Jones particles using Brownian dynamics simulations. We examine the state diagrams of the system for different rotational diffusion coefficients of the self-propelled motion of the particles. For fast rotational diffusion, the state diagram exhibits a strong similarity to that of the equilibrium Lennard-Jones fluid. As we decrease the rotational diffusion coefficient, the state diagram is slowly transformed. Specifically, the liquid-gas coexistence region is gradually replaced by a highly dynamic percolating network state. We find significant local alignment of the particles in the percolating network state despite the absence of aligning interactions, and propose a simple mechanism to justify the formation of this novel state.


The research backgraund is to get the graduation quality who to competitive in the world of buiness according effort to the vision and mission of Karo University, so that the management guaranted of lecture quality would be needed. The management guaranted of lecture qualiy felt to push, so that it needs the increase of study qualification and lecture competence. By that the target of this research on the management aspect based on the assumption that the function of university management is to design, to do and evaluate the factors especially to develop the lecture quality because the university development ha a strong relationship between lecture development.
The purpose of this research is to descript the process of the management guaranted of lecture quality t increase the gradution, that has a relation with the recruitment, the lecture presporious.And also to descrips the lecturer duty that has relation with the tridharma university duty wichh is education and teaching, research and dedication to the society.
The data collection did by technic of good observation, interview and documentation study. The test of real data did by triangulation technic that use the infformation sources, methods and all teoryres that exist.
From the reasearchwe have a condusion that the guaranted management of lecture quality in Karo University still formality push the intervension directly the university management to do the tridharma of university is the characteristic of management lecture quality development in Karo University. The high quantity of lecture, any way not balanced with the increase of the academic lecture qualification.