Our purpose was to characterize activity of the intercostal nerve branch innervating the triangularis sterni muscle and the motoneuronal activities comprising this nerve discharge. In decerebrate, vagotomized, paralyzed, and ventilated cats, phasic triangularis sterni neural activity was evident in normocapnia. In most cats, activity did not commence until midexpiration. Activity then rose progressively to terminate at end expiration. Peak neural activities increased in parallel with phrenic activity in hypercapnia and fell in hypocapnia. The progressive increase in triangularis sterni neural activity within each respiratory cycle resulted from recruitment of motoneuronal activities throughout expiration. Once recruited, many motoneurons had a decrementing or constant discharge frequency. In hypercapnia, motoneuronal discharge frequencies increased, and additional activities were recruited. The number of active motoneurons and their discharge frequencies fell in hypocapnia. A similar pattern of motoneuronal activities and responses to stimuli was observed in cats with intact vagi. Factors are considered that may underlie the recruitment pattern of triangularis sterni motoneuronal activities and the inhibition of these in early expiration.


The utility of using inertial data for the structure-from-motion (SfM) problem is addressed. We show how inertial data can be used for improved noise resistance, reduction of inherent ambiguities, and handling of mixed-domain sequences. We also show that the number of feature points needed for accurate and robust SfM estimation can be significantly reduced when inertial data are employed. Cramér-Rao lower bounds are computed to quantify the improvements in estimating motion parameters. A robust extended-Kalman-filter-based SfM algorithm using inertial data is then developed to fully exploit the inertial information. This algorithm has been tested by using synthetic and real image sequences, and the results show the efficacy of using inertial data for the SfM problem.


Remote sensing and automatic earth monitoring are key to solve global-scale challenges such as disaster prevention, land use monitoring, or tackling climate change. Although there exist vast amounts of remote sensing data, most of it remains unlabeled and thus inaccessible for supervised learning algorithms. Transfer learning approaches can reduce the data requirements of deep learning algorithms. However, most of these methods are pre-trained on ImageNet and their generalization to remote sensing imagery is not guaranteed due to the domain gap. In this work, we propose Seasonal Contrast (SeCo), an effective pipeline to leverage unlabeled data for in-domain pre-training of remote sensing representations. The SeCo pipeline is composed of two parts. First, a principled procedure to gather large-scale, unlabeled and uncurated remote sensing datasets containing images from multiple Earth locations at different timestamps. Second, a self-supervised algorithm that takes advantage of time and position invariance to learn transferable representations for remote sensing applications. We empirically show that models trained with SeCo achieve better performance than their ImageNet pre-trained counterparts and state-of-the-art self-supervised learning methods on multiple downstream tasks. The datasets and models in SeCo will be made public to facilitate transfer learning and enable rapid progress in remote sensing applications.1


Calibration is necessary for dual manipulator to complete operational tasks. This paper proposes an effective robot-robot and handeye calibration method based on virtual constraints. Firstly, a rotational error model and a translational error model are established based on the relationships between the transformation matrices of the dual manipulator calibration system. Then a poses-alignment method is designed to make the poses of the two robots satisfy the constructed virtual constraints. At the aligned positions, the joint angles of the two robots are saved and used to calculate the values of the variables in the error models. Finally, the robot-robot and hand-eye rotational errors are estimated by an iterative algorithm. These errors are then used to calculate translational errors based on the SVD (singular value decomposition) method. To show the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method, experiments of robot-robot and hand-eye calibration for dual manipulators are performed. The experiment results demonstrate that the accuracy of the dual manipulator system is improved greatly.


Despite the importance of promoting online (offline) customers to buy offline (online), little is known about how such targeted promotions actually influence the web, in-store, and total sales. We exploit two randomized field experiment datasets from a large department store with mobile promotions sent to its loyalty members. Experiment 1 finds that the treatment of targeting online customers with offline shopping promotions (online-to-offline) is effective in lifting in-store sales and total sales. Experiment 2, however, finds that targeting offline customers with online shopping promotions (offline-to-online) increases web sales but fails to boost total sales. This targeting can be even harmful and reduce consumer total spending. Our findings do not support the channel-shift mechanism, because the targeted promotions may not always lead to sales that is substituted between the online and offline purchasing channels. Rather, they support the product category-shift mechanism, where offline (but not online) channel facilitates the purchases of touch and feel tactile products and new category sales with more unplanned purchases and cross-buying. The results demonstrate the value of omnichannel promotions and highlight the conditions under which online and offline targeting is most valuable for firms to promote the other channel.


Inflammation is the natural body defense mechanism for the removal of injurious agents, necrosed cells and tissues from the body. This study was aimed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and platelet aggregation effects of three medicinal plants of Pakistan. Methanolic extract of garden pea inhibited arachidonic acid (AA)-induced platelet aggregation (IC50 = 35 microg/mL) and platelet activating factor (PAF)-induced platelet aggregation (IC50 = 38 microg/mL) in a dose dependent fashion. Methanolic extract of Desi chickpea inhibited arachidonic acid (AA) induced platelet aggregation (IC50 value = AA = 46 microg/mL) in dose dependent fashion while was found not active against PAF-induced platelet aggregation. Methanolic extract of Kabuli chickpea was found not active against both arachidonic acid (AA)-induced platelet aggregation and PAF-induced platelet aggregation. The best potential to inhibit in vitro COX-2 activity showed garden pea (Pisum sativum: the synthesis of PGE2 reduced by 92% in comparison with untreated control wells) followed by Desi chickpea (Cicer arietinum var; 87% inhibition) and Kabuli chickpea extracts (Cicer arietinum var: 65% inhibition). All extracts were tested at concentration 20 microg/mL. in COX-2 assay. The results indicate that if the same were happening in vito, Garden pea, Desi chickpea and Kabuli chickpea could be useful as natural antithrombotic anti-inflammatory materials.


We introduce the Gamma-Exponential Process (GEP), a prior over a large family of continuous time stochastic processes. A hierarchical version of this prior (HGEP; the Hierarchical GEP) yields a useful model for analyzing complex time series. Models based on HGEPs display many attractive properties: conjugacy, exchangeability and closed-form predictive distribution for the waiting times, and exact Gibbs updates for the time scale parameters. After establishing these properties, we show how posterior inference can be carried efficiently using Particle MCMC methods [1]. This yields a MCMC algorithm that can resample entire sequences atomically while avoiding the complications of introducing slice and stick auxiliary variables of the beam sampler [2]. We applied our model to the problem of estimating the disease progression in multiple sclerosis [3], and to RNA evolutionary modeling [4]. In both domains, we found that our model outperformed the standard rate matrix estimation approach.


Pesticide productivity is both important and difficult to measure. Typically, pesticide marginal products are estimated without information on the pest pressure. Three theoretical models are developed which suggest absence of such information may cause an underestimation of pesticide productivity. Using application frequency variables as a proxy for pest populations, we show that pesticide marginal products are higher when pest pressure is accounted for.


This paper exploits the endogenous default function framework of Das and Sundaram (2007) to develop an approach for modeling correlated default on binomial trees usually used for pricing equity options. We show how joint default contracts may be valued on these trees. The model accommodates different correlation assumptions and practical implementation considerations. Credit portfolio characteristics are examined within the model and found to be consistent with stylized empirics. Risk premia for default are computable and shown to be relatively higher for poor quality firms. Equity volatility is shown to impact correlated credit loss distributions substantially. Two kinds of default dependence are explored, one coming from default intensity correlations, and the other from further conditional dependence in defaults after accounting for intensity correlations (residual copula correlation). Both are found to impact credit loss distributions, though the absence of either makes these distributions less sensitive to correlation assumptions; on balance intensity correlations are more critical.


Mammalian innate and adaptive immune systems use the pattern recognition receptors, such as toll-like receptors, to detect conserved bacterial and viral components. Bacteria synthesize diverse D-amino acids while eukaryotes and archaea generally produce two D-amino acids, raising the possibility that many of bacterial D-amino acids are bacteria-specific metabolites. Although D-amino acids have not been identified to bind to any known pattern recognition receptors, D-amino acids are enantioselectively recognized by some other receptors and enzymes including a flavoenzyme D-amino acid oxidase (DAO) in mammals. At host–microbe interfaces in the neutrophils and intestinal mucosa, DAO catalyzes oxidation of bacterial D-amino acids, such as D-alanine, and generates H2O2, which is linked to antimicrobial activity. Intestinal DAO also modifies the composition of microbiota through modulation of growth for some bacteria that are dependent on host nutrition. Furthermore, regulation and recognition of D-amino acids in mammals have additional meanings at various host–microbe interfaces; D-phenylalanine and D-tryptophan regulate chemotaxis of neutrophils through a G-coupled protein receptor, D-serine has a bacteriostatic role in the urinary tract, D-phenylalanine and D-leucine inhibit innate immunity through the sweet taste receptor in the upper airway, and D-tryptophan modulates immune tolerance in the lower airway. This mini-review highlights recent evidence supporting the hypothesis that D-amino acids are utilized as inter-kingdom communication at host–microbe interface to modulate bacterial colonization and host defense.


Biomass burning impacts vegetation dynamics, biogeochemical cycling, atmospheric chemistry, and climate, with sometimes deleterious socio-economic impacts. Under future climate projections it is often expected that the risk of wildfires will increase. Our ability to predict the magnitude and geographic pattern of future fire impacts rests on our ability to model fire regimes, using either well-founded empirical relationships or process-based models with good predictive skill. While a large variety of models exist today, it is still unclear which type of model or degree of complexity is required to model fire adequately at regional to global scales. This is the central question underpinning the creation of the Fire Model Intercomparison Project (FireMIP), an international initiative to compare and evaluate existing global fire models against benchmark data sets for present-day and historical conditions. In this paper we review how fires have been represented in fire-enabled dynamic global vegetation models (DGVMs) and give an overview of the current state of the art in fire-regime modelling. We indicate which challenges still remain in global fire modelling and stress the need for a comprehensive model evaluation and outline what lessons may be learned from FireMIP.


A Guardian Best Book of the Year 2014 11pm, Tuesday 4 August 1914: with the declaration of war London becomes one of the greatest killing machines in human history. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers pass through the capital on their way to the front; wounded men are brought back to be treated in London's hospitals; and millions of shells are produced in its factories. The war changes London life for ever. Women escape the drudgery of domestic service to work as munitionettes. Full employment puts money into the pockets of the London poor for the first time. Self-appointed moral guardians seize the chance to clamp down on drink, frivolous entertainment and licentious behaviour. As the war drags on, gloom often descends on the capital. And at night London is plunged into darkness for fear of German bombers and Zeppelins that continue to raid the city. Yet despite daily casualty lists, food shortages and enemy bombing, Londoners are determined to get on with their lives and flock to cinemas and theatres, dance halls and shebeens, firmly resolved not to let Germans or puritans spoil their enjoyment. Peopled with patriots and pacifists, clergymen and thieves, bluestockings and prostitutes, Jerry White's magnificent panorama reveals a struggling yet flourishing city.


Ischemia is a stimulus for production of angiogenic cytokines that activate local vascular cells and mobilize angiogenic cells to the circulation. These responses are impaired in elderly patients with peripheral arterial disease. Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1 mediates adaptive responses to ischemia, including production of angiogenic cytokines. In this study, we demonstrate that aging and HIF-1 loss-of-function impair the expression of multiple angiogenic cytokines, mobilization of angiogenic cells, maintenance of tissue viability, and recovery of limb perfusion following femoral artery ligation. We show that HIF-1 directly activates transcription of the gene encoding stem cell factor and that mice lacking the cognate receptor C-KIT have impaired recovery from ischemia. Administration of AdCA5, an adenovirus encoding a constitutively active form of HIF-1 , improved the recovery of perfusion in older mice to levels similar to those in young mice. Injection of AdCA5 into nonischemic limb was sufficient to increase the number of circulating angiogenic cells. These results indicate that HIF-1 activity is necessary and sufficient for the mobilization of angiogenic cells and that HIF-1 gene therapy can counteract the pathological effects of aging in a mouse model of limb ischemia. (Circ Res. 2007;101:1310-1318.)


An important application of binary-level reverse engineering is in reconstructing the internal logic of computer malware. Most malware code is distributed in encrypted (or "packed") form, at runtime, an unpacker routine transforms this to the original executable form of the code, which is then executed. Most of the existing work on analysis of such programs focuses on detecting unpacking and extracting the unpacked code. However, this does not shed any light on the functionality of different portions of the code so obtained, and in particular does not distinguish between code that performs unpacking and code that does not, identifying such functionality can be helpful for reverse engineering the code. This paper describes a technique for identifying and extracting the unpacker code in a self-modifying program. Our algorithm uses offline analysis of a dynamic instruction trace both to identify the point(s) where unpacking occurs and to identify and extract the corresponding unpacker code.


We examine how the strategy field is defined in the literature and find that most conceptualizations focus on financial metrics as measures of performance and only provide guidance on the strategic management of a corporation's economic context. We then review the externalities and corporate social responsibility literatures and find that environmental and social performance is examined either in isolation or by assuming a strong form of independence from financial performance. Therefore, we identify a clear gap within the strategy field with regards to our understanding of the fundamental strategic problem in the age of sustainability. Importantly, we suggest and discuss an extended definition (i.e. a reconceptualization) of the strategy field, thus expanding its boundaries. We conclude by discussing implications for future research and practice.


This paper deals with the issue of shelf-space allocation and advertising decisions in marketing channels. We consider a network composed of a unique retailer offering the products of two competing manufacturers. The retailer controls the amount of shelf-space to allocate to both brands, while the manufacturers make advertising decisions in order to build their brand image (i.e. the goodwill stock). The demand for each brand is affected by its own goodwill level and the shelf-space allocated to the brand at retailer's store. The problem is formulated as a Stackelberg differential game played over an infinite horizon, with the manufacturers as leaders and the retailer as the follower. Stationary feedback equilibria are computed. Our main results indicate that the shelf-space allocated to each brand, manufacturers' advertising strategies at the equilibrium and channel members' value functions are affected by the goodwill levels of both products.


Examples and specifications occur frequently in text, but not much is known about how they function in discourse and how readers interpret them. Looking at how they're annotated in existing discourse corpora, we find that annotators often disagree on these types of relations; specifically, there is disagreement about whether these relations are elaborative (additive) or argumentative (pragmatic causal). To investigate how readers interpret examples and specifications, we conducted a crowdsourced discourse annotation study. The results show that these relations can indeed have two functions: they can be used to both illustrate / specify a situation and serve as an argument for a claim. These findings suggest that examples and specifications can have multiple simultaneous readings. We discuss the implications of these results for discourse annotation.


This article analyses the greenhouse gas (GHG) impact potential of improved management practices and technologies for smallholder agriculture promoted under a global food security development program. Under 'business-as-usual' development, global studies on the future of agriculture to 2050 project considerable increases in total food production and cultivated area. Conventional cropland intensification and conversion of natural vegetation typically result in increased GHG emissions and loss of carbon stocks. There is a strong need to understand the potential greenhouse gas impacts of agricultural development programs intended to achieve large-scale change, and to identify pathways of smallholder agricultural development that can achieve food security and agricultural production growth without drastic increases in GHG emissions. In an analysis of 134 crop and livestock production systems in 15 countries with reported impacts on 4.8 million ha, improved management practices and technologies by smallholder farmers significantly reduce GHG emission intensity of agricultural production, increase yields and reduce post-harvest losses, while either decreasing or only moderately increasing net GHG emissions per area. Investments in both production and post-harvest stages meaningfully reduced GHG emission intensity, contributing to low emission development. We present average impacts on net GHG emissions per hectare and GHG emission intensity, while not providing detailed statistics of GHG impacts at scale that are associated to additional uncertainties. While reported improvements in smallholder systems effectively reduce future GHG emissions compared to business-as-usual development, these contributions are insufficient to significantly reduce net GHG emission in agriculture beyond current levels, particularly if future agricultural production grows at projected rates.


The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential application of the biosurfactant from Candida lipolytica grown in low-cost substrates, which has previously been produced and characterized under optimized conditions as an adjunct material to enhance the remediation processes of hydrophobic pollutants and heavy metals generated by the oil industry and propose the formulation of a safe and stable remediation agent. In tests carried out with seawater, the crude biosurfactant demonstrated 80% oil spreading efficiency. The dispersion rate was 50% for the biosurfactant at a concentration twice that of the CMC. The biosurfactant removed 70% of motor oil from contaminated cotton cloth in detergency tests. The crude biosurfactant also removed 30–40% of Cu and Pb from standard sand, while the isolated biosurfactant removed ~30% of the heavy metals. The conductivity of solutions containing Cd and Pb was sharply reduced after biosurfactants' addition. A product was prepared through adding 0.2% potassium sorbate as preservative and tested over 120 days. The formulated biosurfactant was analyzed for emulsification and surface tension under different pH values, temperatures, and salt concentrations and tested for toxicity against the fish Poecilia vivipara. The results showed that the formulation had no toxicity and did not cause significant changes in the tensoactive capacity of the biomolecule while maintaining activity demonstrating suitability for potential future commercial product formulation.


Background The Canadian-accredited post-baccalaureate Doctor of Pharmacy program at Qatar University trains pharmacists to deliver advanced patient care. Emphasis on acquisition and development of the necessary knowledge, skills, and attitudes lies in the curriculum's extensive experiential component. A campus-based oral comprehensive examination (OCE) was devised to emulate a clinical viva voce and complement the extensive formative assessments conducted at experiential practice sites throughout the curriculum. We describe an evaluation of the final exit summative assessment for this graduate program. Methods OCE results since the inception of the graduate program (3 years ago) were retrieved and recorded into a blinded database. Examination scores among each paired faculty examiner team were analyzed for inter-rater reliability and linearity of agreement using intraclass correlation and Spearman's correlation coefficient measurements, respectively. Graduate student ranking from individual examiner OCE scores was compared with that of other relative ranked student performance. Results Sixty-one OCEs were administered to 30 graduate students over 3 years by a composite of eleven different pairs of faculty examiners. Intraclass correlation measures demonstrated that examiner team reliability was low and linearity of agreements was inconsistent. Only one examiner team in each respective academic year was found to have statistically significant inter-rater reliability, and linearity of agreements was inconsistent in all years. No association was found between examination performance rankings and other academic parameters. Conclusion Critical review of our final summative assessment implies it is lacking robustness and defensibility. Measures are in place to continue the quality improvement process and develop and implement an alternative means of evaluation within a more authentic context.


Online proctoring has become a necessity in online teaching. Video-based crowd-sourced online proctoring solutions are being used, where an exam-taking student's video is monitored by third parties, leading to privacy concerns. In this paper, we propose a privacy-preserving online proctoring system. The proposed image-hashing-based system can detect the student's excessive face and body movement (i.e., anomalies) that is resulted when the student tries to cheat in the exam. The detection can be done even if the student's face is blurred or masked in video frames. Experiment with an in-house dataset shows the usability of the proposed system.


Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the leading single gene cause of intellectual disability and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It is caused by epigenetic silencing of the fragile X mental retardation gene (FMR1), causing a loss of Fragile-X Mental Retardation Protein (FMRP). Over the last 2 decades, much has been learned about the pathophysiology related to the loss of FMRP from mouse models of FXS. The recent generation of a rat model of FXS opens the door to: validate phenotypes across mammalian species, address cognitive dysfunction using paradigms that are more difficult to address in mice and explore candidate therapeutics more accurately. This thesis explored the validity of a new rat model for FXS (Fmr1 KO rat). I showed that Fmr1 KO rats exhibit normal spatial navigation memory, social interactions and anxiety levels. On the contrary, when subjects were tested in a battery of spontaneous exploration tasks: object recognition (OR), object-context (OC), object-place (OP), and object-place-context (OPC) recognition, which assess associative memory, Fmr1 KO rats showed a severe deficit in remembering the most complex (episodic-like) associations. Following these results, I sought to explore the development of associative memory from postnatal day 25 (P25) to adulthood (P71). Subjects were tested in the four spontaneous exploration tasks, previously mentioned, 8 times between P25 and P71 to assess the development of their ability to discriminate novel from familiar associations between objects, contexts and places. Fmr1 KO rats' ability to discriminate novel from familiar object-place (spatial) and object-place-context (episodic-like) associations was significantly impaired (OP was delayed, and OPC ability did not develop). In the last part of this thesis I examined whether early therapeutic intervention with lovastatin can restore the cognitive deficits I observed. Subjects were fed either a diet containing lovastatin ("lovachow") or an identically looking control diet, between P29 and P64, and tested in the four spontaneous exploration tasks, previously mentioned. Fmr1 KO rats demonstrated a developmental profile of associative memory indistinguishable from that of WT animals. At P64, lovachow was replaced with standard laboratory chow and the animals were tested 1 and 3 months later. Surprisingly, lovastatin treated Fmr1 KO animals maintained the ability to perform the OPC task even at 3 months after the end of treatment, whereas Fmr1 KO animals on control chow showed no improvement with age. The findings of this work indicate that transgenic rats can complement existing mouse models of FXS, providing valuable insights into the effects of FMRP loss on cognitive function. Furthermore, the results from the treatment study show that not only can lovastatin treatment prevent the emergence of cognitive deficits associated with Fragile X Syndrome but also that lovastatin (and perhaps pharmaceutical interventions more generally) may prevent the developmental deficits in neuronal circuit formation which can be maintained into adulthood.


The effects of adding 1%, 2% and 3% plum extract on the quality characteristics of vacuum-packaged, irradiated RTE turkey breast rolls were determined. Turkey breast rolls were sliced, packaged and irradiated at 0 or 3 kGy using a Linear Accelerator. Lipid oxidation, volatile profiles, color, texture, proximate analysis and sensory characteristics of sliced turkey breast rolls were determined at 0 and 7 days of storage. Addition of plum extract had no detectable effect on the proximate analysis of turkey breast rolls. Plum extract increased a* and b*-values, and decreased L* value of turkey breast rolls due to the original color of plum extract. Addition of >2% plum extract to turkey breast rolls was effective in controlling lipid oxidation of irradiated meat and the production of aldehydes (hexanal, heptanal, octanal, and nonanal) in nonirradiated meat at Day 0. Texture of turkey breast rolls was not influenced, but juiciness was increased by plum extract. Therefore, addition of 3% or higher of plum extract is recommended to improve mouth-feel and antioxidant effect in irradiated turkey breast rolls. However, the color of turkey breast rolls with 3% plum extract was dark and might not be appealing to consumers. ,


Labour turnover continues to be a contentious issue in the hospitality industry. Employers see the process of staff leaving and being replaced as a natural and inevitable feature of the industry. Labour turnover represents direct cost to organizations. It affects organizational growth, profitability and customer satisfaction. Previous studies done on other parts of the world reveal this phenomenon as costly and subsequently create operational difficulties in the workplace. In Kenya, very little has been documented on labour turnover index rate and mobility rate within the hospitality and tourism industry. This paper is based on a study to be completed in April 2011. The main purpose of this study was therefore to determine labour turnover levels in three and five star-rated hotels in Nairobi city. Nairobi city has seven hotels which are classified as five star and nine hotels which are classified as three star hotels. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. Simple random sampling method was used to pick respondents for this study. The results indicated that, labour turnover higher (68%) in the three starrated hotels compared to 13% in the five star-rated hotels. The results further indicated that, training, experience; age, promotions and the star-rating of the hotels were key factors in determining labour turnover. Major recommendations of the study are that, hotels should initiate employee retention programmes as human capital is the most valuable asset in all organizations. Subsequently, the hotel management to review the employees' welfare conditions such as introducing flexible work hours to the employees in order to balance individual work and personal life among other incentives.


Abstract. Previous studies have shown that the mean latitude of the sub-tropical jet streams in both hemispheres have shifted toward the poles over the last few decades. This paper presents a study of the movement of both the subtropical and Polar fronts, the location of the respective jet streams, between 1979 and 2010 at mid-latitudes, using total ozone measurements to identify the sharp horizontal boundary that occurs at the position of the fronts. Previous studies have shown that the two fronts are the boundaries of three distinct regimes in the stratosphere, corresponding to the Hadley, Ferrel, and polar meridionally overturning circulation cells in the troposphere. Over the period of study the horizontal area of the Hadley cell has increased at latitudes between 20 and 60 degrees while the area of the Polar cell has decreased. A linear regression analysis was performed to identify the major factors associated with the movement of the subtropical jet streams. These were: (1) changes in the Tropical land plus ocean temperature, (2) direct radiative forcing from greenhouse gases in the troposphere, (3) changes in the temperature of the lower tropical stratosphere, (4) the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation, and (5) volcanic eruptions. The dominant mechanism was the direct radiative forcing from greenhouse gases. Between 1979 and 2010 the poleward movement of the subtropical jet streams was 3.7 ± 0.3 degrees in the Northern Hemisphere and 6.5 ± 0.2 degrees in the Southern Hemisphere. Previous studies have shown that weather systems tend to follow the jet streams. The observed poleward movement in both hemispheres over the past thirty years represents a significant change in the position of the sub-tropical jet streams, which should lead to significant latitudinal shifts in the global weather patterns and the hydrologic cycle.


Sixteen percent (5.2 million) of the UK population possess low levels of literacy. The Government and other non-profit organisations, due to funding reforms, are forced to reduce the provision of face-to-face advice, and therefore, are pushing advice services via telephone or internet. As a consequence, low literacy users are experiencing difficulties finding the information they need to solve their day to day problems online. This thesis evaluates how walk in clients of a local Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) who come to get social service information, obtain information online using the Adviceguide website. The thesis presents two challenges: (i) knowing the users in a way that can help consider design solutions that are probably not in a typical designer's standard repertoire of design patterns, and (ii) knowing what is the problem that needs to be addressed. It is not simply an issue of usability or the need for simpler language, but understanding that these low literacy users are very different from the high literacy users. These low literacy users need this information to solve their day-to-day problems and are likely to be less successful in doing so. By providing an information architecture that permits them of a reasoning space and context, while supporting less abstract skills by visualized information in an unconventional way. The above challenges leave us with these research questions to address: what is the basis of such a design, how can these designs be incorporated into existing non-traditional interface proof of concept and finally how can these designs be evaluated.


A key task in Bayesian statistics is sampling from distributions that are only specified up to a partition function (i.e., constant of proportionality). However, without any assumptions, sampling (even approximately) can be #P-hard, and few works have provided "beyond worst-case" guarantees for such settings.
For log-concave distributions, classical results going back to Bakry and \'Emery (1985) show that natural continuous-time Markov chains called Langevin diffusions mix in polynomial time. The most salient feature of log-concavity violated in practice is uni-modality: commonly, the distributions we wish to sample from are multi-modal. In the presence of multiple deep and well-separated modes, Langevin diffusion suffers from torpid mixing.
We address this problem by combining Langevin diffusion with simulated tempering. The result is a Markov chain that mixes more rapidly by transitioning between different temperatures of the distribution. We analyze this Markov chain for the canonical multi-modal distribution: a mixture of gaussians (of equal variance). The algorithm based on our Markov chain provably samples from distributions that are close to mixtures of gaussians, given access to the gradient of the log-pdf. For the analysis, we use a spectral decomposition theorem for graphs (Gharan and Trevisan, 2014) and a Markov chain decomposition technique (Madras and Randall, 2002).


Adopting an integrated approach, the contribution demonstrates that context can no longer be seen as an analytic prime. Rather than being looked upon as an external constraint on linguistic performance, it is analyzed as a product of language use, as interactionally constructed and as negotiated. The first part categorizes context as social context, sociocultural context, linguistic context and cognitive context, and the second part examines the dynamics of context captured through a relational conception based on the premises of indexicality and intentionality.


The inflammatory response is critical to healing outcome after cutaneous
injury. Our current understanding of the response to injury has been compiled
from targeted studies on components expected to play a role. It
was hypothesised that an unbiased approach to characterisation of soluble
mediators within the injured tissue might identify additional components,
thereby increasing our understanding of the cellular processes involved. The
aim of this research was to develop and characterise a model of injury with
the potential to identify novel mediators of the early response. Microdialysis
was chosen as both the sampling method and the means by which the
tissue was injured as probe insertion causes a single injury that can be
sampled continuously without further damaging the tissue. Early injury responses were initially characterised in terms of changes in
blood flow and known markers of the inflammatory response, using Laser
Doppler Imaging and a bead-based cytokine flow cytometric assay, respectively.
A shotgun proteomic analysis was then undertaken to characterise
of the protein content of the fluid obtained using microdialysis, dialysate.
The phosphorylation status of proteins was also characterised following the
implementation and optimisation of a recently reported method that uses
dendrimer conjugation chemistry to capture phosphopeptides. Blood flow and cytokine measurements in the dialysate confirmed the occurrence
of a reproducible inflammatory response to the microdialysis injury.
Proteomic analyses of dialysate suggests that it has a relatively simple
protein composition and is dominated by highly abundant components.
The identified proteins originate from both intra- and extracellular locations
and play a range of roles, including regulation of coagulation, cellular
ii
communication, and the immune response. Several are likely to undergo
post-translational phosphorylation and hence their phosphorylation status
was also investigated. Using the phosphopeptide capture method, potentially
novel phosphorylation sites were identified in two abundant proteins,
albumin and apolipoprotein L1 at positions S603 and S314, respectively. Collectively, the data obtained in this investigation increase our knowledge
of the proteins and processes involved in responses to injury, and suggest
that microdialysis may be of some use for studies in this area. Further,
analysis of protein phosphorylation in dialysate suggests that this is an
informative approach that could shed light on extracellular signalling events
that occur during the progression of the response to injury.


The DDMlite is a COMA shared-memory multiprocessor prototype built at SICS. Starting in June last year, less than two man years has been spent on architecture, hardware design, implementation and debugging to a running system. Using experience from previous projects, focusing on the research-relevant architectural issues while sacrificing some performance, and using state-of-the art tools, we have been able to build a functional multiprocessor prototype with a minimal effort. When fully equipped the DDMlite will have 24 processors and 192 MB COMA attraction memory. The custom node controller board consists of three Xilinx XC4013 and one AMD Mach435 FPGAs, SRAM memory and buffer circuits. The DDMlite is an implementation of the BB-COMA architecture previously presented in [1]. We present the detailed architecture of the DDMlite - in particular the node controller implementation, and explain the complexity/performance trade-offs that enabled us to reach our goals on time. Early results from experiments with the prototype will als be presented.


Eryptosis is the suicidal destruction-process of erythrocytes, much like apoptosis of nucleated cells, in the course of which the stressed red cell undergoes cell-shrinkage, vesiculation and externalization of membrane phosphatidylserine. Currently, there exist numerous methods to detect eryptosis, both morphometrically and biochemically. This study aimed to design a simple but sensitive, automated computerized approach to instantaneously detect eryptotic red cells and quantify their hallmark morphological characteristics. Red cells from 17 healthy volunteers were exposed to normal Ringer and hyperosmotic stress with sodium chloride, following which morphometric comparisons were conducted from their photomicrographs. The proposed method was found to significantly detect and differentiate normal and eryptotic red cells, based on variations in their structural markers. The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis for each of the markers showed a significant discriminatory accuracy with high sensitivity, specificity and area under the curve values. The software-based technique was then validated with RBCs in malaria. This model, quantifies eryptosis morphometrically in real-time, with minimal manual intervention, providing a new window to explore eryptosis triggered by different stressors and diseases and can find wide application in laboratories of hematology, blood banks and medical research.


The first subway line in New York City opened on October 27, 1904. To celebrate the centennial of this event, the Johns Hopkins University Press presents a new edition of Gene Sansone's acclaimed book, Evolution of New York City Subways. Produced under the auspices of New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority, this comprehensive account of the rapid transit system's design and engineering history offers an extensive array of photographs, engineering plans, and technical data for nearly every subway car in the New York City system from the days of steam and cable to the present. The product of years of meticulous research in various city archives, this book is organized by type of car, from the 1903-04 wood and steel Composite cars to the R142 cars put into service in 2000. For each car type, Sansone provides a brief narrative history of its design, construction, and service record, followed by detailed schematic drawings and accompanying tables that provide complete technical data, from the average cost per car and passenger capacity to seat and structure material, axle load, and car weight. Sansone also includes a helpful subway glossary from A Car (the end car in a multiple car coupled unit) to Zone (a section of the train to the conductor's left or right side). Subway and train enthusiasts, students of New York City history, and specialists in the history of technology will appreciate this updated and authoritative reference work about one of the twentieth century's greatest urban achievements.


The in-situ response of WC-Ni and WC-Co composites under compressive loading was measured using neutron diffraction techniques. These measurements give a clear indication of the elastic strain behavior of both the carbide and metal binder phases in directions both axial and transverse to the applied load. Residual stress measurements were also made on as-produced samples and on those samples which had been mechanically loaded. These measurements show a substantial relaxation in the initial thermal residual stresses of the cemented carbides with high binder content, most of which occurs by the end of the first load-unload cycle. This relaxation in residual stress is also found to be anisotropic, relaxing more in the direction transverse to the loading axis than in the direction parallel to the loading axis. Strain distribution was considered by observing the change in peak widths in the diffraction data. Taken as a whole, the data suggests a profound role for thermal residual stress and the point-to-point variation of residual stress in the response of cemented carbides to applied load. Localized yielding on the scale of the microstructure which acts to absorb energy is proposed as a mechanism for the superior toughness of these materials.


Values play a significant role in climate change debates. To date, however, the use of the term values has been narrowly focused on monetary worth, relative worth, or fair return on exchanges. This article argues that another, broader interpretation of values, one concentrating on intrinsically desirable principles or qualities is needed to understand and respond to climate change. How to respond to climate change impacts depends importantly on what the effects of climate change mean to those affected. Similarly, what is considered as effective and legitimate adaptation depends on what people perceive to be worth preserving and achieving. How to adapt to climate change therefore hinges on the values underlying people's perspectives on what the goals of adaptation should be. This article examines what a values‐based approach is, why it is needed, and what its benefits for understanding adaptation are. The implications for research and policy are discussed. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Few dispute that conditions in prisons need to be improved – that, for example, prisoners with mental-health problems need to have those problems addressed, and addressed effectively, while they are confined. But the more fundamental question is whether prisons can be, not just improved, but transformed. Transformation in this context means deep and sustained changes in the ethos of those who work and live in prisons. That ethos would reflect at least four precepts: (1) hope as an imperative; (2) the viability of renewal; (3) the catharsis that attends personal responsibility and accountability; and (4) the duty and call, extending to prisoners and correctional employees alike, to respect human dignity. This article rests on the proposition that such "culture busting" in prisons is possible and describes five key steps that need to be taken by each state and the federal government to effectuate the envisioned transformation in their prisons. Those steps include: (1) Establish a maximal limit on the per-capita imprisonment rate in the jurisdiction that is at least 50% lower than the current national rate and adopt mechanisms to responsibly implement and enforce the limit; (2) Adopt a comprehensive plan to bring transparency and accountability into the operations of the jurisdiction's prisons, in part through an independent public entity's monitoring of, and issuance of public reports on, conditions within those prisons; (3) Modify prison policies, practices, and programs to reflect and inculcate a restorative-justice ethos within the prisons; (4) Ensure that a trained and dedicated mentor is assigned to each prisoner at the outset of his or her incarceration; and (5) Implement procedures to accord prisoners a central role in the development of their individualized reentry plan, whose implementation would commence upon their incarceration.


The book is about all aspects of computing, communication, general sciences and educational research covered at the Second International Conference on Computer & Communication Technologies held during 24-26 July 2015 at Hyderabad. It hosted by CMR Technical Campus in association with Division V (Education & Research) CSI, India. After a rigorous review only quality papers are selected and included in this book. The entire book is divided into three volumes. Three volumes cover a variety of topics which include medical imaging, networks, data mining, intelligent computing, software design, image processing, mobile computing, digital signals and speech processing, video surveillance and processing, web mining, wireless sensor networks, circuit analysis, fuzzy systems, antenna and communication systems, biomedical signal processing and applications, cloud computing, embedded systems applications and cyber security and digital forensic. The readers of these volumes will be highly benefited from the technical contents of the topics.


This case study was conducted in three schools in Maine, United States. The goal of this qualitative research was two-fold: to describe the process used by a small educational consortium as it initiated formal online education, and to view this experience through the lens of students' preferred learning styles. The United States does not have a national curriculum. While the government of Maine offers some state-level support for schools, many educational issues and initiatives are controlled at the local level. Additionally, Maine is one of the most rural states in the country and the isolated nature of these schools adds to the dearth of curricular opportunities for students ages 14-18. Data was collected using the Felder & Solomon (1993) Learning Styles Questionnaire and semi-structured, bi-semester interviews with ten students. Open and axial coding was used to identify themes, which were subsequently triangulated with a document review and the two sets of interviews with the three adult coordinators. Findings fell within two groupings: data that substantiated prior research, and data that offer contradictory conclusions. Learning styles have an important place in online learning. However transactional distance, teacher response time, group work, and school filtering issues also emerged as critical. Conclusions carry implications for online educators, school administrators, and policy makers


This paper has been prepared for the purpose of eliciting factual information and well informed judgements concerning some specific questions related to the potential contribution of equipment and tillage innovations to increasing agricultural productivity in Kenya. The focus is on innovations capable of easing the seasonal bottlenecks which tend to reduce crop yields because of late planting and on equipment/tillage systems that will reduce run off and increase infiltrationof the limited rainfall that is received in semi-arid ("medium potential") areas. Because of the great range of choice and the difficulty of. identifying implements and tillage practices that offer particular promise under various soil, climatic, and economic conditions in Kenya, it is essential to draw upon the experience and expertise of selected individuals in Kenya and elsewhere in Africa and overseas organisations such as the National College of Agricultural Engineering and the Intermmediate T echnology Development Group in the U.K.


The popularity of mobile devices and the evolving nature of the services and information they can delivery make them increasingly desirable targets for misuse. The ability to provide effective authentication of the user becomes imperative if protection against misuse of personally and financially sensitive information is to be provided. Traditional measures, such as the PIN, although commensurate with current technology requirements, do not provide the level of security required for third generation mobile devices and beyond. Biometrics do however, when implemented intelligently, offer an alternative and more secure approach. This paper discusses the application of biometrics to a mobile device in a transparent and continuous fashion and the subsequent advantages and disadvantages that are in contention with various biometric techniques. For example, in order to facilitate the use of signature recognition transparently, the system must verify users based upon written words and not signatures. From the experiment conducted it was found that current signature recognition systems could indeed perform successful authentication on written words. Based upon 20 participants an average FAR and FRR of 0% and 1.2% respectively were experienced across 8 common words.


This thesis contains five studies that in different ways investigate poverty and the relation between poverty and exposure to crime. The basis of the thesis has been the question of how poverty is related to other welfare problems such as unemployment and health problems, focusing on exposure to crime and fear of crime. The thesis also has a comparative element. In one article, the conditions in Britain, Finland and Sweden are compared, and two articles compare conditions in Britain and Sweden. Poverty has been measured as relative deprivation. This is done by measuring consumption of socially perceived necessities, both goods and activities. For poverty to be at hand, not consuming some of the goods or not engaging in some of the activities must be a consequence of lack of economic resources, not of personal preference. The relation between poverty and exposure to crime has been understood from an interactionist perspective, where the possible interaction between and intersection of potential offender and potential victim constitute the determinant factor for the risk of being exposed to crime. In this perspective, the poor are more exposed because their situation of being poor places them in situations where the risks of being exposed are high. Fear of crime stems from different sources. The significance of earlier victimization, the characteristics of the geographical unit where one lives and vulnerability in the event of actual exposure have been investigated. It was found that poverty measured as relative deprivation is related to other welfare problems, primarily other economic problems, unemployment, health impairments, anxiety, sleeping problems and headaches. But it was also found that poverty is related to exposure to crime and fear of crime. Furthermore, poverty based on an income measure did not correlate especially well with other welfare problems. It was also found that the extent of poverty measured as relative deprivation is equal in Britain and Sweden, while it is more extensive in Finland. This result contradicts earlier studies based on income measurements of poverty, which show that poverty is about equally common in Sweden and Finland and more extensive in Britain. It was found that the reason why relative deprivation is more extensive in Finland is that the level of unemployment is higher there and that the unemployed are worse off in Finland than in Britain and Sweden. Regarding the relation between poverty and exposure to property crime, it was found that the poor are more exposed than are the non-poor with regard to the property crime that violates personal integrity most: property crime related to the residence. Exposure to crime was found to be more of a poverty problem in Sweden than in Britain. Because crime rates are about equal in Britain and Sweden, the result indicates that the risk of being exposed to crime in Britain is more equally distributed across the population. Furthermore, it was found that fear of crime in Sweden is related to poverty, while fear of crime in Britain is more related to vulnerability in general, particularly vulnerability on the labour market. One reason for this may be that fear of crime is more common in Britain than in Sweden. Fear of crime may be such a general problem in Britain that the poor cannot be differentiated from the non-poor.


Danish Radical Conservatism as Secular ReligionDanish Radical Conservatism in the interwar period found its most wellreasoned and sophisticated expression in the periodical Det nye Danmark [»New Denmark«], published from 1928 through 1937. The first three volumes make up the source material of this article. Those years witnessed the formation of a new ideological tendency that represented an alternative to pragmatic, mainstream Conservatism. Supporters of the latter accepted continuous modernization of society, even according to a liberal and social reformoriented pattern, so long as renewal was gradual and moderate. Responsible compromise, especially between economic interest groups, was a guiding principle for the Conservative People's Party, successor – by change of name in 1916 – to the party organization and parliamentary group formerly known as »the Right«. The new Radical Conservatives reacted against this approach by dissociating themselves from the class-based egoism which, according to their view, lay at the root of even conservative-liberal political reasoning. They desired a collective national and religious resurrection based on spiritual concord and the monarchy as the core institution which embodied the bonds between past and present Denmark. The nation was a sacred unity and thus the purpose and meaning of political activity. In the present article Radical Conservative ideas are discussed within the theoretical framework established by Emilio Gentile, Marcela Cristi and Robert Bellah. Here, secular religion is the common denominator while civil and political religion are main variants. Civil religion involves a set of values and symbols which support citizens' identification with and loyalty towards a liberal democracy. The underlying ideology is not necessarily socially neutral, yet neither is it repressive. This, by contrast, is an inherent feature of political religion. This phenomenon typically appears in authoritarian systems and is particularly linked with Fascism. The ideology is invasive vis-a-vis the individual: strongly normative and aiming at the creation of a »New Man«. Not nearly all Danish conservative intellectuals belonging to the New Denmark circle were all-out radicals. A few were 'Blood and Soil' romanticists, and others were seeing positive elements in Fascist ideology and politics. The majority, though, achieved important positions within the Conservative party, adapted a pragmatic stance in day-to-day politics and rejected the right wing radicalism of the later 1930s. Nonetheless, the attitude of the group falls within the category of secular religion, or is at least bordering on it. More than anywhere else this was evidenced by the issue of faith. Leading moderate figures, notably New Denmark editor Alfred Bindslev, a university trained theologian and Member of Parliament, held the opinion that the existential and moral doctrines of Christianity were of universal validity and possessed such authority that even the results and overall quality of a nationalconservative regime were to be measured by their yardstick. Some scholars have interpreted this as if religion,not the nation, were the stable core value in the minds of Radical Conservatives. The present article, however, argues that the gospel of Christianiy was reinterpreted and instrumentally adapted to fit in as a cogwheel – albeit a central one – in a secular-religious machinery. Even though the charismatic and popular leader of the Conservatives, John Christmas Moller, contemplated the Radical Conservatives in a way that signalled dissociation, if not outright contempt, their ideas remained influential during the 1930s, but after the war they evoked no response. Later on, the movement was presented in a rather ironic light even by its old stalwarts.


Development of formulations containing poorly water-soluble drugs (PWSDS) incorporated in lipid-based drug delivery systems (LBDDS) poses a great challenge to scientists (both, at academia and industry) across the globe. To date there are no standard in vitro protocols for formulation scientists which predict their performance in-vivo. This thesis addresses various key issues that are important in development of LBDDS. Chapter 1 sets the work in context by reviewing the published literature. Work carried out in Chapter 2: addressed the issue of "non-completion of lipolysis" as this has been attributed by many authors to be one factor that limits the use of in vitro digestion tests, and limits the degree of in vitro- in vivo correlation (IVIVC) that can be achieved. This study has investigated the effect of increasing calcium and bile salt (BS) concentration on the in vitro digestion of a long-chain triglyceride (soybean oil) in order to understand how these factors will affect the solubility of poorly water-soluble drugs delivered in lipid vehicles. The solubility of two model poorly-water soluble drugs (fenofibrate and Danazol ) in the aqueous phase digests obtained via digestion of a long-chain triglyceride, LCT (soybean oil), increased significantly in each of the conditions (fasting and fed), by comparison with respective controls, irrespective of the molar concentration of calcium employed in the media. Systems containing 40 mM calcium concentration (high levels of calcium used in the study) when compared to that containing 5 mM calcium, had a lower capacity for solubilization of either drug in aqueous phases after digestion, in both fed and fasting conditions. This was thought to be attributed to the formation of large amount of insoluble calcium soaps which were observed (as a precipitate) during our experiments. Formation of calcium soaps has been reported elsewhere (MacGregor et al., 1997, Hu et al., 2010, Zangenberg et al., 2001a). Soap formation may occur upon an interaction of calcium with the bile salt component of the solubilized species (Fatouros et al., 2009) when calcium is in excess. In conclusion, from our data, although high calcium concentration may prove beneficial with respect to bringing the lipolysis to completion, the addition of calcium ions should be conducted with caution because it interferes with the solubilisation of poorly water soluble drugs. Therefore, it can be anticpated that high concentrations of calcium in the system during in vitro lipolysis will result in a poor model for correlation in vivo. A second focus of this thesis is discussed in Chapter 3: describes an investigation of a series of closely related SEDDS viz. Type II and Type IIIA as defined by the Lipid Formulation Classification System (LFCS) (Pouton, 2006b, Pouton, 2000b), all of which contained fenofibrate as model drug. A variety of factors influencing the performance of these systems during in vitro dispersion and digestion tests were studied. The results were interpreted based on the level/extent of supersaturation attained during these in vitro processes to gain an insight into formulation performance and to establish guidelines for formulators. Emphasis was placed on the effects of lipid composition (long-chain vs. medium-chain) and the surfactant type (hydrophilic vs. lipophilic) on the solubilization properties of these formulations during dispersion and digestion. Despite generating diverse formulations by altering the nature of oils and blends of oils which made up the lipid component, the dispersion results showed that Type II formulations (containing Tween 85, a lipophilic surfactant) always supported drug in solubilized form (100%) for at least 4 days (in the absence of digestion), Type III formulations on the other hand were unable to maintain all of the drug in solubilized form on dispersion, though they maintained greater than 70% of drug in solubilized form for 4 days. Most of the loss of drug in the form of precipitate occurred after the initial 4 hours.. The degree of supersaturation generated during dispersion was estimated by determining the solubility of fenofibrate in dispersed formulations. Type III formulations were supersaturated and drug was maintained in this meta-stable state for up to 4 hours and after which drug was lost to some extent in the form of precipitate. Type II systems were not supersaturated. Considering the transit time of all the formulations in the intestine was expected to be 3-4 hours, clearly Type II and Type IIIA formulations, prior to digestion, met the primary performance requirement for drugs meant to be administered orally. After dynamic digestion studies, the ability of each of these formulations (Type II and Type IIIA) to maintain drug in a solubilized state was highly dependent on both, the lipid composition and the choice of surfactant. For example, medium-chain lipids exhibited very good solubilizing properties in the dispersed state, but resulted in a higher degree of supersaturation on digestion, leading to higher susceptibility to drug precipitation. Results from the digestion studies showed that replacing long-chain lipids with medium-chain lipids in Type II and IIIA LBDDS is likely to promote supersaturation on digestion. Utilization of long-chain instead of medium-chain triglycerides in LBDDS prevents the development of sudden and higher degrees of supersaturation and consequently reduces the risk of precipitation (Kossena et al., 2003a). The present digestion studies in Chapter 3: have indicated that this approach alone will not work for all drugs. For fenofibrate, various other strategies needs to be explored to prevent drug precipitation from formulations, such as lowering the drug load (Williams et al., 2012a), employing polymer-based precipitation inhibitors (Anby et al., 2012c), and/or by the careful selection of surfactants (Cuine et al., 2008a). Without careful consideration of drug loading and choice of surfactant in Type II/IIIA medium-chain lipid formulations, there is a high risk of precipitation of drug in the intestine. Critical to the utility of self-emulsifying drug delivery systems (SEDDS) in oral bioavailability enhancement is a capacity to both generate and maintain supersaturation following dispersion and digestion processes in the gastro-intestinal tract. Studies carried out in Chapter 4: investigated the effect of drug-type and drug loading on supersaturation in digested SEDDS consisting of long-chain lipids and a range of chemically diverse nonionic surfactants. Supersaturation is described in terms of the maximum supersaturation ratio (SRM) attained on initiation of digestion. Calculated from the maximum attainable concentration in the test (a function of drug loading) and the drug solubility in the colloidal phases formed by digestion of the SEDDS, SRM defines the maximum supersaturation pressure in the digestion experiment and proves to be a remarkable indicator of performance across a range of formulations. SEDDS containing danazol showed little evidence of precipitation on digestion, even at drug loads approaching saturation in the formulation. In contrast, fenofibrate extensively crystallized on digestion of the same SEDDS. The performance differential of danazol and fenofibrate-containing SEDDS however could be rationalized by the much higher SRM values generated by fenofibrate. And on further analysis of formulations containing various fenofibrate loads, a threshold SRM of ~2.6 was identified in 6 of the 7 SEDDS above which supersaturation could not be maintained. Near this threshold, performance became increasingly variable and most sensitive to surfactant-type, though overall, the SRM attained on digestion was most predictive of performance.


Agriculture is a special and problematic case not only in international trade regulation, but also in antitrust law. Special exemptions of the agricultural sector from the full application of competition rules can be found in most jurisdictions. This article discusses these exemptions as they exist in four jurisdictions - the USA, the EU, the UK and Israel - and compares between them and their rationales in each respective system. It shows how the exemption is a product of a country's political economy and ideology and of the role that agriculture has played in its history. The article refutes the claim that the Israeli exemption is simply an imitation of other jurisdictions by showing that none of the agricultural exemptions in these foreign jurisdictions is nearly as wide as that adopted and still maintained in Israel. Rather, this wide agricultural exemption is a result of mighty economic and political interests of the Labor Movement and its affiliated Kibbutz and Moshav agricultural cooperatives. Like in the EC, the exemption was also a part of a general agricultural policy that favored heavy involvement of the government in this sector and protection of farmers' interests, often at the expense of consumers. However, even after this policy has been changed and replaced by deregulation and free market policies, the agricultural lobby and other powerful commercial interests have managed to thwart government attempts to abolish or limit the exemption. It is also shown how this exemption may violate international trade agreements, such as GATT and bilateral FTAs. The article concludes with a discussion of the possible rationales for a special exemption for the agricultural sector and its desired confines and mechanics. Based on this normative analysis, the article proposes amendments to the existing exemptions in these four jurisdictions.


Food security is rarely prioritised in African cities, and food vendors are similarly ignored or stigmatised, despite providing a range of affordable, accessible meals. Furthermore, past research and urban policies usually overlook food hawkers selling inside informal settlements. Based on participatory research in Nairobi, this paper aims to address the invisibility of vendors in informal settlements and to inform more appropriate, inclusive urban food security strategies. Balloonmapping and other novel mapping techniques were combined with focus group discussions to explore vendors' practices, challenges, and opportunities for promoting food safety. Our detailed maps, vivid narratives, and community-led strategies may cook up a storm that can create safer foods and more secure livelihoods, with benefits extending across African informal settlements.


Generally, both fiscal and monetary policies seek at achieving relative macroeconomic stability. Based on countries' experience on the role of monetary policy in controlling economics instability, this study examines the efficacy of monetary policy in controlling inflation rate and exchange rate instability. The analysis performed is based on a rational expectation framework that incorporates the fiscal role of exchange rate. Using quarterly data spanning over 1980: 1 to 2000: 4, and applying time series test on the data used, the paper shows that the effort of monetary policy at influencing the finance of government fiscal deficit through the determination of the inflation-tax rate affects both the rate of inflation and the real exchange rate, thereby causing volatility in their rates. The paper reveals that inflation affects volatility of its own rate, as well as the rate of real exchange. The policy import of the paper is that monetary policy should be set in such a way that the objective it is to achieve is well defined.


We review the current state of automatic differentiation (AD) for array programming in machine learning (ML), including the different approaches such as operator overloading (OO) and source transformation (ST) used for AD, graph-based intermediate representations for programs, and source languages. Based on these insights, we introduce a new graph-based intermediate representation (IR) which specifically aims to efficiently support fully-general AD for array programming. Unlike existing dataflow programming representations in ML frameworks, our IR naturally supports function calls, higher-order functions and recursion, making ML models easier to implement. The ability to represent closures allows us to perform AD using ST without a tape, making the resulting derivative (adjoint) program amenable to ahead-of-time optimization using tools from functional language compilers, and enabling higher-order derivatives. Lastly, we introduce a proof of concept compiler toolchain called Myia which uses a subset of Python as a front end.


Pharmacology is a rapidly advancing science. The essence of rational pharmacotherapeutics is to maximize the efficacy of a pharmaceutical interventional product for a specific indication, with a simultaneous minimization of its adverse effects. With this primary objective in mind, research and development activities of pharmaceutical companies and other healthcare research organizations focus on the development and screening of new chemical entities (NCE). Once a definite pharmacological action of the NCE has been discovered, which is expected to be of satisfactory therapeutic value, the molecule is taken for a thorough pre-clinical animal testing in order to determine its feasibility for human clinical trials. Positive outcomes of the animal studies facilitate the submission of an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the requisite drug regulatory authority of that particular country. The molecule then undergoes Phase I-III Clinical Trials before it can get a marketing approval. Alternatively, an existing molecule can be modified as per the structure activity relationships to enhance its efficacy or safety. There are numerous examples of structural modifications yielding much better pharmacokinetic and or pharmacodynamic profiles. Introduction of new and better drugs ensure a continuous improvement in the management of patients with all types of ailments. A post marketing surveillance facilitates evidence based medicine, so also in the detection, assessment and analysis of adverse events which constitutes the discipline of Pharmacovigilance.


Current approaches to environmental protection and development on land, along rivers and coastal zones, and in marine environments are struggling to effectively promote sustainability. This is partly due to limited understanding of how ecosystems are linked, and partly due to fragmented governance and management arrangements in the continuum from source to sea that hinders cooperation and strategic overview across connected systems. Meanwhile, the key flows that link ecosystems are being altered by climate change and by an intensification of human activities, which are also expanding offshore where management regimes are typically weak or non-existent. This paper presents a conceptual framework to guide the design of future initiatives aimed at supporting green and blue growth in source-to-sea systems. It includes a taxonomy of key flows, elements to guide analysis and planning and a common framework for elaborating a theory of change. Assembling a governance baseline and engaging stakeholders are critical elements in the approach. The conceptual framework builds on recent experiences of pro-sustainability action in source-to-sea systems around the world, and the paper applies the theory of change framework to selected case studies in order to develop further insights.


ABSTRACT This catalogue provides the most complete and revised work of Cenozoic genera as of December 2019. It is the result of four exhausting years of collaborative work. The first radiolarian genus was described in 1834 by Meyen, so this revision covers 185 years of research on polycystine radiolarians. Additionally, it concludes a pharaonic research project on the taxonomy of all described genera of radiolarians that started fifteen years ago. The main objective was to provide radiolarian researchers with a modern and revised version of the Campbell's work accessible to everyone in an open access journal. This catalogue is organized as a series of plates displaying the images of the type species consisting of all available images of the name-bearing type for the generic names in the Cenozoic Era. This catalogue encompasses extensive information in a very limited space. There are a total of 1683 revised genera. All valid genera provided appear with a diagnosis and an additional support image which is included to ensure the identification of the genus. This catalogue is somewhat different from previous issues on this thematic series. For this reason, it is recommended that the reader refer to the "guide for the users" for a comprehensible reading of the catalogue and to understand the taxonomic acts adopted in this revision. At the end of the plates, the reader will find a set of synthetic figures that display the most important result of this revision project, a result of 409 valid genera. Since numerous taxa of Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg and Ernst Haeckel had no fixed holotype, 207 lectotypes and 7 paralectotype were chosen and designated here from the series of syntypes. 11 neotypes were also designated for taxa that did not have syntypes.


After the catastrophic disruption of the Chelyabinsk meteoroid, small fragments formed funnels in the snow layer covering the ground. We constrain the pre‐impact characteristics of the fragments by simulating their atmospheric descent with the atmospheric entry model. Fragments resulting from catastrophic breakup may lose about 90% of their initial mass due to ablation and reach the snow vertically with a free‐fall velocity in the range of 30–90 m s−1. The fall time of the fragments is much longer than their cooling time, and, as a consequence, fragments have the same temperature as the lower atmosphere, i.e., of about −20 °C. Then, we use the shock physics code iSALE to model the penetration of fragments into fluffy snow, the formation of a funnel and a zone of denser snow lining its walls. We examine the influence of several material parameters of snow and present our best‐fit model by comparing funnel depth and funnel wall characteristics with observations. In addition, we suggest a viscous flow approximation to estimate funnel depth dependence on the meteorite mass. We discuss temperature gradient metamorphism as a possible mechanism which allows to fill the funnels with denser snow and to form the observed "snow carrots." This natural experiment also helps us to calibrate the iSALE code for simulating impacts into highly porous matter in the solar system including tracks in the aerogel catchers of the Stardust mission and possible impact craters on the 67P/Churyumov‐Gerasimenko comet observed recently by the Rosetta mission.


Variance parameters in additive models are typically assigned independent priors that do not account for model structure. We present a new framework for prior selection based on a hierarchical decomposition of the total variance along a tree structure to the individual model components. For each split in the tree, an analyst may be ignorant or have a sound intuition on how to attribute variance to the branches. In the former case a Dirichlet prior is appropriate to use, while in the latter case a penalised complexity (PC) prior provides robust shrinkage. A bottom-up combination of the conditional priors results in a proper joint prior. We suggest default values for the hyperparameters and offer intuitive statements for eliciting the hyperparameters based on expert knowledge. The prior framework is applicable for R packages for Bayesian inference such as INLA and RStan.
Three simulation studies show that, in terms of the application-specific measures of interest, PC priors improve inference over Dirichlet priors when used to penalise different levels of complexity in splits. However, when expressing ignorance in a split, Dirichlet priors perform equally well and are preferred for their simplicity. We find that assigning current state-of-the-art default priors for each variance parameter individually is less transparent and does not perform better than using the proposed joint priors. We demonstrate practical use of the new framework by analysing spatial heterogeneity in neonatal mortality in Kenya in 2010-2014 based on complex survey data.


Shearing of alpacas is stressful and is undertaken by restraint in the standing position, cast on the floor or on a tilt table. The objectives of the study were to evaluate and compare the stress responses between different methods. The study consisted of two parts. In part one, 15 animals were restrained applying all three methods but without shearing. In part two, 45 animals in three groups of 15 were shorn using one of the three procedures. Body temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, salivary cortisol and faecal cortisol metabolites (FCM) were measured. Part 1: restraint in a standing position was less stressful than other procedures. Part 2: the classic clinical parameters changed significantly over time but without significant differences between the methods. The number of injuries did not differ. Saliva cortisol and FCM concentrations varied in wide ranges between animals. An increase in FCM concentrations occurred in all groups but saliva cortisol concentration increased only after shearing on the ground. The recommendations of the study are to shear calm alpacas in the standing position but animals showing severe defence reactions should be shorn either cast on the ground or on a table to decrease the risk of injuries.


The adoption of IAS 39 (Financial Instruments:  Recognition and Measurement) in the Philippines for fiscal year ended 2005 was felt most strongly by the banking sector.  As of December 31 of that year, Philippine banks reported aggregate financial assets and financial liabilities of P7.1 trillion that are subject to the provisions of IAS 39.  Using a sample that included the biggest universal banks in the country, this study finds that adoption of IAS 39 resulted in three main adjustments to the banks' financial condition and results of operations:  1) recognition of previously unrecognized assets and liabilities, (mainly derivative instruments); 2) re-measurement of existing assets and liabilities; and 3) reclassifications within asset accounts in the balance sheet.  The net financial impact of these adjustments was a decrease of almost P15 billion in the sampled banks' reported assets, an increase of P650 million in their liabilities, and a decrease in their capital or equity of P15.33 billion.  The decline in assets and capital arose principally from impairment losses recognized by the banks on their loans and receivables in compliance with IAS 39 measurement rules.


CSIR-Central Building Research Institute, Roorkee has been vested with the responsibility of generating, cultivating and promoting building science and technology in the service of the country. Since its inception in 1947, the Institute has been assisting the building construction and building material industries in finding timely, appropriate and economical solutions to the problems of building materials, health monitoring and rehabilitation of structures, disaster mitigation, fire safety, energy efficient rural and urban housing. The Institute is committed to serve the people through R&D in the development process and implementation of innovative housing programmes.


With rising ambient temperature and atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, there is an urgent need to monitor soil carbon stocks over large regions of the earth. Near-infrared diffuse reflectance sensing (NIRS) of soils, using satellite- or airplane-based instruments, is increasingly regarded as a potential method of choice for this purpose. Considerable research has been devoted to NIRS in the last few years, but this research has been generally restricted to sieved air-dried soils analyzed under laboratory conditions. For NIRS to be useful for the estimation of soil carbon stocks in the field, a technique must be developed to account, among other things, for the presence of moisture in the surface layer of soils. In this context, a first objective of the research described in this article was to determine whether, for three soils with contrasting characteristics, a simple constant proportionality factor relates NIR spectra obtained at different moisture contents, and whether there is relative constancy of this proportionality factor among soils, suggesting the possibility of a practical strategy to correct NIR spectra for soil moisture. A second objective of the research was to use ratio and derivative analysis to identify portions of NIR spectra that appear least affected by moisture content and on which a determination of other parameters such as organic matter content could be based. Because constant proportionality of the spectra at different moisture contents seems elusive, at best, the most significant result obtained is the identification of specific wavelength ranges in the NIR spectra, at 800 to 1400 nm, 1600 to 1700 nm, 2100 to 2200 nm, and 2300 to 2500 nm, where the first derivative of the spectra seems independent of the moisture content of the soil samples. This observation suggests that an operational method could be developed, focused on these wavelength intervals, to obtain moisture-independent estimates of a range of soil parameters under field conditions.


A new 'turn' to affect is seen by many as heralding a paradigm shift across the humanities and cultural theory - in the same kind of way as the earlier turn to language and discourse. Indeed, many earlier proponents of more discursive approaches to subjectivity are now embracing affect as the way out of its apparent social, linguistic and discourse determinism. Affect provides a conceptual language for addressing embodied subjectivity, allowing a move away from a focus solely on discourse and language. There is an opportunity here for critical psychology to engage constructively with colleagues in other disciplines - who, paradoxically, are sometimes taking up resources that critical psychologists have previously rejected.This special issue aims to provide the beginnings of a dialogue within and between mainstream and critical psychology, and with those working across the humanities who are interested in the complex relationships between affect, subjectivity and relationality - and in bringing the body back into theory.


High order Bragg scattering (M = 2 and M = 3) operations of the distributed feedback dye doped sol-gel silica lasers are achieved using the second harmonic output of a Nd:YAG laser as the pump. Laser linewidth of less than 0.06 nm and conversion efficiency of 0.7% for M = 3 and 11% for M = 2 are measured. Wavelength tuning of about 15 nm around the emission center has been realized by varying the intersection angle.


Objective—Lysosomal proteinases have been implicated in a number of pathologies associated with extracellular matrix breakdown. Therefore, we investigated the possibility that the lysosomal proteinase cathepsin S may be involved in atherosclerotic plaque destabilization. Methods and Results—Atherosclerotic plaques in the brachiocephalic arteries of fat-fed apolipoprotein E/cathepsin S double knockout mice had 73% fewer acute plaque ruptures (P=0.026) and were 46% smaller (P=0.025) than those in age-, strain-, and sex-matched apolipoprotein E single knockout controls. When the incidence of acute plaque rupture was normalized for plaque size, the reduction in the double knockouts was 72% (P=0.039). The number of buried fibrous layers, indicative of an unstable plaque phenotype, was reduced by 67% in the double knockouts (P=0.008). The cysteine proteinase inhibitor, egg white cystatin, was biotinylated and used as an active-site-directed probe for cathepsins. Biotinylated cystatin selectively detected cathepsin S in extracts of human carotid atherosclerotic plaque. Active cathepsin S was detectable in extracts of human atherosclerotic plaque but not in nondiseased carotid arteries. Active cathepsins were especially prominent in macrophages in the shoulder regions of plaques, areas considered to be vulnerable to rupture. Cathepsin S protein colocalized with regions of elastin degradation in human coronary plaques. Conclusion—These data provide direct evidence that an endogenous proteinase, cathepsin S, plays an important role in atherosclerotic plaque destabilization and rupture.


The possibilities inherent in the collection and use of video footage point to an important innovation for classroom research. Unfortunately, researchers often experience uncertainty about incorporating video into their methodological approach as it can present a potential minefield of operational, technical, and ethical issues that require consideration and negotiation. Nevertheless, with the increased emphasis on the use of digital technologies, the timing is right to engage in more in-depth discussions about the role of video data in education research. In contributing to this discussion, this article unpacks several issues connected to the use of video technology as a tool for data collection and analysis. This article focuses on addressing some of the barriers faced by education researchers such as making sampling decisions, maintaining research authenticity, and grappling with ethical issues that arise. In terms of the advantages for researchers, this article highlights the suitability of video technology for classroom-based research because it provides a permanent and detailed record, which can be analyzed from multiple perspectives. These issues are explained through the experiences of an education researcher, who used video as the main data source for documenting and examining the practices of two effective primary science teachers in Perth, Western Australia.


This paper reports on part of a larger effort towards development of a citizen science method to engage riders to document and assess problems and good solutions throughout the system. This model will empower riders, resulting in a greater understanding of the transportation system, and improve the feedback loop between rider and provider. It is important to know what types of multimedia data riders are comfortable and interested in using for reporting their observations. A 2x3 within-participants design was used to explore reporting modality for a full-scale simulated bus shelter scene. The examined factors included the modalities of the Notes (text, audio) and Media (none, photo, video). Data was collected on perceived ease of use, usefulness, social comfort, and overall preference. The results from two user groups, those without disabilities and those who use wheeled mobility devices, suggest that text with photo should be supported and that end users may not view video data as having additional value.


Distinct opioid receptor agonists have been proved to induce differential patterns of ERK activation, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we report that Ser363 in the δ-opioid receptor (δOR) determines the different abilities of the δOR agonists DPDPE and TIPP to activate ERK by G-protein- or β-arrestin-dependent pathways. Although both DPDPE and TIPP activated ERK1/2, they showed different temporal, spatial and desensitization patterns of ERK activation. We show that that DPDPE employed G protein as the primary mediator to activate the ERK cascade in an Src-dependent manner, whereas TIPP mainly adopted a β-arrestin1/2-mediated pathway. Moreover, we found that DPDPE gained the capacity to adopt the β-arrestin1/2-mediated pathway upon Ser363 mutation, accompanied by the same pattern of ERK activation as that induced by TIPP. Additionally, we found that TIPP- but not DPDPE-activated ERK could phosphorylate G-protein-coupled receptor kinase-2 and β-arrestin1. However, such functional differences of ERK disappeared with the mutation of Ser363. Therefore, the present study reveals a crucial role for Ser363 in agonist-specific regulation of ERK activation patterns and functions.


China has the largest solar energy production capacity in the world. But a new study by European and Chinese scientists shows that capacity is greatly hindered by air pollution (Nat. Energy 2019, DOI: 10.1038/s41560-019-0412-4). As of 2017, China has the capacity to produce 130 GW of solar photovoltaic electricity, and it plans to increase that to 400 GW by 2030. However, human-caused aerosol emissions and changes in cloud cover have reduced surface radiation levels by 10–15% between 1960 and 2015, the researchers found. If China introduced strict pollution controls for sulfur dioxide and black carbon and limited fossil-fuel consumption, it could return to 1960s solar radiation levels, which would increase solar electricity generation by 12–13%. That increase, applied to China's 2016 solar photovoltaic capacity, translates to an economic benefit worth $1.9 billion in increased solar production. China is already making progress toward reducing its air pollution, so the "findings should


The vertical road input is the most important load for durability
assessments of vehicles. We focus on stochastic modelling of the road profile
with the aim to find a simple but still useful model. The proposed nonstationary
Laplace model with ISO spectrum has only two parameters, and
can be efficiently estimated from a sequence of roughness indicators, such as
IRI or ISO roughness coefficient. Thus, a road profile can be stochastically
reconstructed from roughness indicators. Further, explicit approximations for
the fatigue damage due to Laplace roads are developed. The usefulness of the
proposed Laplace-ISO model is validated for eight measured road profiles.


'Doctus ' 1 is capable of deduction also called rule-based reasoning and of induction, which is the symbolic version of reasoning by cases 2. If connected to databases or data warehouses the inductive reasoning of Doctus is also used for data mining. To handle numerical domains Doctus uses statistical clustering algorithm. We define the problem in three steps: how to perform a clustering, which is neither rigid nor sensitive to noise, benefiting from the properties of the application domain, reducing the complexity as much as possible, and supplying the decision maker with useful information enabling the possibility of interaction? In this paper we present the conception of Automated Fuzzy-Clustering using triangular and trapezoidal Fuzzy-sets, which provides overlapping Fuzzy-set covering of the domain. I. FUZZY CLUSTERING FOR SYMBOLIC ES - WHY? We investigate the expert systems in supporting the business decision making process. Let's first examine the domain of the application, to map characteristics that are important to choose the appropriate tool for support. We are dealing with decision making of a leader and of a manager on the expert level of knowledge and higher, who are to considering much of soft information and hard data, and use heuristic processes to take the decisions. First there is a need to discover the properties of the heuristic processes in comparison to other processes: 1. At deterministic processes there is an expected value only with no dispersion. It is determined what output follows a particular input, it will happen in 100 % of repetitions. Small changes on the input will result in small changes on the output, which can be calculated precisely. Deterministic processes can be met e.g. in classical physics (mechanics of not microscopic, but also not astronomy sized bodies).


A core proposition of the resource-based view of the firm is that related diversification is more efficient than unrelated diversification. Nevertheless, the empirical evidence is usually described as mixed or unstable. We empirically examine three possible explanations for the nature of these findings. One is that they reflect measurement problems. Another is that they reflect a failure to take the resource-based view far enough in terms of recognizing firm heterogeneity. The third is that the resource-based view is misspecified: relatedness is not a significant determinant of efficiency. We use a detailed line-of-business sample to examine these three explanations. Our findings clearly indicate that the main problem is measurement, and we describe an approach to overcoming these problems. *Corresponding author


This paper explores the prospects for a guaranteed income for every child in the European Union and its potential effects on child poverty, taking as one starting point the ideas set out in Atkinson (2005). It examines the extent to which existing levels of financial support for children through national taxes and benefits fall short of a series of illustrative minimum levels of income corresponding to proportions of median income. It estimates the cost of bringing the amount of support up to these levels for all children as well as the corresponding impacts on income poverty among EU children. From this the cost in each country of providing basic incomes for children is estimated such that potential EU child poverty reduction targets are met. This cost could be met at national level or, alternatively, at EU level and we investigate the effect of financing the guaranteed child income using a European flat tax (Atkinson, 1995). The analysis uses EUROMOD, the European tax-benefit microsimulation model and illustrates the implications of the choices that must be made when designing such a scheme for the extent of redistribution between countries and towards children.


This paper presents a simple conceptual framework specifically tailored to measure individual perceptions of wage inequality. Using internationally comparable survey data, the empirical part of the paper documents that there is huge variation in inequality perceptions both across and within countries as well as survey-years. Focusing on the association between aggregate-level inequality measures and individuals' subjective perception of wage inequality, it turns out that there is both a high correlation between the two measures as well as a considerable amount of misperception of the prevailing level of inequality. The final part of the analysis shows that subjective inequality perceptions appear to be more important, in a statistical sense, in explaining variation in individual-level attitudes towards social inequality than objective measures of inequality. This underlines the conceptual and practical importance of distinguishing between subjective perceptions of inequality and the true level of inequality.