The profitable production of lamb from pasture-based systems is dependent on high levels of pasture production being efficiently utilised by sheep of superior genetic merit. Pastures that can extend the pasture-growing season and provide high quality feed in late spring and summer have the potential to increase production efficiency and the proportion of lambs that meet market specifications. In this paper we tested the hypothesis that arrowleaf clover (cv. Arrotas), a cultivar selected for late maturity, would supply feed of higher nutritive value than conventional annual legumes and perennial ryegrass mixtures during December and January and this would improve lamb growth rates over this period. Two experiments were conducted to compare the nutritive value of pasture and growth rates of lambs grazing arrowleaf clover, subterranean clover (cv. Leura) or subterranean clover/perennial ryegrass mixtures at different stocking rates during late spring and early summer in south-west Victoria. In the second experiment an arrowleaf clover/perennial ryegrass treatment was also included. Lambs were removed from the plots when they could no longer maintain liveweight. Arrowleaf clover extended the growing season by 4–6 weeks and provided feed of significantly higher digestibility than subterranean clover during December and January. The digestibility of arrowleaf and perennial ryegrass was comparable, but arrowleaf had significantly higher crude protein content during this period. Lambs grazing arrowleaf clover at stocking rates up to 24 lambs/ha grew at or above 100 g/day until the end of January, whereas lambs grazing subterranean clover and perennial ryegrass mixed pastures could not maintain weight by mid-to-late December in both years and were removed from the pastures. At the highest stocking rates total lamb production from arrowleaf clover monoculture pastures in late spring and early summer was ~400 kg liveweight/ha, and was more than double that achieved from the subterranean clover and perennial ryegrass/subterranean clover mixed pastures. The perennial ryegrass/arrowleaf clover mixed pastures in the second experiment produced a similar quantity of lamb per hectare as the arrowleaf clover monoculture pastures at the same stocking rate. In this paper we demonstrated that late-maturing arrowleaf clover can be a profitable, special purpose lamb-finishing pasture. Arrowleaf clover was most suited to more elevated parts of the landscape where estimated carrying capacity was 20 to 40% greater than that from lower lying parts of the landscape that were more subject to water logging and weed infestation. The risks of including arrowleaf clover pastures into the farming system could be reduced by direct drilling arrowleaf clover, which has relatively poor winter production, into existing perennial ryegrass pastures.


AN ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE RESTORATION OF AN OUTDOOR LEARNING CENTER by Charles W. Yelton May 2007 The process of restoring and reconstructing natural communities is complex and full of uncertainty for land managers. When the prospect of using the natural communities for education purposes is added to these challenges, a comprehensive and adaptive approach of land management is necessary. Adaptive management has proven to be a useful approach to dealing with uncertainty when managing natural resources, and has been chosen as the approach for managing the resources of an outdoor education facility in Raleigh, North Carolina. This master's project is intended as a living document to guide the management of the natural resources at the Prairie Ridge Ecostation for Wildlife and Learning. Prairie Ridge is the educational field station of the North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences, located in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Ecostation hosts students of all backgrounds as they conduct educational field research. These activities can complicate the management and conservation of natural resources. This document is designed to provide a comprehensive plan for the restoration, reconstruction, and management of a variety of natural communities at Prairie Ridge, keeping in mind the need for educational and research use of these resources. These communities include a dry-mesic oak hickory forest, a piedmont bottomland forest, and a piedmont prairie reconstructed from an abandoned pasture. A framework was developed to guide the management of the diverse projects currently underway at Prairie Ridge. Each of these eleven projects is outlined with clear goals, strategies, and prescriptions for their management. Adaptive management is recommended for the majority of the projects for its ability to manage uncertainty and provide a scientific approach to management decisions. Evaluation methods were developed for each project to measure the effectiveness of the management prescriptions. The potentially conflicting uses of Prairie Ridge, including public visitation, field research, and preservation provide many opportunities for the use of decision analysis as an evaluation tool. Multi-attribute utility analysis is recommended for the evaluation of each management treatment. This plan will guide the management of Prairie Ridge's natural resources and serve as a model for incorporating adaptive management techniques into other educational facilities.


""Deep transverse arrest of the head"" should be recognised as a condition distinct from the ""unreduced occipito-posterior."" For treatment hospital, or at least a suitable table of adjustable height with lithotomy supports, is a necessity. A general anaesthetic should be given. The position of the child should be corrected manually and forceps then applied, not before.


1. The contribution of organic agriculture to emission reduction in a carbon con-strained world
Agriculture is among the five sectors which will have to substantially contribute to the stabiliza-tion of global greenhouse gas emissions in the next 10-15 years. This is one of the messages from the IPCC's 4th Assessment Report to the Bali Conference and its roadmap adopted in De-cember 2007. Organic farming reduces embedded energy demand on the input side, stores more carbon in soils and creates a soil structure that retains water more effectively. Most proc-esses face strong site-specific variability so that cultivation practices are too complex to be certi-fied under the Kyoto Mechanism CDM. The voluntary carbon market as well as the increasing attention given to climate change adaptation offers opportunities for promoting best practices of organic farming in a carbon constrained world.

2. The future perspectives in trade with carbon offsets (CERs/VERs)
The Bali roadmap adopted in December 2007 and the recent plans by the European Commis-sion to cap greenhouse gas emissions through the European Union Greenhouse Gas Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS) in the period 2013-2020 leave carbon markets and in particular the CDM with significant uncertainty on its post-Kyoto future, though there is confidence that there will be a CDM under the post-2012 climate change agreement to be adopted in Copenhagen. As the US, the largest buyer of voluntary carbon market offsets (VERs), is preparing for the in-troduction of cap and trade regimes, the increasing market prospects for VERs may change in the mid term. One key innovation of the Bali roadmap is the proposed scheme to halt deforesta-tion, which may or may not take the shape of trading with carbon certificates. There is signifi-cant uncertainty about the extent to which carbon trading could support the spread of organic agriculture on the output side (sale of certificates as co-products). Organic farming practices however will benefit from increasing prices of oil dependent inputs (fertilizer, agrochemicals), increasing commodity prices and scarce resources such as fertile land and water resources.

3. Sustainable development: Energy for the poor from Gold Standard CDM projects committed to sustainable use of biomass
Energy poverty (costly fossil fuel, short supply of electricity if any) is increasingly constraining rural development and contributing to unsustainable urbanization. Increased supply of biomass energy from sustainable sources is eligible under the CDM and can boost organic agriculture, if projects are certified under the Gold Standard.


Active genes can be sociable, snuggling up to one another. Brown et al. offer a new explanation for this clustering, suggesting that genes gather for the services of RNA splicing enzymes

Figure 1

Genes that are activated during red blood cell differentiation (green and red) cozy up in a human erythroblast.

A gene's location in the nucleus often reflects its activity. Hard-working genes tend to congregate in the interior of the nucleus, whereas their lazier counterparts hang out at the edge. Moreover, active genes on different chromosomes sometimes bunch up. How often active genes come together is uncertain. Whether the associations serve a purpose is also unclear, although some researchers propose that genes converge at so-called transcription factories that contain RNA polymerase.

To address these issues, Brown et al. pinpointed five genes that crank up during the differentiation of human red blood cells. Some of the genes were friendlier than others. For example, two α-globin genes were about five times more likely to be near each other than were two β-globin genes.

Next, the researchers tested whether a gene's chromatin environment affects its tendency to cluster. In human cells, β-globin sits in a tightly packaged chromatin region, whereas α-globin's neighborhood is looser. But in mouse cells, α-globin resides in a condensed region. The team replaced the mouse α-globin gene with the human version, so that the ordinarily loose human gene was now in a condensed chromatin environment. Like the β-globin gene in human cells, the inserted α-globin gene in mouse cells was aloof, suggesting that a gene's surroundings do influence its position relative to other genes. However, the team found that the inserted gene worked normally, showing that associations aren't essential for normal transcription.

The results also indicate that genes aren't sharing transcription factories. The average distance between associating active genes, the researchers determined, was about 10 times the diameter of a factory. Instead, the genes were congregating at nuclear speckles, much larger structures than factories that harbor enzymes for splicing RNA after transcription. The team concludes that genes associate because they sometimes happen to be drawn to the same speckle.

Brown, J.M., et al. 2008. J. Cell Biol. doi:.10.1083/jcb.200803174 [PubMed] [Cross Ref]


Abstract. In this paper, climatological features of the polar F2-region electron density (Ne) are investigated by means of statistical analysis using long-term observations from the European Incoherent Scatter UHF radar (called EISCAT in the following) and the EISCAT Svalbard radar (ESR) during periods of quiet to moderate geomagnetic activity. Field-aligned measurements by the EISCAT and ESR radars operating in CP-1 and CP-2 modes are used in this study, covering the years 1988–1999 for EISCAT and 1999–2003 for ESR. The data are sorted by season (equinox, summer and winter) and solar cycle phase (maximum, minimum, rising and falling). Some novel and interesting results are presented as follows: (1) The well-known winter anomaly is evident during the solar maximum at EISCAT, but it dies out at the latitude of the ESR; (2) The daytime peaks of Ne at EISCAT for all seasons during solar maximum lag about 1–2 h behind those at ESR, with altitudes about 10–30 km lower. (3) In addition to the daytime peak, it is revealed that there is another peak just before magnetic midnight at ESR around solar maximum, especially in winter and at equinox. The day-time ionization peak around magnetic noon observed by ESR can be attributed to soft particle precipitation in the cusp region, whereas the pre-midnight Ne maximum seems likely to be closely related to substorm events which frequently break out during that time sector, in particular for the winter case. (4) Semiannual variations are found at EISCAT during solar minimum and the falling phase of the solar cycle; at the rising phase, however, the EISCAT observations show no obvious seasonal variations.


Natural ventilation is a basic quantity to reach comfort in passively acting buildings. It delivers not only fresh air to breath but can also be used to temper the room if the indoor temperature is above the outdoor one. Driving forces are temperature differences (buoyancy) and wind. However, both may be weak in hot and especially humid locations. A solar chimney uses solar radiation to heat up the exhausted air and to increase buoyancy, thus could help to improve that situation at least during the daytime. Nevertheless, the implementation of solar chimneys is quite rare. It may be that the idea to use heat to cool and ventilate a building seems strange. The literature reports about the potential of solar chimneys, characteristics like volume flow and temperatures are measured or simulated. Though, the findings of these publications are based on a special geometry and provide not enough detailed information about the optimized shape (width, height, length, etc.) of solar chimneys. To overcome that situation, this paper presents general design rules for the geometry of solar chimney systems that could be adapted to existing or newly erected buildings. A solar chimney system is assumed as composed by three components: An absorber as the main part to reach a higher temperature, a stack extension on top for further acceleration of the exhausted air, and a stack at the bottom connected to the (lower) storeys that should be ventilated.A full set of equations of fluid mechanics and thermodynamics is presented and describes the physical behaviour of the air in the system. These equations are coupled with each other and can be solved in iterations, also with a simple spreadsheet. As a compromise between accuracy in results and complexity of the simulation method, the physical model is based on some simplifying assumptions like turbulent flow, friction on walls, air as an incompressible medium, and immediate heat transfer from the absorber to the air. Nevertheless, the outcomes are in accordance with the findings from the literature, as the model seems to reflect the physical behaviour adequately. The main results are volume flow, velocity and temperature, allowing the optimization of the geometry of the chimney system. An applicable list of design rules for solar chimneys is finally presented as well as proposals for their integration in typical apartment buildings in hot and humid locations.


Andy Warhol spent his career working so prodigiously as to assure longlasting renown. In the printmaking field alone, his output was prolific, and his appropriation of silkscreen as a fine art medium forever altered the way prints look. This thoroughly revised and expanded fourth edition of Andy Warhol Prints: A Catalogue Raisonne 1962-1987 traces Warhol's complete graphic oeuvre from his first unique works on paper in 1962 through his final published portfolio in 1987. More than 1,700 works are illustrated, an increase of 500 from the previous edition of the catalogue raisonne, and complete documentation is provided for each. New additions include a section focusing on Warhol's popular portraits, with documentation of prints that were related to paintings commissioned during the 1970s and 1980s, and a new supplement featuring prints and illustrated books from the 1950s, including the beloved 25 Cats Named Sam and One Blue Pussy. An essay by Donna De Salvo addresses Warhol's self-published books and portfolios from the same era. An extensive chronology of printmaking activity, a complete exhibition history, a selected bibliography and a greatly expanded appendix to published prints complete the book.


INTRODUCTION States and localities have had an uneasy relationship with non-citizens, or at least that is how we mostly imagine it. Before the advent of federal immigration controls in the late nineteenth century, the states were left to their own devices in restricting freedom of movement. As the federal government sought to impose control over the admission, removal, and treatment of non-citizens, state and local measures discriminating against non-citizens were brought into relief through diplomatic controversy and judicial challenge. Pathologies typically occupy a higher profile in our histories, and there were clearly many contexts in which states and localities enjoyed a benign, even close relationship with non-citizen immigrants and immigrant communities. With the zenith of federal exclusivity over immigration regulation through the mid and late twentieth century, however, state and local governments were presumed to have antagonistic tendencies towards non-citizens. The reflex, constitutional and otherwise, was to eliminate sub-federal discretion in the area. A revision appears well under way. Although concerns persist with respect to state and local enforcement of federal immigration laws, state and local governments have demonstrated a capacity in recent years to engage constructively with those lacking national citizenship, a capacity that is now recognized in the scholarly mainstream. (1) The constructive capacities of states have been (re)enabled by recent immigration and the presence of significant numbers of persistent non-citizens within particular sub-federal communities. Large-scale immigration is not a new phenomenon. State and local reception of immigrants may echo historical experiences, sometimes for the worse, but also for the better. This essay will make the case for devising forms of state and/or local citizenship for aliens. (2) Sub-federal citizenship is already implicit in various practices that recognize aliens as members of sub-federal communities. Some of these practices relate to legally-present non-citizens only, as with non-citizen voting and permissive practices relating to non-citizen employment in the public sector. Some relate to non-citizens regardless of immigration status, including the issuance of local identity cards and eligibility for in-state tuition in public post-secondary education. These measures are not simply pro-immigrant. Rather, they reflect social solidarities and community membership among those who do not have full membership in the national community. They add up to a form of local citizenship for aliens. (3) The solidarities evidenced by these practices could profitably be bundled into a more formal status under the citizenship label. Local citizenship decoupled from federal citizenship and immigration status would have expressive value beyond the sum of its parts. It could also have instrumental value in resolving the peculiar challenge of citizenship in this context, flowing from conflicting local and national postures towards undocumented non-citizens. Local citizenship would appear trumped by federal immigration law in the same way that sanctuary measures have been trumped by federal law. This is partially correct; the undocumented alien/local citizen would not be legally insulated from removal from the community by the national government. Formal local citizenship, however, would differ from sanctuary measures. Sanctuary is by its terms conflictual with federal regulation; as sanctuary from federal enforcement of the immigration laws, it is only actuated relative to the federal scheme. It is also expressive of universal human solidarity rather than of local solidarity. All undocumented non-citizens are beneficiaries of sanctuary measures. Local citizenship, by contrast, would be particularized and by its terms detached from federal regulation. This could make it a powerful discursive tool in defeating federal interference with local community structures. …


Bhutan, a Himalayan landlocked country of just about 750,000 inhabitants, has since the 1980s adopted a unique, holistic approach to development governance commonly referred to as 'Gross National Happiness' (GNH), which aims at achieving equitable socio-economic progress in harmony with other fundamental 'pillars' such as environmental preservation, good governance, and protection of the local cultural identity. The strategy inspired, above all, by solid Tantric Buddhist belief significantly differentiates itself from the mainstream GDP-driven, output-maximizing paradigms by maintaining that truly sustainable development can only originate from acknowledging the equal dignity and crucial interdependence of various dimensions of both human and natural life. This paper, drafted in the month of December 2015, briefly analyzes GNH policy's key tenets and achievements – more conspicuous in regards to democratic governance and environment than in terms of inclusive, multidimensional poverty reduction, as well as its recently devised measuring tool, the GNH Index, and the results of its latest surveys. Factors like the peculiar Buddhist culture that informs it, the relatively simple economic infrastructure at this early stage of development, as well as the limited size of the politically active, urbanized population, all make GNH per se a distinctively Bhutanese phenomenon. Nevertheless, the fundamental paradigm shift that GNH advocates has already resonated beyond the countries' borders, reinforcing a growing trend across international development actors towards a more comprehensive, qualitative definition and measurement of societal development.


Our overarching goal is to provide children with immersive game-based learning environments to support Arabic linguistic skills acquisition. We postulate that immersion increases learning. To investigate this hypothesis, we developed a model and built an implementation of an educational virtual environment (EVE) that supports immersion and thus, induces effective learning. Experimental results confirm our hypothesis. Our model integrates learning content, learning activities, immersion and gameplay. Based on our analysis of various curricula, specifically the United Arab Emirates grade one curriculum, we identified the nature of the learning content in order to satisfy the curriculum requirements. This content is conceptually structured to support gradual and independent learning. Acquiring knowledge from the learning content involves a learning process that we operationalize as a set of well-defined cognitive activities, which are categorized as perception, recognition, association, composition and recall. Accordingly, gameplay events and actions are designed to afford and instantiate these activities to engage the learner. Besides gameplay, engagement is explicitly addressed by modeling immersion using three different dimensions (sensory, imaginative and challenge-based). Our implementation is a 3D virtual reality game that captures various learning environments, each of which provides adventure, exploration, and learning. The gameplay engages players into learning activities that stimulate their senses, challenges them, and keep them absorbed in their quests. The implemented system runs on PC's with Occulus and on smart phones with virtual glasses. These configurations were used in experiments in the laboratory, at a primary school, and in informal settings to measure immersion and learning. Results show that our model contributes effectively to immersion and learning.


An iron(III) complex having a dibenzotetraethyltetraamido macrocyclic ligand (DTTM4-), (NEt4)2[FeIII(DTTM)Cl] (1), was synthesized and characterized by crystallographic, spectroscopic, and electrochemical methods. Complex 1 has a square-pyramidal structure in the S = 3/2 spin state. The complex exhibited two reversible redox waves at +0.36 and +0.68 V (vs SCE) in the cyclic voltammogram measured in CH2Cl2 at room temperature. The stepwise oxidation of 1 using chemical oxidants allowed us to observe clear and distinct spectral changes with distinct isosbestic points for each step, in which oxidation occurred at the phenylenediamido moiety rather than the iron center. One-electron oxidation of 1 by 1 equiv of [RuIII(bpy)3](ClO4)3 (bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine) in CH2Cl2 afforded square-pyramidal (NEt4)[Fe(DTTM)Cl] (2), which was in the S = 1 spin state involving a ligand radical and showed a slightly distorted square-pyramidal structure. Complex 2 showed an intervalence charge-transfer band at 900 nm, which was assigned on the basis of time-dependent density functional theory calculations, to indicate that the complex is in a class IIA mixed-valence ligand-radical regime with Hab = 884 cm-1. Two-electron oxidation of 1 by 2 equiv of [(4-Br-Ph)3N•+](SbCl6) in CH2Cl2 afforded two-electron-oxidized species of 1, [Fe(DTTM)Cl] (3), which was in the S = 1/2 spin state; complex 3 exhibited a distorted square-pyramidal structure. X-ray absorption near-edge structure spectra of 1-3 were measured in both CH3CN solutions and BN pellets to observe comparable rising-edge energies for the three complexes, and Mössbauer spectra of 1-3 showed almost identical isomer shifts and quadruple splitting parameters, indicating that the iron centers of the three complexes are intact to be in the intermediate-spin iron(III) state. Thus, in complexes 2 and 3, it is evident that antiferromagnetic coupling is operating between the unpaired electron(s) of the ligand radical(s) and those of the iron(III) center.


New Zealand has two endemic widow spider species; Latrodectus katipo Powell , 1871 and L. atritus Urquhart 1890. This study focused on the population dynamics and habitat usage of L. katipo , which has undergone serious decline in its abundance and range over the last thirty years. Previous population studies have not included male or juvenile katipo because of their smaller size. A survey of katipo populations was conducted along the Manawatu coastline. There was considerable variation in population density and structure between sites. The highest katipo population density of 21 .8 per hectare was recorded at Koitiata . Koitiata , Himatangi , Foxton and Tangimoana populations had a large proportion of juveniles. At Wanganui South and Castlecliff beaches no juveniles could be found , suggesting that reproductive output is very low and that these sites may require conservation attention . Accurate monitoring is critical to the management of any endangered species, however katipo are not monitored regularly in most areas as current population monitoring methods (transect or quadrat searches) are time and labourintensive, and require highly-trained observers. I investigated the use of artificial cover objects (ACOs) which have a number of advantages over current monitoring methods; in particular they can be quickly and easily checked by observers. Katipo populations at three sites at Himatangi Beach were monitored between January and July , 2005. More traditional habitat searches were completed concurrently to provide population density estimates. The occupancy rate of the ACOs was strongly correlated with population density, and ACOs are therefore proposed as a reliable alternative monitoring method for katipo. The habitat searches showed that katipo have a longer breeding season at Himatangi than reported in South Island based studies, with males and newly hatched juveniles being found in the field up until about June, as opposed to just during summer months. The katipo population density was relatively constant between January and July, 2005, compared to that of Steatoda capensis , an introduced South African spider. Choice experiments were conducted to investigate whether katipo have preference for certain plant species or driftwood as web sites. Native sand-binding shrubs such as Coprosma acerosa are favoured by katipo over other plant species


Call centers have become one of the most cost effective ways of selling products to customers and giving services to them in different industries. By applying knowledge management solutions, we can meet call centers' challenges and gain benefits of reduced training costs, improved call handling and greater flexibility. This paper describes an agent mediated knowledge management system in call centers using the Tropos methodology. We use structure-in-5 for architectural design which specifies that our KM system is an aggregation of five sub-structures. Furthermore we develop a formal methodology and technique to verify the validity of communication protocols defmed in a multi-agent environment. This is accomplished by examining agent conversations before deploying the system. The methodology leads to the definition of six different classes of agents. Our experiments develop proof of concept module for a call center that automatically verifies some of the important properties identified in this methodology. Results prove the agent's specification and indicate that our proposed model works accurately. The paper concludes with observations on the call centers and the role of agents in the proposed model.


This study uses Incivility Spirals and
Uses and Gratifications frameworks to explore how people discuss scientific
topics on the social media site Reddit. Specifically, the goals of this project
were to develop a new typology of online messages, examine how different
factors influence online discourse, and determine whether uses and
gratifications vary between Subreddits. The dataset consisted of comments on the
top ten posts of 2019 from r/EverythingScience and r/Science. These Subreddits were examined
because, although they both focus on science, they differ in terms of group
rules and moderator style. Human coders and the text analysis software
Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count were used to evaluate the comments on a
series of dichotomous and continuous variables. These variables were used in a
two-step cluster analysis to identify message typologies. Results indicate that
there were three types of messages in the dataset: Polite Participation,
Emotional Interrogation, and On Topic Information. Further analysis
demonstrated that group norms and the first comment in a conversation impact
the quality of discourse that takes place. Conversations on r/Science (the more
strict Subreddit) that begin with an On Topic Information comment are more
likely to be extremely deliberative, while conversation on r/EverythingScience
that begin with an Emotional Interrogation comment are more likely to result in
incivility spirals. Results also suggest differences in gratifications between
Subreddits, with Redditors using r/Science for productive discussion and
r/EverythingScience for heated debate. Theoretical and practical implications
of these findings are discussed, along with avenues for future research.


The ability to move in complex environments is a fundamental requirement for robots to be a part of our daily lives. Increasing the controller complexity may be a desirable choice in order to obtain an improved performance. However, these two aspects may pose a considerable challenge on the optimization of robotic controllers. In this paper, we study the trade-offs between the complexity of reactive controllers and the complexity of the environment in the optimization of multi-robot obstacle avoidance for resource-constrained platforms. The optimization is carried out in simulation using a distributed, noise-resistant implementation of Particle Swarm Optimization, and the resulting controllers are evaluated both in simulation and with real robots. We show that in a simple environment, linear controllers with only two parameters perform similarly to more complex non-linear controllers with up to twenty parameters, even though the latter ones require more evaluation time to be learned. In a more complicated environment, we show that there is an increase in performance when the controllers can differentiate between front and backwards sensors, but increasing further the number of sensors and adding non-linear activation functions provide no further benefit. In both environments, augmenting reactive control laws with simple memory capabilities causes the highest increase in performance. We also show that in the complex environment the performance measurements are noisier, the optimal parameter region is smaller, and more iterations are required for the optimization process to converge.


The conceptualisation and measurement of benefit coverage is muddled with considerable confusion. In this forum contribution, we propose a new consolidated framework for the analysis of benefit coverage. Three sequential steps in measurement are suggested, involving the calculation of coverage rates, eligibility rates and take-up rates in social protection. Each step of the analysis focuses on particular aspects of programme legislation and implementation, and together the new framework will substantially improve the possibilities of research to inform policymaking. We provide an empirical illustration of our approach based on Swedish data, and highlight how our new consolidated framework for analysing benefit coverage provides a reorientation of the research agenda on benefit coverage.


Most of population in the world live in countries where obesity and overweight killed people more than underweight whereby leads too many chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus and heart attack. Although the worldwide obesity nearly tripled since 1975, the influence of the surrounding factors such as fast food outlets distribution, income status and physical activity levels is still unclear. This research investigates the pattern of obesity cases in United Kingdom and Malaysia in year 2015 by testing the associated variables in order to find the risk factors that contribute to the rise of obesity cases in both country. Hotspot analysis was examined for the explanatory factors for both country by using Getis Ord Gi*, cartogram mapping and classification by using ArcGIS 10.2 software and Scape Toad software to determine which region or state that have high rate each of those factors. Spatial correlation analysis was used by using fast food outlets distribution, income status and physical activity levels data with obesity cases to test the relationship of the explanatory factors towards percentage of obesity. It is found that the correlation value for fast food outlets distribution in UK is R2 = 0.01 while in Malaysia, R2 = 0.02. The correlation value for income status in UK is R2 = 0.86 and Malaysia, R2 = 0.12. Lastly, the correlation value for physical activity levels in UK is R2 = 0.40 while in Malaysia, R2 = 0.20. In conclusion, income status and physical activity have high impact to the obesity in United Kingdom meanwhile it give low impact among population in Malaysia. For fast food outlets distribution, it has very low relationship with obesity for both country. The usage of GIS application and new technology can provide easier and effective ways in order to monitor the obesity and health status worldwide


The essential, parent-friendly guide to raising a healthy child in our increasingly toxic environment. The second volume in the New York Times bestselling Green This! series, Growing Up Green: Baby and Child Care is a complete guide to raising healthy kids. Environmental activist and children's advocate Deirdre Imus addresses specific issues faced by children in every age group -- from infants to adolescents and beyond. With a focus on preventing rather than treating childhood illnesses, Deirdre concentrates on educating and empowering parents with information such as: * How to make sure your child is vaccinated safely * Which plastic bottles and toys are least toxic * How to lobby for safer school environments and support children's environmental health studies * Advice from leading "green" pediatricians and nationally recognized doctors such as Mehmet C. Oz, M.D. Chock-full of research and advice, Growing Up Green makes it easy for you to introduce your child to the "living green" way of life.


The lipase synthesis of esters using palm oil fractions and long
chain alcohol as substrates was carried out. Various lipases were
tested for their suitability for the reaction. Among the enzymes
tested, Lipozyme IM exhibited the highest percentage yield of palm
oil ester (more than 75%) compared with the other lipases. Two
methods, classical method (one-variable at-a-time) and response
surface methodology (RSM),w ere employed for optimization of the
reaction.
By the classical method, five parameters such as reaction time,
temperature, amount of enzyme, molar ratio of substrates and
various organic solvents of the reaction system were investigated The optimum yield was achieved at the reaction temperature of 40
- 500C for palm oil (PO) and 400C for palm kernel oil (PKO)
alcoholysis, a reaction time of 5 - 7 h for PO and 7 - 10 h for PKO,
0.15 g of enzyme for both PO and PKO alcoholysis, molar ratio at 3:
1 (alcohol: PO or PKO), and the best solvent for the reactions was
hexane. Percentage yields of esters obtained at these optimum
reaction conditions were 83, 80 and 81% for refined, bleached and
deodorized (RBD) palm oil, RBD palm stearin (PS) and RBD palm
olein (PL), respectively and 87, 90 and 86% for RBD palm kernel
oil, RBD palm kernel stearin (PKS) and RBD palm kernel olein
(PKL) , respectively.
The classical method of optimization involves varying one
parameter at a time and keeping the other parameters constant.
However, this method is inefficient as it fails to understand
relationships between the variables (reaction time, temperature,
molar ratio and amount of enzyme) and the response (percentage
yield). RSM is an effective statistical technique for the investigation
of complex processes. RSM comprising of a five-level, four-factor
central composite rotatable design (CCRD) was used to evaluate
the interactive effects of synthesis reaction time (2.5 - 10 h of PO, 5
- 15 h of PKO), temperature (30 - 700C of PO, 30 - 500C of PKO),
amount of enzyme (0.1 - 0.2 g of PO or PKO) and substrates molar
ratio (1: 1 - 5: 1 alcohol to PO or PKO) on the percentage yield of esters and to obtain the optimum conditions for enzyme-catalyzed
alcoholysis of palm-based ester.
The optimum conditions derived by RSM of PO and PKO were:
reaction time at 7.38 and 10 h, temperature of 53.9% and 44.20C,
amount of enzyme of 0.149 and 0.157g, and substrates molar ratio
3.41: 1 and 3.78: 1 (alcohol: PO or PKO), respectively. The actual
experimental yield of PO and PKO were 84.6% and 90.8% under
these optimum conditions, which compared well with the
maximum predicted value of 85.4% and 91.8% for PO and PKO,
respectively.
The composition of esters synthesized from PO at optimum
reaction condition are 0.8% of oleyl laurate, 3.8% of oleyl
myristate, 35.5% of oleyl palmitate, 4.5% of oleyl stearate, 33.3%
oleyl oleate and 6.2% of oleyl linoleate. Meanwhile, The
composition of esters synthesized from PKO are 0.7% of oleyl
caproate, 5.7% of oleyl caprylate, 3.7% of oleyl caprate, 36.7% of
laurate, 13.10% of oleyl myristate, 8.8% of oleyl palmitate, 2.5%
oleyl stearate, 14.1% of oleyl oleate and 2.4% of oleyl linoleate.
These optimum conditions were also used in alcoholysis of PS, PL,
PKS and PKL, which gave the average percentage yield of more
than 80%.


The aim of this study, was to describe differences between women and men who seek care for chest pain and their experience of treatment from the caregivers, psychosocial aspects and eventually differences in symptoms and treatment possibilities. Data were collected through Medline, Cinahl and ScienceDirect databases. The results were divided in different themes. Treatment, Differences in symptoms among women and men and psychosocial aspects and differences in treatment between the gender. The result showed a lack in communication between the patient and the staff. The patients experienced a lack of information about the disease. It emerged that patient thought the information assert the medical were more important compare to nurses who considered the riskfactors, medicine as well as the diet as the most important during the hospitalization. The caregivers need a high competence to be able to give a correct diagnose, and knowledge about the differences in symptoms and pain between women and men. The women more often had diffuse pain compared to men. The reason of women delaying seeking care was the diffuse symptoms and that the women neglected the pain. The women's diffuse symptoms combined with their socioeconomic situation, led to a delayed arrival to the emergency department. The treatment was different between the genders, where men in a higher extent received angiography, which led to a poorer treatment and higher mortality in women.


The efficiency of irrigation for paddy cultivation depends very much on water supply and demand to be provided during the growing season. Due to complexity in operating water intake structure, the Constant Head Orifice (CHO) was developed to overcome the problems which required intensive labour. A CHO off-take structure is an important structure in the irrigation scheme to facilitate measurement and provide constant irrigation water supply.

Presently, all CHO off-take structures in Malaysia are manually operated. Target discharges are seldom met due to upstream water level fluctuations, and the operators are unable to cope with the opening and closing of the many orifice gates and the turnout gates. CHO's are not automated due to the large number of gates involved in an irrigation scheme and there are many water level sensors required for the automation system. Automation is potentially one piece of the puzzle in trying to modernize and improve overall irrigation project performance.

A CHO automation system was developed in this study in order to make improvement on the operational system of existing CHO structures by automating the gate operation through interfacing with Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system. A double barrel CHO structure at Block M2 at secondary canal TB (Taliair B) in the Sg. Muda Irrigation Scheme, Seberang Perai Utara, Penang was chosen for the installation and testing of the automation system.

The developed CHO automation system included mechanization of the intake and off-take gates, Programmable Logic Control (PLC), water level sensors, communication media and master control server. The system allowed the operator to automatically route scheduled changes in demand through their canal system utilizing water levels at the main canal and at the CHO stilling chamber, and time delay calculation. The "Kinetic Automation" controller unit can automatically maintain constant differential head at 100 mm. The master controller used the standard personal computer and customized SCADA package. Each gate is operated with Rotork IQ35F16A actuators which are controlled by the "Kinetic Automation" controller unit at site. Control is based on water level from MJK ultrasonic sensors and gate position sensor which was incorporated in the Rotork IQ35F16A actuator. Public Switch Telephone Network (PSTN) was used as a media of communication between the master controller and "Kinetic Automation" controller unit and MODBUS communication protocol.

The study found that, there is a linear relationship between discharge and the gate opening. At a constant differential head, the discharge increased with increase in orifice and turnout gates opening.

It was observed that there is a general increase in orifice gate opening for manual measurement compared to the automatic control. T-test comparison shows that the mean orifice gate openings for automatic control and manual measurement are not significantly different from one another. There was an overall increase in average discharge values between automation supply and manual gauging. Generally, the manual gauging discharges were higher than automation discharges for most flow settings. T-test comparison indicates that the average difference in discharge values from the automated supply and manual gauging is not significantly different from zero. In another words, the discharges from the two methods are not different from one another.

The time required to open the gate by the automated CHO system increases with increase in orifice gate opening. A similar trend is observed for the manually-operated CHO. For any particular orifice gate opening, the time requirement for the automated CHO is always less than that required by the manually-operated CHO by as much as 1/11 to 1/5 of the time.

There are huge benefits from the automation of the CHO; fast response in water supply, computerized control of water supply, easy and efficient operation, and well regulated irrigation water supplied remotely, easy maintenance and web enabled. The success of the project has eliminated the human problem and simplifies operational procedures. The CHO can be economically operated, with ease of discharge measurement and minimized cost of maintenance. Besides, DID needs to popularize the importance of Information Communication Technology (ICT) and automation of CHO in irrigation to its own staff as well as the general public. However this will require commitment from all those involved among all levels of government and private sectors


Osteoporotic fractures most frequently first occur in the axial skeleton, especially in the vertebral bodies of the thoracolumbar transition. Beside pain, these fractures cause increasing kyphosis leading to changes in statics and a shift of the bodies' center of gravity. This results in physiological, functional as well as neurological consequences that cannot be managed by means of a conservative therapy. The purpose of this article is to provide a brief overview on diagnostics and therapy of such fractures. Furthermore, fractures of the pubic rami need to be mentioned. They pose another frequent location for osteoporotic fractures and are also associated with a high rate of morbidity and mortality.


Ghrelin is a circulating peptide hormone that plays a regulatory role in many physiological processes related to energy balance and metabolism. To be recognized by its receptor, growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1a (GHSR1a), the serine 3 residue of ghrelin must be octanoylated. This unique posttranslational modification is catalyzed by the enzyme ghrelin O-acyltransferase (GOAT), a topologically complex integral membrane protein. GOAT is an intriguing target for biochemical studies, as no other enzyme is known to catalyze octanoylation of a serine hydroxyl group. It is also an attractive target for diseases related to ghrelin signaling, such as diabetes and obesity, as blocking GOAT activity would decrease the levels of acylated (active) ghrelin. However, much about GOAT remains undefined: its catalytic residues, active site structure, and mechanism are unknown, and assays studying GOAT activity are limited. The lack of structural and mechanistic information regarding GOAT makes the rational design of small molecule inhibitors difficult, and the inability to easily apply GOAT activity assays to a high throughput format has limited the discovery of small molecule GOAT inhibitors. With these challenges in mind, we have made several improvements to GOAT activity assays which increase product stability and enable real-time monitoring of ghrelin acylation. A library screen of small molecules has revealed a novel class of small molecule inhibitors of human GOAT (hGOAT), which act by covalently modifying a functionally essential cysteine residue within the enzyme. Finally, mutagenesis studies have revealed several residues within hGOAT that are required for activity.


Computer systems should provide what you want, when you want it (the WYWWYWI principle, pronounced "why why why"), but they frequently do not. Our research encourages a new philosophy of design based on the WYWWYWI principle, and the tools for authors to provide this easily. Comprehensive metainformation embodies the WYWWYWI principle. Metainformation includes the structural relationships, content-based relationships, user-declared link-based relationships, and metadata around an element of interest. Combined, the metainformation goes a long way towards establishing the full semantics for (the meaning of and context around) a system's elements. We take a three-pronged approach to providing metainformation on a grand scale. First, we provide a systematic methodology for systems analysts to determine the relationships around elements of interest in their information domains - relationship analysis. Relationship analysis will result in a comprehensive set of a domain's structural relationships. Second, we provide a Metainformation Engine, which automatically generates sets of structural and content-based relationships around elements of interest as links, as well as metadata within static and virtual documents. Third, we provide an infrastructure for widespread link-based services within both static and virtual documents. This approach provides the inspiration as well as a sound foundation for a ubiquitous embracing of the WYWWYWI principle in the everyday systems people use, both on the Web and beyond.


This study investigates the impact of the choice of optimization technique when constructing Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) portfolios. Corporate Social Performance (CSP) scores are price sensitive information that is subject to considerable estimation risk. Therefore, uncertainty in the input parameters is greater for SRI portfolios than conventional portfolios, and this affects the selection of the appropriate optimization method. We form SRI portfolios based on six different approaches and compare their performance along the dimensions of risk, risk-return trade-off, diversification and stability. Our results for SRI portfolios contradict those of the conventional portfolio optimization literature. We find that the more "formal" optimization approaches (Black-Litterman, Markowitz and robust estimation) lead to SRI portfolios that are both less risky and have superior risk-return trade-offs than do more simplistic approaches; although they also have more unstable asset allocations and lower diversification. Our conclusions are robust to a series of tests, including the use of different estimation windows and stricter screening criteria.


This paper presents a comprehensive review of thin-layer drying-curve models available in the literature and their comparisons for single-layer drying applications from 2003 to 2013. In this regard, a total of 67 models are selected and classified under 28 performance assessment criteria for comparison purposes. These models are then evaluated by considering the following parameters: (1) product type; (2) pretreatment type; (3) drying parameters, such as temperature, air velocity, layer thickness, microwave power levels, amount of solar radiation, vacum pressure, frequency of sound wave, excitation amplitude, relative humidity, bed depth, product shape, pH, salt content, absolute pressure, etc.; and (4) drying method employed. Furthermore, the best models obtained are employed for product drying applications and compared for different drying methods, drying parameters, and dried products.


Zen of Cloud: Learning Cloud Computing by Examples on Microsoft Azure provides comprehensive coverage of the essential theories behind cloud computing and the Windows Azure cloud platform. Sharing the authors insights gained while working at Microsofts headquarters, it presents nearly 70 end-to-end examples with step-by-step guidance on implementing typical cloud-based scenarios.The book is organized into four sections: cloud service fundamentals, cloud solutions, devices and cloud, and system integration and project management. Each chapter contains detailed exercises that provide readers with the opportunity to develop valuable hands-on skills in cloud service development. Explains how to prepare for Microsoft Azure development and how to use Microsoft Azure Management Portal Provides best practices for designing cloud-based applications Includes online access to updated examples and answers to the exercises Beginners can use this book as a guide in their journey through cloud computing. Experienced cloud developers will benefit from the specific examples and detailed guidance on implementing typical cloud-based scenarios. The examples cover a range of application types and technologies with varying levels of difficulties.Supplying comprehensive coverage of the Windows Azure cloud platform, the book provides a practical understanding and powerful tips that readers can immediately apply to their own workmaking it ideal for cloud system developers, architects, and IT professionals. Organized into easily digestible sessions, it is also ideal for use in instructional settings.


Chronic back pain is among the most common patient complaints. Its prevalence and impact have spawned a rapidly expanding range of tests and treatments. Some of these have become widely used for indications that are not well validated, leading to uncertainty about efficacy and safety, increasing complication rates, and marketing abuses. Recent studies document a 629% increase in Medicare expenditures for epidural steroid injections; a 423% increase in expenditures for opioids for back pain; a 307% increase in the number of lumbar magnetic resonance images among Medicare beneficiaries; and a 220% increase in spinal fusion surgery rates. The limited studies available suggest that these increases have not been accompanied by population-level improvements in patient outcomes or disability rates. We suggest a need for a better understanding of the basic science of pain mechanisms, more rigorous and independent trials of many treatments, a stronger regulatory stance toward approval and post-marketing surveillance of new drugs and devices for chronic pain, and a chronic disease model for managing chronic back pain.


More journalists are being killed, attacked and intimidated than at any time in history. Reporting Dangerously: Journalist Killings, Intimidation and Security examines the statistics and looks at the trends in journalist killings and intimidation around the world. It identifies what factors have led to this rise and positions these in historical and global contexts. This important study also provides case studies and first-hand accounts from journalists working in some of the most dangerous places in the world today and seeks to understand the different pressures they must confront. It also examines industry and political responses to these trends and pressures as well as the latest international initiatives aimed at challenging cultures of impunity and keeping journalists safe. Throughout, the authors argue that journalism contributes a vital if often neglected role in the formation and conduct of civil societies. This is why reporting from 'uncivil' places matters and this is why journalists are often positioned in harm's way. The responsibility to report in a globalizing world of crises and human insecurity, and the responsibility to try and keep journalists safe while they do so, it is argued, belongs to us all.


The 20th annual Database Issue of Nucleic Acids Research includes 176 articles, half of which describe new online molecular biology databases and the other half provide updates on the databases previously featured in NAR and other journals. This year's highlights include two databases of DNA repeat elements; several databases of transcriptional factors and transcriptional factor-binding sites; databases on various aspects of protein structure and protein–protein interactions; databases for metagenomic and rRNA sequence analysis; and four databases specifically dedicated to Escherichia coli. The increased emphasis on using the genome data to improve human health is reflected in the development of the databases of genomic structural variation (NCBI's dbVar and EBI's DGVa), the NIH Genetic Testing Registry and several other databases centered on the genetic basis of human disease, potential drugs, their targets and the mechanisms of protein–ligand binding. Two new databases present genomic and RNAseq data for monkeys, providing wealth of data on our closest relatives for comparative genomics purposes. The NAR online Molecular Biology Database Collection, available at http://www.oxfordjournals.org/nar/database/a/, has been updated and currently lists 1512 online databases. The full content of the Database Issue is freely available online on the Nucleic Acids Research website (http://nar.oxfordjournals.org/).


It is shown that if a closed convex subset C of a Banach space has both the fixed point property and the conditional fixed point property for nonexpansive mappings and C is either weakly compact or bounded and separable, then any commuting family of nonexpansive self-mappings of C has a common fixed point. The set of common fixed points is a nonexpansive retract of C.


The workshop "Advances in Interfacing Production Systems with the Real World" was designed to bring together researchers from around the world to focus on the problem of integrating production systems into industrial environments. It was held on 25 August 1991 in Sydney, Australia, in conjunction with the Twelfth International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI-91). Nine papers were accepted for the proceedings, and six of them were discussed at the workshop.


Rhythm perception is assumed to be guided by a domain-general auditory principle, the Iambic/Trochaic Law, stating that sounds varying in intensity are grouped as strong-weak, and sounds varying in duration are grouped as weak-strong. Recently, Bhatara et al. ( 2013 ) showed that rhythmic grouping is influenced by native language experience, French listeners having weaker grouping preferences than German listeners. This study explores whether L2 knowledge and musical experience also affect rhythmic grouping. In a grouping task, French late learners of German listened to sequences of coarticulated syllables varying in either intensity or duration. Data on their language and musical experience were obtained by a questionnaire. Mixed-effect model comparisons showed influences of musical experience as well as L2 input quality and quantity on grouping preferences. These results imply that adult French listeners' sensitivity to rhythm can be enhanced through L2 and musical experience.


Zambia is among the rapidly urbanisation countries in sub-Saharan Africa with almost 35 % of its 10.7 million people living in urban centres. Official statistics from the Central Statistic Office of Zambia has pegged the urbanisation rate at 40 %. This high rate has been attributed mainly to internal movements of people from different geographical settings in the country, with rural-urban movement being the main contributor. Unfortunately for Zambia, rapid urbanisation is taking place when the country is experiencing tremendous economic declines emanating from the oil crisis of the late 1970s, to the current deteriorations in all sub-sectors of the economy. This situation has been exacerbated by decays in the institutional framework, poor governance and the adoption of globally formulated economic policies which seem to be divorced from local realities. The effects of the local, national and global forces have thus combined and negatively affected productivity in both rural and urban areas. This has further subjected both rural and urban populations to various levels of poverty, vulnerability and deprivation. These developments have forced both rural and urban populations to engage in some form of movement with rural to rural and urban to urban flows increasingly becoming the dominant movement patterns in Zambia. In fact statistical evidence suggests the slowing down of the rural - urban migration pattern, despite the recent surge of interest in Zambia's copper mining industry which has been re-vitalised and has attracted huge international investments. On the other hand, emigration from Zambia by regional or African standards is very low. Few Zambians live abroad and migration from Zambia seems to a characteristic of the tertiary educated. This paper therefore, attempts to highlight developments in Zambia's population movements in the hope of re-focussing research from the traditional focus on rural to urban forms to one that includes other forms of migration such as rural to rural and cross-border movements. Both Rural to rural and cross-border movements are slowly increasing in importance, but their dynamics, especially in the Zambian context are little understood.


Single cell technology has been widely used in developmental and stem cell biology. In mouse, single cell transcriptome has revealed the cell lineage specification in pre-implantation and post-implantation stages embryo. Now Mohammed et al . investigated the dynamic cell fate commitment during the transition from peri-implantation to early post-implantation stage with single cell RNA sequencing. Except confirmation of some previous findings, the time window and cell subclusters of cell specification are more precisely determined, along with possible new mechanism for X chromosome re-activation and inactivation in female embryo and for exit from pluripotency and lineage commitment. These data will not only fill the missing link in mouse embryo development, but provide insights into embryo development of other mammalian species including human.


Information Retrieval (IR) systems are built with different goals in mind. Some IR systems target high precision that is to have more relevant documents on the first page of their results. Other systems may target high recall that is finding as many references as possible. In this paper we present a method of document representation called RDR to build XML retrieval engines with high specificity; that is finding more relevant documents that are mostly about the query topic. The Rich Document Representation (RDR) is a method of representing the content of a document with logical terms and statements. The conjecture is that since RDR is a better representation of the document content it will produce higher precision. In our implementation, we used the Vector Space model to compute the similarity between the XML elements and queries. Our experiments are conducted on INEX 2004 test collection. The results indicate that the use of richer features such as logical terms or statements for XML retrieval tends to produce more focused retrieval. Therefore it is a suitable document representation when users need only a few more specific references and are more interested in precision than recall.


ABSTRACT
 The Osteostraci are a morphologically diverse group of jawless fishes considered as sister taxon to jawed vertebrates. Fossil Osteostraci therefore have wide-reaching ramifications for our understanding of the origin and evolution of gnathostomes. Their utility in this context is currently impeded by rudimentary taxonomy of faunas from the United Kingdom. Principal among these is a well-preserved, previously undescribed fauna from the Early Devonian (Lochkovian) of Wayne Herbert Quarry, Herefordshire. Here we provide a description of new osteostracan material from this fauna. Anatomical observations of the character-rich, taxonomically informative headshield, combined with quantitative measurements, have permitted identification of 15 variable characters. From these, seven discrete morphogroups are recognized and used to establish the taxonomy of the material. This includes two new species of Zenaspididae (Zenaspis waynensis and Diademaspis janvieri), two new species of Cornuata incertae sedis (Janaspis newtonensis and J. punctata), two indeterminate species, and Pattenaspis whitei, which is redescribed on the basis of new material. Our analyses indicate that cornuate osteostracan species are likely over-split due to erection of new taxa based on poorly preserved type specimens, inadequate consideration of taphonomic character loss, and over-reliance on continuous rather than discrete characters. Furthermore, patterns of dermoskeleton ornamentation and tessellation of Diademaspis janvieri and Cornuata, gen. indet., sp. B are used to infer mechanisms of dermoskeletal growth. These new data allow incorporation of this fauna into scenarios of osteostracan evolution, considerations of gnathostome origin, and studies of global Lochkovian diversity.


We investigate to what extent 'bag of visual words' models can be used to distinguish categories which have significant visual similarity. To this end we develop and optimize a nearest neighbour classifier architecture, which is evaluated on a very challenging database of flower images. The flower categories are chosen to be indistinguishable on colour alone (for example), and have considerable variation in shape, scale, and viewpoint. We demonstrate that by developing a visual vocabulary that explicitly represents the various aspects (colour, shape, and texture) that distinguish one flower from another, we can overcome the ambiguities that exist between flower categories. The novelty lies in the vocabulary used for each aspect, and how these vocabularies are combined into a final classifier. The various stages of the classifier (vocabulary selection and combination) are each optimized on a validation set. Results are presented on a dataset of 1360 images consisting of 17 flower species. It is shown that excellent performance can be achieved, far surpassing standard baseline algorithms using (for example) colour cues alone.


While the global increase of expatriate dual citizenship acceptance over the past decades has been widely observed, the temporal and spatial contexts of this trend have remained understudied. Based on a novel data set of expatriate dual citizenship policies worldwide since 1960, we find that dual citizenship toleration has increased in the last half century from one-third to three-quarter of states globally. We argue that these domestic policy changes should be understood in light of normative pressure in a world where restrictions on individual choice in citizenship status are increasingly contested and where liberalisation is reinforced through interdependence and diaspora politics. We apply Cox proportional hazard models to examine dual citizenship liberalisation and find that states are more likely to move to a tolerant policy if neighbouring states have done so and that they tend to do so in conjunction with extending voting rights to citizens residing abroad and receiving remittances from abroad. Contrary to other studies, we do not observe significant variation by regime type.


This paper aims to analyze the issue of Indonesia's migrant domestic workers within the framework of ASEAN Community beyond 2015. With the government's plan to stop the sending of Indonesia's migrant domestic worker abroad in 2017, one of possible direct effects would be the rise of unemployment rate. On other hand, one of the consequences of the integrated ASEAN Economic Community is the free movement of people, commodities and services between ASEAN member countries. Higher level of people's flow will increase connectivity as well competition. Using a qualitative approach of method, this paper elaborates the discourse of the Indonesia's migrant domestic workers, using the societal and economic security perspective as analytical framework.


The East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) is underlain by a series of low‐lying subglacial sedimentary basins. The extent, geology, and basal topography of these sedimentary basins are important boundary conditions governing the dynamics of the overlying ice sheet. This is particularly pertinent for basins close to the grounding line wherein the EAIS is grounded below sea level and therefore potentially vulnerable to rapid retreat. Here we analyze newly acquired airborne geophysical data over the Pensacola‐Pole Basin (PPB), a previously unexplored sector of the EAIS. Using a combination of gravity and magnetic and ice‐penetrating radar data, we present the first detailed subglacial sedimentary basin model for the PPB. Radar data reveal that the PPB is defined by a topographic depression situated ~500 m below sea level. Gravity and magnetic depth‐to‐source modeling indicate that the southern part of the basin is underlain by a sedimentary succession 2–3 km thick. This is interpreted as an equivalent of the Beacon Supergroup and associated Ferrar dolerites that are exposed along the margin of East Antarctica. However, we find that similar rocks appear to be largely absent from the northern part of the basin, close to the present‐day grounding line. In addition, the eastern margin of the basin is characterized by a major geological boundary and a system of overdeepened subglacial troughs. We suggest that these characteristics of the basin may reflect the behavior of past ice sheets and/or exert an influence on the present‐day dynamics of the overlying EAIS.


In this thesis, an optical fiber based radio access architecture that simultaneously provides services of the wireless local area network (WLAN) and the third generation (3G) mobile communication system is investigated. The sub-carrier multiplexed (SCM) technique of the fiber optic system is considered. The SCM architecture does not require frequency conversion and plays an important role enabling the WLAN to complement the cellular mobile communication systems so that the user can have both services as needed. In the SCM architecture, the two mediums that signals propagate are the air interface and the radio over fiber (ROF) link. In the air interface, the signal experience path loss and multipath fading that have effect on the system performance. The ROF link introduces nonlinear distortions and optical noise. The uplink and downlink analysis are performed in this thesis considering all the impairments from the air interface and the ROF link. Thereafter, numerical results are generated for both the uplink and downlink to illustrate the performance of the SCM architecture. The analysis identifies the interdependent relationship of the WLAN and the WCDMA system. The numerical results graphically illustrate such interdependent relationship. In the downlink, a 5 km ROF link operating at optimal power can support a WCDMA system with 1 km radius of coverage that has 26 dB of signal to distortion and noise ratio (SDNR); and a WLAN system with 400 m radius of coverage that has 27 dB of SDNR. The throughput of IEEE 802.11 WLAN depends on the medium access control. Hence, the medium access control is investigated and the throughput expression is modified to adapt to the SCM architecture where signals travel extra distance in a fiber.


In "Jews, Christians, and the Abode of Islam", Jacob Lassner examines the triangular relationship that during the Middle Ages defined - and continues to define today - the political and cultural interaction among the three Abrahamic faiths. Lassner looks closely at the debates occasioned by modern Western scholarship on Islam to throw new light on the social and political status of medieval Jews and Christians in various Islamic lands from the seventh to the thirteenth centuries. Utilizing a vast array of primary sources, Lassner balances the rhetoric of literary and legal texts from the Middle Ages with other, newly published medieval sources, describing life as it was actually lived among the three faith communities. Lassner shows just what medieval Muslims meant when they spoke of tolerance, and how that abstract concept played out at different times and places in the real world of Christian and Jewish communities under Islamic rule. Finally, he considers what a more informed picture of the relationship among the Abrahamic faiths in the medieval Islamic world might mean for modern scholarship on medieval Islamic civilization and, not the least, for the highly contentious global environment of today.


Critics frequently accuse China of acting as a patron for autocratic states. But does Chinese engagement actually increase the stability of authoritarian clients? This article demonstrates that Chinese bilateral interactions have little effect on the longevity of autocratic regimes. Analyses of different forms of Chinese bilateral engagement between 1993 and 2008—including state visits, arms trading, aid projects, economic cooperation, and trade dependence—show that only export dependence on China may increase the likelihood of survival for autocratic regimes while doing little to stabilize their democratic counterparts.


The biosphere–atmosphere exchange of methane (CH4) was estimated for a temperate/ boreal lowland and wetland forest ecosystem in northern Wisconsin for 1997–1999 using the modified Bowen ratio (MBR) method. Gradients of CH4 and CO2 and CO2 flux were measured on the 447-m WLEF-TV tower as part of the Chequamegon Ecosystem– Atmosphere Study (ChEAS). No systematic diurnal variability was observed in regional CH4 fluxes measured using the MBR method. In all 3 years, regional CH4 emissions reached maximum values during June–August (24714.4 mg m 2 day ), coinciding with periods of maximum soil temperatures. In 1997 and 1998, the onset in CH4 emission was coincident with increases in ground temperatures following the melting of the snow cover. The onset of emission in 1999 lagged 100 days behind the 1997 and 1998 onsets, and was likely related to postdrought recovery of the regional water table to typical levels. The net regional emissions were 3.0, 3.1, and 2.1 g CH4 m 2 for 1997, 1998, and 1999, respectively. Annual emissions for wetland regions within the source area (28% of the land area) were 13.2, 13.8, and 10.3 g CH4 m 2 assuming moderate rates of oxidation of CH4 in upland regions in 1997, 1998, and 1999, respectively. Scaling these measurements to the Chequamegon Ecosystem (CNNF) and comparing with average wetland emissions between 401N and 501N suggests that wetlands in the CNNF emit approximately 40% less than average wetlands at this latitude. Differences in mean monthly air temperatures did not affect the magnitude of CH4 emissions; however, reduced precipitation and water table levels suppressed CH4 emission during 1999, suggesting that long-term climatic changes that reduce the water table will likely transform this landscape to a reduced source or possibly a sink for atmospheric CH4. Received 15 February 2002; revised version received 30 January 2003 and accepted 19 May 2003


This study, based on research into a youth empowerment initiative in Canada, examines the transformational power of youth grants for marginalised youth and their communities. The positive changes on individual youth included increased confidence and skills, as well as strengthened social interactions between youth, and involved adults and organisations. To leverage grant impact, we identify the critical role of creating accountability at multiple levels, promoting sharing among grantees, and fostering allies and system thinkers. The evaluation points to the potential of grants for changing community's perception that youth are incapable of fostering community youth development.

In the field of human development, attention is increasingly given to the role cash transfers and grants can play in reducing poverty and boosting the resilience of communities facing adversity (Hanlon and others, 2010). Interestingly, little of the discussion about this simple yet powerful tool has spilled over into either the child rights or community youth development sectors. Many programmes for vulnerable youth living in disadvantaged communities still apply a 'charity' approach that downplays the active role young people can assume in strengthening their own well-being and the resilience of their communities.

This article examines cash transfers through youth grants as a mechanism for marginalised young people to act upon ideas and issues of importance to them. The study draws on an analysis of YouthScape (YS): a youth empowerment initiative in which almost 200 youth grants were allocated in four Canadian cities over a three-year period. With increasing interest in youth-granting in North America, this evaluation on the impacts and enabling conditions of the grants advances understanding of cash transfers as an entry point for reconnecting socially excluded young people with key adults, and as a tool for building important life skills and reinforcing aspects of community resilience.


When sensor fusion operations are conducted in coalition environments, security of the data and infrastructure used for model fusion are very important. AI enabled sensor fusion infrastructure can be attacked on many fronts, including attacks on the data used for sensor information fusion and disrupting the communication between devices and the fusion nodes, in addition to the traditional security attacks. As the infrastructure for sensor fusion becomes more automated with multiple intelligent assistants for data collection, different types of attacks are possible. AI enabled approaches can be used to improve the security and resiliency of federated networks, and the data that is shared across coalition problems. In this paper, we discuss the challenges associated with security of coalition infrastructures, and approaches to improve the security using AI and machine learning techniques


The anthropogenic heat flux can be an important part of the urban surface energy balance. Some of it is due to energy consumption inside buildings, which depends on building use and human behaviour, both of which are very heterogeneous in most urban areas. Urban Canopy Parametrisations (UCP), such as the Town Energy Balance (TEB), parametrise the effect of the buildings on the urban surface energy balance. They contain a simple building energy model. However, the variety of building use and human behaviour at grid point scale has not yet been represented in state of the art UCPs. In this study, we describe how we enhance the Town Energy Balance in order to take fractional building use and human behaviour into account. We describe how we parametrise different behaviours and initialise the model for applications in France. We evaluate the spatio-temporal variability of the simulated building energy consumption for the city of Toulouse. We show that a more detailed description of building use and human behaviour enhances the simulation results. The model developments lay the groundwork for simulations of coupled urban climate and building energy consumption which are relevant for both the urban climate and the climate change mitigation and adaptation communities.


ABSTRACT Background Controversial findings have been reported in human and animal studies regarding the influence of n–6 (ω-6) to n–3 (ω-3) fatty acid ratios on obesity and health. Two confounding factors may be related to interactions with other dietary lipid components or sex-specific differences in fatty acid metabolism. Objective This study investigated main and interactive effects of total dietary lipid, ratio of n–6 to n–3 fatty acids, and sex on growth, adiposity, and reproductive health in wild-type zebrafish. Methods Male and female zebrafish (3 wk old) were fed 9 diets consisting of 3 ratios of n–6 to n–3 fatty acids (1.4:1, 5:1, and 9.5:1) varied within 3 total lipid amounts (80, 110, and 140 g/kg) for 16 wk. Data were then collected on growth, body composition (determined by chemical carcass analysis), and female reproductive success (n = 32 breeding events/diet over 4 wk). Main and interactive effects of dietary lipid and sex were evaluated with regression methods. Significant differences within each dietary lipid component were relative to the intercept/reference group (80 g/kg and 1.4:1 ratio). Results Dietary lipid and sex interacted in their effects on body weight (P = 0.015), total body length (P = 0.003), and total lipid mass (P = 0.029); thus, these analyses were stratified by sex. Female spawning success decreased as dietary total lipid and fatty acid ratio increased (P = 0.030 and P = 0.026, respectively). While total egg production was not associated with either dietary lipid component, females fed the 5:1 ratio produced higher proportions of viable embryos compared with the 1.4:1 ratio [median (95% CI): 0.915 (0.863, 0.956) vs 0.819 (0.716, 0.876); P < 0.001]. Conclusions Further characterization of dietary lipid requirements will help define healthy balances of dietary lipid, while the sex-specific responses to dietary lipid identified in this study may partially explain sex disparities in the development of obesity and its comorbidities.


Biomimetic flapping-wing vehicles have attracted recent interest because of their numerous potential military and civilian applications. In this dissertation is described the design of a multi-agent adaptive controller for such a vehicle. This controller is responsible for estimating the vehicle pose (position and orientation) and then generating four parameters needed for split-cycle control of wing movements to correct pose errors. These parameters are produced via a subsumption architecture rule base. The control strategy is fault tolerant. Using an online learning process, an agent continuously monitors the vehicle's behavior and initiates diagnostics if the behavior has degraded. This agent can then autonomously adapt the rule base if necessary. Each rule base is constructed using a combination of extrinsic and intrinsic evolution. Details of the vehicle, the multi-agent system architecture, agent task scheduling, rule base design, and vehicle control are provided.


The psychoanalytical theory of object relations along with the subsequent theory of structural changes served as basis for the following research. The intrapsychic field of personality's object relations is formed in the process of internalization of significant objects, relationships and their corresponding affects. The following article is dedicated to empirical testing of the main assumptions underlying the psychoanalytic theory of structural change. The objective of this research was to evaluate in a structured way the dynamics of reorganization of object relations and intrapsychic structures of the personality of the subject undergoing psychoanalysis. The evaluation was based on the method of psycholinguistic analysis. The results of the psycholinguistic analysis of the dynamics of intrapsychic changes confirmed main hypothesis: namely that in the process of psychoanalysis there is a reorganization of internal object relations; psychoanalytic work brings about intrapsychic transformations in personality, specifically, the indicator of the psychic structure Ego increases while at the same time the indicators of psychic structures Id and Super-Ego decrease.


Thiol substances can form stable complexes with metals (especially copper and mercury) in the surface ocean that can impact cycling and bioavailability of those elements. In this study, I present seven concentration profiles of cysteine and glutathione, two low-molecular weight thiols, from the coastal northwest Atlantic Ocean and the Bermuda Atlantic Time Series (BATS) sampling site in the Sargasso Sea, a first for these regions. These two thiols were found in the upper 200 meters of the ocean at all sites, and the total thiol concentration varied from 0.2 to 3.2 nM. The highest concentration of both thiols was found at the deep chlorophyll maximum in most samples. Thiol concentrations were higher on the continental shelf than in the open ocean. The observed distribution of cysteine and glutathione and thermodynamic stability of copper complexes suggests that Cu(I)-dithiol complexes may be the dominant surface ocean copper and thiol species. Mercury-thiol complexes were also present in thermodynamically modeled seawater, which may provide a vector for mercury uptake in the surface ocean.


This article discusses the challenges of integrating tourism into Canadian and Australian coastal zone management. Comparisons are drawn between coastal and marine tourism resources in Australia and Canada. The resources considered include the cruise ship industry, recreational boating, fishing, sea kayaking, SCUBA diving and marine wildlife tourism.
In the introduction, some of the problems of definition and data are addressed. Tourism is described as an industry, but unlike many traditional industries, the tourism arena consists of a myriad of players and sectors. After the comparison of tourism resources in both countries, the power and politics associated with managing user conflicts in marine areas in British Columbia and Australia are discussed. The third part of the article looks at the challenges of environmental management for coastal and marine tourism; specifically, the article focuses on issues arising from the creation of marine protected areas and the development of sustainable whale watching operations. The authors conclude with two case studies, the cruise industry in Pacific Canada and the recreational fishing industry in Australia.


In contrast to serial kinematics machine tools the motion of the machine axes in parallel kinematics machines (PKM) are translated to the tool center point (TCP) nonlinearly. In this paper the effects of the forward transformation of the tracking errors in PKM are addressed with experiments and simulations. Here the contour error originated from servo tracking system in PKM is presented. This problem is illustrated with a simple one degree of freedom (DOF) setup and the effect on trace accuracy is discussed by a Tripod mechanism. In the simulation phase, two different PKM such as Monopod and Tripod are modeled. The models are performed with constant length of strut and mechanic effects like inertia, flexibility, friction and backlash are neglected. To eliminate the error, a method is introduced that reduces contour errors that are determined by tracking errors in multi axis parallel kinematics machines such as Tripod.


A study of the extensive collection of calappid crabs made by the MUSORSTOM 9 expedition to the Marquesas Archipelago provided an opportunity to update and revise the list of species known from the islands and revealed a new species. Mursia poupini n. sp. is easily distinguished from the other Mursia species with crook-shaped second male pleopod (M. africana, M. flamma, M. microspina). M. poupini n. sp. differs from M. africana in its much shorter lateral spine; from M. flamma in the shape of the lower horizontal row on outer palmar face, and in lacking the sharply triangular teeth on posterior margin of carapace; from M. microspina in its longer lateral spine, in the shape of the lower horizontal row on outer palmar face, and in lacking the large oculus-shaped patch on inner palmar face.


How does users' freedom of choice, or the lack thereof, affect interface preferences? The research reported in this article approaches this question from two theoretical perspectives. The first of these argues that an interface with a dominant market share benefits from the absence of competition because users acquire skills that are specific to that particular interface, which in turn reduces the probability that they will switch to a new competitor interface in the future. By contrast, the second perspective proposes that the advantage that a market leader has in being able to install a set of non-transferable skills in its user base is offset by a psychological force that causes humans to react against perceived constraints on their freedom of choice. We test a research model that incorporates the key predictions of these two theoretical perspectives in an experiment involving consequential interface choices. We find strong support for the second perspective, which builds upon the theory of psychological reactance.


We present a way to abstract functional units in symbolic simulation of actual circuits, thus achieving the effect of uninterpreted functions at the bit-level. Additionally, we propose an efficient encoding technique that can be used to represent uninterpreted symbols with BDDs, while allowing these symbols to be propagated by simulation with a conventional bit-level symbolic simulator. Our abstraction and encoding techniques result in an automatic symmetry reduction and allow the control and forwarding logic of the actual circuit to be used unmodified. The abstraction method builds on the behavioral Efficient Memory Model [18][19] and its capability to dynamically introduce consistent initial state, which is identical for two simulation sequences. We apply the abstraction and encoding ideas on the verification of pipelined microprocessors by correspondence checking, where a pipelined microprocessor is compared against a non-pipelined specification.


Detailing the Work of Leading a Productive Mathematics Discussion: A Study of a Practice-Based Pedagogy of Elementary Teacher Education Adrian Foster Cunard Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Professor Elham Kazemi College of Education In mathematics teacher education, we seek to support teachers to do increasingly complex kinds of teaching—teaching that aims to develop in all students a conceptual understanding of key mathematical ideas, powerful reasoning skills, and a view of themselves as people who do mathematics. But developing pedagogies of teacher preparation that support the enactment of such teaching by novices remains a central challenge for the field. I report in this dissertation on my study of a mathematics methods course in an elementary teacher preparation program that was organized around novice enactment of the complex practice of leading a productive mathematical discussion in the classroom. In the course, novices and the teacher educator worked on the practice through investigations, coached public rehearsals and enactments with children of a set of discussion-based mathematics lessons or instructional activities. I investigated the affordances of the use of a particular instructional activity, the String activity, for working on leading mathematical discussion with children. I sought to understand how pedagogies of enactment in the course scaffolded novice engagement with the practice. I found that the String activity created opportunities to engage with the work of keeping the target mathematics at center stage throughout a discussion, or the practice of orienting the children to the target mathematics. I argue that coached public rehearsals of the String activity offered opportunities for novices and the teacher educator to detail that practice: to decompose what it would entail, to plan together for how it would look and sound. And I argue that enactments with children offered opportunities for novices to do what was rehearsed with children and see how they would respond; to encounter unanticipated responses from students; to manage the reality of pacing a lesson while engaging children's thinking;; and to experience modeling from the teacher educator of high quality practice. I also considered whether and how this work intersects with equity aims in mathematics education. The study raised questions about how to articulate the link between work in teacher preparation on orchestrating productive classroom discourse and the broader aims of improving learning opportunities for children in schools.


Shape and position of the stomach can vary greatly with or without any physiological disturbances. However some of its rare shapes may result in the formation of volvulus or may increase the risk of gastric ulcer. Variant shapes of the stomach may be of congenital occurrence or are acquired later on in life. We report here an atypical form of hourglass stomach. The stomach in the present case exhibited 2 distinct pouches. The two pouches were formed due to the presence of an unusually deep notch at the greater curvature. Both the pouches communicated with the distal end of the esophagus. This variation is possibly of congenital origin and may lead to radiological misinterpretations.


One of major issues of the advanced optical communication system is the signal distortion caused by fiber nonlinearity. Both predistorters and equalizers have been used for nonlinearity compensation and electrical compensation has become a popular choice among optical communication engineers in recent years. However, to the best of the authors' knowledge, no comparative study about electrical equalizers and predistorters has been conducted for optical communication systems. Using a coherent optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (CO-OFDM) system as a test system, we investigated the performance of electrical p th-order inverse Volterra predistorters and equalizers. Our research results show that both the equalizer and the predistorter can compensate for the nonlinearity of the CO-OFDM system. The major difference between the predistorter and the equalizer is that the predistorter regulates the input power; therefore, the performance of the CO-OFDM system with a predistorter is independent over a wide range of the laser launch power. The results presented in this paper can lead to a better understanding of electrical equalization and predistortion techniques for optical communication systems.


ABSTRACT Recently, it has been shown how quaternion-based representation of a rotation matrix has advantages over conventional Eulerian representation in 3D similarity transformations. The iterative estimation procedure in similarity transformations based on quaternions results in translations and (scaled) quaternion elements. One needs, therefore, an additional procedure for evaluating the rest of the transformation parameters (translation, scale factor and rotation angles) after this solution.This contribution shows how to evaluate the rotation angles and the full covariance matrix of the transformation parameters from the estimation results in asymmetric and symmetric 3D similarity transformations based on quaternions.


The problem of grasping is widely studied in the robotics community. This project focuses on the identification of object graspable features using images and object structural information. The primary aim is the creation of a framework in which the information gathered by the vision system can be integrated with automatically generated knowledge, modelled by means of fuzzy description logics.


Abstract Baculoviruses may interact with parasitoids in the same host. A previous study has shown that infection of larvae with Spodoptera litura nucleopolyhedrovirus (SpltNPV) was deleterious to the survival and development of Meteorus pulchricornis (Wesmael) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). In this paper, the interactions between M. pulchricornis and Spodoptera exigua multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (SeMNPV) in Spodoptera exigua (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), a permissive host of the virus and parasitoid, were investigated. The results showed that the effect of M. pulchricornis on SeMNPV and the effect of the virus on the parasitoid both depended on the concentration of the virus and the interval between viral infection and parasitism. Whether S. exigua was treated with the parasitoid and virus simultaneously or 1 day apart, the biological activities of 105, 106, and 107 OBs/mL SeMNPV were all significantly improved by M. pulchricornis. In contrast, the biological activity of 103 OBs/mL SeMNPV was significantly decreased when the host was exposed to the virus and parasitoid simultaneously. Regarding the impact of SeMNPV on M. pulchricornis, exposing the host to the parasitoid and SeMNPV with concentrations lower than 106 occlusion bodies (OBs)/mL produced no negative effects on the parasitoid. The results also showed that ingestion of SeMNPV by adult stage M. pulchricornis significantly increased the number of parasitoid offspring that successfully emerged from the host. Furthermore, M. pulchricornis was found to transmit SeMNPV among populations of S. exigua. Taken together, these findings indicate that M. pulchricornis integrated with an appropriate concentration of SeMNPV has the potential to improve the efficacy of biological control against S. exigua.