U.S. Navy marine gas turbine engines serve as primarye and auxiliary power sources for several current classes of ships. Early observations noted in the 1960s and 1970s revealed severe corrosion attack on the first stage blade and vane components of a shipboard marine gas turbine engine that caused engine failure after only several hundred hours. In gas turbine development, there is always a drive and need to enhance the performance and life of engines. The virtues of using Ni-base superalloys in hot-section components has been well recognized and practiced as a means of substantial increase in turbine-inlet temperature, resulting in improvements in thermal efficiency, durability, and performance of engines. The USN shipboard environment (the marine environment) is high in salt laden air and water, coupled with air and fuel sulfur species that cause aggressive corrosion in gas turbine hot sections. Materials that can function in this environment are considered to be "Marinized".
 Higher engine power density and pressure ratios for new engine designs will increase maximum blade, vane, and rotor metal temperatures from a mainly Low Temperature Hot Corrosion (LTHC) regime into both the High Temperature Hot Corrosion (HTHC) and Oxidation Corrosion regions. It is expected that future increased surface combatant loads and operational changes will require increased gas turbine operating temperatures and change the associated operating environment to one where Type I and Type II hot corrosion AND oxidation will be prevalent in newly anticipated operational profiles. The advanced gas turbine upgrade package will include better corrosion and oxidation resistant capability and/or higher temperature capable materials and their associated component overhaul methodologies. New materials need to be created and developed for use in more aggressive environments and higher temperature operations.
 The main cause of the shorter time between overhauls is the materials deterioration of the engine components associated with the hot section of the engine, e.g. turbine airfoils. The deterioration mechanisms are hot corrosion, with Type 1 hot corrosion mechanism becoming operative at the higher temperatures. The goal of this paper is to evaluate methods to enable running the engine at high power while getting back to the longer mean time between overhauls. The method to achieve the longer time is to evaluate and propose for implementation materials, which can withstand the higher temperatures and at the same time mitigate the operative corrosion mechanisms associated with marine environments.


One indicator of a stagnant economy has been a slow rate of
population growth . If Tasmania had been able to retain its natural increase
between the first postwar census in 1921 and the second in 1933 , the fmal'
population would have been 256,170 . The recorded populatIon was only
227,599 . The difference was a result of out-migration during the 1920s .
The flow across Bass Strait was sufficient in one period , 192 3 / 24 to
1 926/27 inclusive , to cancel the natural increase and reduce the population
of the state . The poor performance of agriculture was seen as the central
factor in the process of economic decline . Report after report condemned
farming as backward, inefficient and disorganised and called for a
restructuring of the rural economy as the first step in overcoming the
state 1 s chronic problems of low incomes and population loss .
The initial strategy of agricultural reform was defined by Dr . S . S .
Cameron , Director of the Victorian Department of Agriculture . Cameron
had been brought to Tasmania in 1 92 5 by the Labour government of J . A .
Lyons to examine the deteriorating agricultural situation . He concluded
that the principal aim of agricultural development should be to increase the
output of commodities that had a proven export record from Australia ( e . g .
wool , wheat , lamb , fruit and butter ) or that could be worked up into a
profitable export trade such as peas or eggs . Efficiency in production and
marketing was to be stressed . Crops that were produced primarily for the
domestic market ( potatoes , barley , hops ) were to be reduced .
The Department of Agriculture was reorganised and given a mandate to
bring Tasmanian agriculture up to the Australian norm . It followed the
Cameron plan with the exception that livestock enterprises were favoured
over cropping in order to restore fertility to the depleted farmlands of the
Northwest Coast and North Midlands . Considerable progress was made along
these lines before the rural economy was overcome by the collapse of
commodity prices in CX:tober 1 929 .
This study has been structured as a developmental narrative .
Statistical and archival sources have been brought together to investigate
the evolution of farming systems between 1 926/27 and 1 936/ 3 7 . The
thesis begins with an overview of the agricultural situation in the
mid-1 920s . Agricultural reglons are defined for 1 926/27 usmg both the
Weaver method and cluster analysis on derived estimates of net farm income
at the municipality level . The body of the thesis examines


Rocks exposed within the uplifted central part of meteorite impact structures come from signifi cant stratigraphic depths, in some cases as much as several kilometers. On Earth, cen- tral uplifts are commonly the fi nal and only feature of an impact crater that remains after the rest of the structure is lost to erosion. However, the crater-forming process that results in the formation of intricate features such as central peak and peak rings is poorly understood. Much of our knowledge is based on extraterrestrial observations; as on Earth, there are very few unequivocal examples of impact craters with well-preserved peak and ring morphologies, because of erosion. In this study we describe the ~17-km-diameter Luizi structure (Katanga region, Democratic Republic of Congo), a moderate-sized complex crater, with an intermedi- ate ring (~5.2 km in diameter), and an ~2-km-wide circular central ring around a central depression. For the fi rst time, unique evidence of shock metamorphism, in the form of macro- scopic shatter cones and multiple sets of microscopic planar deformation features in quartz and feldspar grains, is described, confi rming the meteorite impact origin of the structure. Our observations at Luizi provide insights into the formation of mid-sized impact craters on Earth, adding to the evidence that, in the case of sedimentary target lithologies, structural ring struc- tures within the central uplift may form by the collapse of an unstable central peak. Given the preservation state of the Luizi crater, it cannot be excluded that structural rings may be a common feature for mid-size craters developed in layered target rocks.


Developing solutions to the complex and uncertain problems facing marine and coastal social-ecological ecosystems requires new forms of knowledge production and integration. While progress has been made both in terms of successfully producing integrated marine research and connecting that knowledge to decision-makers, a number of significant challenges remain that prevent the routine development and implementation of successful integrated research practice. Based on our own experiences as social researchers working within interdisciplinary research teams, we contend that one of the main barriers to successful integrative marine research relates to understanding, and where possible reconciling, the different epistemologies that unpin how knowledge is created or discovered in different disciplines. We therefore aim to provide an accessible introduction to the concept of epistemology, with a focus on its importance and influence to integrated marine research practice. Specifically, we present and discuss five questions of research design that relate to epistemology in integrative research practices: (1) What is the object of study we seek to create knowledge about; (2) how do we create knowledge; (3) who accepts knowledge as 'true' and how?; (4) how do we determine the epistemology underpinning marine science; and (5) what are the implications of epistemology for applied integrative marine science? We demonstrate the application of each question through a hypothetical case study of marine restoration, focusing on coral transplanting. Finally, we offer readers a simple heuristic to guide them, irrespective of career stage or discipline, to understand and account for epistemology when participating in integrative marine research practices.


In the paper, we present a method to automatically fit a topologi- cal grid (mesh) to the geometry of a given domain in such a way as place the density of nodes in close correspondence with a given density across the domain. This is important in, for example, the preprocessing of the finite element method; where one wants to get the best possi- ble approximation to a solution of a partial differential equation for a given computational resource. Here the density function corresponds to the ~areas of interest" in the domain. Our method uses the notion of a self-organizing neural network (due to Kohonen and others) for the basic organization with some additional adaptations appropriate for our problem. We have also implemented an improvement on the algorithm suggested by Tzvi and Iaakov.


Mende Nazer's happy childhood was cruelly cut short at the age of twelve when the Mujahidin rode into her village in the remote Nuba mountains of Sudan. They hacked down terrified villagers, raped the women and abducted the children. Mende was them. She was taken and sold to an Arab woman in Khartoum. She was stripped of her name and her freedom. For seven long years she was kept as a domestic slave, an 'abid', without any pay or a single day off. Her food was the leftover scraps and her bed was the floor of the locked-up garden shed. She endured this harsh and lonely existence without knowing whether her family was alive or dead, for seven long years. Passed on by her master, like a parcel, to a relative in London, Mende eventually managed to escape to freedom. Slave is a shocking first-person insight into the modern day slave trade. It is also a fascinating memoir of an African childhood and a moving testimony to a young girl's indomitable spirit in the face of adversity.


In this article the author analyses carrier's liability under the United Nations Convention on Contracts for International Carriage of Goods Wholly or Partly by Sea, known as the Rotterdam Rules. Today, only few provisions exist in the Hague-Visby Rules in respect to the obligations of the carrier. The provisions of the carrier's obligations are fundamental to the Rotterdam Rules because they are inexorably linked with the liability of the carrier, as provided in Article 17. The maritime industry has to move on and adjust to the new realities of the carrier's duties and, in particular, to the ongoing duty to provide a seaworthy vessel, which will bring significant changes to the carrier's liability and shipping business in general. In the Rotterdam Rules, Articles 13 and 14 have modernised the carrier's duties and aligned them with the current practice of door-to-door and containerized transport. The freedom of the carrier and the shipper to agree that the loading, stowage and discharge is to be performed by the cargo interest (either the shipper or consignee) is closely interrelated with the validity of the FIO(ST) and similar clauses incorporated in transport documents. Therefore, the Rotterdam Rules bring clarity in this matter because they precisely indicate the obligations and the breach, which entails the liability of the carrier. It is supposed that legal relationship between carriers and shippers facilitate the free flow of trade as economically and efficiently as possible.


Despite continuous improvements, our knowledge of the neurocranial anatomy of sauropod dinosaurs as a whole is still poor, which is especially true for titanosaurians even though their postcranial remains are common in many Upper Cretaceous sites worldwide. Here we describe a braincase from the uppermost Cretaceous locality of ''Lo Hueco" in Spain that is one of the most complete titanosaurian braincases found so far in Europe. Although the titanosaurian Ampelosaurus sp. is known from the same locality, this specimen is clearly a distinct taxon and presents a number of occipital characters found in Antarctosaurus and Jainosaurus, which are approximately coeval taxa from southern Gondwana. The specimen was subjected to X-ray computed tomographic (CT) scanning, allowing the generation of 3D renderings of the endocranial cavity enclosing the brain, cranial nerves, and blood vessels, as well as the labyrinth of the inner ear. These findings add considerable knowledge to the field of sauropod paleoneuroanatomy in general and titanosaurian endocast diversity in particular. Compared with that of many sauropodomorphs, the endocast appears only slightly flexed in lateral view and bears similarities (e.g., reduction of the rostral dural expansion) with Gondwanan titanosaurians such as Jainosaurus, Bonatitan, and Antarctosaurus. The vestibular system of the inner ear is somewhat contracted (i.e., the radius of the semicircular canals is small), but less so than expected in derived titanosaurians. However, as far as the new specimen and Jainosaurus can be contrasted, and with the necessary caution due to the small sample of comparative data currently available, the two taxa appear more similar to one another in endocast morphology than to other titanosaurians. Recent phylogenetic analyses of titanosaurians have not included virtually any of the taxa under consideration here, and thus the phylogenetic position of the new Spanish titanosaurian—even its generic, let alone specific, identification—is not possible at the moment. Nevertheless, both the braincase osteology and the endocast morphology suggest that the specimen represents a derived titanosaurian that presumably branched further from the base of Lithostrotia, potentially even near Saltasauridae, comparable in evolutionary terms with Jainosaurus.


Seinfeld as a contemporary adaptation of Etherege's Restoration comedy of manners The Man of Mode? Friends as a reworking of Shakespeare's romantic comedy Much Ado About Nothing? Star Wars as an adaptation of Spenser's epic poem, The Faerie Queene? The popular culture that surrounds us in our daily lives bears a striking similarity to some of the great works of literature of the past. In television, movies, magazines, and advertisements we are exposed to many of the same stories as those critics who study the great books of Western literature, but we have simply been encouraged to look at those stories differently. In Trash Culture, Richard K. Simon examines the ways in which the great literature and cultural work of the past has been rewritten for today's consumer society, with supermarket tabloids such as The National Enquirer and celebrity gossip magazines like People serving as contemporary versions of the great dramatic tragedies of the past. Today's advertising repeats the tale of the Golden Age, but inverts the value system of a classic utopia; the shopping mall combines bits and pieces of the great garden styles of Western history, and now adds consumer goods; Playboy magazine revises Castiglione's Renaissance courtesy book, The Book of the Courtier; and Cosmopolitan magazine revises the women's coming-of-age novels of Jane Austen, Gustave Flaubert, and Edith Wharton. Trash Culture concludes that the great books are alive and well, but simply hidden from the critics. It argues for the linking of high and low for the study and appreciation of each form of literature, and the importance of teaching popular culture alongside books of the great tradition in order to understand the critical context in which the books appear.


Over the years, one of the main concerns confronting hospital management is optimising the staffing and scheduling decisions. Consequences of inappropriate staffing can adversely impact on hospital performance, patient experience and staff satisfaction alike. A comprehensive review of literature (more than 1300 journal articles) is presented in a new taxonomy of three dimensions; problem contextualisation, solution approach, evaluation perspective and uncertainty. Utilising Operations Research methods, solutions can provide a positive contribution in underpinning staffing and scheduling decisions. However, there are still opportunities to integrate decision levels; incorporate practitioners view in solution architectures; consider staff behaviour impact, and offer comprehensive applied frameworks. Practitioners' perspectives have been collated using an extensive exploratory study in Irish hospitals. A preliminary questionnaire has indicated the need of effective staffing and scheduling decisions before semi-structured interviews have taken place with twenty-five managers (fourteen Directors and eleven head nurses) across eleven major acute Irish hospitals (about 50% of healthcare service deliverers). Thematic analysis has produced five key themes; demand for care, staffing and scheduling issues, organisational aspects, management concern, and technology-enabled. In addition to other factors that can contribute to the problem such as coordination, environment complexity, understaffing, variability and lack of decision support. A multi-method approach including data analytics, modelling and simulation, machine learning, and optimisation has been employed in order to deliver adequate staffing and shift scheduling framework. A comprehensive portfolio of critical factors regarding patients, staff and hospitals are included in the decision. The framework was piloted in the Emergency Department of one of the leading and busiest university hospitals in Dublin (Tallaght Hospital). Solutions resulted from the framework (i.e. new shifts, staff workload balance, increased demands) have showed significant improvement in all key performance measures (e.g. patient waiting time, staff utilisation). Management team of the hospital endorsed the solution framework and are currently discussing enablers to implement the recommendations.


The genetic basis underlying adaptive evolution is still largely unknown. Adaptive evolution is facilitated by natural selection that acts on the genetic variation present in a population. Favoring some genetic variants over others, natural selection eventually produces adaptations that allow populations to survive in changing or new environments. Populations colonizing new habitats that differ from their original habitat are often confronted with a multitude of novel ecological constraints to which they need to adapt.
A well-annotated genome and a diverse genetic toolkit make the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster an ideal model system for studying the genetics underlying adaptation. As a cosmopolitan species, D. melanogaster has adapted to a wide range of thermal environments. Despite having a tropical origin in southern-central Africa, it has successfully settled in temperate environments around the world. Thermal adaptations that have helped to deal with the greater range and variability in temperature as well as low-temperature extremes have been required to prosper in temperate environments.
Chromatin-based gene regulation is known to be disrupted by varying temperatures. Variation in the temperature, at which flies live, result in varying expression levels of Polycomb group (PcG) regulated genes with higher expression at lower temperatures. Chapter 1 and 2 of this thesis aim to answer the question whether this thermosensitivity of PcG regulation has been detrimental for colonizing temperate environments and thus needed to be buffered by natural selection. Thermosensitivity of PcG regulation was observed in different natural populations of D. melanogaster. A lower degree of thermosensitive expression was consistently found for populations from temperate climates when compared to those from the tropics. In Chapter 1, evidence is presented for positive selection acting on the polyhomeotic (ph) gene region to reduce thermosensitivity of PcG regulation in temperate populations from Europe. The targets of selection appear to be single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a relatively small cis-regulatory region between the two PcG target genes polyhomeotic proximal (ph-p) and CG3835 that are highly differentiated between European and African populations. Using reporter gene assays, it was demonstrated that these SNPs influence gene expression and that the European alleles confer reduced thermosensitivity of expression in contrast to the African alleles. In Chapter 2, thermosensitivity of another PcG target gene, vestigial (vg), was investigated in six natural populations including four temperate populations from high-altitude Africa and central to high-latitude Europe, and two tropical populations from the ancestral species range. All four temperate populations exhibited a lower degree of thermosensitive expression than the two tropical populations. The underlying mechanisms of increased buffering, however, seem to differ between these temperate populations.
Thermal adaptation to temperate environments also includes dealing with low-temperature extremes. Severe cold stress is a main limiting factor imposed on D. melanogaster by temperate climates. Increased cold tolerance in temperate populations is thought to have evolved by natural selection. Cold tolerance is a quantitative trait that appears to be highly polygenic and has been mapped to different quantitative trait loci (QTL) in the genome. In Chapter 3, such a QTL region was fine-mapped to localize causal genes for increased cold tolerance in temperate flies. As a result, brinker (brk) was identified as a new candidate gene putatively involved in cold stress adaptation.


96 Normal 0 false false false EN-GB JA X-NONE Due to the constantly increasing rate of change faced during the current Anthropocene traditional approaches to strategic planning are no longer capable of producing the desired results. Most of them depend on predicting future trends and events so that organizations can prepare for and take advantage of them. Plans are made, priorities defined and action steps outlined based on the originally identified objectives. The problem is that the length of time for which we are able to accurately predict the future is shrinking rapidly so that by the time we get around to implementing our decisions they are too frequently obsolete. What we need is a new paradigm that makes organizations capable of learning continually from their environment and adapting rapidly. Interactive Planning is such a paradigm. After scanning the environment to discover what currently exists, instead of defining project priorities the second step in Interactive Planning is to redefine or redesign the organization's function, structure, and key processes in a way that is highly participative, that integrates the organization on all levels, and that encourages continual learning of the entire workforce. A technique frequently used to accomplish this is Idealized Design. In that Interactive Planning is a never ending process it gives organizations a better chance of deal effectively with the Anthropocene.


Objectives : A core objective in South African National Parks (SANParks) is biodiversity conservation and the maintenance of functional ecosystems, which is compromised by alien species invasions. The 2016 Alien and Invasive Species Regulations of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act (NEM:BA) requires landowners to develop management plans for alien and invasive species, as well as report on the status and efficacy of control. Method : To compile the species list, we started with the 2011 SANParks alien species list. Name changes were updated and SANParks ecologists and park managers contacted to verify the species lists and add new records. Species reported by external experts were added in the same manner. The management programme costs and species controlled per park per year were extracted from SANParks' Working for Water programme database. Results : SANParks has listed 869 alien and extra-limital species, including 752 plants and 117 animals, increasing from 781 alien species in 2011. About R 590 million has been spent by the Working for Water/Biodiversity Social Programmes since 2000/2001. Of the species recorded, 263 are listed by NEM:BA, including 12 Category 1a species, 184 Category 1b species, 28 Category 2 species and 39 Category 3 species. Conclusion : While large clearing programmes have been maintained since at least 1998, improving prioritisation is necessary. We provide a short synopsis of (1) what alien species are present in SANParks, (2) the species and parks that management has focused on, (3) the implications of the NEM:BA Invasive Alien Species Regulations and (4) future developments in monitoring.


Avant-garde filmmaker Bill Morrison has been making films that combine archival footage and contemporary music for decades, and he has recently begun to receive substantial recognition: he was the subject of a retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art, and his 2002 film Decasia was selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. This is the first book-length study of Morrison's work, covering the whole of his career. It gathers specialists throughout film studies to explore Morrison's "aesthetics of the archive"—his creative play with archival footage and his focus on the materiality of the medium of film.


The characteristic voice quality of a speaker conveys to listeners a wealth of information about his physical, psychological and social attributes. For this reason, voice quality is of interest to a wide range of disciplines, including linguistics, phonetics and speech science, speech pathology, sociology, psychology, medicine, and communication engineering. Literature on voice quality is, consequently, scattered through a correspondingly wide range of publications. While this bibliography is unlikely to be exhaustive, it aims to be comprehensive. Exceptions to this are purely medical literature and literature on speech pathology; also, although a number of different languages are represented, works in English received the principal coverage.


The study was undertaken from November, 2009 to April, 2010, at Addis Ababa Abattoir Enterprise with the aim of determining the prevalence of bovine hydatidosis and to have realistic estimate of the financial loss attributed to organ condemnation as a result of hydatidosis disease. Of the 484 examined animals, 196 (40.5%) harbored hydatid cysts. Observation during the survey period also revealed that the infection rate among different age groups of examined animals were found to be statistically significant (p<0.05) with the highest in old aged cattle (56%) followed by adult (37.11%) and young (9.3%). There was no statistically significant difference between infection rate and breeds, sex and body condition score of the animals. Of the total 474 recovered cysts from condemned organs, 197(41.56%), 127(26.79%), 37(7.8%) and 113(23.84%) were small, medium, large, and calcified, respectively. Of the total 474 cysts, 79(16.66%) fertile, 282(59.5%) sterile and 113(23.74%) were calcified cyst. Calcification was found higher in the liver than the lungs, while most of fertile cysts were recovered from the lungs. The financial loss from organ condemnation due to bovine hydatidosis at Addis Ababa Abattoir Enterprise was estimated to be 19,847,704.5 (ETB). It can be stated that hydatidosis is one of the most economically important cattle disease in the area warranting for serious attention.

 Key words: Abattoir, Addis Ababa, cattle, cyst, financial loss, hydatidosis, prevalence.


Archetype analysis is a promising approach in sustainability science to identify patterns and explain mechanisms shaping the sustainability of social-ecological systems. Although considerable efforts have been devoted to developing quality standards and methodological advances for archetype analysis, archetype validation remains a major challenge. Drawing on the insights from two international workshops on archetype analysis and on broader literature on validity, we propose a framework that identifies and describes six dimensions of validity: conceptual; construct; internal; external; empirical; and application validity. We first discuss the six dimensions in relation to different methodological approaches and purposes of archetype analysis. We then present an operational use of the framework for researchers to assess the validity of archetype analysis and to support sound archetype identification and policy-relevant applications. Finally, we apply our assessment to 18 published archetype analyses, which we use to describe the challenges and insights in validating the different dimensions and suggest ways to holistically improve the validity of identified archetypes. With this, we contribute to more rigorous archetype analyses, helping to develop the potential of the approach for guiding sustainability solutions.


Eigendecomposition is the factorization of a matrix into its canonical form, whereby the matrix is represented in terms of its eigenvalues and eigenvectors. A common step is the reduction of the data to a kernel matrix also known as a Gram matrix which is used for machine learning tasks. A significant drawback of kernel methods is the computational complexity associated with manipulating kernel matrices. This paper demonstrates that leading eigenvectors derived from singular value decomposition (SVD) and Nyström approximation methods can be utilized for classification tasks without the need to construct Gram matrices. Experiments were conducted with 14 biomedical datasets to compare classifier performance when taking as input into a classifier matrices containing: 1) leading eigenvectors which result from each approximation method, and 2) matrices which result from constructing the patient-by-patient Gram matrix. The results provide evidence to support the main hypothesis of this paper that using the leading eigenvectors as input into a classifier significantly ( $p< 0.05$ ) improves classifier performance in terms of accuracy and time compared to using Gram matrices. Furthermore, experiments were carried out using large multi-modal mHealth time series datasets of ten different subjects with diverse profiles while they were performing several physical activities. Experiments with the mHealth datasets utilized a sequential deep learning model. The significance of the proposed approach is that it can make feature extraction methods more accessible on large-scale unimodal and multi-modal data which are becoming common in many applications.


In the present work, we report a novel luminescent characteristic of the ZnS ceramics. ZnS undoped nanopowders have been synthesized by a wet chemical precipitation method using Na2S as the source of sulfur. Spark plasma sintering (SPS) has been applied to the nanopowders to fabricate dense ZnS ceramics in the pure phase of zinc blende. Photoluminescence (PL) and fluorescence lifetime spectra have been utilized to characterize the luminescent properties of the ZnS ceramics, indicating that these materials exhibit green phosphorescence. In addition, elemental analysis has also been adopted to determine the elemental composition and valency of elements within the ceramic samples. It is concluded that the green phosphorescence results from the presence of elemental sulfur species and Na impurities.


MITOVA, I., M. BANOV and L. NENOVA, 2016. Grower and reproduced behavior of tomatoes on substrates for soil reclamation. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 22: 912–920 The experiment is based on four reclamation substrates, taken from technically and biologically reclaimed dumps built during the extraction of iron ore (Lokorsko) and coal (Moshino). The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of fertilization and elevated levels of heavy metals on the growth, development and fruiting of tomatoes on the researched substrates and terrains. It was found that the surveyed areas are suitable for agricultural production. The positive effect of the application of N, P and K fertilization on the tested reclamation substrates is convincingly proved by the increment of tomato plants. In the early stages of tomato vegetation, the height and mass of plants fertilized with (NH4)2SO4 are greater than those of plants with NH4NO3 in all three Samples. As vegetation advances and reaches fruiting phase, plants fertilized with NH4NO3 achieve greater vegetative mass than those fertilized with (NH4)2SO4. In all three reclamation substrates, plants fertilized with NH4NO3 formed more and larger fruits than those fertilized with (NH4)2SO4. The total yield of fruit from plants fertilized with ammonium sulfate and ammonium nitrate was highest from the reclamation substrate of organically reclaimed dump built during iron ore extraction, horizon 0–30 cm


Bioclogging in rivers can detrimentally impact aquifer recharge. This is particularly so in dry regions, where losing rivers are common, and where disconnection between surface water and groundwater (leading to the development of an unsaturated zone) can occur. Reduction in riverbed permeability due to biomass growth is a time‐variable parameter that is often neglected, yet permeability reduction from bioclogging can introduce order of magnitude changes in seepage fluxes from rivers over short (i.e., monthly) timescales. To address the combined effects of bioclogging and disconnection on infiltration, we developed numerical representations of bioclogging processes within a one‐dimensional, variably saturated flow model representing losing‐connected and losing‐disconnected rivers. We tested these formulations using a synthetic case study informed with biological data obtained from the Russian River, California, USA. Our findings show that modeled biomass growth reduced seepage for losing‐connected and losing‐disconnected rivers. However, for rivers undergoing disconnection, infiltration declines occurred only after the system was fully disconnected. Before full disconnection, biologically induced permeability declines were not significant enough to offset the infiltration gains introduced by disconnection. The two effects combine to lead to a characteristic infiltration curve where peak infiltration magnitude and timing is controlled by permeability declines relative to hydraulic gradient gains. Biomass growth was found to hasten the onset of full disconnection; a condition we term 'effective disconnection'. Our results show that river infiltration can respond dynamically to bioclogging and subsequent permeability declines that are highly dependent on river connection status.


Software development is an industry sector which is typified by rapid change and iterative progress. In consequence a number of project management frameworks exist within the field of software development. Some of these have been developed from existing models taken from other industry sectors and some have emerged over time in response to the rapidly changing needs of software developers and their supporting project teams. This research specifically examined two particular frameworks which are popularly used within software development, the Project Management Maturity (PMM) framework and the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) framework. This research critically compares and contrasts the two and proposes a synthesized framework which draws upon the best elements of both of these models to create an agile framework which encourages best practice and technical precision within software projects. It is determined that a synthesized framework reduces the risks inherent in project management and can be effectively deployed in a range of situations.


Objectives This mixed-methods feasibility study aimed to explore parents' and medical practitioners' views on the acceptability and design of a clinical trial to determine whether routine prophylactic proton pump inhibitors (PPI) reduce the incidence of anastomotic stricture in infants with oesophageal atresia (OA). Design Semi-structured interviews with UK parents of an infant with OA and an online survey, telephone interviews and focus groups with clinicians. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis and descriptive statistics. Participants and setting We interviewed 18 parents of infants with OA. Fifty-one clinicians (49 surgeons, 2 neonatologists) from 20/25 (80%) units involved in OA repair completed an online survey and 10 took part in 1 of 2 focus groups. Interviews were conducted with two clinicians whose survey responses indicated they had concerns about the trial. Outcome Measures Parents and clinicians ranked the same top four outcomes ('Severity of anastomotic stricture', 'Incidence of anastomotic stricture', 'Need for treatment of reflux' and 'Presence of symptoms of reflux') as important to measure for the proposed trial. Results All parents and most clinicians found the use, dose and duration of omeprazole as the intervention medication, and the placebo control, as acceptable. Parents stated they would hypothetically consent to their child's participation in the trial. Concerns of a few parents and clinicians about infants suffering with symptomatic reflux, and the impact of this for study retention, appeared to be alleviated through the symptomatic reflux treatment pathway. Hesitant clinician views appeared to change through discussion of parental support for the study and by highlighting existing research that questions current practice of PPI treatment. Conclusions Our findings indicate that parents and most clinicians view the proposed Treating Oesophageal Atresia with prophylactic proton pump inhibitors to prevent STricture (TOAST) trial to be feasible and acceptable so long as infants can be given PPI if clinicians deem it clinically necessary. This insight into parent and clinician views and concerns will inform pilot phase trial monitoring, staff training and the development of the trial protocol.


The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent of involvement of companies in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives in terms of high, medium and low CSR performers. Secondary data based on a sample of 93 companies operating in India have been analyzed by applying content analysis of annual reports and individual websites of the companies. Extent of social involvement of the companies has been observed on the basis of their respective social scores. The results indicate that some firms are highly involved, some are moderately involved while others are lowly involved in CSR arena. The study further reveals that firms are highly concerned about their shareholders followed by human resources. The firms are found to be highly engaged in providing retirement fund benefit plans and least percentage of companies has been found to be engaged in providing employment to SC/ST/BC and disabled persons. By applying Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney U-test the study reveals that there is a significant difference between the average overall CSR scores of different categories of CSR performers. The major limitation of the study is that CSR measurement is based on voluntary disclosures by the companies. Better measures of CSR are, therefore, desperately needed for future studies. (ProQuest: ... denotes formulae omitted.) INTRODUCTION The role of business in society has undergone several changes. Awareness of the impact of business on society and environment has grown alongwith the increasing socio-regulatory pressures. It is no longer simple enough to employ people, make profits and pay taxes. Companies are now expected to be responsible, accountable and benefit the society as a whole (Brown, 2001). Business cannot escape from society and society cannot exist without business (Davis and Frederick, 1985). Thus, there is a two-way relationship between business and society, Cannon (1994) holds the view that business is expected to create wealth, supply market, generate employment, innovate and produce a sufficient surplus to sustain its activities and improve its competitiveness while contributing to the maintenance of community in which it operates. Society is expected to provide an environment in which business can develop and prosper, allowing investors to earn returns while ensuring that stakeholders can enjoy the benefits of their involvement without any fear of arbitrary and unjust action. Organizations are the citizens of society and therefore, they owe certain responsibilities towards the society. Business can also be viewed as a custodian of society's resources - people, raw materials, services and infrastructure. To convert raw material into profitable goods, business needs the inputs from the society and its output is consumed by the society itself. The relationship between business and society is shown in Table 1. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is what an organization does to influence the society positively in which it exists. The concept of CSR has been evolving for decades. However, the modern era of social responsibility may be marked by Bowen's (1953) publication of Social Responsibilities of the Businessman, considered by many to be the first definitive book on the subject. He defines CSR as "an obligation to pursue those policies, to make those decisions, or to follow those lines of action that are desirable in terms of the objectives and values of our society". The definition of CSR is not complex. Scholars have taken varying stances on conceptualizing CSR. While some take CSR as an obligation, others consider it as a strategic tool. According to Steiner (1972), "a social contract between business and society that relates to the corporate impact on the welfare of society". McWilliams and Siegel (2001) defines CSR in terms of actions that appear to further some social good, beyond the interest of the firm and that which is required by law. In the words of Campbell (2006) "CSR sets a minimum behavioral standard that aims at doing no harm to stakeholders and if it has happened then rectifies it as soon as it is identified". …


The magnificent second novel from the legendary author of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "Sailor Song" is a wild-spirited and hugely powerful tale of an Oregon logging clan. A bitter strike is raging in a small lumber town along the Oregon coast. Bucking that strike out of sheer cussedness are the Stampers: Henry, the fiercely vital and overpowering patriarch; Hank, the son who has spent his life trying to live up to his father; and Viv, who fell in love with Hank's exuberant machismo but now finds it wearing thin. And then there is Leland, Henry's bookish younger son, who returns to his family on a mission of vengeance - and finds himself fulfilling it in ways he never imagined. Out of the Stamper family's rivalries and betrayals Ken Kesey has crafted a novel with the mythic impact of Greek tragedy.


[1] MODIS provides almost complete global coverage daily. Aerosol optical thickness (AOT or τaλ) and other aerosol parameters are retrieved over land and ocean at a spatial scale of 10 km (level 2), then aggregated to a global grid of 1° spatial resolution on daily, weekly, and monthly time scales (level 3). The SAFARI 2000 ground-based measurements of AOT from the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) group of Sun photometers were used to compare MODIS over-land AOT based on a spatiotemporal statistical technique. At low aerosol loading (when τa470 < 0.6), MODIS τaλ values agree with those of AERONET at the blue wavelength (λ = 440, 470 nm). But, at higher wavelengths and with increasing aerosol loading, MODIS AOT values underestimate those of AERONET. There are also regional variations in validation accuracy. This AOT underestimation by MODIS during SAFARI 2000 is attributed to the application of a constant single-scattering-albedo (SSA or ω0) value of 0.90 globally for smoke aerosol retrieval. Recent studies based on long-term observations with AERONET Sun photometers suggest that lower ω0 values of 0.88 and 0.84 at 440 nm and 670 nm wavelengths respectively would be more applicable over southern Africa (particularly over Zambia, where most of the measurements were based). A column climate model, with MODIS aerosol information as input, is used to calculate aerosol radiative forcing over the (southern Atlantic) Ocean part of the SAFARI 2000 region. For September 2000, the results show a forcing of −10 W/m2 at the top of the atmosphere and approximately −26 W/m2 at the terrestrial surface.


The paradigm for modern psychiatry is evidence-based medicine (EBM)—it represents proven treatments for defined diagnoses. But there are major problems with this position, starting with the fact that while they are superior to placebo, evidence-based treatments too often are ineffective.


Increasing shares of wind and solar power in the electricity system have a considerable impact on electricity markets. The variable and uncertain generation from these renewables is a source of additional costs. These costs include the costs of back-up needed for periods with low wind and solar production, the cost of transmission to reach demand centers, and the costs of balancing the electricity system to adjust for wind and solar power forecast errors. Furthermore, electricity generation from wind and solar with very low marginal costs depresses electricity prices on the wholesale market, an effect that is even more pronounced for the price that wind and solar earn on the market. While these cost increases and price effects are common to all electricity markets, the magnitude of the effects will to a large extent depend on the local characteristics of an electricity market, such as the incumbent generation mix and the interconnections with other markets. In this study, we introduce a modelling framework utilizing a detailed European electricity market model to quantify integration costs and price effects of variable renewables in the Netherlands. Our methodology allows calculation of various components of the integration costs based on a single consistent dataset and modelling tool. Our results for the Netherlands underline the importance of interconnections in reducing the integration costs of renewables in the electricity system.


BACKGROUND
rectal cancer (RC) is one of the most prevalent malignancies worldwide and different preoperative radiotherapies may lead to different outcomes. This meta-analysis aimed to compare the effectiveness of long-course (LC) and short-course radiotherapy (SC), with or without chemotherapy, for locally advanced rectal cancer.

METHODS
studies published up to March 31st 2018 were retrieved from PubMed, Medline, Cochrane and EMABSE. Randomized control or consort control trials that reported the outcomes of short or long course radiotherapy were eligible. Either a fixed or random effects model was used to access the overall combined risk estimates.

RESULTS
sixteen studies with a total of 2,773 RC patients were included in the analysis. There were no significant differences between LC and SC therapies with regard to the following: pathological complete response (PCR) (I2 = 78%, p < 0.05, RR = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.26-1.10); tumor downstaging (I2 = 79%, p < 0.05, RR = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.58-1.17); local recurrences (I2 = 22%, p = 0.27, RR = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.26-1.16); distant metastases (I2 = 29%, p = 0.22, RR = 1.03, 95% CI: 0.77-1.37); mortality (I2 = 0%, p = 0.78, RR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.78-1.15) and serious late toxicity (I2 = 74%, p = 0.01, RR = 1.10, 95% CI: 0.37-3.26). In the subgroup analysis, LC had a better PCR and tumor downstaging rate compared with SC in the RCT subgroup. Besides, LC also presented a better PCR rate compared with SC without chemotherapy.

CONCLUSIONS
LC and SC are both effective in the preoperative treatment of RC with regard to PCR, tumor downstaging, local recurrences, distant metastases, mortality and serious late toxicity. Furthermore, chemotherapy may enhance the efficacy of preoperative treatment.


IMPROVING RECURRENT SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT: A CONTEXTUALIST INQUIRY INTO RELEASE CYCLE MANAGEMENT BY KAMRAN M. SYED May 8, 2014 Committee Chair: Dr. Lars Mathiassen Major Academic Unit: J. Mack Robinson College of Business Software development is increasingly conducted in a recurrent fashion, where the same product or service is continuously being developed for the marketplace. Still, we lack detailed studies about this particular context of software development. Against this backdrop, this dissertation presents an action research study into Software Inc., a large multi-national software provider. The research addressed the challenges the company faced in managing releases and organizing software process improvement (SPI) to help recurrently develop and deliver a specific product, Secure-on-Request, to its customers and the wider marketplace. The initial problem situation was characterized by recent acquisition of additional software, complexity of service delivery, new engineering and product management teams, and low software development process maturity. Asking how release management can be organized and improved in the context of recurrent development of software, we draw on Pettigrew's contextualist inquiry to focus on the ongoing interaction between the contents, context and process to organize and improve release cycle practices and outcomes. As a result, the dissertation offers two contributions. Practically, it contributes to the resolution of the problem situation at Software Inc. Theoretically, it introduces a new software engineering discipline, release cycle management (RCM), focused on recurrent delivery of software, including SPI as an integral part, and grounded in the specific experiences at Software Inc.


Natural organic matter (NOM) removal and membrane fouling were investigated using iron oxide-coated microfiltration (MF) systems for drinking water treatment. Addition of iron oxide particle (IOP) adsorbents into MF always improved NOM removal and reduced fouling, but IOP dosing methods did affect the membrane performance. The IOP coating layer formed on the membrane surface played a major role in preventing membrane fouling by residual NOM in water. Pre-mixing of IOP with raw water followed by continuous injection into the MF system controlled membrane fouling better than pre- and intermittent loadings of IOP. This could be in close association with the distribution of IOPs across the hollow fiber MF surfaces and the effectiveness of contact of IOP with feedwater. The turbidity of water influenced the MF system with intermittent IOP loads more greatly than that with IOP in suspension. There existed an optimal IOP dose where membrane fouling can be minimized achieving maximal NOM removal.


Federal Rule of Evidence 407 prohibits the introduction of subsequent remedial measures for the purposes of demonstrating negligence, culpable conduct, or product defect. But the rule breaks down, in application and purpose, when a defendant undertakes the new safety measure after the plaintiff's injury, but before the defendant had knowledge of the loss. Such a situation is not uncommon. Would-be defendants frequently improve their products and product safety for a variety of reasons. Toxic exposure cases, where exposure often predates diagnosis of the injury by a decade or more, represent a prime example of cases where defendants are likely to have made significant product or warning improvements which, if taken before the plaintiff's exposure, may have prevented the injury. Should evidence of these improvements be admissible? The literal text of Rule 407 suggests not. Yet allowing such measures into evidence may not have the same chilling effect as when the measure was taken in response to the plaintiff's injury. In such circumstances, it can be argued the defendant never feared the measure would be used against it. Since the policies behind Rule 407 may not support the exclusion of such evidence, should it still be applied? This article explores Rule 407, its policy underpinnings, courts' differing interpretations of the rule, and how it should be applied to defendants who take subsequent remedial measures without knowledge of a plaintiff's injury. Finally, we suggest an interpretation of and amendment to Rule 407 that clarifies the rule and furthers its policy bases.


Although eosinophils play an essential role in allergic inflammation, their role has recently been under controversy. Epidemic studies suggest that hypereosinophilia induced by parasite infection could suppress subsequent Ag sensitization, although the mechanism has not been fully clarified. In this study, we investigated whether eosinophils could suppress the Ag-specific immune response in the airway. BALB/c mice were sensitized and airway challenged with OVA. Systemic hypereosinophilia was induced by delivery of an IL-5-producing plasmid. IL-5 gene delivery suppressed the Ag-specific proliferation and cytokine production of CD4+ T cells in the spleen. IL-5 gene delivery before OVA sensitization significantly suppressed airway eosinophilia and hyperresponsiveness provoked by subsequent OVA airway challenge, while delivery during the OVA challenge did not suppress them. This IL-5-induced immune suppression was abolished in eosinophil-ablated mice, suggesting an essential role of eosinophils. IL-5 treatment increased the production of TGF-β1 in the spleen, and we demonstrated that the main cellular source of TGF-β1 production was eosinophils, using eosinophil-ablated mice and depletion study. TGF-β1, but not IL-5 itself, suppressed the Ag-specific immune response of CD4+ T cells in vitro. Furthermore, IL-5 treatment enhanced phosphorylation of Smad2 in CD4+ T cells. Finally, a TGF-β type I receptor kinase inhibitor restored this IL-5-induced immune suppression both in vitro and in vivo. These results suggest that IL-5-induced hypereosinophilia could suppress sensitization to Ag via a TGF-β-dependent mechanism, thus suppressed allergic airway inflammation. Therefore, hypereosinophilia could reveal an immunosuppressive effect in the early stage of Ag-induced immune response.


Denosumab is a potent osteoclast inhibitor targeted to prevent osteoporotic bone loss and thereby reduce fractures in the aging population. Recently, an elevated risk of rebound fractures following denosumab discontinuation was identified, unless patients were transitioned to an alternative antiresorptive medication. How denosumab affects the interaction of mechanosensitive osteocytes and bone quality remains unknown. We hypothesized that denosumab influences osteocyte function contributing to bone reorganization and increased fractures during discontinuation. Bone quality and osteocytes were assessed in archived iliac crest bone biopsies obtained from patients with high fracture occurrence from 2011 to 2016. Biopsies were obtained due to high fracture occurrence prior and during osteoporosis therapy from (i) patients with at least two semiannual subcutaneous injections of 60 mg denosumab, (ii) patients with rebound fractures during discontinuation, and (iii) patients of a treatment-naive group. In total, biopsies from 43 individuals were analyzed (mean age, 65.5 ± 12.1 years). Our results showed that during denosumab treatment, iliac cortical bone had a higher bone tissue hardness compared to treatment-naive bone (p = 0.0077) and a higher percentage of mineralized osteocyte lacunae (p = 0.0095). The density of empty osteocyte lacunae was higher with denosumab compared to treatment-naive (p = 0.014) and remained high in trabecular bone during discontinuation (p = 0.0071). We conclude that during denosumab treatment, increased bone hardness may contribute to improved fracture resistance. In biopsies from patients with high fracture occurrence, denosumab treatment reduced osteocyte viability, an effect that persisted during treatment discontinuation. High-resolution imaging of osteocyte viability indicates a role for osteocytes as a potential future mechanistic target to understand rebound bone loss and increased fractures with denosumab discontinuation.


This Article is about two things: international law in the United States and Chief Justice John Roberts's judicial philosophy. How do the two relate? Quite nicely, actually. First, Chief Justice Roberts has penned majority opinions in several landmark cases directly addressing important international law issues. Second, cases involving international law serve as an excellent window into a Justice's judicial philosophy. Consider Chief Justice Roberts's concluding paragraph in Medellin v. Texas, a watershed case in which the Court held that judgments of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) are generally not enforceable in United States courts: "In sum, while the ICJ's judgment in Avena creates an international law obligation on the part of the United States, it does not of its own force constitute binding federal law that pre-empts state restrictions... Nothing in the text, background, negotiating and drafting history, or practice among signatory nations suggests that the President or Senate intended the improbable result of giving the judgments of an international tribunal a higher status than that enjoyed by "many of our most fundamental constitutional protections." Federalism, separation of powers, treaty interpretation, U.S. sovereignty — all issues touched on in just two sentences. Moreover, as international law expands from governing only relations between States to touching every area within the jurisdiction of the "several states," the status of international law in the United States has come under increasing scrutiny. No longer is it uncontroversial to say that "international law is part of our law." Indeed, liberal and conservative justices routinely split over cases involving international law. Part Two of this Article will provide an overview of five international law issues in the United States ((1) the presumption against extraterritoriality; (2) international human rights litigation in United States federal courts; (3) the doctrine of self-executing treaties; (4) the scope of the treaty power; and (5) customary international law as federal common law) and then provide an update on the current status of these issues under Chief Justice Roberts. Part Three draws conclusions about Chief Justice Roberts's judicial philosophy based on the cases discussed and ultimately concludes that the Chief Justice is a "prudentialist," a judge who holds fast to "the conviction that federal judges must cultivate the virtues of modesty and humility, staying true to their constitutional duty to interpret the law while fending off whenever possible the temptation to intrude upon the proper provinces of other public and private institutions."


Urban air pollution is a serious problem in many large cities in the world. In addition, the increasing share of solar and wind in the energetic mix and its fluctuating nature, demands the development of technologies for storage of energy in periods of excess supply, to use it during the periods of excess demand. Direct use of these energy forms on onboard applications is also not possible, and requires an intermediate form of energy storage. Hydrogen is good as energy vector. Hydrogen based fuel cells are being developed using hydrogen storage systems based on compressed, liquefied and materials-bounded hydrogen. Compared to gas and liquid storage tanks, solid hydrides can store high amounts of hydrogen in small volumes, which is liberated by a reversible chemical reaction by thermolysis. One of the technological challenges which restrain the development of hydrides for H2 storage is the heat transfer inside the storage tanks. Microwaves seems to be a promising alternative to overcome this obstacle. Another option for the improving of the kinetic decomposition of hydrides is the nanoconfinement of the hydride inside a micro or mesoporous material. By confining the hydride inside the porous host, hydride particle size is restrained to the pore size, and particle agglomeration and growth process, which could have an adverse effect on the kinetic decomposition, are avoided. Finally the addition of a catalyst which accelerates the hydride decomposition also looks interesting. In this thesis aerogels have been developed in order to serve as catalyst support and as matrix for hydrides. First of all synthesis and supercritical drying of silica aerogels made via a sol–gel process were studied. Tetramethylortosilicate was used as precursor. Hydrolysis and poly-condensation steps were followed by carbon dioxide supercritical drying (T = 45°C; P = 10.5 MPa). The complete supercritical drying step was video recorded in order to study the evolution of the size of the gels, concluding that a noticeable shrinkage only takes place during the decompression of CO2 at the end of the drying process, being the total shrinkage of 3–4%. The mass transfer mechanisms during drying have also been studied through analysis of the evolution transparency of the aerogels along the supercritical drying process. The mass transfer processing during drying was observed to be dominated by convection in the earliest stages, where a direct relationship between drying rate and CO2 flow were found. In the later stages, diffusion of the remaining organic solvent through the alcogel determined the mass transfer process. The next step was controlling the surface chemistry of silica aerogels by tuning from hydrophilic to hydrophobic functionalization. Tetramethylorthosilicate or a mix of the first one with, trimethylethoxysilane were used as precursors. The hydrolysis and poly-condensation steps were followed by carbon dioxide supercritical drying (T = 45°C; P = 10.5 MPa). The resulting dry hydrophilic aerogels were subjected to a hydrophobic surface treatment. Functionalization was achieved by using supercritical carbon dioxide as solvent media for different silane functionalization reactants: trimethylethoxysilane, octyltrimethoxysilane and chlorotrimethylsilane. Effects of the working pressure and reagent concentration on the functionalization were analyzed using FT-IR spectroscopy and exposing the treated aerogels to saturated moisture conditions in order to study the mass increment during the humidification. Nitrogen adsorption measurements show a considerable drop on the specific areas (13–17%) and on the pore volumes which were reduced by 50% by the functionalization treatment. By modification of the operating pressure and variation of the functionalization agent employed, the degree of functionalization could be gradually increased up to the values of the aerogels synthesized as hydrophobic in the sol–gel phase. After the synthesis and functionalization the aerogels were ready to be used in different fields. Effective routes to obtain more valuable products require the design of efficient catalysts. These novel structures require the integration of support active sites in a way that preserves their advantages and capabilities. Therefore the development of novel catalytic structures achieved by the integration of metallic nanoparticles evenly distributed in a mesoporous and high-surface aerogel appears as a promising alternative. Thus Pd nanoparticles were embedded on silica aerogel by using three different techniques. In each of them the metal was loaded in the matrix at different steps of the production: the direct synthesis, the wet impregnation and the supercritical impregnation of the previously dried aerogels. The resultant materials were characterized to analyze the differences depending on the applied technique for its impregnation. Atomic absorption, nitrogen physisorption, X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy where performed. In all the techniques the concentration of metal was varied (from 0.13% to 1.61 wt%) by modifying the concentration of the suspension (Pd-polyvinylpyrrolidone nanoparticles used in the direct synthesis) or of the solution of the metallic precursor (palladium acetylacetonate), both in the organic solvent and the supercritical media. The characterization had generally shown a good distribution of the metallic particles in the matrix, and a negligible effect of the metal on the textural properties. Finally, considerable variations where observed on the silanol groups on the surface of the catalysts. These materials were tested in D-glucose hydrogenation, observing significant differences on the performance of the catalyst depending on the synthesis technique employed. Another field of study of application of the functionalized aerogels was for the nanoconfinement of hydrogen storage hydrides. Nonoconfinement of these compounds has proven to improve the decomposition kinetics and to reduce their thermolysis temperature. On the contrary, in some cases nanoconfinement could reduce the thermal conductivity, creating significant temperature gradients along the sample. To avoid this disadvantage, a C/SiO2 mesoporous matrix was synthesized by keeping very interesting physical properties (386 m²/g and 1.41 cm³/g), leaving space for the confinement of a hydride and tuning the global dielectric properties of the complex, making it susceptible to microwave heating. This idea was protected by a national patent. Ethane 1,2-diaminoborane was embedded on the matrix (11-31 wt%) by using wet impregnation method. Material characterization and H2 liberation tests by conventional heating and microwaves were performed showing the great potential of this technology. In addition numerical simulation of the device under microwaves was performed to reach better understanding of the process. Finally the potential commercialization of the product obtained in this last step of the thesis was explore by developing a business model which offers batteries of different powers by using hydrides for hydrogen storage and fuel cell to transform it into electricity.


Sir William Davenant's The Law Against Lovers (1662) was the first adaptation of Shakespeare performed on the Restoration stage after the reopening of the London theatres. This amalgamation unites Beatrice and Benedick from Much Ado About Nothing with Angelo and Isabella from Measure for Measure, resulting in a bizarre and fascinating combination. There have been many attempts to explain Davenant's unusual treatment of Shakespeare; most scholars have attributed Davenant's changes to either aesthetic or political motivations. In the most recent study of The Law Against Lovers, A. D. Harvey asserts that Davenant "may be counted amongst the Bard's least sensitive adapters" and condemns his "radical structural vandalism" of Shakespeare's plays. Similarly, N. W. Bawcutt remarks that "the effect of Davenant's alterations is to reduce Shakespeare's play to a meaningless jumble."(1) Others have proposed various political reasons for Davenant to combine these two plays in such a fashion. Michael Dobson maintains that Davenant's adaptation is a "royalist drama" which "wishes to erase" all of the "crimes, discomforts, and civil strife" of the Commonwealth period. Nancy Klein Maguire similarly tries to connect the play to the Restoration political climate, arguing that Davenant "perhaps to stabilize the new regime, stresses that obligations are based on accepted duties rather than on personal loyalty."(2) However, these political and aesthetic readings do not adequately explain Davenant's adaptation.(3) Davenant's changes to Shakespeare were clear and calculated choices made by an experienced theatre manager attempting to capture current audience taste for entertainment; the need to create a successful play took precedence over any desire to craft political parallels or improve Shakespeare aesthetically. For a clearer understanding of Davenant's motives in creating The Law Against Lovers, we must look to the conditions of theatrical production in the early years of the Restoration. Theatre historians have excused Davenant's treatment of Shakespeare by arguing that Davenant was legally required to adapt extensively the old plays in his possession before performing them, resulting in such plays as The Law Against Lovers. For instance, John Freehafer asserts that "Davenant was legally obliged to `reform' those plays, as a prescribed condition for obtaining the right to perform them .... Whether or not Davenant wished to `reform' those `ancient' plays, he bound himself to do so in order to obtain plays his company badly needed."(4) Davenant's warrant demands that he "reform" and "make fit" the plays granted to him before producing them;(5) several other contemporary theatrical documents show that the requirement to reform and make plays fit for the stage simply means to clean up any obscene passages. In the King's grant of August, 1660, both Davenant and Killigrew were forbidden to "at any time Hereafter cause to be acted or represented any Play Enterlude or opera Containing any Matter of Prophanation, Scurrility or Obscenity." They were also commanded to "peruse all playes that haue ben formerly written and to expunge all Prophanesse and scurility from the same, before they be represented or Acted."(6) A similar decree for purging profanity from plays appears in a letter issued to the Cockpit players on October 13, 1660, where Master of the Revels Sir Henry Herbert reminds the troupe to "bringe or sende to me All such old Plaies As you doe Intende to Acte at the saide playhouse, that they may be reformed of Prophanes & Ribaldry, at your perill."(7) A later document from 1663 issued by the Master of the Revels clarifies the required changes before plays could be printed: "all prophanenes, oathes, ribaldry, and matters reflecting vpon piety, and the present governement may bee obliterated, before there bee any action [vpon] in a publique Theatre." The document adds that plays must be purged of "all vnsauoury words, & vnbecomming expressions, (not fitt to bee lycenced in a Christian Commonwealth). …


How to extract informative features from genome sequence is a challenging issue. Gapped k-mers frequency vectors (gkm-fv) has been presented as a new type of features in the last few years. Coupled with support vector machine (gkm-SVM), gkm-fvs have been used to achieve an effective sequence-based prediction (e.g., transcription factor binding site prediction). However, the huge computation of a large kernel matrix prevents it from using large amount of data. To this end, we proposed a flexible and scalable framework gkm-DNN to achieve feature representation and prediction from high-dimensional gkm-fvs using deep neural networks (DNN). We first implemented an efficient method to calculate the gkm-fv of a given sequence. We then adopted a DNN model with gkm-fvs as input to achieve a prediction task. Here, we took the transcription factor binding site prediction as an illustrative application. We applied gkm-DNN onto 467 small and 69 big human ENCODE ChIP-seq datasets to demonstrate its performance and compared it with the state-of-the-art method gkm-SVM. We demonstrated that gkm-DNN can not only overcome the drawbacks of high dimensionality, colinearity and sparsity of gkm-fvs, but also make comparable overall performance and distinct better accuracy compared with gkm-SVM in much shorter time. Moreover, gkm-DNN can be easily adapted to other applications and combine different types of data using computational graphs. Availability All source codes of gkm-DNN are available at http://page.amss.ac.cn/shihua.zhang/. Contact firstname.lastname@example.com.


This study examines the difference between collaborators and non-collaborators, in clusters and elsewhere, in the US biotechnology industry. In doing so, the relationship among R&D intensity, collaboration, innovation, and location is examined. Particular attention is given to R&D strategies of these firms, with regard to university-based collaborations and the importance of location for collaboration. Firms with higher levels of R&D intensity are more intent on engaging in R&D alliances, especially research collaborations with universities. Many alliances occur with scientists located outside of the local area, including other countries. More firms located in defined clusters of the biotechnology industry engage in collaborative R&D than do firms located elsewhere. University scientists are the main research partners (although not necessarily locally based) and the main purpose of collaboration by a cluster firm is access to basic research. One of the main purposes of such collaborations for a non-cluster firm is product development. Firms engaged in collaborative R&D exhibit better innovation performance. Location continues to be important for start-up companies. Locational inertia is important for established firms, who acknowledge the importance of reputation and networks, as well as factors like nearness to universities, venture capitalists, and the supply of skilled labour, in the process of innovation.


This thesis explores the rhetorical function of creative writing being written by queer/two-spirit identified indigenous authors. The rhetorical function being the way these stories politicize the various ways gender and sexuality were foundational tools of settler colonialism in de-tribalizing and assimilating indigenous folks. The literary perspective often elides politics in favor of deconstructing aspects of creative writing such as genre, syntax, and themes instead of the socio-political potential such works produce. The three works I examine all have something to teach rhetorical scholars about the need to politicize the socio-sexual and gendered imaginaries of settler colonialism in discourses of the founding fathers, manifest destiny, westward expansion, land purchase. statehood, American exceptionalism, democracy promotion, and many more. They fundamentally challenge rhetorics that posit static notions of American identity and/or purpose that represses the historical and ongoing genocide of indigenous culture and life. In this way, they intervene in the very notion of communicability itself within the socio-symbolic economy of settler colonialism and its attendant heteropatriarchal gendered and sexual imaginaries.


It has been long accepted that ocean wave conditions recorded from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) aboard satellites resolve large scale swells. SARs make use of its displacement to achieve fine resolution; however the random surface motions can reduce its nominal azimuthal resolution. Accordingly, the SAR spectral azimuth response mirrors the probability distribution of the radial velocity component of the scatters. This effect, quantified in a measure called the azimuth cutoff, is estimated by defining a scale based on the fitting of a Gaussian function to the radar cross section azimuth spectrum. The independent measure provides additional sea state information related to the root mean square surface orbital wave velocity. We use data recorded from the European Space Agency's ENVISAT advanced SAR in the C-band spanning its lifetime 2003-2012. Our purpose is to first establish the validity of the azimuth cutoff using both colocated buoys and modeled wave data. Some systematic biases are corrected using other SAR derived parameters, improving the accuracy of the estimate. Despite our efforts, errors exist in the presence of swell, extreme wind waves, and related to the wave direction. Under the majority of the sea states the parameter is well behaved. As a final point, applications using the wave orbital velocities are described in terms of diagnosing a spectral wave model and the wave climate. As illustrated, the returned radar signal provides useful sea state information that resolves wind speeds, wave orbital velocities from the wind waves, and swells.


As of June 2021, 12% of global deaths attributed to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have occurred in England and Wales. Examining Coroners Prevention of Future Deaths reports (PFDs) between March 2020 and 28 June 2021 in England and Wales, we found 23 cases (4.5% of PFDs) involving SARS-CoV-2, with 52% (n=12) of deaths indirectly- and 48% directly-related. There was geographical variation with most (39%) PFDs written by coroners in the North-West of England. Fifty-six concerns were raised by coroners with problems in communication being the most (30%) repeated concern, followed by a failure to follow protocols (23%). Organisations in the National Health Services (NHS) received the most PFDs (51%), followed by the government (26%). Policymakers should consider an intermediate step prior to PFDs to ensure lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic are rapidly identified. In the meantime, PFDs should be used to prevent future deaths.


In the last two decades a new industrial sector has taken shape, coming to comprise aerospace, security and defense as a whole. Indeed, borders that used to separate the three segmentshave gradually blurred. Such a new market reality presents specific features that strongly influence market regulations, industrial policy, and most of all, the support to technological research. In this evolved context, it has indeed proven difficult to put aside States' specific security and defense needs, however excessive impermeability risks to create duplications and waste resources, as well as contradictory effects. Moreover, these critical issues also influence even more problematically the European market dimension. In this framework, the direct and indirect interplays among the three main actors - industry, state and foreign customers - cannot be overlooked. Europe's reference market is currently represented by the US' and the variety of ongoing initiatives (Framework Agreement/LoI, OCCAR, EDA, European Commission) aim at favoring a similar continental integration. In fact, the concentration process of the European industry, within which the Italian industry has progressively consolidated, goes in that same direction. The current challenge is that of rationalization of industrial activities so as to secure areas of technological excellence, while taking into account the limits imposed by the international economic and financial crisis.


We study identification and estimation in first-price auctions with risk-averse bidders and selective entry, building on a flexible entry and bidding framework we call the Affiliated Signal with Risk Aversion (AS- RA) model. This framework extends the AS model of Gentry and Li (2014) to accommodate arbitrary bidder risk aversion, thereby nesting a variety of standard models as special cases. It poses, however, a unique methodological challenge - existing results on identification with risk aversion fail in the presence of selection, while the selection-robust bounds of Gentry and Li (2014) fail in the presence of risk aversion. Motivated by this problem, we translate excludable variation in potential competition into identified sets for AS-RA primitives under various classes of restrictions on the model. We show that a single parametric restriction - on the copula governing selection into entry - is typically sufficient to restore point identification of all primitives. In contrast, a parametric form for utility yields point identification of the utility function but only partial identification of remaining primitives. Finally, we outline a simple semiparametric estimator combining Constant Relative Risk Aversion utility with a parametric signal-value copula. Simulation evidence suggests that this estimator performs very well even in small samples, underscoring the practical value of our identification results.


Article I courts are the other federal courts, infrequently studied despite their important role in the judiciary. This article focuses on the United States Tax Court, an Article I court that hears approximately 95 percent of litigated federal tax cases. The article argues that the Tax Court's current tendency to apply equitable doctrines when necessary to avoid harsh outcomes dictated by statute lacks constitutional authority. First, the article examines the role of Article I courts in the federal judicial system and under the Constitution. Next, it considers the historical and modern meanings of equity and equitable powers in the context of the distinction between law and equity. The article then discusses the Tax Court's use of equity, focusing on the doctrines of equitable recoupment, equitable estoppel, and equitable relief from joint and several tax liability for an innocent spouse. Finally, it examines possible sources of equitable power for the Tax Court, including applicable statutes, and the possible equity-like ancestry of Tax Court overpayment claims. The article concludes that Article I courts have limited sources of equitable power, and that for the Tax Court to apply equitable principles as it has been doing, Congress will need to take appropriate action - within constitutional limits - to broaden or redefine the jurisdiction of the court.


The aim of this study was to increase students' down passing skill for miny volleyball game at class of elementary school by using reciprocal teaching model. Reciprocal teaching model can increase the activity of students in participating to the teacing-learning process. The implementation of this model gave a positive impact on the students' agility and physical fitness particularly for increasing students' down passing skill in the game of mini volleyball. This study used a research and development method. Subjects of this study were fifth grade students from elementary. The result of this result reported that by using reciprocal teaching model can improve students' down passing skill in the playing of Mini Volleyball game and enhyances students' physical fitness and health as well as master with basic technique of the mini volleyball game. Sport education teacher could use this model to Elementary students level for improving their down passing skill in the game of mini volleyball.


This paper suggests that authorship and creativity, which necessarily precedes the production of literary and artistic works, are products of authentic human expression that the law must encourage in order for works, contributing to the progress of science and the useful arts, to be produced. While the commercial market for literary and artistic works encourages the creation of diverse works to meet popular consumer demand, encouraging the production of works for the commercial market may however result in works, which may lack social, educational and cultural value or utility. Natural law philosophy, which advocates a natural order for society and the actions of men, has a lot to teach about the copyright system as a larger ethical and moral institution to promote the progress of society through the process of authentic authorship. The unique nature of creative works as quasi-public goods, which are not rivaled in consumption and generally non-excludable, requires the grant of exclusive rights to facilitate public dissemination of these works but the special role individual authorship and creativity plays in the production of these works render the rights of an author in the product of their creation as larger, and more encompassing, than the statutory economic incentives to publicly disseminate work. The author's reasons for creating a work may differ remarkably from his incentive to publicly distribute the work. While economic incentives offer authors market rewards that may facilitate the creation and dissemination of literary and artistic works, economic rights represent only a portion of rights, which the copyright system should recognize in the author. This paper makes the case for the recognition of property rights in the author's creation, which originating from an author undertaking of the act of creativity and authorship, is a right to the author's literary and artistic creation that is good against the world, and, which, if protected, will result in authentic expressions of greater significance upon the progress of science and the useful arts in society.


Abstract 4898 Despite improved response rates with the use of novel agents, the vast majority of patients with multiple myeloma (MM) experience disease relapse and progression. This clinical pattern suggests the cells responsible for tumor regrowth persist following treatment, and we previously demonstrated that highly tumorigenic and self-renewing MM cells are relatively resistant to a wide range of anti-myeloma agents. These MM CSCs are present in the peripheral blood circulation and express memory B cell surface antigens (CD19 and CD27) and the stem cell marker aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). We have also studied cellular mechanisms regulating self-renewal and found that MM CSCs express increased levels of telomerase activity (TA). In preclinical models, the novel telomerase inhibitor imetelstat has been found to inhibit CSCs from a wide range of tumor types, and we reported that imetelstat reduced TA in MM CSCs resulting in the loss of self-renewal and clonogenic growth potential. In an open label phase II clinical trial initiated in February 2011, previously treated MM patients (pts) (n=6) with stable but detectable disease following treatment with an iMid or proteasome inhibitor received single agent imetelstat (7.5–9.4 mg/kg IV on days 1 and 8 every 21–28 days). Additional pts (n=4) receiving lenalidomide maintenance and whose disease was stable for at least three months have also been enrolled. Pts received imetelstat therapy until evidence of disease progression or toxicity. Median age is 62.5 years (range 53–68); median number of prior therapies is 1 (range 1–4) including 4 pts with prior autologous transplant and 1 pt with prior mini-allogeneic transplant; 8 pts with prior bortezomib use; 9 pts with prior iMiD use; and 4 pts with concurrent lenalidomide use with receipt of lenalidomide for a median of 11.38 months (range 4.51–19.21 months) prior to initiation of imetelstat. As of July 30, 2012, 6 pts remain on study. Four pts were discontinued from imetelstat therapy after receiving a median of 7 doses of imetelstat either due to disease progression (n=2) or hematologic toxicity (n=2). Cytopenias were the most frequently reported toxicity with 8 of 10 pts demonstrating grade 3–4 thrombocytopenia and neutropenia during cycle 2, often requiring dose reductions or holds in subsequent cycles. The frequency of circulating MM CSCs (CD19+CD27+ALDH+) was quantified by flow cytometry. Circulating MM CSCs could be detected prior to the initiation of imetelstat (mean 10.7 × 10e3 cells/ml, range 17–53 × 10e3) in 8 of the 9 pts who have completed at least 2 cycles of treatment with imetelstat. In the single remaining patient, circulating CSCs were assessed from Cycle 2 onwards. Over the course of treatment, the frequency of MM CSCs decreased significantly, on average 2 fold every 30 days (Fig 1), in 8 of the 9 patients studied despite no upgrades in clinical response as per IWG criteria. In two pts who received 4 and 6 cycles of single agent imetelstat respectively, standard responses detected as decreasing or plateaued serum M protein or light chain levels were sustained over 4 months following discontinuation (Fig 2). Moreover, these delayed responses occurred in the absence of any additional therapy. These findings demonstrate that imetelstat rapidly decreases circulating MM CSCs. In addition, several patients experienced delayed, but sustained, clinical responses as measured by standard criteria. Therefore, imetelstat may have therapeutic implications for MM and other malignancies driven by CSCs. Disclosures: Huff:Celgene: Scientific Advisory Board Other; Novartis: Consultancy. Jones:Cytomedix: Royalties, Royalties Patents & Royalties. Reddy:Geron Corp.: Employment. Nishimoto:Geron Corp: Employment. Stuart:Geron Corp: Consultancy, Employment; OncoMed Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy. Kelsey:Geron Corp: Employment. Matsui:Geron Corp.: Research Funding.


The colours of objects perceived by a colour camera are dependent on the illumination conditions. For example, when the prevailing illumination condition does not correspond to the one used in the white balancing of the camera, the object colours can change their appearance due to the lack of colour constancy capabilities. Many methods for colour constancy have been suggested but so far their performance has been inadequate. Faces are common and important objects encountered in many applications. Therefore, this thesis is dedicated to studying face colours and their robust use under real world illumination conditions. The main thesis statement is "knowledge about an object's colour, like skin colour changes under different illumination conditions, can be used to develop more robust techniques against illumination changes". Many face databases exist, and in some cases they contain colour images and even videos. However, from the point of view of this thesis these databases have several limitations: unavailability of spectral data related to image acquisition, undefined illumination conditions of the acquisition, and if illumination change is present it often means only change in illumination direction. To overcome these limitations, two databases, a Physics-Based Face Database and a Face Video Database were created. In addition to the images, the Physics-Based Face Database consists of spectral data part including skin reflectances, channel responsivities of the camera and spectral power distribution of the illumination. The images of faces are taken under four known light sources with different white balancing illumination conditions for over 100 persons. In addition to videos, the Face Video Database has spectral reflectances of skin for selected persons and images taken with the same measurement arrangement as in the Physics-Based Face Database. The images and videos are taken with several cameras. The databases were used to gather information about skin chromaticities and to provide test material. The skin RGB from images were converted to different colour spaces and the result showed that the normalized colour coordinate was among the most usable colour spaces for skin chromaticity modelling. None of the colour spaces could eliminate the colour shifts in chromaticity. The obtained chromaticity constraint can be implemented as an adaptive skin colour modelling part of face tracking algorithms, like histogram backprojection or mean shift. The performances of these adaptive algorithms were superior compared to those using a fixed skin colour model or model adaptation based on spatial pixel selection. Of course, there are cases when the colour cue is not enough alone and use of other cues like motion or edge data would improve the result. It was also demonstrated that the skin colour model can be used to segment faces and the segmentation results depend on the background due to the method used. Also an application for colour correction using principal component analysis and a simplified dichromatic reflection model was shown to improve colour quality of seriously clipped images. The results of tracking, segmentation and colour correction experiments using the collected data validate the thesis statement.


In this paper, we study the stability problem for a kind of Takagi-Sugeno (T-S for short) fuzzy discrete descriptor system with time' delay. We give a main theorem to check the regularity, causality and stability for the system. The theorem gets over the application difficulty of the criterion for the system with large time-delay. And we also show that the regularity and causality for the system without time-delay are equivalent to ones for the system with time-delay. A numerical example is given to demonstrate the effectiveness of method proposed.


Fault tolerance is a major concern to guarantee availability and reliability of critical services as well as application execution. In order to minimize failure impact on the system and application execution, failures should be anticipated and proactively handled. Fault tolerance techniques are used to predict these failures and take an appropriate action before failures actually occur. This paper discusses the existing fault tolerance techniques in cloud computing based on their policies, tools used and research challenges. Cloud virtualized system architecture has been proposed. In the proposed system autonomic fault tolerance has been implemented. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed system can deal with various software faults for server applications in a cloud virtualized environment.


Museums and cultural heritage sites have a notable need to engage visitors in different ways. Within the work of the meSch project, we take the stance that the materiality complements and completes cognition, and therefore a personally meaningful and sensorily rich experience with museum exhibits and place can greatly improve both the visitors' experience and their appreciation of the museum's cultural values. By empowering cultural heritage professionals with a technological platform to help them create their own interactive, smart, and tangible exhibitions, meSch aims at making the encounter of digital and material more sustainable in museums. At the same time, it favors the creation of a do-it-yourself community that shares experiences and learns, grows, and develops over time, inspired by concurrent developments in new technology. This paper discusses the current efforts in meSch towards the definition of a general formalism, inspired by co-design activities with cultural heritage professionals, for specifying "recipes" for creating technology-augmented experiences to enhance the museum visit. Ingredients to such recipes include the appropriate description of digital information to be associated to objects and locations in an exhibition, as well as the detailed specification of how visitors' movements and actions can activate the contextualized presentation of that content.


We consider the problem of efficiently computing the derivative of the solution map of a convex cone program, when it exists. We do this by implicitly differentiating the residual map for its homogeneous self-dual embedding, and solving the linear systems of equations required using an iterative method. This allows us to efficiently compute the derivative operator, and its adjoint, evaluated at a vector. These correspond to computing an approximate new solution, given a perturbation to the cone program coefficients (i.e., perturbation analysis), and to computing the gradient of a function of the solution with respect to the coefficients. Our method scales to large problems, with numbers of coefficients in the millions. We present an open-source Python implementation of our method that solves a cone program and returns the derivative and its adjoint as abstract linear maps; our implementation can be easily integrated into software systems for automatic differentiation.


Structural Reliability Analysis (SRA) is a tool for calculating failure probabilities of a structure that takes into account all random variables involved in ship structural design and provides a better and alternative to deterministic approaches. With a number of different regulations based on structural reliability theory already existing for some time now in the areas of Civil and Aeronautical engineering and the Nuclear Power industry it has been only a matter of time before the ship/offshore field implemented such a procedure into its regulatory regime. Classification Societies have published since the early 1990s suggestions of how reliability analysis techniques can be used to analyse structures and recently some have incorporated and accepted those as an equivalent means of analyzing structures to supplement their existing regulations. This research examines the structural reliability of Floating Production, Storage and Offloading Vessels (FSPSO)/Tanker structures already in operation in the North Sea/West of Shetland area, using a component time-variant reliability approach that takes into account the most suitable approach for calculating the ultimate strength of the vessel's structure. Corrosion effects on the structure are modelled using a non-linear mathematical model based on actual measurements. Emphasis is placed on the modelling of loads for use in reliability analysis. Load combination methodology is used for the combination of wave bending, still water, slamming and thermal loads using a variety of different approaches. FPSO/Tanker vessels are analysed using First and Second Order Reliability Method (FORM/SORM) but also time-variant Monte Carlo simulation component reliability techniques to obtain Partial Safety Factors and probabilities of failure. This report and the work it describes were funded by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Its contents, including any opinions and/or conclusions expressed, are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect HSE policy. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors would like to express their sincerest gratitude to Emeritus Professor Douglas Faulkner for his guidance and useful comments and Mr. Michel Huther of Bureau Veritas, France for providing the authors with a copy of the latest Bureau Veritas Rules and Regulations for the Classification of Ships and also for his useful comments and remarks on this research. This study starts with an extensive review …


This paper proposes a fault node recovery algorithm to enhance the lifetime of a wireless sensor network when some of the sensor nodes shut down. The algorithm is based on the grade diffusion algorithm combined with the genetic algorithm. The algorithm can result in fewer replacements of sensor nodes and more reused routing paths. In our simulation, the proposed algorithm increases the number of active nodes up to 8.7 times, reduces the rate of data loss by approximately 98.8%, and reduces the rate of energy consumption by approximately 31.1%.