In March and October of 2000, under the DIPAL II Project (Proyecto para el Desarrollo Integral de la Pesca Artesanal en la Region Autonoma del Atlantico Sur, Nicaragua), two hydrographic surveys were carried out in the Bay of Bluefields to study their hydrography during the dry and rainy seasons. Water temperature, salinity and turbidity were determined both at the surface and the bottom of the bay. The results obtained are consistent with previous studies carried out in this area. In March, water temperature and salinity were lower and higher, respectively, than in October. Water turbidity increased with increased fresh water input as a result of a greater movement of suspended sediments and organic matter intro the water body. Saline wedges were observed in deep strata during the two months of sampling in the adjacent areas to the bars of The Bluff and Hone Sound. In the first case the wedge extended to the northwest up to the area of Bluefields, while in the second case it extended to the west reaching the western coast of the bay. The vertical gradient of salinity was stronger in October, when the superficial flow of fresh water in the whole bay was more intense. A circulation pattern related to the salinity field was recognized: fresh water introduced by the Cano Negro and Escondido rivers moves along the western coast of the bay, while sea water enters the bay towards the northwest, throughout the whole water column, at the bars of The Bluff and Hone Sound. Fresh water introduced by the River Torsuani moves along the eastern coast towards the open sea at the southern end of the bay.


Neuroblastoma is the most frequently diagnosed extracranial solid tumour in childhood. While a subset of tumours show spontaneous regression or complete remission following conventional treatment, a substantial number remain resistant to intensive multimodal therapies. Survival rates approaching 40% place high-risk neuroblastoma as one of the greatest challenges in paediatric oncology. This contemporary review provides an update on the diagnosis, risk stratification and management for this enigmatic tumour.

Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid tumour in childhood and the most frequently diagnosed neoplasm during infancy.1 This malignant tumour consists of undifferentiated and/or differentiating cells originating from neural crest-derived sympathoadrenal precursors. Neuroblastoma is often described as "enigmatic" and "unpredictable" because of the broad spectrum of clinical behaviour ranging from life-threatening progression despite intensive treatment to complete spontaneous regression. Although outcome for certain subsets of patients has improved over the past few decades, children with high-risk disease continue to have less than 40% long-term survival.2 New therapeutic options are being sought through advances in basic science and translational clinical research.

Neuroblastoma accounts for more than 7% of malignancies in patients younger than 15 years and around 15% of all paediatric oncology deaths.3 The incidence of neuroblastoma in predominantly Caucasian populations is 9–12 per million children.4 A family history of neuroblastoma has been reported in 1% to 2% of patients5 and follows an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance. Supporting the Knudson two-mutation hypothesis, the median age at diagnosis for familial neuroblastoma cases is 9 months compared to 18 months in sporadic cases.3 Associations with Hirschsprung disease and congenital central hypoventilation syndrome6 with a shared PHOX2b mutation proposed to explain this link7 have been reported, as has neurofibromatosis type 1.8 At present, genetic predisposition to neuroblastoma appears to be heterogeneous and hence tumourigenesis is postulated …


About a year ago I heard a paper presented by Gary Day at the University of York on the fate of theory in higher education. He looked at the ways in which university departments had been brought within the auspices of a culture of inspection. In a world where higher education commands a fee and is thus becoming more and more commodified, there must be some means of assuring the quality of the product on offer, as there are for other kinds of product on the market ranging from telecommunications to food safety. In particular, he references Catherine Belsey's Critical Practice (1980) and Peter Barry's Beginning Theory (1995) as landmark moments in a drive to render the skills gleaned from English courses more quantifiable.
If a Higher Education course is a commodity in which students are investing time and money, they need to feel certain that by the end of the course they will have received the skills in which they have invested, otherwise they will select another course from the market. These guidebooks to literary and cultural theory are thus an important means of providing the students with the skills they require. They minimize the students' personal response to texts, providing instead a checklist of what various authors and critics 'do.' It is a scenario in which the reader is rendered entirely passive, as if he or she simply absorbs from the manual a basic sense of how they should approach a text if they want to give it a post-colonial, gay, or Marxist reading.
To do this is to measure English and the human sciences against the material progress of science and technology – criteria by which they will always be judged wanting since the study of English per se does not achieve material results. Instead, the trend is to generate a set of students who will at least read and think in certain routine ways, which in this case means not thinking for themselves at all, merely consuming and absorbing passively the skills which their theoretical manuals provide. The use of guidebooks in higher education in many ways thus forestalls the possibility for really creative individual work and expression, generating instead a gradually homogenised discipline, English Literature.
The production of a passive reader and routine patterns of response informs my idea of guidebooks more generally. It is in the nature of guidebooks to present stable meanings and self-contained units of information. At the same time, the construction of a guidebook means that it is not amenable to interrogation. To depend on a guidebook is not to know what questions we would need to ask in order to disavow the contents of that book. The user of the guide – whether reader or traveller – is thus in many ways a passive figure. In this paper I look both at travel guides and fictional representations of the Guide and suggest that the line dividing them might not be as clear as it seems.


A metric graph is a 1-dimensional stratified metric space consisting of vertices and edges or loops glued together. Metric graphs can be naturally used to represent and model data that take the form of noisy filamentary structures, such as street maps, neurons, networks of rivers and galaxies. We consider the statistical problem of reconstructing the topology of a metric graph embedded in R^D from a random sample. We derive lower and upper bounds on the minimax risk for the noiseless case and tubular noise case. The upper bound is based on the reconstruction algorithm given in Aanjaneya et al. (2012).


This study presents the results of an archival analysis which highlights that gamification is an emerging research trend. The archival analysis (conducted for the period 2008-2015) of the gamification literature published in top tier research outlets resulted in the retrieval of 99 articles, of which only 35 were relevant. This study identifies (i) the common themes, (ii) the context explored, and (iii) the gamification element examined. We observe that most research was conducted in the education context. There have only been a few studies conducted in the organizational context. The periodic analysis of publications indicates a growing interest in this research domain. Therefore the results from this archival analysis highlights that research on gamification is at its infancy. Thus the need and opportunity to investigate this phenomenon is of profound importance.


Leishmaniasis is a disease of significant public health importance, which burdens a number of countries around the world, particularly in the tropics and subtropics. An outbreak of suspected cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) has been witnessed in the Ho district of the Volta region in the south-eastern part of Ghana since 1999, where chronic ulcers typical of CL are being diagnosed. In this part of Ghana leishmaniasis has remained endemic to date. To add to the improvement of the level of understanding of the diseases in Ghana; the identity of the parasite, vector incrimination, non-invasive and field friendly diagnosis, and compound susceptibility tests were investigated. Patients presenting with cutaneous lesions suggestive of CL were selected where skin aspirates were collected from the sites of active lesion(s). Portions of the aspirates were cultured in M199 medium and DNA extracted from the promastigotes generated, while portions of the aspirates were inoculated onto FTA cards. PCR and PCR-RFLP were directly performed on the isolated DNA and the FTA cards. The pattern of bands produced from the patient samples were a complete deviation from DNAs of all the positive controls of Leishmania species. The sequenced PCR products and the further phylogenetic analysis revealed close relatedness to Leishmania enriettii species. The Leishmania species (GH5) responsible for the CL cases in that part of Ghana were successfully isolated into culture for the first time and proved to be distinct from the known species but closely related to non-pathogenic Leishmania enriettii. The transmission and the scanning electron micrograph evidence of the parasite confirmed their Leishmania identity. A peroxidoxin-based simple field friendly antigen detection test device was found diagnostically sensitive to Ghana species (GH5) and the other species of Leishmania used as controls in the diagnostic investigation. In the compound susceptibility test, the species isolated from Ghana (GH5) was found to be relatively resistant to cryptolepine, at concentrations to which the control species Leishmania mexicana was susceptible.


Only dependent variable is considered as random variables in commonly-used linear regression methods, so the regression results will be changed according with the coordinates selection. Enlightened by the method of principal component analysis (PCA), a new unary linear regression which is irrelevant to coordinates is proposed, which is the PCA based method. Compared with conventional least squares method, the new method possesses the advantages of lower deviation error and higher regression accuracy, which is verified by simulation cases and living examples. The simulation case and living example verified new method less system deviation and better regression accuracy than conventional. PCA is numerical solution, the advantage of low calculation amount makes it own a broad application prospect.


Primary carcinomas and metastases are complex organ-like structures composed of malignant parenchymal epithelial tissues and a desmoplastic stroma formed by accumulation of hematopoietic cells, mesenchymal stromal cells and extracellular matrix. The crosstalk between malignant epithelial cells and tumor stroma is becoming increasingly appreciated as a key determinant in tumor development, progression and metastasis, as well as inducing resistance to various cancer treatments including chemotherapy, radiotherapy and immunotherapy. Mechanistic understanding of how the tumor-stromal interaction contributes to tumor progression and therapeutic resistance will advance cancer therapies and improve clinical management, especially for patients with metastatic disease. Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is a membrane surface protease found overexpressed in cancer-associated stromal cells. Overexpression of FAP is associated with tumor progression, metastasis and recurrence, and predicts a poorer prognosis in many types of human tumors. The central goal of my thesis project is to investigate whether FAP protease and/or FAP proteaseexpressing stromal cells play essential roles in tumor progression and metastasis. In collaboration with Drs. Steven Albelda and Carl June's groups, we generated chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells redirected against FAP+ stromal cells to study their impact on tumor progression. Conditional depletion of FAP+ stromal cells by FAP-CAR T cells restrains tumor progression without causing severe toxicity. Mechanistic investigations revealed that FAP+ stromal cells promote tumor growth via immune suppression and immuneindependent remodeling of the stromal microenvironment. Additionally, using FAP-deficient mice, I found that FAP protease promotes early malignant cell seeding and pulmonary metastatic outgrowth, possibly through regulating coagulation pathways and the inflammatory response, respectively. Finally, I observed that FAP protease promotes pancreatic cancer development, as its deletion delays the progression of preneoplastic lesions and tumor formation in a genetically engineered mouse model of pancreatic ductal carcinoma. FAP protease is also essential for inducing pancreatic cancer resistance to necrotic cell death and promoting metastasis and outgrowth in multiple target organs. Together, these findings demonstrate that molecular and cellular targeting of FAP represents a promising therapeutic approach for a variety of solid tumors. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Cell & Molecular Biology First Advisor Ellen Pure This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/1862


Spoken language is one of the most efficient ways to instruct robots about performing domestic tasks. However, the state of the environment has to be considered to plan and execute the actions successfully. We propose a system which can learn to recognise the user's intention and map it to a goal for a reinforcement learning (RL) system. This system is then used to generate a sequence of actions toward this goal considering the state of the environment. The novelty is the use of symbolic representations for both input and output of a neural Deep Q-network which enables it to be used in a hybrid system. To show the effectiveness of our approach, the Tell Me Dave corpus is used to train the intention detection model and in a second step to train the RL module towards the detected objective, represented by a set of state predicates. We show that the system can successfully recognise command sequences from this corpus as well as train the deep-RL network with symbolic input. We further show that the performance can be significantly increased by exploiting the symbolic representation to generate intermediate rewards.


Microfluidic devices can perform multiple laboratory functions on a single, compact, and fully integrated chip. However, fabrication of microfluidic devices is difficult, and current methods, such as glass-etching or soft-lithography in PDMS, are either expensive or yield devices with poor chemical robustness. We introduce a simple method that combines the simple fabrication of PDMS with superior robustness and control of glass. We coat PDMS channels with a functionalized glass layer. The glass coating greatly increases the chemical robustness of the PDMS devices. As a demonstration, we produce emulsions in coated channels using organic solvents. The glass coating also enables surface properties to be spatially controlled. As a demonstration of this control, we spatially pattern the wettability of coated PDMS channels and use the devices to produce double emulsions with fluorocarbon oil.


The long-term stability of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) mixed with the hole-transport polymer Poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) has been examined. These surfactant stabilized solutions, used as transport layers in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), are shown to be stable for periods of up to 15 months and show no signs of degrading soon after this time. In comparison, nonstabilized aqueous MWCNT solutions have been shown to aggregate within 30 min of production, and, although these aggregates can be redispersed, the solution displays an increase in smaller aggregates over time which cannot subsequently be redispersed by manual agitation. The stable MWCNT/PEDOT:PSS solutions have been used in ink-jet printing and as composite MWCNT/PEDOT:PSS films suitable as charge transport layers in spin-coated OLEDs.


This report is about a 37-year-old lady referred to ANC at 19-week gestation with a hernia on the right side of her Pfannenstiel incision following two previous Caesarean sections. In previous pregnancies the hernia had been noted but caused no problems. During this pregnancy the protrusion from the hernia increased in size therefore assessing fetal growth became very difficult. Serial scans were carried out to confirm satisfactory fetal growth. From 28 weeks the hernia seemed to contain most of the pregnancy. An elective CS and tubal ligation was planned at 37-week gestation. A large protruding hernia meant numerous admissions with abdominal pain. Surgeons were involved to rule out bowel herniation. However due to this and the development of obstetric cholestasis, the elective section was carried out through a midline incision at 36 weeks. The section revealed a large portion of the uterus protruding through a hole in the rectus sheath on the right side. The hernia was repaired immediately following the section by a general surgeon with a near and far interrupted sheath suture. Mum and baby were discharged on the seventh postoperative day, with continued physiotherapy, surgical and obstetric input. Herniation of a gravid uterus through an anterior abdominal wall is very rare. The risk to both maternal and fetal health is high. Complications documented in literature include preterm labour, intrauterine growth restriction, uterine rupture, spontaneous abortion, strangulation and abdominal wall ulceration. A successful outcome is resolved by good antenatal care, planning and joint care with surgeons.


It is widely agreed that reducing poverty in Africa south of the Sahara (SSA) depends largely on stimulating growth in agriculture. To this end, heads of state in Africa rallied to form the pan-African Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) with the goal of raising investments and improving strategy implementation. However, while implementing an agricultural agenda under the CAADP framework, more and more countries have realized that increasing public investment in agriculture alone is not enough. Policy can play an important role not only to make public investment more efficient, but also is crucial for incentivizing private sector and farmer investment in agriculture. Against this backdrop this paper takes stock of current agricultural policies in SSA with a view to identifying policies that are working as well as areas for improvement. The paper examines policies to encourage the adoption of agricultural inputs, initiate greater private-sector investment in agriculture and agro-industries, and manage price volatility while encouraging openness. The paper further reviews successful land tenure policies and property rights systems, reviews the evidence on the synergies between agriculture and nutrition, and examines how CAADP is laying the institutional architecture for improved policy formulation in Africa. In general, the paper finds that although substantial progress has been made, there is considerable scope for improvement. This is not surprising given the relatively primitive and deeply rooted nature of smallholder farming in Africa. Evidence synthesized in the paper supports the view that most policies cannot be implemented in isolation. Rather, policies tend to be most effective when implemented along with complementary policies and public investments.


How much does a dramatic increase in technology improve healthcare quality in an upper-middle income country? Using rich vital statistics data on infant and maternal health outcomes, this study evaluates the effect of introducing technologically advanced perinatal hospitals in 24 regions of Russia on infant mortality during the period 2009-2013. A 7-year aggregate panel dataset reveals that opening a perinatal center corresponds to infant mortality reduction by 3.8% from the baseline rate, neonatal (0-28 day) mortality by 7% and early neonatal (0-6 day) mortality by 7.3%. We find that the perinatal centers help to save 263 additional infant lives annually, ranging from 3 to 25 lives in regions with different birth rates. We further estimate an annual average cost of 52 mln rb (or 2.6 m 2014 PPP USD) per life saved in an average region, which is much higher than the cost of similar interventions in the US.


Trophic accumulation of mercury (Hg) in aquatic ecosystems is of global concern due to health effects associated with eating fish with elevated Hg levels. The methylated form of Hg bioaccumulates so it is important to understand how inorganic Hg is transformed to methylmercury in the environment. Here, a new site for Hg methylation, the periphyton communities that are prevalent in the Florida Everglades, is described. It is hypothesized that periphyton communities that support an active microbial sulfur cycle support Hg methylation. This new methylation site has implications for trophic transfer of methylmercury since periphyton can be the base of the food web in aquatic ecosystems.


We surveyed 7 species of predatory birds weekly during a 12-month period (December 1992 through November 1993) in the east Mojave Desert, California. The Common Raven ( Corvus corax ) was the most frequently observed species with an average of 6.9 sightings per 100 km. Turkey Vultures ( Cathartes aura ), Red-tailed Hawks ( Buteo jamaicensis ), Loggerhead Shrikes ( Lanius ludovicianus ), American Kestrels ( Falco sparverius ), Golden Eagles ( Aquila chrysaetos ), and Prairie Falcons ( Falco mexicanus ) were seen in decreasing order of frequency of observation through the study period. Ravens, Red-tailed Hawks, Loggerhead Shrikes, American Kestrels, and Prairie Falcons were seen throughout the year. Turkey Vultures were not present during winter months, while Golden Eagles were seen only during November and December. Turkey Vultures, Red-tailed Hawks, and ravens were most numerous on agricultural lands, while Loggerhead Shrikes were most common at urban areas. Raven numbers increased with increasing number of linear rights-of-way parallel to the survey route. Perching was the most common behavior type, although Turkey Vultures and ravens were often observed soaring, flying, or standing on the ground near highways. Transmission powerline towers and telephone poles were used as perch sites disproportionately to availability.


Abstract Rice Husk Ash (RHA) is a well-known supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) that can be used for concrete with reduced CO2 contributions. In 2016, only Nepal produced 5.2 million tonnes rice that gave about 1.14 million tonnes rice husk. The rice husk can also be used directly in a cement kiln as a fuel. This study analysis the potential CO2 reductions from three scenarios and emphasis strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and treats in the production systems for initiate a decision process with possibilities to get an industry project financed from the green climate found. The highest CO2 benefits were from rice husk used in a cement kiln were half of the yearly rice husk production in Nepal could reduce the climate impact with 808000 tonnes CO2.


Risk budgeting has become a buzzword. While there may be no generally accepted definition or approaches for implementation, the underlying concept of risk budgeting remains sound and relevant. Defining risk as "uncertainty of alpha," the authors argue that successful implementation of risk budgeting requires assessment of the quality of one's information under uncertainty (which the authors define as information risks), as well as other statistical risk measurement. Using a global asset allocation portfolio as an example, the authors introduce a simple optimal risk budgeting tool. With information risks, investment views, and total risk budget as inputs, the framework presented provides the optimal combination of information advantage so that the allocation of risks across strategies and assets is consistent with a manager's assessment of information risks and investment views.


As societies around the world increasingly face complex challenges, effective solutions are at a premium. In response, reformers have advanced varied forms of jury systems as means of fostering positive political, economic, and social change. Many countries have recently integrated lay participation into their justice systems to effect fundamental societal change, advance public policymaking, and manifest popular sovereignty. This book showcases Japan's successes and challenges in recently adopting a quasi-jury system for serious criminal trials, and advocates that the convergence of various forces makes this an ideal time for Japan to expand lay participation into the civil realm.


We begin with the concept of a discrete wavelet transformation. We begin with a scaling function satisfying a certain number of properties to be able to implement the wavelet transformation. We will then require translates of the scaling function to obey the same set of properties and this set will form what is called a Multiresolution Analysis. We then switch the ideas to the Fourier transform domain were we get equivalent results. However, instead of choosing a scaling function with coefficients to satisfy a set of properties, we will work backwards and construct a scaling function based on having a set of coefficients satisfy the necessary properties. This method of construction will lead us to some classic wavelet transformations known as the Haar and Daubechies wavelets. We then introduce the lifting method for wavelet transformations. Unlike the discrete wavelet transform, the lifting scheme divides the signal into even and odd components and performs both a prediction and update step. We will then show through implementation how this method is computationally more efficient. Furthermore, as shown in Daubechies and Sweldens [2], we will prove that any discrete wavelet transformation can be decomposed into lifting steps. This decomposition corresponds to a factorization of the associated polyphase matrix of a wavelet transform. This factorization is implemented with the help of the Euclidean algorithm, with the focus on the Laurent polynomials to represent our filters. This paper will then conclude with some classical wavelet transformations and compare the results to using the lifting method through implementation on Mathematica.


Background: Chronic hepatitis B is a major health problem and may lead to cirrhosis, liver failure, liver cancer, and death if untreated. Interferon is currently better than nucleot(s)ide analogues in sustained seroconversion or loss of HBeAg and HBsAg. Peginterferon prolongs interferon's effects. This review compared benefits and risks of peginterferon monotherapy versus peginterferon with lamivudine therapy in chronic hepatitis B. Methods: Exhaustive search of medical literature was performed using key words peginterferon, peginterferon alfa-2a, peginterferon alfa-2b, lamivudine, and chronic hepatitis B, on EBMR Multifile, Evidence-Based Resources from the Joanna Briggs Institute, Medline-Ovid, and CINAHL. Qualities of relevant studies were assessed using the GRADE system. Results: Three randomized controlled trials satisfied inclusion criteria and were included in this review. The first trial compared efficacy and safety between peginterferon alfa-2a alone, with lamivudine and lamivudine alone on 537 patients with HBeAg negative chronic hepatitis B. Regarding the viral suppression and the seroconversion of HBsAg, the groups on peginterferon were better than lamivudine alone; and no significant differences found between the peginterferon alone and the combination group. The second trial used the same three types of therapy groups on 814 patients with HBeAg positive chronic hepatitis B. Results were similar to the first study, plus similar rates of HBeAg loss or seroconversion between the two groups with peginterferon. The third trial used peginterferon alfa-2b alone or with lamivudine on 307 patients with HBeAg positive chronic hepatitis B, but final analysis accounted for 266 patients. Both treatment groups were not significantly different in the rates of responses and safety profile. Conclusion: Peginterferon alfa-2a or alfa-2b could lead to HBsAg loss or seroconversion and sustained viral suppression in all chronic hepatitis B patients, and HBeAg loss or seroconversion in HBeAg positive patients. Peginterferon alone or with lamivudine showed similar responses and side effects. Peginterferon alfa-2a or alfa-2b were suggested as first line therapy for chronic hepatitis B. Future research is needed to evaluate the long-term responses of chronic hepatitis B to peginterferon alone or with lamivudine, the benefits of combining lamivudine to therapy, and the effects of peginterferon alfa-2b in HBeAg negative chronic hepatitis B patients.


Investment in infrastructure is critical to economic growth, quality of life, poverty reduction, access to education, healthcare, and achieving many of the goals of a robust economy. But infrastructure is difficult for the public sector to get right. Public-private partnerships (PPPs) can help; they provide more efficient procurement, focus on consumer satisfaction and life cycle maintenance, and provide new sources of investment, in particular through limited recourse debt. But PPPs present challenges of their own. This book provides a practical guide to PPPs for policy makers and strategists, showing how governments can enable and encourage PPPs, providing a step-by-step analysis of the development of PPP projects, and explaining how PPP financing works, what PPP contractual structures look like, and how PPP risk allocation works in practice. It includes specific discussion of each infrastructure sector, with a focus on the strategic and policy issues essential for successful development of infrastructure through PPPs.


Background: Wound care has often been perceived to be the domain of the nurse, yet other professions are taking a lead in this specialist area of clinical practice. Podiatrists assess, manage and evaluate the care of lower limb conditions including lower extremity wounds. It is essential that nurses and podiatrists develop partnerships and close working relationships to ensure that patients receive coordinated evidence-based care. Aim: To discuss and explore the importance of interprofessional education (IPE) and interprofessional clinical working in achieving effective collaboration between two professions regularly involved in wound care. Methods: A focus group (n=6) consisting of nurses and podiatrists was undertaken at the University of Huddersfield, UK. Findings: The issues of professional identity, learning to share, documentation and the importance of IPE for nurses and podiatrists were identified as key themes within the discussions. Conclusion: IPE is vital if nurses and podiatrists are to understand the roles of each profession in relation to wound care. The need for shared learning opportunities at undergraduate level requires development to ensure that both groups are offered the opportunity to learn together.


The scope of this work has been the design of a mechanical actuator in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) / glass for precise liquid sampling, based on the electrochemical generation of O2. The device is composed of two chambers separated by a PDMS membrane. In the first chamber, the generated gas bends the membrane, actuating a precise volume of a liquid sample in the second chamber. The linear relationship between the number of transferred charges and the number of gaseous O2 molecules allows a very accurate control of the dispensed volume.


This paper offers a standard message format for easy intercommunication over a network, between laptop performers within a drop-in improvisation session. It is based on OSC-like reserved namespaces, namely /test, /setup, /chat, /app, /user, /time, /documentation and /hardware. We detail the syntax of use and provide worked examples. The proposed standard offers interoperability, extensibility and flexibility across network applications.


In this article we compute lossy Bloch waves in two-dimensional photonic crystals with dispersion and material loss. For given frequencies these waves are determined from non-linear eigenvalue problems in the wave vector. We applied two numerical methods to a demanding test case, a photonic crystal with embedded quantum dots that exhibits very strong and anamolous dispersion. The first method is based on the formulation with periodic boundary conditions leading to a quadratic eigenvalue problem. We discretize this problem by the finite element method (FEM), first of quadratic order and, second, of higher orders using curved cells (p-FEM). Second, we use the multiple-multipole method (MMP) with artificial sources and compute extrema in the field response determining the eigenvalues. Both MMP and FEM provide robust solutions for the investigated dispersive and lossy photonic crystal, and can approximate the Bloch waves to a high accuracy. Moreover, the MMP method and p-FEM show low computational effort for very accurate solutions.


This toolkit provides a common interface for displaying graphical user interface (GUI) components in stereo using either specialized stereo display hardware (e.g., liquid crystal shutter or polarized glasses) or anaglyph display (red/blue glasses) on standard workstation displays. An application using this toolkit will work without modification in either environment, allowing stereo software to reach a wider audience without sacrificing high-quality display on dedicated hardware. The toolkit is written in Java for use with the Swing GUI Toolkit and has cross-platform compatibility. It hooks into the graphics system, allowing any standard Swing component to be displayed in stereo. It uses the OpenGL graphics library to control the stereo hardware and to perform the rendering. It also supports anaglyph and special stereo hardware using the same API (application-program interface), and has the ability to simulate color stereo in anaglyph mode by combining the red band of the left image with the green/blue bands of the right image. This is a low-level toolkit that accomplishes simply the display of components (including the JadeDisplay image display component). It does not include higher-level functions such as disparity adjustment, 3D cursor, or overlays all of which can be built using this toolkit.


Particles held in a fluid suspension and within an acoustic standing wave experience an acoustic radiation force. The force causes particles to move to the pressure nodes of the acoustic field creating a concentrate, contributing to the sensing of particles or cells. To predict the performance of devices relying on acoustic radiation forces and to assist with design, a simulation approach is used which combines several modelling techniques. Particle trajectories through the acoustic field and the resulting concentration profile are determined by resolving the forces experienced by particles numerically. This particle simulation model is further supported by more detailed analysis of the acoustic and fluid flow fields using finite element analysis and computational fluid dynamics, applicable to the microfluidic flow. These modelling techniques are applied to the simulation of a microfluidic ultrasonic particle separator, driven using a printed PZT transducer and relying on silicon and Pyrex etch fabrication. The device issues particle concentrated and clarified flow through two outlets, respectively. Test data taken from a fabricated device is used to evaluate the simulation approach which correlate well with eachother. The simulation approach is used successfully to redesign the acoustic and fluid geometry and to predict the influence of operating conditions.


Upward water flow induced by evaporation can cause soil salinization and transport of contaminants to the soil surface and influences the migration of solutes to the groundwater. In this study, we used electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) to obtain time‐lapse images of an upward‐flow tracer experiment under evaporation conditions in a three‐dimensional, spatially correlated heterogeneous laboratory soil composed of three different materials (coarse‐, medium‐, and fine‐grained sands). The tracer experiment was performed during 40 d of quasi‐steady‐state, upward‐flow conditions. Monitored transport was compared with three‐dimensional numerical simulation based on the Richards and advection–dispersion equations. The ERT‐derived and modeled solute transport correlated well in the lower part of the laboratory soil, while deviations increased toward the surface. Inversion of synthetic ERT data indicated that deviations cannot be explained by ERT data and inversion errors only, but also errors of the flow and transport model must be invoked. The classical potential/actual evaporation (Epot/Ea) concept underestimated the experimental evaporation, as locally Ea exceeded Epot, which was determined as the maximum evaporation from an insulated free water table minus soil heat flux. Increasing the potential evaporation rate uniformly in the model, so that wet high‐evaporation zones can compensate for lower evaporation from dry zones, increased the correlation between experiment and model. Despite the remaining deviations, experiment and model showed a consistent and systematic pattern of preferential upward transport pathways. Close above the water table, most of the transport occurred in the coarse material, while with increasing height, transport was dominated by the finer materials. This study is an experimental benchmark for three‐dimensional flow and transport models using simplified evaporation boundary conditions and for ERT to monitor upward transport.


The proportion of assets held by the average Canadian firm in the form of cash has increased steadily since the early 1990s, and is now roughly twice as large as in 1990. The literature has established that the cash-holding behaviour of firms is highly correlated with financial constraints and firm characteristics. The authors use a firm-level data set covering Canadian firms from 1980 to 2006 to understand which firm characteristics are associated with higher cash holdings. They find that financial constraints are likely important for explaining firms' higher cash holdings, and that the recent increase in the cash holdings of Canadian firms can be almost entirely explained by changes in firm characteristics. Specifically, higher recent cash holdings are correlated with the average Canadian firm having become smaller, having more variable cash flow, holding lower levels of cash substitutes, having higher expenditure on research and development, and being more likely to be financially distressed. The authors also find that the average Canadian firm has a cash ratio that is only slightly higher than would be predicted by out-of-sample forecasts over the 1990s and 2000s, though the divergence between the actual and predicted values has been increasing in recent years.


Objective: To determine the prevalence of the use of traditional medicine in hypertensive patients and to identify the socio-demographic characteristics of these patients. Materials and Methods: This is a single cross-sectionalstudy with descriptive purpose that was carried out over a 4 month-period, from 1 January 2017 to 30 April 2017, in the outpatient department of the Heart Institute of Abidjan. It involved patients who consulted during this period for high blood pressure. An informed questionnaire was submitted to patients. A pre-test was performed on 20 patients prior to the start of the survey. Results: The prevalence was 34%, with a slight male predominance (52.4%). The average age of our patients was 51.7 years ± 20 years. Males (52.4%) and females (47.6%) were roughly in the same proportions in our study with a slight male predominance. Patients with a higher level of education used traditional medicine in 30.6% that is about one third of the cases. Nearly one third of the patients had a monthly income above 300,000 FCFA (28.5%). Almost half of the patients (45%) had social insurance coverage. Conclusion: The use of traditional medicine by hypertensive patients is a practice that exists and is growing rapidly. The profile of hypertensive patients using traditional medicine can be summarized as a young subject, a male with a higher education level, a high monthly income and social coverage. It is the place to insist on the therapeutic education of our hypertensive patients' only way for a good control of the blood pressure figures.


A stack of gradient-index (GRIN) rod lenses cannot be used for coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microendoscopy for insertion to internal organs through a surgical keyhole with minimal invasiveness. That's because GRIN lens has large amount of inherent chromatic aberrations in spite of absolutely requiring a common focus for pump and Stokes beam with each frequency of ${\omega}_p$ and ${\omega}_S$ . For this endoscopic purpose, we need to develop a long slender probe-type objective, namely probe-type microscope objective (PMO). In this paper, we introduce the structure, the working principle, and the design techniques of PMO which is composed of a probe-type lens module (PLM) and an adaptor lens module (ALM). PLM is first designed for a long slender type and ALM is successively designed by using several design parameters from PLM for eliminating optical discords between scanning unit and PLM. A combined module is optimized again to eliminate some coupling disparities between PLM and ALM for the best PMO. As a result, we can obtain a long slender PMO with perfectly diffraction-limited performance for pump beam of 817 nm and Stokes beam of 1064 nm.


For over forty years, the paper conservation lab at the Legion of Honor has provided training opportunities for an international group of over sixty conservators.  At the same time, these interns and fellows have brought up-to-date conservation information to the resident Legion conservators. This philosophy of mutual education is at the core of the program's success, as is the idea that success will be greater if there are high expectations from students and mentors.

Important tenets of our program include:

Concentrated treatment experience. An internship is the ideal time for focused expansion of treatment skills.
Works conserved should be important. Confidence soars when interns are trusted to work on important objects rather than ones of lesser value in study collections.
Connections with staff members. Interns are included in meetings and interactions with curators, registrars, technicians, development staff, etc.
Interns are expected to represent conservation in museum forums including tours, lectures, blogs, and social media.
Professional Publication and Presentation. Interns are encouraged to present at conservation conferences
Lab legacy. Every intern is required to make a lab improvement that is useful for future lab denizens. This legacy is a way to honor our alumni.
Conservation should be fun. We're not in this for the money.

The two authors represent a training span of close to forty years and will describe the synergy that takes place when old school combines with new school, when new capabilities in analytical, digital, and preventive methodologies merge with long established treatment and connoisseurship skills.
Click on Video link on the right to view presentation.


Critical Issues in Environmental Taxation is an internationally refereed publication devoted to environmental taxation issues on a worldwide basis. It seeks to provide insights and analysis for achieving environmental goals through tax policy. By sharing the perspectives of the authors in response to the diverse challenges posed by environmental taxation issues, effective approaches used in one country may be considered and possibly implemented by governmental authorities in other countries Each volume contains pioneering and thought-provoking articles contributed by the world's leading environmental tax scholars This eight volume includes 42 articles on environmental tax issues which were presented at the Tenth Global Conference on Environmental Taxation It features articles in six areas relating to environmental tax reforms: experiences and potential, market-based instruments for climate protection, market-based instruments for environmentally sound management of energy, market-based instruments for environmentally sound management of water, market-based instruments for environmentally sound management of urban areas, and evaluation of market-based environmental policies The quality of the articles published in Volume VIII reflects the excellent and inspiring work of leading scholars and practitioners in the field of environmental taxation


Phytosaurs are a diverse and morphologically distinctive clade of superficially crocodile-like archosauriforms that had a near global distribution during the Late Triassic. Because their remains are among the most abundant vertebrate remains recovered in many Upper Triassic terrestrial formations, phytosaurs are used extensively in long-range biochronological and biostratigraphic correlations. The biochronologically oldest and earliest branching known phytosaurs include an array of nominal species from the early Late Triassic of the United States, Germany, Poland, Morocco, and India that have been synonymized within the genus Paleorhinus, and subsequently used to define a global 'Paleorhinus biochron'. However, recent phylogenetic work suggested that the North American species previously referred to Paleorhinus are paraphyletic. Here, we reassess the systematics and anatomy of putative specimens of Paleorhinus from southern Germany. Two well-preserved basal phytosaur skulls from the Blasensandstein (Carnian) of Bavaria form the holotypes of Francosuchus angustifrons and Ebrachosuchus neukami, both of which were synonymized with Paleorhinus by previous workers. We demonstrate that Francosuchus angustifrons shares unique synapomorphies with specimens referred to Paleorhinus bransoni from the Late Triassic of Texas, and thus refer the species to Paleorhinus. By contrast, the longirostrine Ebrachosuchus is highly distinctive in morphology, and our new cladistic analysis of Phytosauria demonstrates that it represents a valid taxon that is more closely related to Phytosauridae than to Paleorhinus. We provide the first autapomorphy-based support for a monophyletic but restricted Paleorhinus (supported by a nodal row on the jugal, and low paired ridges on the squamosal) and confirm that previous broader conceptions of Paleorhinus are likely to be paraphyletic. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London


Diary of William Archer, Van Diemen's Land, 1860-1862. Entries refer to his daily work both farm and architectural, his travels, visits to and from neighbours, elections and political activities.
William (1820-1874) was the second son of Thomas Archer (1790-1850) of Woolmers, Longford and studied architecture in England. After returning to Van Diemen's Land he designed among other buildings, the Hutchins School in Hobart, Mona Vale at Ross, Saundridge, Cressy as well as the East window of Christ Church, Longford. For some years he was secretary of the Royal Society of Tasmania, a Fellow of the Royal and Linnean Societies of England, and a keen botanist, named many Tasmanian plants and assisted Dr.Hooker who dedicated to him and Ronald C. Gunn, his work on the flora of Tasmania. From 1856 until 1858, he lived in England and worked at the Herbarium, Kew Gardens, presenting the library with a book of his drawings of Tasmanian orchids and mosses. He was a leading member of the anti-transportation movement, and a member for Parliament at various times between his election for Westbury in 1851 and retirement in 1866. For many years he lived at Cheshunt, Deloraine. He died at Fairfield, Longford, in 1874. A7/2/(5)


As the Internet becomes more and more popular and advanced, people want to keep online and share his/her status with friends at any time and any place. Because of this trend, all kinds of websites that provide social networking services, such as Twitter, become very popular rapidly. However, as more and more social networking users demanding higher immediateness and interaction, using mobile device to send message or to tweet their status is still insufficient. Consequently, we start to integrate everyday commodities (such as coffee mug) with electronic sensors. These reformed commodities or furniture in the living space can communicate with computer through wireless channel, so that the system could know the current status of the user. With this configuration, the system would tweet what we are doing to Twitter website. For example, when we turn off the light at the living room and get ready to go to bed late at night, the system would send message such as "I am going to bed, good night" automatically because the light is obviously dimmed; or when the user holds his/her mug, the system would send message such as "so thirsty, let's have a cup of mocha". During the exhibition, participants can share own private status with worldwide friends by just a simply behavior of using these reformed commodities or furniture. On the other hand, participants also can follow "Life Twitter" (account name is ""_test_dk"", http://twitter.com/_test_dk), and monitor everything in the exhibition space anytime anywhere. In summary, we propose a system that reshapes everyday commodities with sensors. When users use these reformed commodities, the system would tweet what they are doing.


a. The blood of apparently normal animals undergoes considerable variations within physiological limits. b. After a loss of blood the regeneration is more rapid if there has been a transfusion of an artificial serum. c. Regeneration after transfusion is less rapid during the first half of the regeneration period than during the second half. d. The regenerative processes once stimulated into activity carry the blood, qualitatively, considerably beyond the established normal. (See Plate XXXIII.) Otto (2) observed a similar phenomenon. e. The quantity of hæmoglobin per volume of red blood-corpuscles is not constant. f. The volume of red blood-corpuscles varies as the product of the average volume of individual corpuscles and the number of corpuscles per unit volume. (V ∝ v x n). g. When the number of the corpuscles increases the size decreases, and conversely, (n ∝½). h. The quantity of hæmoglobin varies in general with the number of red blood-corpuscles per unit volume. (Hb. ∝ n).


The doctrine of the eschaton is not usually included among the array of Christian and Catholic social principles. In fact, it is often thought that attention to the last things hinders the commitment and quality of the Christian's efforts in the temporal order. This article shows why the doctrine of the eschaton in fact has profound social ramifications. To wit: One's eternal destiny is contingent upon the Christian's fulfillment of his task in the temporal order, and because the Christian's final hope is not worldly that task can be carried out regardless of the cost. The article also explores a related principle, the "proper autonomy of the temporal order," and shows how both it and the "eschatological principle" are grounded in the Christian incarnational view of reality. Finally, the article shows how these principles shed light on the role of the laity in the temporal order. Mark Lowery, "The 'Eschatological Principle' in Catholic Social Thought," Journal of Markets & Morality 8, no. 2 (Fall 2005): 435-453


Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the decision making of coronary care nurses in acute situations. More specifically, the study explored how coronary care nurses take their decisions and what are the factors that underpin those decisions.
Background: Studies on clinical decision making have focused on the effect of nurses' experience on decision making, and on the decisions that are made. Until now there is very little data available that focuses on coronary care nurse's clinical decision making in acute situations, and what the factors are that underpin those decisions. Therefore there was an urgent need to investigate the decision making of coronary care nurses in acute situations.
Method: This study involved eight nurses from three coronary care units from hospitals in the North West of England. An interpretive approach based on the principles of
ethnography from an insider and outsider perspective was adopted. Data collection from coronary care nurses as they care for patients during an acute situation was used for this study. Both observation and interview were undertaken to ensure complete data collection of all aspects of decision making in real life settings.
Results: What become apparent in the findings of this study was that contrary to much of the literature, the nurses on the coronary care units dealt with limited complex acute
situation that need complex decisions. The decision making about patient care during the acute situations was quite simple and considered as custom. It was also discovered
that nurses tend to focus on the physiological aspects of care rather than a more holistic approach. The data revealed that the decision making process is continuous. The
assessment phase started using both analytical and intuitive models in order to observe the cues relating to the patient's situation. The nurses then moved towards the
implementation of action strategies to solve the patient's problem.


Social content, such as Twitter updates, often have the quickest first-hand reports of news events, as well as numerous commentaries that are indicative of public view of such events. As such, social updates provide a good complement to professionally written news articles. In this paper we consider the problem of automatically annotating news stories with social updates (tweets), at a news website serving high volume of pageviews. The high rate of both the pageviews (millions to billions a day) and of the incoming tweets (more than 100 millions a day) make real-time indexing of tweets ineffective, as this requires an index that is both queried and updated extremely frequently. The rate of tweet updates makes caching techniques almost unusable since the cache would become stale very quickly.

We propose a novel architecture where each story is treated as a subscription for tweets relevant to the story's content, and new algorithms that efficiently match tweets to stories, proactively maintaining the top-k tweets for each story. Such top-k pub-sub consumes only a small fraction of the resource cost of alternative solutions, and can be applicable to other large scale content-based publish-subscribe problems. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach on realworld data: a corpus of news stories from Yahoo! News and a log of Twitter updates.


Coral reefs are among the most diverse and productive ecosystems on our planet. Scleractinian corals function as the primary reef ecosystem engineers, constructing the framework that serves as a habitat for all other coral reef-associated organisms. However, the coral's engineering role is particularly susceptible to global climate change. Ocean warming can cause extensive mass coral bleaching, which triggers dysfunction of major engineering processes. Sub-lethal bleaching results in the reduction of both primary productivity and coral calcification. This may lead to changes in the release of organic and inorganic products, thereby altering critical biogeochemical and recycling processes in reef ecosystems. Thermal stress-induced bleaching and subsequent coral mortality, along with ocean acidification, further lead to long-term shifts in benthic community structure, changes in topographic reef complexity, and the modification of reef functioning. Such shifts may cause negative feedback loops and further modification of coral-derived inorganic and organic products. This review emphasises the critical role of scleractinian corals as reef ecosystem engineers and highlights the control of corals over key reef ecosystem goods and services, including high biodiversity, coastal protection, fishing, and tourism. Thus, climate change by impeding coral ecosystem engineers will impair the ecosystem functioning of entire reefs.


Objective: To illustrate how nurses can promote family wellness and facilitate acculturation for involuntary migrant families as conceptualized by bilingual interpreters and cultural mediators with own past refugee experience.  Due to the nature of involuntary migration and accompanying acculturation, refugee families face a complex transition, exposing them to vulnerability in cohesion and family function. Involuntary migrant health needs are largely managed within the Primary Health Care sector where Primary Health Care Nurses (PHCN) play an important role. Additionally, bilingual interpreters and cultural mediators with personal experience of being refugees and subsequent acculturation play a critical role in bridging the language and cultural gap between migrant families and PHCNs. Methods: The study is descriptive and explorative in design with a phenomenographic approach. Data was collected in Southern Sweden utilizing in-depth interviews with ten bilingual interpreters and cultural mediators originating from the Balkans, Kurdistan, Eritrea and Somalia. A contextual analysis with reference to phenomenography was used in interpreting the data material. Results: Three separate themes illustrated the meaning of family wellness: a sense of belonging to the new homeland, the maintenance of self-esteem and stable family interrelationships. The analysis demonstrated that the way ex-refugee bilingual interpreters and cultural mediators perceived of how to promote family wellness, fell into three qualitative different conceptions: (1) Promotion of family wellness is the responsibility of the family itself, manifested in its attitude in wanting to adjust to change, (2) Promotion of family wellness is the consideration of those outside the family and is marked by understanding and respectful attitudes, (3) Promotion of family wellness is a societal responsibility to which successful integration is a prerequisite. Conclusions: The promotion of health of involuntary migrant families in cultural transition is complex due to families, other members of the society and society at large all contributing to family wellness in the process of acculturation. For nurses to facilitate a healthy transition for involuntary migrant families, a holistic approach working with the entire family in a psychosocial way and cooperating with other health care professionals, community authorities and ethnic organizations maybe a future direction in encounters with involuntary migrant families with health problems. Adopting a family system approach will enable nurses to provide culturally and transition-competent quality care by enabling stabilizing interfamily relationships through supportive conversations about changes and its subsequent reactions and possible coping of the family as a unit. Further research in order to enhance health promotion would preferable take on a participatory approach.


This thesis details the results of an integrated study of carbonate platform sedimentology, geometry, evolution and diagenesis within a sequence stratigraphic framework. This study has been based on the Upper Cretaceous carbonates within the Tremp basin of the Spanish Pyrenees, which, through the effects of minor tectonic deformation during the later parts of the Pyrenean orogeny, are exceptionally well exposed and can be studied in the form of a platform to basin cross-section upon a scale that is comparable to that of a seismic section. This study concentrates on the mid-Turonian to Coniacian-aged Congest platform and its associated basinal succession, whose sedimentology and geometrical features, in particular cyclic progradational cycles, and evidence of repeated flooding and exposure of the platform-top are interpreted in terms of . fluctuations in relative sea-level and associated variations in available accommodation space. These interpretations, together with evidence of subaerial exposure in the form of karst features, intensive dissolution and the presence of speleo-cements, are used to propose a dynamic 'forced regression' model for the evolution of the Congost platform, which involves two phases of platform development, separated by a period of forced regression. The primary and secondary porosity afforded by the abundant bi-mineralic rudists within the platform-top sediments allows for a detailed and comprehensive diagenetic study of these carbonates, in the form of a case study for a number of interesting diagenetic features. In addition to standard petrography, cathodoluminescence and stable isotope studies have been employed and have allowed the identification of such features as botryoidal calcitic marine cements, neomorphism which occurred in lagoonal waters and speleo-cements. This study also provides a detailed investigation of the diagenesis associated with subaerial exposure and the development of sequence boundaries. Differences in the early diagenesis of these carbonates from different parts of the Congost platform suggest that two separate phases of platform development experienced: 1) differing pore-fluid regimes; 2) differing frequencies and duration of subaerial exposure events; and 3) different magnitudes of relative sea-level fall. These features are considered in terms of variations in accommodation space during platform development and are used to develop the dynamic 'forced regression' model for the evolution of the Congost platform. A succession of Cenomanian to Santonian-aged basinal and slope sediments which can be correlated with the contemporaneous Santa Fe, Congost and Sant Comeli platforms and contain a large amount of allochthonous debris, much of which is derived from underiying units, are described and interpreted in terms of local tectonic activity and relative sea-level change. The final part of this thesis presents a new sequence stratigraphic model for the mid-Turonian to Coniacian-aged Congost platform which is compatible with the observations and conclusions of this study. This new sequence stratigraphic model suggests that the Congost platform developed within two separate depositional sequences, albeit with one being on a much larger scale than the other. Sequence boundaries are characterised by subaerial exposure on the platform top which can be correlated with hardgrounds and/or glauconite accumulations within the more basinal locations, overlain by deeper-water facies. The presence of submarine onlap surfaces and down-slope slide deposits immediately above the sequence boundaries suggests that the major transgressive events which followed sequence boundary development were brought about by local extensional tectonic activity, while the stratigraphic cyclicity within the sequences and major falls in sea-level which produced the sequence boundaries are interpreted to have resulted largely from eustatic processes.


One of the perceived Achilles heels of online citizen journalism is its perceived inability to conduct investigative and first-hand reporting. A number of projects have recently addressed this problem, with varying success: the U.S.-based Assignment Zero was described as "a highly satisfying failure" (Howe 2007), while the German MyHeimat.de appears to have been thoroughly successful in attracting a strong community of contributors, even to the point of being able to generate print versions of its content, distributed free of charge to households in selected German cities. In Australia, citizen journalism played a prominent part in covering the federal elections held on 24 November 2007; news bloggers and public opinion Websites provided a strong counterpoint to the mainstream media coverage of the election campaign (Bruns et al., 2007). Youdecide2007.org, a collaboration between researchers at Queensland University of Technology and media practitioners at the public service broadcaster SBS, the public opinion site On Line Opinion, and technology company Cisco Systems, was developed as a dedicated space for a specifically hyperlocal coverage of the election campaign in each of Australia's 150 electorates from the urban sprawls of Sydney and Brisbane to the sparsely populated remote regions of outback Australia. YD07 provided training materials for would-be citizen journalists and encouraged them to contribute electorate profiles, interview candidates, and conduct vox-pops with citizens in their local area. The site developed a strong following especially in its home state of Queensland, and its interviewers influenced national public debate by uncovering the sometimes controversial personal views of mainstream and fringe candidates. At the same time, the success of YD07 was limited by external constraints determined by campaign timing and institutional frameworks. As part of a continuing action research cycle, lessons learnt from Youdecide2007.org are going to be translated into further iterations of the project, which will cover the local government elections in the Australian state of Queensland, to be held in March 2008, and developments subsequent to these elections. This paper will present research outcomes from the Youdecide2007.org project. In particular, it will examine the roles of staff contributors and citizen journalists in attracting members, providing information, promoting discussion, and fostering community on the site: early indications from a study of interaction data on the site indicate notably different contribution patterns and effects for staff and citizen participants, which may point towards the possibility of developing more explicit pro-am collaboration models in line with the Pro-Am phenomenon outlined by Leadbeater & Miller (2004). The paper will outline strengths and weaknesses of the Youdecide model and highlight requirements for the successful development of active citizen journalism communities. In doing so, it will also evaluate the feasibility of hyperlocal citizen journalism approaches, and their interrelationship with broader regional, state, and national journalism in both its citizen and industrial forms.


Technology. There was a time when using technology and being a technician were almost synonymous. In order to understand and manage the growth of automation in a bank's operations and accounting processes, a financial manager would have had to become a systems engineer proficient in the language of bytes, baud rates, and a whole array of other technical terms.For the most part, this emphasis on the technical has led to the development of good daily operations systems for loans and deposits. As an industry, banks process transactions well. At the same time, they lag in the overall integration of operations systems with financial accounting and management systems. For this weakness they pay dearly. In order to acquire the data needed for good financial analysis, most banks must extract data by hand from one computer and reenter it manually into another. In the process, they spend far too much time and money.Even worse, most banks enter transactions into their general ledger computer from non-customer subsidiary ledgers such as accounts payable, fixed assets, investments, and inventory. In some cases these subsidiaries operate on completely different computers. These inefficiencies drain even more time and money from other, more productive activities.But there is some good news. Both in-house systems vendors and service bureaus are integrating financial management tools with their day-today operations processing systems. By taking advantage of this evolving trend, financial managers can simultaneously improve the quality and accuracy of their financial information while increasing overall productivity. As a financial manager, you do not need to be a technician as long as you learn how to use technology effectively. The trick is in knowing how to work with technical experts to get the systems integration you need.MAINFRAMES AND PCSAt first glance it might seem that this entire integration problem would go away if a bank would simply run all of its applications, operational and financial, on the same computer. All the data would be stored in the same place and could be easily integrated.The only problem with this concept is that most good day-to-day operations systems have been built by people who understand operations very well. Unfortunately, these are the same people who get weak in the knees whenever words like asset/liability and investment portfolio accounting come up. That's only fair. The people who build financial management systems don't usually appreciate all the day-to-day nuances of a deposit accounting system.This lack of cross-disciplinary understanding isn't the only reason that banks don't have fully integrated financial management and operations systems. The other major factor in the equation is that these two types of applications have been developed on completely different types of computers.Operations systems require lots of computing horsepower to drive the on-line transaction networks which account for customer populations measured in thousands and even tens of thousands. These systems have grown up in mainframe or--more recently--minicomputer environments that can support the wide number and variety of terminals, printers and other peripheral devices needed to get the operations job done.Financial accounting and management systems, on the other hand, have matured on PCs. They are relatively low-volume applications that are often run on an iterative basis. They usually require data from the core operations systems, as well as other externally generated information.There are, of course, financial systems that run on mainframes or minicomputers, and there are PC-based operations systems designed specifically for banks. General ledger is a good example of a common mainframe-based financial system. It is also a good example of the distinct differences between operations and financial systems.The general ledger sits at the intersection of these two system types. …


The Q-learning algorithm is known to be affected by the maximization bias, i.e. the systematic overestimation of action values, an important issue that has recently received renewed attention. Double Q-learning has been proposed as an efficient algorithm to mitigate this bias. However, this comes at the price of an underestimation of action values, in addition to increased memory requirements and a slower convergence.
In this paper, we introduce a new way to address the maximization bias in the form of a "self-correcting algorithm" for approximating the maximum of an expected value. Our method balances the overestimation of the single estimator used in conventional Q-learning and the underestimation of the double estimator used in Double Q-learning. Applying this strategy to Q-learning results in Self-correcting Q-learning. We show theoretically that this new algorithm enjoys the same convergence guarantees as Q-learning while being more accurate. Empirically, it performs better than Double Q-learning in domains with rewards of high variance, and it even attains faster convergence than Q-learning in domains with rewards of zero or low variance. These advantages transfer to a Deep Q Network implementation that we call Self-correcting DQN and which outperforms regular DQN and Double DQN on several tasks in the Atari 2600 domain.


Autonomous agents operating in a dynamic environment must be able to reason and make decisions about actions in pursuit of their goals. In addition, in a normative environment an agent's actions are not only directed by the agent's goals, but also by the norms imposed on the agent. Practical reasoning is reasoning about what to do in a given situation, particularly in the presence of conflicts between the agent's practical attitude such as goals, plans and norms. In this thesis we aim: (i) to introduce a model for normative practical reasoning that allows the agents to plan for multiple and potentially conflicting goals and norms at the same time (ii) to implement the model both formally and computationally, (iii) to identify the best plan for the agent to execute by means of argumentation framework and grounded semantics, (iv) to justify the best plan via argumentation-based persuasion dialogue for grounded semantics.


Federal prosecutors wield enormous power. They have the authority to make charging decisions, enter cooperation agreements, accept pleas, and often dictate sentences or sentencing ranges. There are currently no effective legal checks in place to police the manner in which prosecutors exercise their authority. As a result, in the current era dominated by pleas instead of trials, federal prosecutors are not merely law enforcers. They are the final adjudicators in the 95% of cases that are not tried before a federal judge or jury. In a government whose hallmark is supposed to be the separation of powers, federal prosecutors are a glaring and dangerous exception. They have the authority to take away liberty and even life, yet they are often the final judges in their own cases. One need not be an expert in separation of powers theory to know that combining these powers in a single actor can lead to gross abuses. Indeed, the combination of law enforcement and adjudicative power in a single prosecutor is the most significant design flaw in the federal criminal system. Although scholars have made persuasive cases for greater external controls on prosecutors, these calls for reform are unrealistic in the current political climate. The solution must be sought elsewhere. This Article looks within the prosecutor's office itself to identify a viable corrective on prosecutorial overreaching. In particular, by heeding lessons of institutional design from administrative law, this Article considers how federal prosecutors' offices could be designed to curb abuses of power through separation of functions requirements and greater attention to supervision. The problems posed by federal prosecutors' combination of adjudicative and enforcement functions are the very same issues raised by the administrative state - and the solutions fit equally well in both settings. In both instances, individuals who make investigative decisions should be separated from those who make adjudicative decisions, the latter of which should be defined to include some of the most important prosecutorial decisions today, including charging, the acceptance of pleas, and the decision whether or not to file substantial assistance motions. Using this model from administrative law would not only be effective, it would also be more politically viable than the leading alternative proposals for curbing prosecutorial discretion.


This department attempts to help people think about the history of computing in new ways, through the mechanism of questions, with answers on a separate page - thus permitting the reader to do self-testing. The answers list source material for further self-study on topics relating to the questions. Occasionally some questions will be used that have either no answers or controversial answers.


In Religious Affects Donovan O. Schaefer challenges the notion that religion is inextricably linked to language and belief, proposing instead that it is primarily driven by affects. Drawing on affect theory, evolutionary biology, and poststructuralist theory, Schaefer builds on the recent materialist shift in religious studies to relocate religious practices in the affective realm—an insight that helps us better understand how religion is lived in conjunction with systems of power. To demonstrate religion's animality and how it works affectively, Schaefer turns to a series of case studies, including the documentary Jesus Camp and contemporary American Islamophobia. Placing affect theory in conversation with post-Darwinian evolutionary theory, Schaefer explores the extent to which nonhuman animals have the capacity to practice religion, linking human forms of religion and power through a new analysis of the chimpanzee waterfall dance as observed by Jane Goodall. In this compelling case for the use of affect theory in religious studies, Schaefer provides a new model for mapping relations between religion, politics, species, globalization, secularism, race, and ethics.


Open-domain question answering (QA) is an important problem in AI and NLP that is emerging as a bellwether for progress on the generalizability of AI methods and techniques. Much of the progress in open-domain QA systems has been realized through advances in information retrieval methods and corpus construction. In this paper, we focus on the recently introduced ARC Challenge dataset, which contains 2,590 multiple choice questions authored for grade-school science exams. These questions are selected to be the most challenging for current QA systems, and current state of the art performance is only slightly better than random chance. We present a system that reformulates a given question into queries that are used to retrieve supporting text from a large corpus of science-related text. Our rewriter is able to incorporate background knowledge from ConceptNet and -- in tandem with a generic textual entailment system trained on SciTail that identifies support in the retrieved results -- outperforms several strong baselines on the end-to-end QA task despite only being trained to identify essential terms in the original source question. We use a generalizable decision methodology over the retrieved evidence and answer candidates to select the best answer. By combining query reformulation, background knowledge, and textual entailment our system is able to outperform several strong baselines on the ARC dataset.


A classic reissue of Richard Holmes's brilliant book on Samuel Johnson's friendship with the poet Richard Savage, which won the James Tait Black Prize for Biography. Dr Johnson & Mr Savage is the story of a mysterious eighteenth-century friendship. Richard Savage was a poet, playwright and convicted murderer who roamed through the brothels and society salons of Augustan England creating a legend of poetic injustice. Strangest of all his achievements was the friendship he inspired in Samuel Johnson, then a young, unknown schoolmaster just arrived in London to seek his literary fortune. This puzzling intimacy helped to form Johnson's experience of the world and human passions, and led to his masterpiece The Life of Richard Savage, which revolutionized the art of biography and virtually invented the idea of the poet as a romantic, outcast figure. Richard Holmes gradually reconstructs this alliance, throwing suprising new light on the character of Dr Johnson. This extraordinary book also questions the very nature of life-writing and exposes the conflicts between friendship, truth and advocacy which the modern form has inherited.


Being continuously explored, practiced, and innovated during the past few years, single port video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) is no longer a new technique to the world. Under the joint-efforts of experts worldwide, the technique achieves great improvements and is getting more and more popular today. During 26 th -27 th March 2015, top experts in area of thoracic surgery from all over the world gather in Hong Kong, to attend the 3 rd Asian single port VATS symposium & live surgery, sharing the latest progress of single port VATS. During the meeting, it is our great pleasure to meet Prof. Takashi Suda, a pioneer of robotic surgery for lung cancer from Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Fujita Health University Hospital in Japan. We are of great honor to have Prof. Suda accept our interview, sharing his valued viewpoints on single port VATS.


■ ABSTRACT Introduction: The transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous flap is a well stablished surgery for breast reconstruction. Its main disadvantage is a large defect in its donor site, leading to weakness in the abdominal wall. Many surgical tactics has been described to address the donor site defect, including direct closure of the muscular aponeurotic and use of polypropylene mesh. The purpose of this study was to assess abdominal hernia and bulge after TRAM flap breast reconstruction using two layers of polypropylene mesh in the donor site defect. Methods: Prospective study in 24 patients who had unilateral TRAM flap breast reconstruction with two layers of polypropylene mesh to close the donor site defect. The patients were evaluated in 3.6 and 12 months of postoperative time for incidence of abdominal hernia and bulge. Results: It was observed one case of abdominal bulge (4.16%) and no case of abdominal hernia. There were no cases of mesh infection or extrusion. Conclusion: The use of two layers of polypropylene mesh in the donor site defect of TRAM flap breast reconstruction resulted in low incidence of abdominal hernia and bulge.


A novel magnetically retrievable core–shell structured nano-adsorbent (DAPTS@NH2@SiO2@Fe3O4) was fabricated for selective extraction of Pd2+ ions from water samples. The nano-adsorbent was well characterized by XRD, TEM, FE-SEM, FTIR, EDS, ED-XRF and VSM. The influence of various factors on adsorption and desorption such as the amount of nano-adsorbent, pH variation, adsorption time, eluting agent type and its volume were investigated. The maximum adsorption capacity was found to be 64.8 (mg g−1) which perfectly fitted with a Langmuir isotherm model of adsorption. Also, the adsorption time of 5 minutes suggested faster adsorption kinetics which was in agreement with a pseudo second order kinetic model. Besides, the presence of a rich magnetic core facilitated the ease of separation of the nanoadsorbent. The overall results suggested the potential use of the nano-adsorbent for the faster, selective and quantitative extraction of Pd2+ ions from aqueous and catalytic converter samples.


Massive multiple-input-multiple-output (MM) is becoming a promising candidate for wireless communications. The idea behind MM is to use a very large number of antennas to increase throughput and energy efficiency by one or more orders of magnitude. In order to make MM feasible, many challenges remain. In the uplink a fundamental question is whether to deploy single massive arrays or to build a virtual array using cooperative base stations. Also, in such large arrays the signal processing involved in receiver combining is non-trivial. Therefore, low complexity receiver designs and deployment scenarios are essential aspects of MM and the thesis mainly focuses on these two areas. In the first part, we investigate three deployment scenarios: (i) a massive co-located array at the cell center; (ii) a massive array clustered at B discrete locations; and (iii) a massive distributed array with a uniform distribution of individual antennae. We also study the effect of propagation parameters, system size, correlation and channel estimation error. We demonstrate by analysis and simulation that in the absence of any system imperfections, a massive distributed array is preferable. However, an intermediate deployment such as a massive array clustered at a few discrete locations can be more practical to implement and more robust to imperfect channel state information. We then focus on the performance of the co-located scenario with different types of antenna array, uniform square and linear arrays. With MM, it may be the case that large numbers of antennas are closely packed to fit in some available space. Hence, channel correlations become important and therefore we investigate the space requirements of different array shapes. In particular, we evaluate the system performance of uniform square and linear arrays by using ergodic capacity and capacity outage. For a range of correlation models, we demonstrate that the uniform square array can yield similar performance to a uniform linear array while providing considerable space saving. In the second part of the thesis we focus on low complexity receiver designs. Due to the high dimension of MM systems there is a considerable interest in detection schemes with a better complexity-performance trade-off. We focus on linear receivers (zero forcing (ZF) and maximum ratio combining (MRC)) used in conjuction with a Vertical Bell Laboratories Layered Space Time (V-BLAST) structure. Our first results show that the performance of MRC V-BLAST approaches that of ZF V-BLAST under a range of imperfect CSI levels, different channel powers and different types of arrays as long as the channel correlations are not too high. Subsequently, we propose novel low complexity receiver designs which maintain the same performance as ZF or ZF V-BLAST. We show that the performance loss of MRC relative to ZF can be removed in certain situations through the use of V-BLAST. The low complexity ordering scheme based on the channel norm (C-V-BLAST) results in a V-BLAST scheme with MRC that has much less complexity than a single ZF linear combiner. An analysis of the SINR at each stage of the V-BLAST approach is also given to support the findings of the proposed technique. We also show that C-V-BLAST remains similar to ZF for more complex adaptive modulation systems and in the presence of channel estimation error, C-V-BLAST can be superior. These results are analytically justified and we derive an exhaustive search algorithm for power control (PC) to bound the potential gains of PC. Using this bound, we demonstrate that C-V-BLAST performs well without the need for additional PC. The final simplification is based on the idea of ordering users based on large scale fading information rather than instantaneous channel knowledge for a V-BLAST scheme with MRC (P-V-BLAST). An explicit closed form analysis for error probability for both co-located and distributed BSs is provided along with a number of novel performance metrics which are useful in designing MM systems. It is shown that the error performance of the distributed scenario can be well approximated by a modified version of a co-located scenario. Another potential advantage of P-V-BLAST is that the ordering can be obtained as soon as the link gains are available. Hence, it is possible that mean SINR values could be used for scheduling and other link control functions. These mean values are solely functions of the link gains and hence, scheduling, power adaptation, rate adaptation, etc. can all be performed more rapidly with P-V-BLAST. Hence, the P-V-BLAST structure may have further advantages beyond a lower complexity compared to C-V-BLAST.


Phosphate is a crucial component of DNA, RNA, ATP, and other biologically active compounds. Microbes, plants, and animals—including humans—cannot exist without it. Rocks containing phosphate have been discovered and are being mined at minimal cost. But resources are limited, and phosphate is being dissipated. Future generations ultimately will face problems in obtaining enough to exist.

The current major use of phosphate is in fertilizers. Growing crops remove it and other nutrients from the soil. Long-term research at the Morrow agricultural plots of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has corroborated the fact that even the best land loses fertility unless nutrients are replenished. At the Morrow plots, there is a threefold or greater difference in yields of corn between fertilized areas and untreated ones. Most of the world's farms do not have or do not receive adequate amounts of phosphate. Feeding the world's increasing population will accelerate the rate of depletion of phosphate reserves.

Corn seeds, which are a major source of food for cattle, swine, and poultry, contain substantial amounts of phosphate. About 75% of it is in the form of phytate, a water-insoluble compound. When the seeds sprout, enzymes are created that release phosphate from the phytate, making it available for biological activities. When seeds are fed to ruminants, bacteria in the rumen degrade some of the phytate, providing phosphate for use by the animals. But nonruminants such as poultry, swine, and people do not have an efficient system for making phosphate available from phytate. They excrete most of it. Ultimately, some of the phosphate excreted contributes to water pollution and eutrophication and becomes unavailable for further use.

Recent scientific research has resulted in ways to diminish the loss of phosphate. One of the methods was described at the recent AAAS annual meeting in Anaheim, California. Adolphus van Loon of Hoffman-La Roche, Basel, Switzerland, reported on research results that facilitate the release of phosphate from feed prepared for chickens and hogs. One of his colleagues conducted many successful experiments to improve the stability of phytase enzymes, which catalyze the breakup of phytate. The DNA coding for phytase that is present in thermophilic bacteria was altered to produce more highly thermostable enzymes. These are incorporated in feed when it is initially being cooked. Experiments have demonstrated that as much as one-third of the phytate phosphate is made available when monogastric animals are fed the improved feed. Van Loon estimated that annual sales will total as much as $500 million.

Another approach to the phytate problem has been attempts to reduce the amount of phytate in seeds. However, studies using this approach usually found that when the phytate content was decreased substantially, the seeds did not germinate, or if they did, they did not give rise to healthy plants. A breakthrough was achieved when Victor Raboy and his colleagues at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service in Aberdeen, Idaho, obtained useful mutants of corn seeds. Although the seeds contain relatively little phytate, they give rise to productive plants. Phosphate needed by the seed is stored safely by a mechanism not yet determined.

Growing and feeding experiments are currently being conducted. In one study, University of Missouri scientists conducted experiments involving analysis of waste from pigs fed either unmodified or low-phytate corn. Pigs who were fed the low-phytate corn showed, on average, a 37% reduction in phosphorus excreted. In growing pigs, 64% of the phosphorus in low-phytate corn was available, as compared with 10% from genetically similar corn with normal phytate levels.

The rate at which U.S. farmers will adopt low-phytate varieties of corn will depend on whether seeds also provide a combination of traits that include higher yield, increased energy for feed, and resistance to pests and herbicides. Ultimately this objective will be achieved.

Accomplishments such as these that lead to the conservation of phosphorus will avert a crisis in phosphate availability in the short term, but further research is needed to avert problems in the long term.


In this paper, an optimisation model for determination of the optimal sizes of various system components, including wind, diesel and energy storage, has been developed to obtain a reliable and cost-effective wind-diesel hybrid remote area power supply (RAPS) system. A linear programming based cost minimisation algorithm has been formulated for determination of optimal sizes of various components in a RAPS system with consideration of continually varying wind and system load. The system constraints, including power balance for both under-generation and over-generation scenarios, have been considered in the optimisation formulation. Optimisation model to minimize the total cost of the system based on hourly net present cost for both a one-day period and one-week period have been developed with allowance for unserved load during low wind conditions.


Although practitioner research in Information Systems has touted the relevance of online payment systems as a critical element for success of e-commerce business models, the strategic needs for adopting online payment systems are still unclear to most firms. This dissertation studies how one design feature of online payment systems---pricing scheme or temporal separation of payments and consumption---may be used strategically to compete in the market for information goods. I incorporate consumer "mental accounting" (MA) from Behavioral Economics literature into a firm level model. Contrary to the predictions from traditional microeconomic theories, the results from my game theoretic models show that when consumers are assumed to maintain mental accounts, the choice of pricing schemes does matter to firms in a competitive market. An experiment is conducted to further evaluate the analytical findings. In the experiment, sellers or firms compete against one another in a simulated consumer market exhibiting MA characteristics. The experimental results reveal that the Nash Equilibrium (NE) predictions of the game theoretic models may not hold in practice due to (i) market dominance of one firm over the other (ii) variations in market MA characteristics and (iii) differences in other payment system design features. The results of this dissertation not only offer insights about the strategic importance of online payment systems but also provide an explanation as to how economic and behavioral aspects of digital consumption may interact with one another.


The spatial resolution of conventional distributed fiber optic sensors is 1 m at best, which is inadequate to locate the damage precisely. We adopt an improved sensing technique based on the Brillouin optical time-domain analysis (BOTDA). The stepped pump light is input to stimulate the phonon so that the spatial resolution can be increased to centimeter order and the strain accuracy of 25 micro-strains is obtained. The feasibility of this sensing technique is demonstrated through strain measurement of three concrete box-girders in bending. Experimental results show that the improved BOTDA measurement can provide a comprehensive description on the strain distribution of steel rebar or concrete. Compared with the conventional strain gauges, the improved BOTDA measurement is more stable. By virtue of higher spatial resolution and better measurement accuracy, it has become possible to perform crack detection and localization for concrete structures.


Introduction: An average Indian woman spends almost one-third of her life span in the postmenopausal phase enduring the consequences of hormonal decline. About 89.3% menopausal women experience at least one or more menopausal symptom(s). Soybeans and chickpeas naturally contains the phytoestrogens that are used to mitigate the menopausal problems. Hence, to ensure a quality life to these women, attention needs to be focused on menopausal problems to alleviate these problems through appropriate interventions. Natural estrogens can be very helpful during menopause to mitigate the problems. Objective: To evaluate and compare the effectiveness of soybean vs chickpeas on menopausal symptoms among women. Materials and methods: True experimental research design was adopted for the study. A total of 150 menopausal women were selected by the purposive sampling technique with randomization (50 samples in each group). Group I received soybean, group II received chickpea, and group III was the control group. Pretest and posttest were done by using the Greene Climacteric Menopausal Assessment Scale. About 50 g of boiled soybean and chickpea were given to group I and group II for 21 days, respectively. Results: The findings implicate that the menopausal women were in the age group of 49–52 years. The pretest mean standard deviation for the level of menopausal symptoms of the soybean group was 67.0 ± 4.745 and posttest was 33.4 ± 6.021. The pretest mean standard deviation for the level of menopausal symptoms of the chickpea group was 66.8 ± 4.929 and posttest was 43.2 ± 7.301. Soybean and chickpea were effective in reduction of menopausal symptoms in both group I and group II. Results show that the t value for group I was 32.4 and group II was 22.60, which was significant at p < 0.001 level. Conclusion: The study concludes that soybean was effective in reduction of menopausal symptoms among women than chickpea.


JASAL (ISSN 1833-6027) is a peer-reviewed journal, published in at least two volumes each year by the Association for the Study of Australian Literature. One of these volumes is a special conference issue; the other will be put online in installments through the year as material is prepared. JASAL welcomes essays that consider Australian literature in all its forms (fictional, critical, print, filmic, and so on) and in terms of its socio-political and cultural contexts. We encourage readers to become ASAL members and to visit the ASAL website for information about conferences and other activities.


In this second of two essays responding to critical discussion of my Divine Hiddenness and Human Reason, I show how an 'accommodationist' strategy can be used to defuse objections that were not exposed as irrelevant by the first essay. This strategy involves showing that the dominant concern of reasons for divine withdrawal can be met or accommodated within the framework of divine–human relationship envisaged by the hiddenness argument. I conclude that critical discussion leaves the argument very much alive and kicking, and indeed strengthened as it moves into its second decade of life.


We present a spiking network model that transforms odor-dependent variable-latency olfactory bulb responses into a cortical ensemble code. In the model, which captures basic circuit properties of piriform cortex, the impact of the earliest-activated bulb inputs on the cortical response is amplified by diffuse recurrent collateral excitation, which then recruits strong feedback inhibition that stabilizes cortical activity and decreases the impact of later-responding glomeruli. Because the sequence of olfactory bulb activity for a particular odor is preserved across concentration, the ensemble of activated cortical neurons is robust to concentration changes. Nevertheless, odor concentration is represented by the latency and synchrony of the ensemble response. Using decoding techniques, we show that the ensemble-based coding scheme that arises in the cortical model supports concentration-invariant odor recognition.