Background The aim of this study was to evaluate gene expression profiles in unaffected colon mucosa and polyp tissue from patients with unifocal colon polyp to investigate the potential mucosa impairment in normal-appearing colon mucosa from these patients. Material/Methods Colon polyp patients were prospectively recruited. We obtained colon biopsies from the normal-appearing sites and polyp tissue through colonoscopy. Gene expression analysis was performed using microarrays. Gene ontology and clustering were evaluated by bioinformatics. Results We detected a total of 711 genes (274 up-regulated and 437 down-regulated) in polyp tissue and 256 genes (170 up-regulated and 86 down-regulated) in normal-appearing colon mucosa, with at least a 3-fold of change compared to healthy controls. Heatmapping of the gene expression showed similar gene alteration patterns between unaffected colon mucosa and polyp tissue. Gene ontology analyses confirmed the overlapped molecular functions and pathways of altered gene expression between unaffected colon mucosa and polyp tissue from patients with unifocal colon polyp. The most significantly altered genes in normal-appearing tissues in polyp patients include immune response, external side of plasma membrane, nucleus, and cellular response to zinc ion. Conclusions Significant gene expression alterations exist in unaffected colon mucosa from patients with unifocal colon polyp. Unaffected colon mucosa and polyp tissue share great similarity and overlapping of altered gene expression profiles, indicating the potential possibility of recurrence of colon polyps due to underlying molecular abnormalities of colon mucosa in these patients.


Diltiazem HCl (DTZ) is a calcium channel blocker used in the treatment of hypertension and angina (variant & classical angina). Diltiazem HCl was selected as a model drug for investigation because of its suitable properties like half-life of 4.5 hrs, optimum partition coefficient (158) and molecular weight (450.98), was formulated onto buccoadhesive tablets to overcome the limitations in the currently available dosage and routes of administration which in sequence will increase patient's compliance. Mucoadhesive buccal tablets of Diltiazem hydrochloride were prepared using carbopol-934, Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose (SCMC), Hydroxy propyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) and sodium alginate as mucoadhesive polymers. Ten formulations were developed with varying concentrations of polymers. Each formulated batch was subjected to various evaluation parameters. The physical appearance of buccal patch was examined by scanning electron microscopy. The release behavior was non-Fickian controlled by a combination of diffusion and chain relaxation mechanisms and best fitted zero-order kinetics. All tablets were acceptable with regard to thickness, weight variation, hardness, and drug content. The maximum bioadhesive strength was observed in tablets formulated with a NaCMC followed by CP and CP-NaCMC. Formulation F10 showed maximum release of 79% in 8hours. Formulation F8 showed maximum swelling index of 3.7 after 8hours. Formulation F10 follows zero order drug release. FTIR studies show no evidence on interaction between drug and polymers. The results indicate that suitable mucoadhesive buccal tablets with desired properties could be prepared. Key Words: Mucoadhesive, Buccal patch


I investigate whether the presence of customer‐oriented employees benefits firms in a competitive environment. Employees are defined as customer‐oriented if they are interested not only in their wage but also in the well‐being of their customers. I find that firms may obtain higher profits by hiring self‐interested rather than customer‐oriented employees. This is because the employees' customer orientation has opposing effects on the profits obtained by the firms. On the one hand, customer‐oriented employees provide a given level of quality for a lower wage. On the other hand, the employees' customer orientation increases competition reducing prices. If the second effect dominates, firms find themselves trapped in a prisoners' dilemma as the strategy of hiring self‐interested employees is strictly dominated by that of hiring customer‐oriented employees. Hence, the very presence of customer‐oriented employees may hurt firms. If motivated employees are merely interested in the quality of the good provided, the effect on the price outlined before disappears.


For planar p–i–n perovskite solar cells (Pero-SCs), the bottom hole transporting layer (HTL) material is crucially important, since it can greatly affect the device performance in two aspects: (1) hole collection and transportation and (2) the crystallinity of the perovskite layer formed on it. Herein, a series of catechol derivatives, L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA), norepinephrine (NE) and 3,4-dihydroxybenzhydrazide (DOBD), were employed as dopants in PEDOT:PSS and applied as HTLs, and the influence on performance of p–i–n Pero-SCs was systematically studied. It is found that all these three catechols can improve the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the Pero-SCs, among which DOBD shows far better performance than the other two. Under optimized conditions, a PCE of 17.46% was achieved for the p–i–n Pero-SCs using DOBD-doped PEDOT:PSS as the HTL. The investigations on morphology, fluorescence and electrochemical impedance spectra indicate that the PCE improvement should be mainly attributed to the facilitated charge collection and transportation due to the doped HTL and the enhanced crystallinity of the perovskite films. This line of research demonstrates that the easily accessible catechols can be employed as an excellent dopant in PEDOT:PSS for application as HTLs in Pero-SCs and opens a novel avenue for further improving the performance of the devices.


Medication group sessions may provide both an efficient use of time and effective treatment for chronically and severely ill patients. Such sessions may help patients avoid episodes of decompensation and enhance patient compliance with medication treatment. The group process can offer patients education, mutual support, practice in socialization, and a decrease in feelings of isolation. In medication group sessions, the therapist must focus on the use of medications as the primary goal of treatment. Patients can be mutually supportive and helpful to one another in medication compliance. A shift in group focus away from the use of medications into psychodynamic issues may be a resistance to treatment. The main purpose of the group is to enhance patients' compliance with medication treatment. Such groups may be useful for a wide range of chronically and severely ill psychiatric patients.


Modern China is a major trading partner with and investor in Africa. This Note examines its relationships with Nigeria and South Africa to evaluate whether the benefits they receive from Chinese involvement, like infrastructure or access to consumer goods, are outweighed by costs such as worsened corruption. It next discusses legal measures these countries have taken to mitigate any costs of Chinese involvement. At least in Nigeria and South Africa, the concrete benefits of Chinese trade and investment appear to outweigh the uncertain costs. However, legal protections adopted to reduce these costs are likely still inadequate. Given significant barriers to effective governance, especially in Nigeria, it is in the interests of all parties to renegotiate their bilateral investment treaties to promote host government rule of law. This would allow both African nations to better manage any costs associated with Chinese activities, while also assuring China of more stable economic relationships.


We empirically test delinking of waste dynamics with regard to economic growth and the effectiveness of environmental and specific waste-related policies, by exploiting a newly constructed, integrated waste-economic-policy dataset based on official data for the EU15 for 1995-2007. We find that absolute delinking for waste generation is far from being achieved in the EU despite fairly stringent and longstanding policy commitment that goes back to the mid 1990s, but which however is biased towards waste management and waste disposal rather than waste prevention. Policy as well as country structural factors seem to impact instead on landfill diversion. Nevertheless, country heterogeneity matters: SURE based analyses show that EU average figures often hide high variance. Their results provide food for thought for a future most comprehensive EU waste policy strategy, which is now aimed mainly at landfill diversion, within a framework strongly oriented to allowing countries to decide about the implementation of EU directives.


Abstract : We describe a method of 3-D object recognition based on two stage use of a general purpose associative memory and a principal views representation. The basic idea is to make use of semi-invariant objects called keys. A key is any robustly extractable feature that has sufficient information content to specify a 2-D configuration of an associated object (location, scale, orientation) plus sufficient additional parameters to provide efficient indexing and meaningful verification. The recognition system utilizes an associative memory organized so that access via a key feature evokes associated hypotheses for the identity and configuration of all objects that could have produced it. These hypothesis are fed into a second stage associative memory, which maintains a probabilistic estimate of the likelihood of each hypothesis based on statistics about the occurrence of the keys in the primary database. Because it is based on a merged percept of local features rather than global properties, the method is robust to occlusion and background clutter, and does not require prior segmentation. Entry of objects into the memory is an active, automatic procedure. We have implemented a version of the system that allows arbitrary definitions for key features. Experiments using keys based on perceptual groups of line segments are reported. Good results were obtained on a database derived from of approximately 150 images representing different views of 7 polyhedral objects.


Various foodstuffs have a very low pH and bacteria have been reported to survive such products. Acid substances, such as organic acids are common food preservatives. These substances also lower the pH of processed foods. Decontamination with organic acids which could result in the emergence of acid tolerant food-borne pathogens is causing concern. The objectives of the study were to determine the development of acid tolerance in important food-borne pathogenic bacteria, to investigate evolving changes in the phenotypic characteristics as a result this acid tolerance, and to explore the possibility of repercussions in successful food preservation with organic acids. Bacterial strains were screened for acid-tolerance, by determining viable counts immediately before acid challenge and at various times after challenge. Strains were exposed to increasing concentrations of hydrochloric acid, acidic foodstuff and two organic acids (acetic and citric acid). Protein profiles were generated by SDS-PAGE examined for possible modification(s) as a result of acid tolerance development. Susceptibility to seven organic acids levels were scrutinised to evaluate the probability of a correlation between altered antimicrobial activity and acid tolerance. Salmonella enterica sv. Enteritidis ATCC 13076 and Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 indicated rapid development of acid tolerance, after 36h of acid exposure. In Salmonella enterica sv. Typhimurium ATCC 14028, E. coli 0111 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 intermediate intrinsic acid tolerance was obvious. On comparing susceptibility of these pathogens to the organic acids, it was demonstrated that pH played a significant role in inhibitory activity, as it is known that these compounds exhibit optimum antimicrobial activity at a lower pH (pH ≤ 5). Further investigations will be conducted to elucidate the two-way role of pH in foodstuff and the addition of an organic acid, in determining if microorganisms are losing their susceptibility for the preservative as a result of sub-optimal pH levels, or if they become acid-tolerant after surviving exposure to organic acids.


We study regularized stochastic convex optimization subject to linear equality constraints. This class of problems was recently also studied by Ouyang et al. (2013) and Suzuki (2013); both introduced similar stochastic alternating direction method of multipliers (SADMM) algorithms. However, the analysis of both papers led to suboptimal convergence rates. This paper presents two new SADMM methods: (i) the first attains the minimax optimal rate of O(1/k) for nonsmooth strongly-convex stochastic problems; while (ii) the second progresses towards an optimalrate by exhibiting an O(1/k2) rate for the smooth part. We present several experiments with our new methods; the results indicate improved performance over competing ADMM methods.


THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF NATURAL GAS VEHICLES The natural gas vehicle (NGV) presents one of the few options to current automobile related environmental problems that is both feasible with today's technology and commercially viable. NGV technology is not new, in fact natural gas preceded petrol as the preferred fuel for internal combustion engines and further approximately 1 million vehicles currently run on natural gas around the world. The primary reason for choosing natural gas as a fuel to date has been economic - in countries which have there own gas reserves, gas is cheaper than liquid fuels. There is also a significant advantage to the gas utilities in terms of optimising the utilisation of the natural gas network. The novelty is that NGVs are proving to be significantly cleaner than their liquid fuelled equivalents. Whilst these gains are in part very evident they are unfortunately inadequately recognised by the legislation that is intended to protect the environment. The gains for NGVs have been shown to be outside the official test cycles and measure and huge errors in predicted vehicle emissions have been shown to exist.


This chapter compares Hanks' (1990, 2005) 'practice' approach to the demonstratives of Yucatec Maya based on the recording of spontaneously occurring interactions to the results obtained by the author with the elicitation questionnaire developed by Wilkins (1999). The study of the meaning and use of demonstratives represents particular challenges to linguistic data gathering because of their context dependency and the role of interactional factors such as attention sharing. The questionnaire study disconfirmed any direct impact of the location of the addressee on the choice of demonstrative and showed a systematic contrast between simple forms used for joint attention and augmented ones used for attention direction. It is argued that observation of spontaneous interactions and elicitation should be pursued in tandem. Keywords: attention direction; demonstratives; elicited vs. spontaneous data; interaction; Yucatec Maya


RIPEMD-160 is a hash function published in 1996, which shares similarities with other hash functions designed in this time-period like MD4, MD5 and SHA-1. However, for RIPEMD-160, no (semi-free-start) collision attacks on the full number of steps are known. Hence, it is still used, e.g., to generate Bitcoin addresses together with SHA-256, and is an ISO/IEC standard. Due to its dual-stream structure, even semifree- start collision attacks starting from the first step only reach 36 steps, which were firstly shown by Mendel et al. at Asiacrypt 2013 and later improved by Liu, Mendel and Wang at Asiacrypt 2017. Both of the attacks are based on a similar freedom degree utilization technique as proposed by Landelle and Peyrin at Eurocrypt 2013. However, the best known semi-free-start collision attack on 36 steps of RIPEMD-160 presented at Asiacrypt 2017 still requires 255.1 time and 232 memory. Consequently, a practical semi-free-start collision attack for the first 36 steps of RIPEMD-160 still requires a significant amount of resources. Considering the structure of these previous semi-free-start collision attacks for 36 steps of RIPEMD-160, it seems hard to extend it to more steps. Thus, we develop a different semi-free-start collision attack framework for reduced RIPEMD-160 by carefully investigating the message expansion of RIPEMD-160. Our new framework has several advantages. First of all, it allows to extend the attacks to more steps. Second, the memory complexity of the attacks is negligible. Hence, we were able to mount semi-free-start collision attacks on 36 and 37 steps of RIPEMD-160 with practical time complexity 241 and 249 respectively. Additionally, we describe semi-free-start collision attacks on 38 and 40 (out of 80) steps of RIPEMD-160 with time complexity 252 and 274.6, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, these are the best semi-free-start collision attacks for RIPEMD-160 starting from the first step with respect to the number of steps, including the first practical colliding message pairs for 36 and 37 steps of RIPEMD-160.


A method for determining the extents of a qualified viewing space (QVS) based on repeatable and reproducible luminance measurements of augmented and virtual reality near‐eye displays is described. This QVS mapping can also use other display performance metrics such as (1) Michelson contrast, (2) modulation transfer function, or (3) color as boundary condition parameters. We describe the use of a 4‐mm‐diameter entrance pupil, 1° to 2° field of view tele‐spectroradiometer, to determine the luminance and color uniformity of the virtual image. A 1‐mm‐diameter entrance pupil is used to map the QVS boundaries based on luminance at the center of the virtual image. The luminance measurement results from a pair of binocular augmented reality display glasses in three separate eye relief planes of the QVS of both eyes are presented. The data are further reduced to provide a perimeter profile of the QVS for the 50% of peak luminance boundary points in each eye relief plane.


The indices of refraction, extinction constants and complex conductivities of the GaN film for frequencies ranging from 0.2 to 2.5 THz are obtained using THz time-domain spectroscopy. The results correspond well with the Kohlrausch stretched exponential model. Using the Kohlrausch model fit not only provides the mobility of the free carriers in the GaN film, but also estimates the relaxation time distribution function and average relaxation time.


Here is the first major-figure anthology of American poetry of the colonial and early national periods, an indispensable volume for both students and scholars of American literature and civilization. Five major literary figures are spotlighted: Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672), Edward Taylor (1642?"-1729), Timothy Dwight (1752-1817), Philip Freneau (1752-1832), and William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878). An introduction to each chapter summarizes the life of the poet, reviews his or her literary career, describes and evaluates artistic achievement, and places the poet in an intellectual context. The writer's relationship to changing religious, philosophical, political, and cultural patters is established. The contemporary perspective is augmented by the inclusion of an appendix which presents three important poems by other writers: Micheal Wigglesworth's "God's Controversy with New England," Ebenezer Cook's The Sot-Weed Factor, and Joel Barlow's "Hasty Pudding." Eberwein goes beyond the most popular and familiar works to include those of unrecognized literary merit, presenting a thoroughly unique approach which illuminates the full range of the writers' themes, forms and poetic voices.


Radars are used in automobiles for various functionalities, starting from the obstacle alarm during vehicle reversing to advanced functionalities like autonomous driving. A practical method for monitoring people inside a vehicle for various applications (surveillance, safety, etc.) could be built using Radar. This paper presents the embedded implementation of a vital sign sensing algorithm using the radar signal processing (RSP) technique. MEX (MATLAB executable) interface is performed with the embedded C code of the vital sign sensing algorithm generated for validating the results with the RSP technique. Finally, Unit testing is performed on the developed embedded C code of the vital sign sensing algorithm to remove the dead codes and to verify whether all branches and statements in a developed algorithm are working accordingly. The embedded C code results were found to be matching precisely with the RSP technique. With the help of obtained results, we can differentiate between an adult and a baby inside a vehicle.


Now in use at over 300 colleges and universities, Essentials of Global Health is the first comprehensive text designed for introductory, undergraduate global health courses at two and four year colleges, as well those enrolled in online learning and others new to the field. Essentials of Global Health is a clear, concise, and user-friendly introduction to the most critical issues in global health. It illustrates key themes with an extensive set of case studies, examples, and the latest evidence. While the book offers a global perspective, particular attention is given to the health-development link, to developing countries, and to the health needs of poor and disadvantaged people. Essentials of Global Health builds on the success of an introductory global health course taught by the author at the George Washington School of Public Health and Health Services. Essentials of Global Health is ideal suited for the the Association of American Colleges and Universities recommended course: Global Health 101. Richard Skolnik is the winner of numerous honors for teaching, has taught global health for 8 years, and has more than 30 years of experience as a global health practitioner in multilateral, university, and NGO settings. He has been actively involved in dealing with critical issues in global health at country level and at the highest levels of international health policy making. Learn more about the author. "Richard Skolnik's Essentials of Global Health is so comprehensive that it will be key reading in international health. In accessible language, he explains why good health is crucial to economic development, what indicators help track changes in global health, and requirements for good health systems. Approaches to solving world health problems must be under pinned by good ethics and human rights guidelines, he says, and local practices and cultures must not be ignored. Skolnik looks in detail at children's and women's health, and at the different challenges of tackling communicative and non-communicative disease in developing countries. He also maps out the key players in global health and looks ahead to future challenges." -The Lancet, October 2007 The book is organized in four parts: - Principles, Measurements, and the Health-Development Link: The principles of Global Health; Health Determinants, Measurements, and Trends; and Health, Education, Poverty, and the Economy. - Cross-Cutting Global Health Themes: Human Rights, Ethics, and Global Health; An Introduction to Health Systems; and Culture and Health. - The Burden of Disease: The Environment and Health; Nutrition and Health; Women's Health; Child Health; Infectious Diseases; Non-Communicable Diseases; and Unintentional Injuries. - Working Together to Improve Global Health: Conflicts, Natural Disasters, and Other Emergencies; Cooperating to Improve Global Health; and, Science Technology, and the Public's Health." Instructor Resources - Detailed Syllabus, updated each semester - TestBank - Comprehensive list of resources including links to global health presentations, videos, and global health references organized by chapter, updated each semester. *Global Health 101 is one of three AAC&U recommended courses as part of their Educated Citizen and Public Health initiative. Download a curriculum guide and learn more about the initiative at http://www.aacu.org/public_health/index.cfm.


This work reports the first instance of self-organized thermoset blends containing diblock copolymers with a crystallizable thermoset-immiscible block. Nanostructured thermoset blends of bisphenol A-type epoxy resin (ER) and a low-molecular-weight (M-n = 1400) amphiphilic polyethylene-block-poly(ethylene oxide) (EEO) symmetric diblock copolymer were prepared using 4,4'-methylenedianiline (MDA) as curing agent and were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). All the MDA-cured ER/EEO blends do not show macroscopic phase separation but exhibit microstructures. The ER selectively mixes with the epoxy-miscible PEO block in the EEO diblock copolymer whereas the crystallizable PE blocks that are immiscible with ER form separate microdomains at nanoscales in the blends. The PE crystals with size on nanoscales are formed and restricted within the individual spherical micelles in the nanostructured ER/EEO blends with EEO content up to 30 wt %. The spherical micelles are highly aggregated in the blends containing 40 and 50 wt % EEO. The PE dentritic crystallites exist in the blend containing 50 wt % EEO whereas the blends with even higher EEO content are completely volume-filled with PE spherulites. The semicrystalline microphase-separated lamellae in the symmetric EEO diblock copolymer are swollen in the blend with decreasing EEO content, followed by a structural transition to aggregated spherical micellar phase morphology and, eventually, spherical micellar phase morphology at the lowest EEO contents. Three morphological regimes are identified, corresponding precisely to the three regimes of crystallization kinetics of the PE blocks. The nanoscale confinement effect on the crystallization kinetics in nanostructured thermoset blends is revealed for the first time. This new phenomenon is explained on the basis of homogeneous nucleation controlled crystallization within nanoscale confined environments in the block copolymer/thermoset blends.


There is a well-known upper bound on the growth rate of the merge of two permutation classes. Curiously, there is no known merge for which this bound is not achieved. Using staircases of permutation classes, we provide sufficient conditions for this upper bound to be achieved. In particular, our results apply to all merges of principal permutation classes. We end by demonstrating how our techniques can be used to reprove a result of B\'ona.


This paper focuses on the use of Primal Dual Interior Point method in the analysis of optimal power flow. Optimal power flow analysis with Primal Dual Interior Point method then compared with Linear Programming Method using Matpower program. The simulation results show that the computation results of Primal Dual Interior Point similar with Linear Programming Method for total cost of generation and large power generated by each power plant. But in terms of computation time Primal Dual Interior Point method is faster than the method of Linear Programming, especially for large systems. Primal Dual Interior Point method have solved the problem in 40.59 seconds, while Linear Programming method takes longer 239.72 seconds for large-scale system 9241 bus. This is because the settlement PDIP algorithm starts from the starting point x0, which is located within the area of feasible move towards the optimal point, in contrast to the simplex method that moves along the border of the feasible from one extreme point to the other extreme point. Thus Primal Dual Interior Point method have more efficient in solving optimal power flow problem of large-scale power systems.


The Vapor Issue Resolution Program tasked the Vapor Team (VT) to collect representative headspace samples from Hanford Site single-shell tank (SST) 241-C-201. This document presents In Situ Vapor Sampling System (ISVS) data resulting from the June 19, 1996 sampling of SST 241-C-201. Analytical results will be presented in separate reports issued by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) which supplied and analyzed the sample media.


The problem sandhoppers face when they find themselves on the dry sand is to reach as quickly as possible the belt of moist sand near the water. In the present study, I ask whether, alongside many other orienting factors, sandhoppers use the optic flow they experience to maintain their bearing relative to the sea–land axis. Adult individuals of Talitrus saltator were released in a transparent Plexiglas bowl, horizontally placed between four walls with a pattern of vertical black and white stripes. The orientation of one pair of opposite walls was south–north, orthogonal to the sea–land axis of the home beach, whilst the second pair of walls was oriented east–west. The black and white striped pattern of opposite walls could be moved in pairs and in the same direction (speed=4.8 cm s−1). The results demonstrate that the optic flow sandhoppers experience when moving on the sea–land axis of their home beach influences their direction of travel and could help sandhoppers in maintaining a straight path to reach favourable ground by the shortest route.


In the remote area or offshore electrical installation, efficient power network is required. In many application wind turbine farm is used and operated isolated from the grid. In such cases, the frequency can be fluctuated with high range. This can affect the induction motor torque and efficiency. Typical solution for such problem is to use DC link to control the frequency. This method is costly and consume high power losses. The purpose of this paper is to design fuzzy controller for the induction motor to deliver the motor at the required torque and at highest possible efficiency. For that, combined fuzzy motor controllers based on linear dependency (V/Hz) and cubic dependency (V/Hz3) are developed for LV induction motor. The fuzzy controller receives frequency signal as input from the network and estimate the required firing angle of a full-wave thyristor circuit that receives power from the wind turbine and connected in series with the induction motor to control the voltage at motor terminal. Fluctuation of the power supply frequency during the starting and running condition of the motor are considered in the fuzzy controller design to select the optimum applied voltage to the motor for both cases. MATLAB Simulink is used to simulate and test the controller and the motor operation during the starting and running for the full applicable range of frequency. The output of the simulation results show the designed controller is fast and accurate. Comparison between the obtained results and the DC link method results is provided. From this comparison it was noticeable that at all input power range, the efficiency of the pump-motor system is considerably improved by using the proposed fuzzy controller. The minimum gain in the efficiency is 16.67% occurs at 800-Watt input power.


This paper is the first empirical framework that explains the phenomenon of fast growth combined with the demographic transition occurring in the United States since 1860. I propose a structural model that unifies those events through the role of education: the key feature is that parental education determines simultaneously fertility, mortality and children's education, so that the accumulation of education from one generation to another explains both fast growth and the reduction of fertility and mortality rates. Using original data, the model is estimated and fits in a remarkable way income, the distribution of education and age pyramids. Moreover, some historical data on Blacks, assumed to constitute the bottom of the distribution of education, show that the model predicts correctly the joint distribution of fertility and education, and that of mortality and education. Comparisons with the PSID suggest that the intergenerational correlation of income is also well captured. Thus, this microfunded growth model based on human capital accumulation accounts for many traits of American economic development since 1860. In a second step, I investigate the long-run influence of income inequality on growth. Because children's human capital is a concave function of parental income, income inequality slows down the accumulation of human capital across generations and hence growth. Simulations show that this effect is large.


This study is part of the broad debate about the role of distance and technology for interpersonal contact. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study that systematically and explicitly compares the role of distance in social networks pre- and post-Internet. An analysis is made of the effect of distance on the frequency of e-mail, phone, face-to-face and overall contact in personal networks, and the findings are compared with their pre-Internet counterpart whose data were collected in 1978 in the same East York, Toronto locality. Multilevel models with a spline specification are used to examine the non-linear effects of distance on the frequency of contact. These effects are compared for both very close and somewhat close ties, and for different role relationships: immediate kin, extended kin, friends and neighbours. The results show that e-mail contact is generally insensitive to distance, but tends to increase for transoceanic relationships greater than 3000 miles apart. Face-to-face contact remains strongly related to short distances (within five miles), while distance has little impact on how often people phone each other at the regional level (within 100 miles). The study concludes that e-mail has only somewhat altered the way people maintain their relationships. The frequency of face-to-face contact among socially close friends and relatives has hardly changed between the 1970s and the 2000s, although the frequency of phone contact has slightly increased. Moreover, the sensitivity of these relationships to distance has remained similar, despite the communication opportunities of the Internet and low-cost telephony.


Just over a decade ago, my professional trajectory in architectural education took me from an art school (Pratt) to a tech school (NJIT), from a place that still privileged the pencil to a place that had eagerly embraced the mouse. Back in Y2K, architecture schools were so abuzz with a brave new world vibe that it mattered little whether CAD induced hype or hysteria within one's NAAB accredited program. It seemed inevitable that the academy was about to boldly go, and if we were uncertain of the destination, Moore's law guaranteed that we were going to get there fast. Still, as a professor of history and a practicing historian, I had not yet reckoned with what all of this meant for the future of studying and teaching architecture's past. Even as the digital revolution was transforming practice and pedagogy in the studio, things were surprisingly status quo in the lecture hall and seminar room. Slide projectors did give way to XGAs, but the move from Kodachrome to jpeg, like the transition from glass lantern plates to 35 mm celluloid a half a century before, simply substituted one form of reproduction for another. In fact, given the preponderance of slide scanning in the early days of the oughts, in many cases we were just reproducing the reproductions. Although many academics were creatively exploiting the new presentation software, for most professors, the format was little more than a twenty-first century version of a carousel tray. It was true that you could show more images, or the same image repeatedly and you could add text, video, and sound, but the average PowerPoint presentation of the early 2000s barely departed from the side-by-side display of images that had been standard since the early 1900s. Today, image databases organize building plans, sections, interiors, and exteriors; screen capture software records lectures and converts them to MP4s that are downloaded to iPods and laptops; course web sites and virtual learning environments provide a convenient place to park all this information for the duration of the semester. Students now have 24 ⁄ 7 access to an astonishing array of history-related material via computers sitting on their increasingly obsolete drafting tables. But instantaneous access to course content is not all that different from a Kostof or Trachtenberg survey book sitting on a desk. In teaching architecture's history, even with the most immersive, interactive, and collaborative learning platforms, we have used technology mainly to transform modes of presentation through and with new tools of representation. Our colleagues teaching architecture's design, meanwhile, have used technology to transform methods of practice as well, from parametric modeling to CNC fabrication. Within the academy, this difference has produced a digital divide between history and design that is as pernicious as it is subtle. Dazzled by high-res and big gigs, we did not even realize this divide existed much less that it was reinforcing the tired master ⁄ servant design ⁄ history paradigm, to the detriment of architectural education as a whole. Unless architectural historians who are also architectural educators work to bridge this divide, history and design will move further apart as curricular concerns and as disciplinary correlates. During the 1990s, critical theory pointed towards new synergies between design and history and during the 2000s it seemed as if a generation of architecture academics, both designers and historians, spoke the same language and worked toward the same goal—using critical theory to analyze architecture as a form of cultural production. Today, digital technologies seem to offer comparable synergistic possibilities within the academy. But practice precedes pedagogy and historians must, therefore, make technology as much a part of their professional practice as designers have. We must master advanced visualization techniques to use 3-D rendering and even BIM to develop new ways of compiling and analyzing the buildings of the past. We must explore data mining, geographic information system, and computation for quantitative analysis of historic architecture. We must embrace new forms of collaboration, exploiting crowd sourcing, wikis, and the cloud to identify and utilize archival and ephemeral information. Such digital tools could provide us with more comprehensive data-based methods for tracing the diffusion of architectural ideas, materials, and motifs across media, time, and place. They could enable us to build information models of individual structures or landscapes to examine how they have evolved since they were completed or occupied. These digital tools could lead us to interpretive revelations we cannot even imagine. At the very least, they will enable designers and historians within the academy to move forward together to transform architectural education in the information age.


Advanced pipeline risk management is contingent on accurately locating the buried pipelines, the milieu, and also the physical condition of the pipelines. The web-based and geospatially enabled tool presented in this thesis provides an improved way to assess the risks associated with the failure of water and wastewater pipelines. This thesis focuses on the development of a web-based and geospatially enabled tool and a network level risk model for the quantitative risk assessment of water and wastewater pipelines by taking into account the likelihood and consequence of pipeline failure. The parameters used in the risk model are evaluated by water and wastewater utility asset managers in the United States, and derived by GIS using advanced geospatial tools. A web-based and geospatially enabled proof of concept is developed as a tool for utilities to access the risk model results for the water and wastewater pipelines. An exclusive working environment will be provided for each utility with access to their respective data and risk model results. Also, this is a risk model for strategic infrastructure risk management, and it is to be used for asset allocation, financial planning, and determining condition assessment methods on a network level.


Comprehensive review of literature conducted on the indirect or secondary impacts of environmental regulation reveals several impacts on business and economic activity. Using an analytical and discourse oriented framework, this paper deliberates on which impacts are likely to have significant influence in their ability to encourage changes in the existing economic and industrial setups. It draws from the theoretical debate on environmental regulation, the technological context that governs the environment and the economic dynamics that govern the globe. It is contended that, despite their not-so-obvious and unplanned nature, these impacts will act as important drivers of change and alter the global, national and industrial structures and systems in the long run. This discourse facilitates understanding on the nature and magnitude of secondary impacts and their capacity to produce significant change in industry and business structures in the long run, through indirect and not-so-obvious routes.


In this paper, a hybrid image compression technique is introduced that integrates discrete wavelet transform (DWT) and linear polynomial coding. In addition, the proposed technique improved the midtread quantizer scheme once by utilizing the block based and the selected factor value. The compression system performance showed the superiority in quality and compression ratio compared to traditional polynomial coding techniques.


Although addition of montmorillonite (MMT) clay to isotactic polypropylene (iPP) results in large increases in the melt viscosity at low shear rates, satisfactory impregnation of glass mats is obtained with iPP/MMT under conditions typical of industrial processing, and the MMT is well dispersed throughout the resulting composites. However, the MMT is also shown to retard relaxation of the glass mat, leading to non-uniform through-thickness glass fiber distributions. Thus, depending on the initial lay-up and hence on the initial surface fiber concentration, the bending modulus of the consolidated specimens may either increase or decrease with increasing matrix MMT content, whereas the tensile modulus remains consistent with the predictions of micromechanical models based on the assumption of a uniform glass fiber distribution. The presence of matrix-rich layers at surfaces of specimens containing MMT is also shown to promote crack initiation and induce premature failure in flexural tests.


I study data on bribes actually paid by individuals to public officials, viewing the results through a theoretical lens that considers the implications of trust networks. A bond of trust may permit an implicit quid pro quo to substitute for a bribe, which reduces corruption. Appropriate networks are more easily established in small towns, by long-term residents of areas with many other long-term residents, and by individuals in regions with many residents their own age. I confirm that the prevalence of bribery is lower under these circumstances, using the International Crime Victim Surveys. I also find that older people, who have had time to develop a network, bribe less. These results highlight the uphill nature of the battle against corruption faced by policy-makers in rapidly urbanizing countries with high fertility. I show that victims of (other) crimes bribe all types of public officials more than non-victims, and argue that both their victimization and bribery stem from a distrustful environment.


Objective: The main objective of the present study was to develop a stable formulation and manufacturing process of fixed dose combination of antiglaucoma drug (BTD) which contains brimonidine tartrate, timolol maleate, and dorzolamide hydrochloride. Materials and Methods: Compatibility study with regard to product contact materials such as platinum-cured silicone tube, SS 316L (metal), and nylon membrane filter was evaluated by analysis of their description, pH, and assay using instruments such as pH meter and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Results: Formulations were analyzed and results were found well within specified limits. BTD formulation was prepared by dissolving all the ingredients in water for injection under continuous stirring, and the solution was filtered through sterilized 1.2 μ nylon pre-filter and followed by 0.2 μ nylon filter. Conclusion: Compatibility study was performed to evaluate the physical and chemical stability of BTD formulation, and all data indicate that BTD formulation was physically compatible and chemically stable.


Early in 1960, after having graduated from Cornell and while writing V., Thomas Pynchon moved to Seattle and began working for the Boeing Airplane Company. What Pynchon did while working at Boeing has puzzled scholars almost from the moment of the very private author's literary debut. When we try to delve into his stint at Boeing–first mentioned by Lewis Nichols and Dick Schaap–we reach dead ends or find conflicting information. Yet Pynchon's time at Boeing is perhaps the most documented period of his life, and over the years a number of interesting (though not always accurate) bits of information have emerged.


Graphene saturable absorber (SA) is used as the passive Q-switcher of a 0.9-\mu m solid-state
laser. When the laser medium is a Nd:La0.11Y0.89VO4 crystal, the initial transmittance of the graphene SA is
78%; at an absorbed pump power of 7.62 W, the maximum average output power, largest pulse energy, and minimum
pulse width are 0.62 W, 2.58 ?J, and 84 ns, respectively. This study shows that graphene is a promising and
cost-saving SA for 0.9-\mu m pulse generation.


A novel multi-cellular electronic circuit capable of evolution and development is described here. The circuit is composed of identical cells whose shape and location in the system is arbitrary. Cells all contain the complete genetic description of the final system, as in living organisms. Through a mechanism of development, cells connect to each other using a fully distributed hardware routing mechanism and differentiate by expressing a corresponding part of the genetic code thereby taking a specific functionality and connectivity in the system. The configuration of the system is found by using artificial evolution and intrinsic evolution at the schematic level is possible. Applications include the approximation of boolean functions and the evolution of a controller capable of navigating a Khepera robot while avoiding obstacles. The circuit is suited for a custom chip called POEtic, which is a generic platform to implement bio-inspired applications.


Complement receptor type 2 (CR2 CD21) is a type 1 membrane-bound glycoprotein in the regulators of complement activity (RCA) family. One of its ligands is C3d, a physiological cleavage fragment of the central complement protein C3. The extracellular portion is comprised of 15 or 16 short complement repeat (SCR) domains. Six of the 14 linkers between these SCR domains are atypically long and the implications of this on the solution structure and function of CR2 was unknown. Two previous crystal structures of CR2 SCR 1-2 showed the two SCR domains formed contacts with each other in a closed V-shape. In this thesis, three different recombinant constructs of CR2 were studied in solution using X-ray and neutron scattering, analytical ultracentrifugation, and constrained modelling. The combination of these techniques resulted in medium resolution structures for each of CR2 SCR 1-2, CR2 SCR 1-2 in complex with C3d, a CR2-Ig chimaera, and CR2 SCR 1-15. It was determined that the longest linkers within CR2 are highly flexible. CR2 SCR 1-2 was shown to exist in an open-V shape conformation, both free and in its complex with C3d. Studies on free C3d in solution showed that this forms concentration dependent dimers, although this dimerisation does not occur in the CR2 complex. The modelled complex between C3d and CR2 SCR 1-2 showed that SCR1 as well as SCR 2 is capable of interacting with the ligand. The chimaera of fully glycosylated human CR2 SCR 1-2 with the mouse IgGl Fc domain confirmed the results for the solution structure of free CR2 SCR 1-2 and gives an insight into the therapeutic possibilities of such a molecule. Modelling of glycosylated full length CR2 revealed a flexible semi-extended arrangement of the 15 SCR domains. These results provide an explanation of the molecular basis for the interaction of CR2 SCR 15 with C3d and three other ligands, CD23, gp350 and IFN-ct, in terms of proximity relationships between neighbouring SCR domains. Insight was also obtained into the possible mechanisms by which CR2 SCR 1-15 may activate B cells.


Two 5-day intensive exercises were undertaken to measure the exchange between Peel Inlet and the Indian Ocean under summer and winter conditions. During both exercises there were tides of small amplitude, with a periodicity of 24 h, typical of this part of the Western Australian coast. There was a substantial net gain of water by the estuary on both occasions (25-28% of estuary volume) due to longer term oscillations in water level which gave increased ocean levels of c. 22 cm during each study. In the summer exercise estuarine nutrient concentrations approximated those in the ocean, so that nutrient flux depended largely on long- term volume exchange as controlled by meteorological tides. There was a net gain of both nutrients and marine phytoplankton to the estuary. However, in the winter exercise river inflow produced low salinity and high nutrient levels in the estuary and, despite the net gain of water by the inlet, there was a large loss of nutrients and phytoplankton to the sea where they were apparently removed by longshore currents from near the mouth of the inlet channel.


The human gastrointestinal tract is colonised by a diverse range of health-associated bacteria, in addition to other microorganisms, termed the intestinal microbiota. Sequence-based, culture-independent approaches have revolutionised this field of study, however, due to the perception that these bacteria are largely unculturable, in vitro phenotypic analysis has been hindered. In this study, an anaerobic culturing workflow was developed which revealed that the majority of these bacteria can be cultured using one growth medium. In total, 137 characterised and novel bacterial species were isolated and whole-genome sequenced. Inter-host transmission of the intestinal microbiota may represent a means to maintain a diverse assortment of commensal bacteria within individuals, yet it remains a poorly understood process. Some anaerobic pathogens utilise resilient aero-tolerant spores to survive externally and to facilitate transmission to new hosts. To investigate if commensal spore-formers utilise similar mechanisms, a phenotypic screen was incorporated into the culturing workflow to target spore-forming bacteria. This resulted in the isolation of 66 phylogenetically diverse, spore-forming species which, through subsequent phenotypic characterisation are shown to be specialised for host-to-host transmission and intestinal colonisation. Further phylogenetic and evolutionary analysis revealed body-site associated, loss of sporulation has occurred in different taxa. Also, loss of sporulation is associated with features of host-adaptation that are not present in spore-formers such as a smaller genome size and loss of genetic redundancy. This suggests that the human intestinal microbiota is populated by commensal bacteria that have evolved to engage in opposing lifestyles, either orientated towards inter-host dispersal or within-host adaptation.
This study demonstrates the intestinal microbiota is not unculturable. In addition, commensal microbial transmission may be more prevalent than once thought as a significant proportion of these bacteria can survive outside of a host through the use of spores that are intrinsically resistant to environmental stresses.


Summary
The genetics of the early interferon response of mouse peritoneal cells to infection with herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) was studied in susceptible BALB/c and more resistant C57BL/6 mice and in reciprocal crosses between these mice. Wash-outs of the peritoneal cavity of normal C57BL/6 mice contained significantly more cells than wash-outs from BALB/c mice. Therefore, interferon induction with HSV-2 was studied under standardized conditions in vitro. Peritoneal cells reacted to HSV-2 infection by interferon production in a virus dose-dependent manner. Interferon was detected first after 2 h and peaked after 24 h. Cells from C57BL/6 mice of each sex produced significantly more early interferon than cells from BALB/c mice, and cells from female BALB/c mice produced more interferon than cells from males. This difference was not seen with C57BL/6 mice. Cultures of highly purified adherent cells yielded approximately 10 times as much interferon as cultures of non-adherent cells. Since treatment of cells with carbonyl iron and silica significantly reduced the amount of interferon produced, whereas 2000 rad of irradiation had no obvious effect, it is concluded that the main interferon-producing cell in the peritoneal cavity of mice in response to HSV-2 is of the monocyte/macrophage lineage. Interferon production in peritoneal cells was found to be quantitatively influenced by X-linked loci in that cells from male (BALB/c female × C57 male) F1 mice, which inherit the X chromosome from the low-responding BALB/c females, produced significantly lower amounts of interferon than cells from the other three F1 generation genotypes. All interferons were characterized as α/β interferon. It is suggested that the early production of α/β interferon in response to HSV-2 is influenced by X-linked loci, which might be involved in sex-linked differences in resistance to human herpesviruses.


There has been an explosion of work in the vision & language community during the past few years from image captioning to video transcription, and answering questions about images. These tasks have focused on literal descriptions of the image. To move beyond the literal, we choose to explore how questions about an image are often directed at commonsense inference and the abstract events evoked by objects in the image. In this paper, we introduce the novel task of Visual Question Generation (VQG), where the system is tasked with asking a natural and engaging question when shown an image. We provide three datasets which cover a variety of images from object-centric to event-centric, with considerably more abstract training data than provided to state-of-the-art captioning systems thus far. We train and test several generative and retrieval models to tackle the task of VQG. Evaluation results show that while such models ask reasonable questions for a variety of images, there is still a wide gap with human performance which motivates further work on connecting images with commonsense knowledge and pragmatics. Our proposed task offers a new challenge to the community which we hope furthers interest in exploring deeper connections between vision & language.


In this study, edible film (EWPP) was produced by using 1.5% (w/v) sorbitol + 5% (w/v) egg white protein powder (EWPP) + 0.5% (w/v) alginate and 1% (v/v); 2% (v/v) turmeric essential oil (EOT). Çökelek cheese samples were artificially contaminated with Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Staphylococcus aureus at a level of 106 cfu-g. Counts of these organisms and yeast-mould were determined after the cheese production. After coating some of the Çökelek samples with film, all samples were stored at 4 °C for 30 days. Antimicrobial activities and selected physical-chemical parameters were assessed on the 1st, 7th, 14th and 30th days of storage. EWPP was found to have good water barrier properties, which improved with the addition of 1% (v/v) and 2% (v/v) turmeric essential oil to the film, and EWPP was determined to have antimicrobial effects. During storage, Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Staphylococcus aureus levels increased in the control samples, while they decreased in the film-coated samples. Microbial growth was found to be highest in the control sample throughout the period of storage.


We present the main results of a numerical study of weak lensing cluster counting. We examine the scaling with cosmology of the projected-density-peak mass function. Our main conclusion is that the projected-peak and the three-dimensional mass functions scale with cosmology in an astonishingly close way. This means that, despite being derived from a two-dimensional field, the weak lensing cluster abundance can be used to constrain cosmology in the same way as the three-dimensional mass function probed by other types of surveys.


Ethernet in backbone networks has the potential to provide high-performance and cost-efficient networking solutions. Driven by the rapid growth of Ethernet traffic, it is likely that, in the transport network, the next step in terms of the data rate will be 100 Gb/s. In this paper, we report on an integrated electrical-time-division-multiplexing (ETDM) receiver for 100/107 Gb/s, which comprises 1 : 2 demultiplexing and clock-and-data recovery on a single chip. The ETDM receiver was tested successfully in 100- and 107-Gb/s transmission experiments over 480-km dispersion-managed fiber


The Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response (MINER) Act of 2006 implemented new regulations in the underground coal mining industry that allow for the certification of non-compressed gas equipment for respiratory protection in underground coal mines. NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Biomedical Research and Engineering Laboratory (BRL) is investigating the potential to expand cryogenic air supply systems into the mining and general industries. These investigations have, so far, resulted in four separate comparison and hardware development programs. The Propellant Handlers Ensemble (PHE) and Level "A" Ensemble Comparison (LAE): This study compared worker thermal stress while using the industry standard Level A hazardous material handling ensemble as opposed to using the similarly protective Propellant Handler's Ensemble (PHE) that utilizes a cryogenic air supply pack, known as an Environmental Control Unit (ECU) as opposed to the compressed air Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) used in the LAE. The research found that, in a 102°F environment, test subjects experienced significantly decreased body temperature increases, significantly decreased heart rate increases, and decreased sweat loss while performing a standard work routine while using the PHE, compared to the same test subjects performing the same routine while using the LAE. The Cryogenic Refuge Alternative Supply System (CryoRASS) project: The MINER Act of 2006 requires the operators of underground coal mines to provide refuge alternatives that can provide a safe atmosphere for workers for up to 96 hours in the event of a mine emergency. The CryoRASS project retrofitted an existing refuge chamber with a liquid air supply instead of the standard compressed air supply system and performed a 96 hour test. The CryoRASS system demonstrated that it provided a larger air supply in a significantly smaller footprint area, provided humidity and temperature control, and maintained acceptable oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the chamber for the required amount of time. SCBA and Mine Rescue System (CryoBA/CryoASFS) Another requirement of the MINER Act is that additional emergency breathing equipment must be staged along evacuation routes to supplement the Self Contained/Self Rescue (SCSR) devices that are now required. The BRL has developed an SCBA known as the Cryogenic Breathing Apparatus (CryoBA), that has the ability to provide 2 hours of breathing air, a refill capability, and some cooling for the user. Cryogenic Air Storage and Filling Stations (CryoASFS) would be positioned in critical areas to extend evacuation time. The CryoASFS stations have a significantly smaller footprint and larger air storage capacity to similar compressed air systems. The CryoBA pack is currently undergoing NIOSH certification testing. Technical challenges associated with liquid breathing air systems: Research done by the BRL has also addressed three major technical challenges involved with the widespread use of liquid breathing air. The BRL developed a storage Dewar fitted with a Cryorefrigerator that has stored liquid air for four months with no appreciable oxygen enrichment due to differential evaporation. Testing of liquid breathing air was material and time intensive. A BRL contract developed a system that only required 1 liter of air and five minutes of time compared to the 10 liters of air and 75 minutes of time required by the old method. The BRL also developed a simple and cost effective method of manufacturing liquid air that joins a liquid oxygen tanker with a liquid nitrogen tanker through an orifice controlled "Y" fitting, mixing the two components, and depositing the mixed breathing air in a separate tanker.


This volume provides a positive and productive model for helping people to move out of static positions or difficult relationships in the workplace. Informed by systemic thinking and social constructionism, the authors discuss how it is possible to create realities through dialogue and to enable greater opportunities for the employee, manager and consultant alike. Taking Positions in the Organization uses a model of semantic polarities to create simple solutions to complex problems in a format which will inform and enthuse all its readers.


1. Species-area and local-regional species richness patterns in lacustrine fish in North America were investigated by reduced major axis regression, using a database of 651 lakes. 2. Small lakes (area < 1.5 km(2)) had steeper species-area slopes than large lakes. In one area open water species declined in frequency in small lakes, suggesting that within-lake habitat diversity is partly responsible for the species-area slope. Local lake characteristics (area, mean depth and altitude) explained only about one-third of the variation in species numbers. 3. Species-area slopes were not significantly different across regions but there were considerable differences between regions in local richness for standardized lake sizes. Local richness was linearly related to regional richness when the regional pool consisted only of native species. 4. Pseudosaturation, the detection of curvilinearity when the true relation is linear, was found when introduced species were included in the regional species pool. Introduced species tend to have more localized distributions than native species, and their inclusion over-estimated regional pool sizes but had little effect on local richness estimates. Additionally, undersampling of small species, coupled with an increase in the relative importance of small species in southern regions, led to pseudosaturation by underestimating local richness in species-rich regions. 5. Turnover diversity was not correlated with regional pool size. However, comparison of three eastern regions showed that the percentage of the region occupied per species was less in the more speciose, southern regions, consistent with increased turnover diversity and pseudosaturation. 6. These results support the notion that regional-scale processes play a major role in determining the number of species in North American lacustrine fish communities.


Abstract For the purpose of clay examination, a new one-step method for the removal of organic matter was developed using sodium peroxodisulphate combined with different buffers such as sodium hydrogen carbonate, disodium hydrogen phosphate and disodium tetraborate. From an early Cretaceous black shale from the Apennines with a high organic carbon content, the <2 μm clay fraction was separated and contained 10.9 wt% organic carbon. To prevent decomposition of the clay layers, the period of oxidation was short (25-60 min) and the pH was kept between 5 and 9.5. Up to 98% of carbon was removed by this method.


We disprove the following conjecture due to Victor Neumann-Lara: for every pair $(r,s)$ of integers such that $r\geq s\geq 2$, there is an infinite set of circulant tournaments $T$ such that the dichromatic number and the cyclic triangle free disconnection of $T$ are equal to $r$ and $s$, respectively. Let $\mathcal{F}_{r,s}$ denote the set of circulant tournaments $T$ with $dc(T)=r$ and $\overrightarrow{\omega }_{3}\left( T\right) =s$. We show that for every integer $s\geq 4$ there exists a lower bound $b(s)$ for the dichromatic number $r$ such that $\mathcal{F}_{r,s}=\emptyset $ for every $r<b(s)$. We construct an infinite set of circulant tournaments $T$ such that $dc(T)=b(s)$ and $\overrightarrow{\omega }_{3}(T)=s$ and give an upper bound $B(s)$ for the dichromatic number $r$ such that for every $r\geq B(s)$ there exists an infinite set $\mathcal{F}_{r,s}$ of circulant tournaments. Some infinite sets $\mathcal{F}_{r,s}$ of circulant tournaments are given for $b(s)<r<B(s)$.


The marine exotic species of the Dutch Caribbean are less well-known than its terrestrial exotics. So far, only 27 known or suspected marine exotic species, some of which are also invasive are documented for one or more islands of the Dutch Caribbean. Four of these were documented only once or were only present for a certain period of time and are no longer present. Six of the species are marine epidemic diseases. As very little is known about these diseases, they might actually be native, but based on the literature and their ecological signature we regard them as special cases of invasive species. In addition to these documented species, 76 other exotic species that have already been observed elsewhere in the Caribbean may already be present or can be expected to arrive in the Dutch Caribbean in the near future. The marine communities of the Dutch Caribbean have suffered major changes based on a handful of marine exotic and/or invasive species, particularly in the special case of (opportunistic) pathogens. In certain cases experience shows that after decades, the affected systems/species may show slow signs of recovery from initial impacts (e.g. the green turtle fibropapillomas), while in other cases the impact may be long-lasting and recovery doubtful (e.g. sea fan mortality). Compared to terrestrial exotic species, eradication and control have been proven difficult or impossible for marine exotics. Therefore, management practices aimed at controlling unwanted species introductions should focus on preventing the arrival of such species by ships-- that transport exotics in their ballast water or as fouling communities on their hulls-- and (accidental) introductions from aquaculture or the aquarium trade. Busy harbors can be expected to be the areas where most marine exotics likely establish first. Because of dispersal of marine exotics is facilitated by ocean currents, local approaches to prevent their arrival or reduce their numbers will be less effective compared to similar efforts for terrestrial species. In the case of marine exotics and invasives, it is paramount that prevention, control and management efforts should be regionally integrated. We conclude this report by listing a number recommendations on how to develop effective management approaches with which to address the impacts and risks associated with marine exotic species. This research is part of the Wageningen University BO research program (BO-11-011.05-004) and has been financed by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation (EL&I) under project number 4308202004.


Summary Background Fetal surgery, also referred to as in utero, prenatal or intrauterine surgery, consists of treatment of congenital malformations during the fetal period. The idea of treating malformations diagnosed in the course of intrauterine life dates back to 1963, when Lilly performed the first blood transfusion in a fetus. Since then it has been introduced as a treatment option in a series of lethal malformations. Efforts are being made to treat nonlethal malformations by means of fetal surgery. Material/Methods A comprehensive search of the literature using MEDLINE and PubMed between 1925 and February 2009 was performed. Search terms for MEDLINE and PubMed were: fetal surgery, foetal surgery, in utero surgery, prenatal surgery, and in utero treatment. In addition, information was obtained at Web sites of the International Medicine and Surgery Society and the University of California Fetal Treatment Centre. Results Authors' attention focused on the survey of indications to intrauterine operations. We outline potential directions of its development, quoting the groundwork of the most experienced researchers and clinicians. Moreover, owing to the authors' interest in plastic surgery, some remarks on the role of intrauterine medicine and surgery in this branch of medicine are made. Conclusions In utero surgery may be regarded as an efficient tool of preventive medicine. It offers some advantages that no other branch of medicine may offer. However, its implementation is more troublesome than in the past, therefore only selected cases may benefit from its advantages. Nevertheless, current tendencies are to include, after thorough evaluation of benefit-risk ratio, some new indications for fetal surgery.


This article presents the results of a satisfaction assessment recently carried out amongst occupants of office rooms equipped with Anidolic Daylighting Systems. Questionnaires and complementary personal interviews were used to reveal which typical office lighting related problems are the most annoying to the occupants of the examined offices. The results show that occupant satisfaction within the examined offices is in general very good but that temporary daylight-overprovision and glare can sometimes cause considerable discomfort. The article concludes that window blind configuration, blind control as well as inappropriate handling by the occupants are the main reasons for the encountered problems and discusses different possibilities to deal with them.


185 cracks were initiated in a soda-lime-silica glass by Vickers indentation and grown under controlled dry nitrogen atmosphere. Direct observation of subcritical crack growth (SCCG) upon indentation was performed using a video camera with an image acquisition rate of 3 ms. The results show that the validity of K(c) relations used to determine the indentation fracture toughness from a single imprint is questionable. It seems that correlation of crack length to stress intensity necessitate the use of statistical significant data of multiple crack events.


Risk assessment is one tool of legal and policy decisionmaking, and one that may play a large role in establishing nanotechnology policy and regulations. In this Article, I analyze different methods of risk assessment and applies these methods to nanotechnology. I challenge the notion that people perceive and react to risk in a logical way, postulating that both experts and laypeople are susceptible to irrationality when it comes to risk perception. I conclude with a determination that a singular approach to risk management of nanotechnology may not be enough; rather, multiple risk management methods should be utilized depending on qualitative assessments of different nanotechnologies.


The paper deals with the problem of labeling the vertices and edges of a plane graph in such a way that the labels of the vertices and edges surrounding that face add up to a weight of that face. A labeling of a plane graph is called d -antimagic if for every positive integer s , the s -sided face weights form an arithmetic progression with a difference d . Such a labeling is called super if the smallest possible labels appear on the vertices. In the paper we examine the existence of such labelings for several families of plane graphs.


Objective: Shewanella xiamenensis is an emerging zoonotic pathogen commonly found in aquatic ecosystem. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and (CRISPR)-associated gene systems act as adaptive immune system of prokaryotes. Recently, growing evidence suggested their role in bacterial virulence and resistance. Despite its medical importance, little is known about the genomic characteristics of S. xiamenensis. Materials and Methods: Strain ZYW6 was isolated from Epinephelus awoara. We sequenced the 16S rRNA gene and blast against the GenBank bacterial database. Antibiotic susceptibility tests and interpretation were performed by automatic VITEK 2 system. We extracted the genomic DNA with QIAGEN Genomic-tip 100/G kit and QIAGEN Genomic DNA Buffer Set. Whole-genome shotgun sequencing was performed using the Illumina MiSeq sequencer. To identify the CRISPR-Cas System in the genome of S. xiamenensis ZYW6, the Integrated Microbial Genomes and Microbiomes and CRISPRFinder were used. Results: We characterized the genome of a S. xiamenensis strain. The genome is 4,765,190 bp in length and encodes 4262 open-reading frames. Type I CRISPR-Cas system and serine biosynthesis genes were identified. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate the genetic structure of CRISPR-Cas system, l-serine synthesis, and oxacillinase in S. xiamenensis. The report of antibiotics resistance genes in the study might indicate a possible reservoir of antimicrobial drug resistance determinants in food animal, resulting in potential infection source. The findings provide insights into the structure and composition of CRISPR-Cas system in S. xiamenensis and foundation for future biological validation.


INTRODUCTION
The most common indication for surgical correction of giant left atrium is associated with mitral valve insufficiency with or without atrial fibrillation. Several techniques for this purpose are already described with varying results.

OBJECTIVE
To present the initial experience with the tangential triangular resection technique (Pomerantzeff).

METHODS
From 2002 to 2010, four patients underwent mitral valve operation with reduction of left atrial volume by the technique of triangular resection tangential in our service. Three patients were female. The age ranged from 21 to 51 years old. The four patients presented with atrial fibrillation. Ejection fraction of left ventricle preoperatively ranged from 38% to 62%. The left atrial diameter ranged from 78mm to 140mm. After treatment of mitral dysfunction, the left atrium was reduced by resecting triangular tangential posterior wall between the pulmonary veins to avoid anatomic distortion of the mitral valve or pulmonary veins, reducing tension in the suture line.

RESULTS
Average hospital stay was 21.5 ± 6.5 days. The mean cardiopulmonary bypass time was 130 ± 30 minutes. There was no surgical bleeding or mortality in the postoperative period. All patients had sinus rhythm restored in the output of cardiopulmonary bypass, maintaining this rate postoperatively. The average diameter of the left atrium was reduced by 50.5% ± 19.5%. The left ventricular ejection fraction improved in all patients.

CONCLUSION
Initial results with this technique have shown effective reduction of the left atrium.


This article considers the dilemma of managing competing uses of surface water in ways that respond to social, ecological and economic needs. Current approaches to managing competing water use, such as Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) and the concept of the water-energy-food nexus do not adequately disaggregate the political nature of water allocations. This is analysed using Mehta's (2014) framework on orders of scarcity to disaggregate narratives of water scarcity in two ethnographic case studies in the Wami-Ruvu River Basin in Tanzania: one of a mountain river that provides water to urban Morogoro, and another of a large donor-supported irrigation scheme on the Wami River. These case studies allow us to explore different interfaces in the food-water-energy nexus. The article makes two points: that disaggregating water scarcity is essential for analysing the nexus; and that current institutional frameworks (such as IWRM) mask the political nature of the nexus, and therefore do not provide an adequate platform for adjudicating the interfaces of competing water use.


Admission to hospital can have a major impact on children and families. Unnecessary admission suggests a failure in the system. Gill et al have analysed hospital episode statistics for children less than 15 years in England between 1999 and 2010.1 They confirm anecdotal evidence that there has been an increase of 28% in emergency admission rate over the last decade with a persistent year on year increase from 2003 onwards. There has been a twofold increase in the number of children admitted for less than a day with short-term illness. An increase in upper respiratory tract infection admissions by 22% and lower respiratory tract infection admissions by 40% illustrates their findings and they also show admission rates for chronic conditions falling by 5.6%. This effect has been shown particularly in children aged 5 years and less.

This is a temporal association, which of course does not infer causation. However Gill's conclusions present the paediatric community with a huge challenge. They conclude that this increase in short-term admissions represents a systematic failure in primary and hospital care. Solving this problem is likely to require a restructuring of the way we deliver acute paediatric care. Although this is very complex with multiple factors, Gill's main conclusion is that the timing of the rise would implicate two main issues; the National Health Service (NHS) contractual arrangements allowing general practitioners to opt out of providing cover 'out of hours' and the impact that the 4-h wait target in the emergency department (ED) has had on patient management.

So what is it in the system that is failing? Do these data really suggest a failure of the way primary care services are provided? Is …


A new removal optimization method called submerged jet polishing (SJP) is reported. Experiments are conducted to obtain the removal shape. Results of SJP indicate that a Gaussian shape removal function can be obtained and that the removal rate is sensitive to variations in the standoff distance. SJP is applied to the corrective figuring of a BK7 optical glass. The flatness is improved from photovolatic (PV) 0.066 \lambda to 0.024 \lambda (\lambda=632.8 nm) after three iterations, and the root mean square (RMS) value is improved from 0.013 \lambda to 0.00395 \lambda. The experimental result indicates that SJP has a capability for ultra-precision figuring and can be applied in polishing complex-shaped surfaces.


This paper describes an approach to preprocess SMS text for Machine Translation. As SMS text behaves differently from normal written text and to reduce the tremendous effort required to customize or adapt the language model of the traditional translation system to handle SMS text style, normalization is performed to moderate the irregularities in English SMS text using a noisy channel model. A mapping model is used to model the three major problems in SMS text. They are (1) substitution of word using non-standard acronym, (2) insertion of flavour word, and (3) omission of auxiliary verb and subject pronoun. Experiment results show that with normalization before translation, the rejection rate of our English-to-Chinese SMS translation for broadcasting purpose is reduced by 15.5%. We believe that the performance of normalization can be further improved with deeper linguistic processing.


The murine paired box-containing gene Pax1 is required for normal development of the vertebral column, the sternum, and the scapula. Previous studies have shown that three natural Pax1 mouse mutants, the undulated alleles, exhibit phenotypes of different severity in these skeletal elements. Nevertheless, these analyses have not clarified whether the semidominant Undulated short-tail (Uns) mutation, in which the complete Pax1 locus is deleted, represents a null allele. Moreover, the analyses of the classical undulated mutants did not allow a conclusion with respect to haploinsufficiency of Pax1. To address both questions we have created a Pax1 null allele in mice by gene targeting. Surprisingly, the phenotype of this defined mutation exhibits clear differences to that of Uns. This result strongly indicates the contribution of additional gene(s) to the Uns mutant phenotype. Furthermore, the phenotype of mice heterozygous for the null allele demonstrates that Pax1 is haploinsufficient in some though not all skeletal elements which express Pax1 during embryonic development.


A temperature jump (T-jump) method capable of initiating thermally induced processes on the picosecond time scale in aqueous solutions is introduced. Protein solutions are heated by energy from a laser pulse that is absorbed by homogeneously dispersed molecules of the dye crystal violet. These act as transducers by releasing the energy as heat to cause a T-jump of up to 10 K with a time resolution of 70 ps. The method was applied to the unfolding of RNase A. At pH 5.7 and 59 degrees C, a T-jump of 3-6 K induced unfolding which was detected by picosecond transient infrared spectroscopy of the amide I region between 1600 and 1700 cm-1. The difference spectral profile at 3.5 ns closely resembled that found for the equilibrium (native-unfolded) states. The signal at 1633 cm-1, corresponding to the beta-sheet structure, achieved 15 +/- 2% of the decrease found at equilibrium, within 5.5 ns. However, no decrease in absorbance was detected until 1 ns after the T-ump. The disruption of beta-sheet therefore appears to be subject to a delay of approximately 1 ns. Prior to 1 ns after the T-jump, water might be accessing the intact hydrophobic regions.


Correct home addresses help determine state taxes and up-to-date mailing addresses ensure important documents, such as your W-2, quickly get to you by mail. Follow the steps below to verify or update this information: 1. Log into the portal [2]. 2. Click the CU Resources tab. (Skip this step if you are a CU System employee.) 3. Open the top center CU Resources Home drop-down menu, then select My Info and Pay. 4. Choose the My Info tile. 5. Click on the arrows in the Home Address and Mailing Address boxes [3] to verify or update your information. Note for student employees: Updating this information in your student portal does not update it in your employee portal. You must update this information in both portals. Former employees: Complete and fax this form [4] to Employee Services to update your mailing address. Contact details (phone, email)


From the Publisher:

In January 2000, America Online and Time Warner announced the largest merger in U.S. history, a deal that would create the biggest media company in the world. It was celebrated as the marriage of new media and old media, a potent combination of the nation's No. 1 Internet company and the country's leading entertainment giant, the owner of such internationally renowned brands as Warner Bros., HBO, CNN, and Time magazine.

But only three years later, nearly all the top executives behind the merger had resigned, the company had lost tens of billions of dollars in market value, and the U.S. government had begun two investigations into its business dealings.

How did the deal of the century become an epic disaster?

Alec Klein has covered AOL Time Warner for The Washington Post since the merger. His reporting on the company led to investigations by the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission. In Stealing Time, he takes readers behind the scenes to show how a clash of cultures set the stage for a spectacular corporate collapse. AOL's Steve Case knew it was only a matter of time before the Internet bubble of the late 1990s would burst, grounding his high-flying company. His solution: Buy another company to keep his own aloft. Meanwhile, Time Warner's Jerry Levin was enamored of new technology but frustrated by his inability to push his far-flung media empire into the Internet age. AOL and Time Warner seemed like a perfect match.

But the government forced the two companies to make concessions, and during the yearlong negotiations technology stocks tumbled. AOL executives lorded it over their Time Warner counterparts, who felt they were being acquired by brash, young interlopers with inflated dollars. The AOL way was fast, loose, and aggressive, and Time Warner executives -- schooled in more genteel business practices -- rebelled. In the midst of clashing cultures and conflicting management styles, AOL's business slowed and then stalled. Worse yet, AOL came under government scrutiny, and when the company conducted its own internal investigation, it admitted that it had improperly booked at least $190 million in revenue. The Time Warner rebellion gathered momentum.
This is a riveting story of ambition, hubris, and greed set amid the boom-and-bust years of the technology bubble. It is filled with outsized personalities -- Steve Case, Jerry Levin, Bob Pittman, Ted Turner, and many more. Based on hundreds of confidential company documents and interviews with key players in this unfolding drama, Stealing Time is a fascinating tale of the swift rise and even swifter fall of AOL Time Warner.


The Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) in collaboration with Regional Information Technology and Software Engineering Center (RITSEC) in Egypt has embarked on an accelerated program to improve the information capacity of KISR by creating a national Environmental Information System (EIS). The project's first main task " Global requirement specifications" was jointly executed by the RITSEC and KISR teams. One of the main achievements of this task is the clear laying out of the project scope, and the selection of the marine environment as the main area of concern. The needed information have been identified by two approaches, first is the definition of the information required for subjects deal with various environmental aspects, and the second by the definition of information which are important to the potential beneficiaries. The outputs of these two approaches resulted in the production of comprehensive list of the needed information, and the definition of the main functions needed to support the different environmental aspects. Data availability was investigated on the basis of the information provided by KISR from different sources, in addition to the assessment of workload required for data conversion to digital format. The user orient EIS applications were identified. These included the Geographical Information System (GIS) applications, a data dictionary dealing with storing and retrieval of valuable information from KISR's final projects report, and the development of a selected environmental parameters system.


Field studies and 40 Ar/ 39 Ar dating reveal that silicic volcanism in the Davis Mountains part of the Trans-Pecos Texas volcanic field occurred in six episodes at 0.3 m.y. intervals between 36.8 and 35.3 Ma. Additionally, two groups of silicic intrusions were emplaced at 34.6 and 32.8 Ma. This episodicity is similar to that determined for volcanic fields dominated by ash-flow tuffs, yet voluminous, extensive silicic lavas are considerably more abundant than tuffs in the Davis Mountains, by number of flows and by volume. The preponderance of voluminous silicic lavas over tuffs most likely reflects low water contents and high temperatures of the alkalic and commonly peralkaline Davis Mountains magmas. The earliest episode, at 36.8 Ma, included a widespread and voluminous (possibly >1,000 km 3 ) suite of rhyolite and quartz trachyte lavas, several rhyolite domes, and a strongly rheomorphic, peralkaline ash-flow tuff erupted from a caldera in the northern Davis Mountains. The lava suite extends well beyond the Davis Mountains. Silicic lavas of all episodes probably erupted from widespread, fissure vents. The 36.5 Ma episode consisted of rhyolite to quartz trachyte lavas, also extensive and voluminous (∼200 km 3 ). The 36.3 Ma episode consisted of rhyolite to trachyte tuffs and lavas erupted from a central vent volcano in the southern Davis Mountains. The 35.9 Ma episode consisted of a single, moderately large (∼50 km 3 ) rhyolite lava and a small-volume ash-flow tuff erupted from a caldera in the western Davis Mountains. Rocks emplaced during the 35.6 Ma episode were also rhyolites, including an enigmatic rock that may be strongly rheomorphic ash-flow tuff or a combination of tuff and lava, followed by definite lavas. The 35.3 Ma episode consisted of two ash-flow tuffs, one of which is strongly rheomorphic, and additional voluminous rhyolite lavas (∼120 km 3 ). The rheomorphic tuff erupted from a caldera in the southwestern Davis Mountains. The source of the other tuff is probably in the western Davis Mountains. Intermediate and mafic rocks are minor, except around the southeastern flank of the Davis Mountains, where basalt is abundant. Mafic lavas erupted only during gaps in the silicic activity and on the flanks of the Davis Mountains. Nevertheless, basaltic magma probably drove the silicic magmatism, either by differentiation or by crustal melting, and was present throughout the time of Davis Mountains activity but could not penetrate the low-density silicic magma chambers until they cooled and solidified. The time required for cooling and solidification appears to be 0.1-0.2 m.y.


This study examined the extent to which four factors—acculturation, ethnic identity, self-esteem, and resilience—can explain the well-being of Colombian immigrants in the United States across three waves of immigration (wave 1, from 1945–1964; wave 2, from 1965–1989; and wave 3, from 1990–2008). The results indicate that of the four factors, self-esteem most correlated with and was a predictor of well-being. Participants exhibited high levels of well-being as their level of self-esteem increased. Ethnic identity negatively predicted well-being, especially for men who entered during wave 3; as the extent of their ethnic identity increased, their well-being decreased. Correspondingly, Colombians who entered as political refugees reported a lower level of well-being. This research was groundbreaking in assessing factors contributing to the well-being of Colombian immigrants and assisting in the search for appropriate scales to study this population. Although its results have to be considered with caution, the study opens doors to future research, policies, and programs regarding the mental health assessment and treatment of Colombians in the United States.


The Associations of the Faithful that are usually called «Third Orders» participate in the charism of specific religious institutes and have a certain dependence on them that is designed to ensure that they share the spirti of the institute (cfr. cann. 303 and 677 §3). This link is essen-tial; this type of participation deftnes a Third Order because it gives the secular branch of the religious institute an existence that is officially recognised by the Church.In this article the Authorproposes to analyse the juridico-spiritual «relationship» (altius moderameli) between the Franciscan religious Orders (Friars Minor, Conventuals, Capuchins and TOR) and the Secular Franciscan Order (OFS) in so far as it concems the identity and the consequent organisation of the OFS. With this aim the topic is considered front its deepest roots (the funda-mental theological criterio of the relationship between hierarchy and association) to its most esternai (organisational) aspects: (how this debita relatio [AA 19] - which is the basis for the altius moderameli - has been juridically translated and received info the Code and into the particular law of the entities in question.


Just over fifty years ago, Hubbert correctly predicted that US oil production in the lower-48 states would soon peak, despite substantially rising production at the time. Hubbert based his prediction on the empirical observation that the production rate at oil reservoirs typically follows a bell-shaped curve that peaks near the midpoint of production. We present a highly simplified physical model of oil production that gives insight into Hubbert's success. This toy model relates the total area of active wells to future production and allows for several interesting analytical conclusions. We show analytically, contrary to intuition but consistent with historical data, the number of active wells at any given field must peak after the production rate peaks. Since oil production is pressuredriven, the toy model treats an oil reservoir as a sealed container filled with liquid oil and highly pressurized gas. A pipe extends into the container with a cross-sectional area, which represents the total area of wells and changes continuously over time. As gas expands, it forces liquid out of the container through the pipe but also drops in pressure, eventually limiting production. We assume the flow obeys Bernoulli's principle and the gas expands isothermally, which leads to a nonlinear ordinary differential equation for the velocity of fluid exiting the container. For most reasonable choices of the area function, the differential equation requires a numerical solution. However, it is possible to specify a plausible area function for which the model yields an analytical expression for the production rate that corresponds to the bell-shaped curve used by Hubbert to predict the peak in US oil production.


Reciprocal bone marrow transfers were performed with C3H/HeJ mice, which are susceptible to infection with the Brazil strain of Trypanosoma cruzi, and resistant F1 (C3H/HeJ X C57BL/6J) mice. Mice reconstituted after lethal irradiation with syngeneic bone marrow displayed the resistance phenotype of the strain used, but neither C3H mice reconstituted with F1 bone marrow cells nor F1 mice reconstituted with C3H bone marrow cells survived challenge. Resistance to T. cruzi appears to be dependent upon factors associated both with host background and with bone marrow-derived cells.


This dissertation describes, historicizes, theorizes, and deploys "massive media," an
emerging subset of technical assemblages that include large outdoor projections,
programmable architectural façades, and urban screens. Massive media are massive in their
size and subsequent visibility, but are also an agglomeration of media in their expressive
screen and cinema-like qualities and their associated audio, interactive, and network
capabilities. This dissertation finds that massive media enable and necessitate the
development of new practices of expanded cinema, public data visualization, and new
media art and curation that blend the logics of urban space, monumentality, and the
public sphere with the aesthetics and affordances of digital information and the moving
image to support a more participatory public culture in which we identify and engage with
collective presence, memory, and action through information, architecture, and the
moving image. Through historical research, case studies, conversations with cultural
producers, participant observation, and creation-as-research projects, large-scale public
projections are shown to represent a new monumentality that can be better understood
and evaluated using analytical tools from cinema studies, namely superimposition,
montage, and apparatus/dispositif. Low-resolution LED façades, while sharing some of the
functional and theoretical characteristics of projection, are shown to uniquely support an
emerging practice of public data visualization and represent a more consistent embodiment
of a hybrid and relational public sphere through a tighter coupling of information,
architecture, and context. Programmable architectural façades, more than projections,
embody the development of supermodernism in architecture where data-rich public spaces
of identity, congregation, and contestation seek and find appropriate and consistent outlets
in highly visible spatial assemblages of architecture and media. Finally, a curatorial
approach to massive media is crucial in order to create suitable spaces and opportunities
for the development of massive media as a legitimate art form. This requires the sustained
provision of technical support and coordination as well as an ongoing negotiation with
corporate, institutional, and civic owners and operators. While massive media exists
primarily as a highly commercialized phenomenon, it can also be pressed into service,
through coordinated curatorial and artistic efforts, to critique or co-opt commercialization,
and to re-envision the role of urban media environments in shaping collective identity,
historical consciousness, and public display culture.


The article explores China–Africa relations in the context of ICTs through the lenses of social networking sites (SNSs). By focusing on sub-Sahara Africa (SSA), and Kenya in particular, the goal is to analyze how the Chinese company Huawei—the first to access Kenya's market in 1998—has used Facebook and Twitter during the outbreak of the crisis that followed the decision of the United States in May 2019 to ban Huawei's services and products. Drawing on existing literature on crisis communication, the analysis of various Huawei accounts at the global, interregional, and state levels shows that the company tends to implement a farraginous communication strategy across platforms and accounts. Ultimately, the communication on SNSs tends to reflect asymmetric geopolitical power relations between developed and developing countries, exemplified by Kenya's marginalization as far as the communication of the crisis is concerned in comparison with other global or Western-related accounts.