Aim To examine the demographic and perinatal factors involved in the presentation of newborn babies to a paediatric emergency department (PED) and outcome following attendance. Methods Term babies who attended the PED of the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children (RBHSC) in the first 2 weeks of life, during two separate 3-month periods in summer and winter 2010–2011 were identified retrospectively from the PED electronic database. Perinatal and demographic data were also obtained on all babies born in the Royal Jubilee Maternity Hospital (RJMH) during the same time period. Results A total of 223 attendances to the PED involving 208 babies were identified with almost equal distribution during summer and winter months. Almost two thirds (n=139, 62%) of babies presented out-of-hours. Over half of babies were self-referred by parent/carer. The most common presentation was feeding difficulty, vomiting or faltering growth, accounting for 36%. Significant factors associated with attendance to PED included birth weight <2500 g, deprivation and postnatal stay more than 2 days. Sixty-one babies (24%) presenting to PED were admitted to hospital. Significant factors for admission included age ≤48 h and presentation during the standard working day. Overall, a third of babies admitted stayed less than 24 h (34%). Conclusions Large numbers of babies attend the PED in the first 2 weeks of life, commonly out of hours, from deprived areas and with feeding difficulties. A quarter of babies attending are admitted to hospital, with one-third discharged following an overnight stay. Services should be reevaluated, particularly in this current financial climate, in an attempt to find new models of care for these young babies.


Examining U.S. Middle School Students' Achievement in a Blended Learning Environment by Bernadette Ortiz-Brewster MA, University of Hawai`i, 1994 BA, Siena College, 1991 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Educational Leadership Walden University May 2016 Abstract U.S. middle schools are increasing offering blended learning curricula that integrates virtual and face-to-face instruction, but the effectiveness of this mode of instruction at the middle school level has not been adequately explored. This investigation provides additional data to the current body of knowledge related to blended learning as a viable option for middle school students. The theoretical framework for this investigation derives from Lev Vygotsky's social development theory and Jean Piaget's constructivist theory of knowledge. The central research question focused on the difference in achievement scores between 6th grade students participating in a virtual course as compared to the 6th grade students participating in a face-to-face course, and the difference between the overall scores of the thirty-five 6th grade students in the two respective courses as compared to the thirty 7th grade students. A causal-comparative research design was used. An ANOVA was conducted and the achievement scores of the total sample size of sixty-five 6th and 7th grade students at a charter school located in the U.S. state of Maryland were analyzed. The 6th grade students scored higher than the 7th grade students in virtual learning. In both grade levels, achievement scores were higher for students who had taken the virtual course, illustrating the merits of virtual learning for middle school students. This study provides data that may influence organizationalU.S. middle schools are increasing offering blended learning curricula that integrates virtual and face-to-face instruction, but the effectiveness of this mode of instruction at the middle school level has not been adequately explored. This investigation provides additional data to the current body of knowledge related to blended learning as a viable option for middle school students. The theoretical framework for this investigation derives from Lev Vygotsky's social development theory and Jean Piaget's constructivist theory of knowledge. The central research question focused on the difference in achievement scores between 6th grade students participating in a virtual course as compared to the 6th grade students participating in a face-to-face course, and the difference between the overall scores of the thirty-five 6th grade students in the two respective courses as compared to the thirty 7th grade students. A causal-comparative research design was used. An ANOVA was conducted and the achievement scores of the total sample size of sixty-five 6th and 7th grade students at a charter school located in the U.S. state of Maryland were analyzed. The 6th grade students scored higher than the 7th grade students in virtual learning. In both grade levels, achievement scores were higher for students who had taken the virtual course, illustrating the merits of virtual learning for middle school students. This study provides data that may influence organizational leaders' decision making regarding whether to use a blended learning model at the middle school. This study supports virtual learning and can contribute to positive social change by supporting the creation of more blended learning middle schools in Prince George's County Examining U.S. Middle School Students' Achievement in a Blended Learning Environment by Bernadette Ortiz-Brewster MA, University of Hawai`i, 1994 BA, Siena College, 1991 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Educational Leadership


Titanium-based implants are successfully used for various biomedical applications. However, in some cases, e.g. in dental implants, failures due to bacterial colonization are reported. Surface modification is a commonly proposed strategy to prevent infections. In this work, titanium oxide, naturally occurring on the surface of titanium, was modified by promoting the formation of a mixed titanium and zinc oxide, on the basis of the idea that zinc oxide on titanium surface may act as the zinc oxide used in pharmaceutical formulation for its lenitive and antibacterial effects. The present work shows that it is possible to form a mixed titanium and zinc oxide on titanium surfaces, as shown by Scanning Electron Microscopy and XPS analysis. To this end titanium was preactivated by UV on crystalline titanium oxide, both in the anatase form or in the co-presence of anatase and rutile. By performing antibacterial assays, we provide evidence of a significant reduction in the viability of five streptococcal oral strains on titanium oxide surfaces modified with zinc. In conclusion, this type of chemical modification of titanium oxide surfaces with zinc might be considered a new way to reduce the risk of bacterial colonization, increasing the lifetime of dental system applications.


Video streaming dominates the Internet's overall traffic mix, with reports stating that it will constitute 90% of all consumer traffic by 2019. Most of this video is delivered by Content Delivery Networks (CDNs), and, while they optimize QoE metrics such as buffering ratio and start-up time, no single CDN provides optimal performance. In this paper we make the case for elastic CDNs, the ability to build virtual CDNs on-the-fly on top of shared, third-party infrastructure at a scale. To bring this idea closer to reality we begin by large-scale simulations to quantify the effects that elastic CDNs would have if deployed, and build and evaluate MiniCache, a specialized, minimalistic virtualized content cache that runs on the Xen hypervisor. MiniCache is able to serve content at rates of up to 32 Gb/s and handle up to 600K reqs/sec on a single CPU core, as well as boot in about 90 milliseconds on x86 and around 370 milliseconds on ARM32.


Researchers at the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) developed a handwipe removal method for lead (Pb) after field studies showed that workers in lead-acid battery plants had significant risks for dermal-oral lead exposures, despite their attempts to remove the lead by washing with soap and water. Hand washing with soap and water remains the standard recommendation for workers (as well as the public) to clean skin known or believed to be contaminated with toxic metals, such as lead. Despite longstanding recommendations for workers to "wash hands with soap and water," no efficacy studies show this to be a completely effective removal method for lead. Removal of toxic metals such as lead from skin constitutes a decontamination procedure; it is not, in fact, a hand-washing step. NIOSH scientists conceived and developed a highly effective (nearly 100 %) method for removal of lead from skin. A systems approach was devised incorporating four components deemed necessary for effective metal removal: Surfaction, pH control, chelation, and mechanical effects. The handwipe removal method evolved from a previous NIOSH invention, the handwipe disclosing method for the presence of lead, in the interests of providing complementary techniques for dermal lead detection and decontamination. The method is a patented, award-winning, commercialized technology that has significant potential to prevent occupational and public exposures to lead.


Neurotrophic factors are critical regulators of the formation and plasticity of neuronal networks. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is abundant in the brain and periphery, and is found in both human serum and plasma. Animal studies have demonstrated that stress reduces BDNF expression or activity in the hippocampus and that this reduction can be prevented by treatment with antidepressant drugs. A similar change in BDNF activity occurs in the brain of patients with major depression disorder (MDD). Recently, clinical studies have indicated that serum or plasma BDNF levels are decreased in untreated MDD patients. Antidepressant treatment for at least four weeks can restore the decreased BDNF function up to the normal value. Therefore, MDD is associated with impaired neuronal plasticity. Suicidal behavior can be a consequence of severe impaired neuronal plasticity in the brain. Antidepressant treatment promotes increased BDNF activity as well as several forms of neuronal plasticity, including neurogenesis, synaptogenesis and neuronal maturation. BDNF could also play an important role in the modulation of neuronal networks. Such a neuronal plastic change can positively influence mood or recover depressed mood. These alterations of BDNF levels or neuronal plasticity in MDD patients before and after antidepressant treatment can be measured through the examination of serum or plasma BDNF concentrations. BDNF levels can therefore be useful markers for clinical response or improvement of depressive symptoms, but they are not diagnostic markers of major depression.


Overview Section.- Recent studies on the biochemistry and chemistry of nitrogenases.- Nodulation genetics: the plant-bacterial interface.- Physiological, metabolic and developmental implications of O2 regulation in legume nodules.- Regulation of nitrogen fixation and assimilation genes in the free-living versus symbiotic state.- Evolution, structure and function of nitrogen-fixing root nodules: confessions of ignorance.- Nitrogen cycling and human intervention.- H2 cycling in N2 fixation: past, present and future outlook.- Section A: Nitrogenase Biochemistry and Chemical Models.- Analysis of Azotobacter vinelandii strains containing defined deletions in nif genes required for FeMo-co biosynthesis.- In vitro synthesis of the iron-molybdenum cofactor and its analogs: requirement of a non-nif gene product for the synthesis, and altered properties of dinitrogenase.- Identification of FeMoco domains within the nitrogenase MoFe protein.- Kinetics and mechanisms of ATP hydrolysis, electron transfers and proton release by Klebsiella pneumoniae nitrogenase.- Crystal structure of the nitrogenase iron protein from Azotobacter vinelandii.- Structure of the nitrogenase MoFe protein: spatial distribution of the intrinsic metal atoms determined by x-ray anomalous scattering.- Vanadium nitrogenase of Azotobacter.- Possible structural analogs for the Fe/M/S sites in the nitrogenases. The[Fe6S6(L)6(M(CO)3)2]n- clusters and the [(MFe3S4)2(?2-S)(?2-L)]n- singly- and doubly-bridged double cubanes.- Workshop summary: How is the MoFe protein organized to fix nitrogen?.- Poster Summaries.- Section B: Plant-Microbe Interactions.- Rhizobium meliloti nodulation genes specify the production of an alfalfa-specific sulfated lipo-oligosaccharide signal.- Surface interactions between rhizobia and legume root hairs.- Isolation, characterization, and structural elucidation of a "nod signal" excreted by Rhizobium trifolii ANU843 which induces root hair branching and nodule-like primordia in axenic white clover seedlings.- Recent studies on the Rhizobium-legume symbiosis.- The Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae NodO protein compensates for the exported signal made by the host-specific nodulation genes.- Rhizobium meliloti nodulation genes and their regulation.- Regulatory steps in nodulation by Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae.- Nutrient exchange across the peribacteroid membrane of isolated symbiosomes.- Immunological dissection of the plant-microbe interface in pea nodules.- Endosymbiosis of Rhizobium: Internalization of the "extracellular compartment" and metabolites exchange.- Compilation of the nod, fix, and nif genes of Rhizobia and information concerning their function.- Poster Summaries.- Section C: Limiting Factors in Nitrogen Fixation.- Limiting factors in symbiotic nitrogen fixation: structure and dynamics of the Rhizobium genome.- Oxygen diffusion in the legume root nodule.- A genetic approach to analyze the critical role of oxygen in bacteroid metabolism.- Molecular analysis of terminal oxidases in electron transport pathways of Bradyrhizobium japonicum and Azotobacter vinelandii.- Metabolism of C4-dicarboxylates and amino acids in soybean nodule bacteroids, and their role in energy supply to nitrogenase.- Measurement of N2 fixation by 15N natural abundance in the management of legume crops: roles and precautions.- Genetic analysis of sym genes and other nodule-related genes in Pisum sativum.- Host legume control of nodulation by flavonoids.- Poster Summaries.- Section D: Nitrogen Fixation and the Environment.- Ecological aspects of nitrogen fixation.- The ecology of indigenous populations of Rhizobium leguminosarum bvs. trifolii and viceae.- Molecular analysis of the denitrification system of pseudomonads.- Production of nitrite and N2O by the ammonia-oxidizing nitrifiers.- Planned release of genetically modified organisms: scientific and regulatory issues.- Field release of genetically-engineered Rhizobium meliloti and Bradyrhizobium japonicum strains.- Assessment of genetically engineered microorganisms under the Toxic Substances Control Act: considerations prior to small-scale release.- Poster Summaries.- Section E: Bacterial Systems.- Regulation of the C4-dicarboxylate transport in free-living and symbiotic Rhizobium meliloti.- Transcriptional activation of nitrogen fixation genes in Klebsiella pneumonia.- Mechanism of transcription from nif promoters: involvement of IHF.- Organization and regulation of nitrogen fixation genes in Rhodobacter capsulatus.- The genetics and biochemistry of the reversible ADP-ribosylation systems of Rhodospirillum rubrum and Azospirillum lipoferum.- Nitrogen fixation genes of Clostridium pasteurianum.- Azospirillum associations.- Nitrogen fixation in filamentous cyanobacteria.- Hydrogen metabolism and the alternative nitrogenase in the cyanbacterium Anabaena variabilis.- Poster Summaries.- Section F: Nitrogen Fixation in Agriculture and Industry.- to nitrogen fixation in agriculture and industry: contribution of BNF to sustainability of agriculture.- Improvement of inoculant efficiency by strain improvement and formulation manipulations.- Agronomic and economic benefits of nitrogen contributed by legumes in live-mulch and alley cropping systems.- Stem-nodule symbiosis and its unusual properties.- Workshop summary: What are the applications of our research to ecology and agriculture worldwide?.- Poster Summaries.- Section G: Plant Function.- Protein synthesis and protein phosphorylation in Bradyrhizobium japonicum bacteroids.- Some nodulin and Nod proteins show similarity to specific animal proteins.- Alfalfa root nodule aspartate aminotransferase (AAT): Biochemical importance and genetic control.- Regulation of host gene expression during nodule development in soybeans.- Nodulins and nodule development.- Regulation of expression of the GLN-? gene of Phaseolus vulgaris L.- The glutamine synthetases of Rhizobium leguminosarum and their regulatory genes.- Workshop summary: How can we couple the genetics and physiology of nodule function?.- Poster Summaries.- Section H: Nitrogen Fixation and Evolution.- Evolving a Rhizobium for non-legume nodulation.- Hypotheses for the evolution of actinorhizal symbioses.- Genetics of alternative nitrogen fixation systems in Azotobacter vinelandii.- Nitrogen fixation in Methanosarcina barkeri strain 227.- The first photosynthetic N2-fixing Rhizobium: Characteristics.- Nodulation of non-legumes by rhizobia.- Poster Summaries.- Section I: Summing up the Congress.- Congress summary: the molecular perspective.- Congress summary: the organismal perspective.- Computer networking and biological nitrogen fixation.- Author Index.


We report on polymer liquid crystals with periodically oriented mesogenic side chains and demonstrate that the resulting two-dimensional polarization gratings multiplex-diffract the laser beam and convert the polarization state at the same time. Two-dimensional diffraction patterns with various kinds of polarization states can be successfully generated by designing a combination of one-dimensional polarization gratings. This study is a considerable advance towards the realization of highly functionalized passive optical devices that can control both the beam propagation direction and the polarization state.


The whole body of evidence discussed in this article shows that brain dopamine can be regarded as a strong candidate for a physiologically active substance, regulating the functioning of some extrapyramidal centers, especially substantia nigra, striatum and pallidum. The following findings provide strong support for this view: The dopamine is mainly confined to the extrapyramidal regions mentioned; in these regions, the amine is localized in specific neurons and nerve terminals; its rate of turnover is of a high order of magnitude; is there a correlation between itsconcentration in the brain and the functional state of the extrapyramidal centers following administration of certain drugs; there is a striking relationship between some extrapyramidal disorders (drug-induced and genuine parkinsonism) and the lack of the amine in the substantia nigra, the striatum and the pallidum; and, finally, that substantia nigra exerts a direct influence on the concentration of the amine in the striatum by virtue of the nigro-striatal dopamine-containing fibers.

In the extrapyramidal centers, dopamine may have either inhibitory or excitatory activity. Neurophysiological evidence obtained in different species points to a predominantly inhibitory activity of dopamine on single neurons of the brain.

Evidence showing that in the retina and in the median eminence (including the pituitary stalk) dopamine may be the predominant catecholamine argues in favor of a specific function of the amine in these brain structures, although there are at present no direct findings to prove this suggestion.

From the evidence discussed in this article a good case can be made for the concept that the physiological activity of the brain dopamine is quite different from that of brain norepinephrine. There are as yet., however, no experiments to positively show that dopamine is a true neuro-transmitter substance in the brain. All central dopamine effects could equally well be explained by assuming that the amine is a modifier of synaptic transmission.

Therefore, in order to establish dopamine unequivocally as a central neurotransmitter substance, there is still one crucial experiment to be done: to demonstrate that upon stimulation of the relevant parts of the brain, dopamine is in fact released at synapses to exert by itself an effect on the neurons standing in synaptic relationship with the stimulated dopamine-containing terminals. It is to be hoped that we shall not have to wait too long for this experiment to be performed.


This paper outlines one possible approach to the comprehensive technical audit of water distribution networks. Based on practical experience, discussions with domestic and foreign operators, and knowledge gained from international projects, the paper proposes technical indicators, methods for their determination and criteria for evaluating the values reached by these indicators. The proposed procedure is based on the FMEA (Failure Modes Effects and Analysis) method, used in the general theory of risk analysis. The results of this method were employed to evaluate the technical condition of the water distribution network in Pilsen, Czech Republic.


There are several different approaches to generating periodic signals using semiconductor lasers, for example: Q-switching, gain switching or mode-locking schemes. In general the active or passive mode-locking techniques require the use of a modulator or a saturable absorber in order to achieve the phase synchronisation. The laser diodes studied in this thesis, are demonstrated to operate in the mode-locked regime, while not requiring any direct or external modulation, nor the saturable absorbtion element in order to achieve the phase synchronisation. It has been demonstrated previously, that in a multimode semiconductor laser, the third order nonlinearities of a gain medium resulting in the four-wave-mixing effects, are responsible for the phase synchronisation and lead to phase locking. The repetition rate of the generated signal is fixed by the free-spectral range of the longitudinal spectrum. Therefore, with a passively mode-locked laser (PMLL) it is possible to cover a wide range of frequencies from the Radio-Frequency (RF) to the TeraHertz (THz) domain. Radio frequency signals generated by semiconductor lasers have many applications in optical communications, such as radio-over-fibre, or all-optical clock extraction. Terahertz signals are the focus of many research bodies nowadays, due to their interaction with matter. They have potential applications in areas like: industry, pharmacy, security (military), telecommunication and medicine. With continuous improvement of materials processing and technology, new ways of generation and detection of such types of signals have appeared. The key advantage of the optical RF or THz generation is that this type of device is direct current biased and operates at room temperature. In this thesis, a comprehensive study of various PMLLs, from distributed Bragg reflector bulk laser to quantum dashed Fabry-Perot lasers is given, demonstrating the origin of the phase synchronisation in these structures and some applications for these lasers such as all-optical clock recovery or THz signal generation.


Abstract This paper discusses the results of a pressurized water reactor fuel management study determining the optimum discharge burnup and cycle length. A comprehensive study was performed considering 12-, 18-, and 24-month fuel cycles over a wide range of discharge burnups. A neutronic study was performed followed by an economic evaluation. The first phase of the study limited the fuel enrichments used in the study to <5 wt% 235U consistent with constraints today. The second phase extended the range of discharge burnups for 18-month cycles by using fuel enriched in excess of 5 wt%. The neutronic study used state-of-the-art reactor physics methods to accurately determine enrichment requirements. Energy requirements were consistent with today's high capacity factors (>98%) and short (15-day) refueling outages. The economic evaluation method considers various component costs including uranium, conversion, enrichment, fabrication and spent-fuel storage costs as well as the effect of discounting of the revenue stream. The resulting fuel cycle costs as a function of cycle length and discharge burnup are presented and discussed. Fuel costs decline with increasing discharge burnup for all cycle lengths up to the maximum discharge burnup considered. The choice of optimum cycle length depends on assumptions for outage costs.


Engaging computer games can be used to change energy consumption patterns in the home. PowerAgent is a pervasive game for Java-enabled mobile phones that is designed to influence everyday activities and use of electricity in the domestic setting. PowerAgent is connected to the household's automatic electricity meter reading equipment via the cell network, and this setup makes it possible to use actual consumption data in the game. In this paper, we present a two-level model for cognitive and behavior learning, and we discuss the properties of PowerAgent in relation to the underlying situated learning, social learning, and persuasive technology components that we have included in the game.


Segmentation of remotely sensed data is increasingly used to create spatially connected groups of pixels, commonly called objects, which are then used as the basic spatial unit in land cover mapping via image classification. There are many methods for image segmentation, and numerous outputs are possible, so numerous that is often impractical to classify all of them and then evaluate each. For this reason accuracy assessment of image segmentation is a necessary step to select a suitable result for object-based classification, hopefully the one affording the highest possible classification accuracy. Commonly the assessment of the accuracy of image segmentation is based on only the geometric properties of the objects derived (e.g. shape). A consequence of this approach is that all segmentation errors are regarded implicitly as being equally serious. However, the sensitivity of a specific map user to error may vary as a function of his/her needs and the classes involved. This thesis argues that a more appropriate assessment of a segmentation output is to consider the thematic content of the objects as well as their geometric properties. This allows the assessment to be tailored to the needs of the specific user. A metric that expresses the degree of thematic quality of objects from a user's perspective, the thematic similarity index (TSI), is proposed. Then, a geometric-thematic method for image segmentation accuracy assessment is described, which combines a traditional method from the literature with the TSI. The perspectives of three users (a wolf researcher, a general user of land cover information, and the climate modelling community) were adopted in several case studies to analyse the TSI and the new method. The results show that the TSI is able to accommodate the user's needs into image segmentation accuracy assessment, with the geometric-thematic method allowing the selection of a segmentation output more suited to the user than that from the use of the standard geometric-only approach. Furthermore, the use of the geometric-thematic method in operational contexts is illustrated. This includes a proposal for training an image classification in which mixed objects are used for training (which can increase classification accuracy), and using weighted estimators of classification accuracy which are able to assess the quality of a land cover map from the perspective of the user. This thesis thus integrates the user's needs in all the main stages of an object-based image classification, which proved to be beneficial for land cover mapping production.


A combined heat and power (CHP) system is an efficient and clean way to generate power (electricity). Heat produced by the CHP system can be used for water and space heating. The CHP system which uses hydrogen as fuel produces zero carbon emission. Its' efficiency can reach more than 80% whereas that of a traditional power station can only reach up to 50% because much of the thermal energy is wasted. The other advantages of CHP systems include that they can decentralize energy generation, improve energy security and sustainability, and significantly reduce the energy cost to the users. This paper presents the economic benefits of using a CHP system in the domestic environment. For this analysis, natural gas is considered as potential fuel as the hydrogen fuel cell based CHP systems are rarely used. UK government incentives for CHP systems are also considered as the added benefit. Results show that CHP requires a significant initial investment in return it can reduce the annual energy bill significantly. Results show that an investment may be paid back in 7 years. After the back period, CHP can run for about 3 years as most of the CHP manufacturers provide 10 year warranty.


In a series of three studies we investigated the relationship between family and meaning and tested whether Baumeister's (1991) four needs for meaning (purpose, values, efficacy, and self-worth) mediated this relationship. Study 1 (n=228) showed that participants assigned to think about their family reported more meaning in their lives than those assigned to think about a control topic. Using correlational data, Study 2 (n=220) found that the four needs for meaning, self-worth, values, efficacy, and purpose, mediated this relationship. Study 3 (n=128) provided experimental data to demonstrate that thinking about family results in higher meaning, efficacy, and purpose. Purpose mediated the relationship between family and meaning. Several avenues for future research are outlined.


Abstract Phenotypic variability is the engine that drives future diversification with the expectation that polymorphic ancestors give rise to descendants harboring a subset of the ancestral variation. Here we examine evolutionary transitions from polymorphism to monomorphism in a visually striking New World radiation of fruit flies, the Drosophila cardini group. This group is distributed across the Americas and the Caribbean islands and exhibits a wide spectrum of abdominal pigmentation variation. Specifically, the D. dunni subgroup consists of Caribbean island endemics, each of which is monomorphic for its pigmentation pattern, with an interspecific cline of pigmentation across the islands. The D. cardini subgroup consists of American continental species with wide-ranging distributions and intraspecifically variable abdominal pigmentation. We determined the phylogeny of 18 species and subspecies using three nuclear and three mitochondrial regions analyzed with maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian methods. The topology produced from a combined dataset exhibited high support values at all nodes, and differed from earlier phylogenetic hypotheses based on polytene chromosome inversion patterns and isozyme data. We find that the D. dunni subgroup species, with the exception of D. belladunni, are derived from a single source not of direct South American origin and their dispersal across the islands of the Caribbean does not follow a simple stepping-stone model. Morphological changes in pigmentation across the island species are incongruent with the colonization history of the group indicating that natural selection may have played a role in the determination of this character. Finally, we demonstrate that monomorphic species have arisen independently from polymorphic ancestors two to three times.


A liquid suspension consisting of a mixture of H2O, D2O, and polystyrene latex microspheres was used to study the effects of multiple scattering on the near-infrared (800–1600 nm) spectrum of a pure absorber (H2O) in a turbid medium. This simple experimental model enabled us to isolate and explain the spectral distortions introduced by variations in the optical pathlength of scattered photons. We observe the following: (1) Reflectance spectra measured with the detector positioned close to and far from the point of illumination have distinctly different sensitivities to background scattering variations. Within a certain range of detector positions, the use of spectral derivatives to correct for multiplicative scattering effects is most effective. (2) The wavelength dependence of the scattering background of the log(1/R) spectrum depends not only on particle size but also on the separation between the source and detector probes. And (3) the ratio of the magnitudes of the spectral peaks caused by absorption within the background medium and absorption within the scattering particles decreases as multiple scattering increases. We explain these observations in the context of photon-diffusion theory and point out their significance with respect to the design of diffuse-reflectance spectrometers. Photon diffusion theory proves to be valuable for interpretation of diffuse spectra, but it fails to account for spectral distortions introduced by low-order backscattering at close source–detector separations.


INTRODUCTION
Pathogenesis of colonic lesions in patients with acromegaly remains still unclear. There are suggestions that apart from somatotropin axis hormones (GH and IGF-1), other agents also take part in this process. Molecular and animal studies indicate a vital role of hyperinsulinemia in development of colorectal neoplasms.

AIM OF THE STUDY
To evaluate a relation between insulin level, insulin resistance and its anthropometric markers and colorectal lesions in patients with acromegaly.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
The study consisted of 40 patients with active, newly diagnosed acromegaly; 24 women and 16 men aged from 24 to 77 years (mean age 50.1, SD+/-12.1). The analysis included the results of somatotropin axis function (GH and IGF-1 level), carbohydrate metabolism assessment (fasting serum glucose and insulin levels, oral glucose tolerance test, HOMA-IR for insulin resistance), the results of anthropometric measurement (BMI, WHR) and colonoscopy.

RESULTS
Colon pathologies (60 polyps and 2 flat lesions) were discovered in 19 (47.5%) patients with acromegaly, 8 of them had multiple polyps. Hyperplastic polyps were revealed in 11 (27.5%), while adenomas in 8 (20%) acromegalics. Patients with colorectal lesions were found to have higher WHR then subjects with normal colon (p=0.033). Positive correlation between the number of hyperplastic polyps in the patients with multiple changes in the colon and IGF-1 (p=0.025), insulin level (p=0.005) and HOMA-IR (p=0.001) was found. Multiple adenomas correlated positively with insulin level (p=0.007), HOMA-IR (p=0.006) and BMI (p=0.015).

CONCLUSIONS
The study results show a relation between hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance and colon pathologies in acromegaly. Fasting insulin level and HOMA-IR correlate positively with the number of hyperplastic polyps and adenomas in acromegalic patients with multiply colorectal lesions.


One outcome of the financial crises with regard to financial statements and their audits has been that both, the European Union and the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board came out with amendments to their legislations. Hence, the regulators focused on the information gap between the auditor and the stakeholders of financial reports. To close that gap, the implementation of Key Audit Matters (KAM) within the section of the independent auditor´s report became mandatory. 2017 marks the first year in which KAM for all European public interest entities (PIE) can be observed. Based on previous literature and few academic studies the following working paper focuses on KAM within European Banks. Basis of the sample are those significant supervised European Banks that are governed by the European Central Bank (ECB), disclosed by the list of supervised entities published by the ECB as of 1st of January 2018. Reported KAM topics are tested on influential factors for KAM such as bank size and complexity, success, earnings management, region or audit company. Furthermore, text similarities are checked, as one of the goals of the new auditor reports was to individualise the reports. This study therefore, provides a deep insight into both, the most relevant topics auditors are dealing with in European Banks and bank specific dependencies and their influence on KAM.


We consider the pricing problem faced by a revenue-maximizing platform matching price-sensitive customers to flexible supply units within a geographic area. This can be interpreted as the problem faced in the short term by a ride-hailing platform. We propose a two-dimensional framework in which a platform selects prices for different locations and drivers respond by choosing where to relocate, in equilibrium, based on prices, travel costs, and driver congestion levels. The platform's problem is an infinite-dimensional optimization problem with equilibrium constraints. We elucidate structural properties of supply equilibria and the corresponding utilities that emerge and establish a form of spatial decomposition, which allows us to localize the analysis to regions of movement. In turn, uncovering an appropriate knapsack structure to the platform's problem, we establish a crisp local characterization of the optimal prices and the corresponding supply response. In the optimal solution, the platform applies different treatments to different locations. In some locations, prices are set so that supply and demand are perfectly matched; overcongestion is induced in other locations, and some less profitable locations are indirectly priced out. To obtain insights on the global structure of an optimal solution, we derive in quasi-closed form the optimal solution for a family of models characterized by a demand shock. The optimal solution, although better balancing supply and demand around the shock, quite interestingly also ends up inducing movement away from it. This paper was accepted by David Simchi-Levi, optimization.


A surface micromachining technique of LiNbO3 substrates, based on an improved implantation-assisted wet etching process, will be presented and discussed. 2.3 μm high relief structures with optical quality surfaces were fabricated on LiNbO3 by 5 MeV Cu ion implantation through an SU-8 10 μm thick photoresist masking layer patterned by a standard photolithographic process. The LiNbO3 regions amorphized by implantation were etched in a 49% HF aqueous solution at a rate of 100 nm/s exploiting the high differential etching rate between damaged and undamaged LiNbO3 (100 nm/s against 1 nm/s). The process can be repeated to obtain higher aspect ratios. In this work the results of both single and double step processes will be presented. The sidewalls morphology of the microstructures will be also discussed. Both the surface quality and features of the manufactured structures make this technology highly promising for integrated optics and acousto/opto-fluidics.


Background Killer cell immunoglobulin like receptors (KIR) expressed on NK and T cell subsets interact with HLA ligands to influence the reactivity of these cells. The KIR/HLA genotype of an individual can affect immune responses to infection and susceptibility to autoimmunity based on the number/type of genes present (1-3). Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate KIR/HLA-C genotypes and haplotypes in rheumatoid arthritis patients and healthy controls. Methods One hundred and fifty one rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and 100 healthy controls (HC) were DNA typed for 15 KIR genes and HLA-C group 1 and 2 alleles by PCR-SSP. KIR gene content in each group was determined by direct counting and broad haplotypes AA and Bx were assigned. The Bx haplotype was defined by the presence of inhibiting KIR 2DL2, 2DL5 and/or activating KIR 2DS1, 2DS2, 2DS3, 2DS5 or 3DS1. In the AA haplotype all these genes are absent. Results Comparison of individual KIR gene content between the RA group and controls did not show any significant differences. The availability of HLA-C1 and C2 ligands for inhibitory KIR was also similar between the RA and HC groups, C1/C1 (50%), C2/C2 (10%), C1/C2 (40%). Analysis of KIR genotypes and haplotype assignation revealed that the Bx haplotype which contains more than one activating KIR was significantly more frequent in the RA group compared to controls (76% vs. 60 %; P = 0.01). Conclusions Prevalence of the Bx haplotype in this RA population and subsequent availability of more activating KIR on NK and T cells could promote inflammatory responses in this disease. References Kakoo SI et al. HLA and NK cell inhibitory receptor genes in resolving hepatitis C infection. Science 2004; 305:872–4. Nelson GW et al. Heterozygote advantage in autoimmune disease: hierarchy of protection/susceptibility conferred by HLA and killer Ig-like receptor combinations in Psoriatic arthritis. J Immunol 2004;173:4273–6 Hollenbach JA et al. Susceptibility to Crohn's disease is mediated by KIR2DL2/KIR2DL3 heterozygosity and the HLA-C ligand. Immunogenetics 2009; 61:633–71. Disclosure of Interest None Declared


Linguistics, Anthropology and Philosophy in the French Enlightenment treats the development of linguistic thought from Descartes to Degerando as both a part of and a determining factor in the emergence of modern consciousness. Through his careful analyses of works by the most influential thinkers of the time, Ulrich Ricken demonstrates that the central significance of language in the philosophy of the enlightenment, reflected and acted upon contemporary understandings of humanity as a whole. The author discusses contemporary developments in England, Germany and Italy and covers an unusually broad range of writers and ideas including Leibniz, Wolff, Herder and Humboldt. This study places history of language philosophy within the broader context of the history of ideas, aesthetics and historical anthropology and will be of interest to scholars working in these disciplines.


The homeland security challenges facing the nation today are more complex than they were on September 11, 2001. The transition of newly elected and appointed officials at all levels of government represents a loss of institutional knowledge for the homeland security enterprise. The recession has affected the abilities of state and local governments and the private sector to prevent, protect, mitigate, respond and recover from disasters and emergencies. Most ominously, there is steadily increasing attempts to bring terror and manmade destruction to the homeland of the United States.


This research aimed to find out students' perception of utilizing podcasts in learning speaking skills. The researchers used a qualitative approach and basic interpretative design to explore students' perceptions. Three students were involved in this study. They are first-grade students of the vocational high school in the academic year 2019/2020. The data was gathered from the reflective journal and semi-structured interview. To obtain the data, the researchers analyzed it by thematic analysis. Results of this research, researchers classified three aspects that are the instruction in the podcast, the benefits of the podcast, and the use of podcast. The findings illustrated that students had a positive perception of the utilization of podcasts in learning speaking. Students perceive that podcast is interesting media because it has many contents or topics that they can listen and practice their speaking skill whenever they want. They also agree that podcast is beneficial for speaking achievement, for example, students can increase their vocabularies and word pronunciation.


Semantic web technologies are used in the construction of a bio-health knowledge base model, which, when coupled with an Electronic Health Record (EHR), is to be used by clinicians. Specifically, this ontology provides the basis for a domain knowledge resource that attempts to bridge biological and clinical information. The prototype is focused on a Cystic Fibrosis exemplar, and the content of the model includes: Cochrane reviews; a time-oriented description; gene therapy; and the most common cystic fibrosis gene mutations. The facts within the model range from nucleo-base mutation and amino acid change to clinical phenotype. The knowledge is represented by layers from the micro level to the macro level. Here, emphasis is placed upon the details between levels (i.e., the vertical axis) and these are made available to bridge the knowledge from different levels. The description of gender, age, mutation and clinical manifestations are clues for matching points within an EHR system. OWL is the ontology representation language used and the output from Protégé-OWL is a XML-based file format, which facilitates further application and communication.


Voice-Rate is an experimental dialog system through which a user can call to get product information. In this paper, we describe an optimal dialog management algorithm for Voice-Rate. Our algorithm uses a POMDP framework, which is probabilistic and captures uncertainty in speech recognition and user knowledge. We propose a novel method to learn a user knowledge model from a review database. Simulation results show that the POMDP system performs significantly better than a deterministic baseline system in terms of both dialog failure rate and dialog interaction time. To the best of our knowledge, our work is the first to show that a POMDP can be successfully used for disambiguation in a complex voice search domain like Voice-Rate.


1 Abstract: the 1990s, a number of predominantly smaller EU countries implemented reforms of their labour market policies. As a result, their structural unemployment is today comparable with U.S. figures. However, structural unemployment in the EU15 countries as a whole remains at an historical height. This paper evaluates the labour market policies in the EU15 countries. Statistical methods show that different regimes of labour market policies exist within the EU, and that the performance of the regimes, in terms of structural and long-term unemployment, is closely related to the implemented policies in the regimes. In particular, the North-European and Anglo-Saxon regimes display better performance than the Central and South-European regimes. The extend to which reforms in labour market policies have contributed to the reduction in structural unemployment in the second half of the 1990s is assessed using results from panel-data regressions of 19 OECD countries. Finally, the actual policies implemented, relating to both labour market and employment policies, are described in some detail.


Parameter inference in mechanistic models of coupled differential equations is a topical problem. We propose a new method based on kernel ridge regression and gradient matching, and an objective function that simultaneously encourages goodness of fit and penalises inconsistencies with the differential equations. Fast minimisation is achieved by exploiting partial convexity inherent in this function, and setting up an iterative algorithm in the vein of the EM algorithm. An evaluation of the proposed method on various benchmark data suggests that it compares favourably with state-of-the-art alternatives.


Abstract This study investigated the efficacy of four published day 3 embryo time-lapse algorithms based on different types of datasets (known implantation data [KID] and single embryo transfer [SET]), and the confounding effect of female age and conventional embryo morphology. Four algorithms were retrospectively applied to three types of datasets generated at Fertility North between February 2013 and December 2014: (a) KID dataset (n = 270), (b) a subset of SET (n = 144, end-point = implantation), and (c) SET (n = 144, end-point = live birth), respectively. All four algorithms showed progressively reduced predictive power (expressed as area under the receiver operating characteristics curve and 95% confidence interval [CI]) after application to the three datasets (a–c): Liu (0.762 [0.701–0.824] vs. 0.724 [0.641–0.807] vs. 0.707 [0.620–0.793]), KIDScore (0.614 [0.539–0.688] vs. 0.548 [0.451–0.645] vs. 0.536 [0.434–0.637]), Meseguer (0.585 [0.508–0.663] vs. 0.56 [0.462–0.658] vs. 0.549 [0.445–0.652]), and Basile (0.582 [0.505–0.659] vs. 0.519 [0.421–0.618] vs. 0.509 [0.406–0.612]). Furthermore, using KID dataset, the association (expressed as odds ratio and 95% CI) between time-lapse algorithms and implantation outcomes lost statistical significance after adjusting for conventional embryo morphology and female age in 3 of the 4 algorithms (KIDScore 1.832 [1.118–3.004] vs. 1.063 [0.659–1.715], Meseguer 1.150 [1.021–1.295] vs. 1.122 [0.981–1.284] and Basile 1.122 [1.008–1.249] vs. 1.038 [0.919–1.172]). In conclusion, SET is a preferred dataset to KID when developing or validating time-lapse algorithms, and day 3 conventional embryo morphology and female age should be considered as confounding factors.


This thesis explores the behaviour-oriented nature of intelligence and presents the definition and use of Fuzzy Behavioural Maps (FBMs) as a flexible development framework for providing complex autonomous agent behaviour. This thesis provides a proof-of-concept for simple FBMs, including some experimental results in Mobile Robotics and Fuzzy Logic Control. This practical work shows the design of a collision avoidance behaviour (of a mobile robot) using a simple FBM and, the implementation of this using a Fuzzy Logic Controller (FLC). The FBM incorporates three causally related sensorimotor activities (moving around, perceiving obstacles and, varying speed). This Collision Avoidance FBM is designed (in more detail) using fuzzy relations (between levels of perception, motion and variation of speed) in the form of fuzzy control rules. The FLC stores and manipulates these fuzzy control (FBM) rules using fuzzy inference mechanisms and other related implementation parameters (fuzzy sets and fuzzy logic operators). The resulting FBM-FLC architecture controls the behaviour patterns of the agent. Its fuzzy inference mechanisms determine the level of activation of each FBM node while driving appropriate control actions over the creature's motors. The thesis validates (demonstrates the general fitness of) this control architecture through various pilot tests (computer simulations). This practical work also serves to emphasise some benefits in the use of FLC techniques to implement FBMs (e.g. flexibility of the fuzzy aggregation methods and fuzzy granularity).More generally, the thesis presents and validates a FBM Framework to develop more complex autonomous agent behaviour. This framework represents a top-down approach to derive the BB models using generic FBMs, levels of abstraction and refinement stages. Its major scope is to capture and model behavioural dynamics at different levels of abstraction (through different levels of refinement). Most obviously, the framework maps some required behaviours into connection structures of behaviour-producing modules that are causally related. But the main idea is following as many refinement stages as required to complete the development process. These refinement stages help to identify lower design parameters (i.e. control actions) rather than linguistic variables, fuzzy sets or, fuzzy inference mechanisms. They facilitate the definition of the behaviours selected from first levels of abstraction. Further, the thesis proposes taking the FBM Framework into the implementation levels that are required to build BB control architecture and provides and application case study. This describes how to develop a complex, non-hierarchical, multi-agent behaviour system using the refinement capabilities of the FBM Framework. Finally, the thesis introduces some more general ideas about the use of this framework to cope with some, current complexity issues around the behaviour-oriented nature of intelligence.


A taxonomic revision of Australian leaioid faunas has reduced, by synonymy, the known Early Carboniferous taxa to three species viz., Hemicycloleaia andersonae (Tasch, 1979), H. grantrangicus (Tasch, 1979) and Rostroleaia carboniferae (Tasch, 1979); and the known Late Permian taxa to three species viz., Hemicycloleaia mitchelli (Etheridge, 1892), H. discoidea (Mitchell, 1925), and H. deflectomarginis (Tasch, 1979). The revision establishes a consistent taxonomic nomenclature to facilitate comparisons with extra-Australian leaiid species, and their correlations. Particular attention is paid to the correlation of the Late Permian leaioid and estheriid faunas of the Newcastle Coal Measures (NCM) of the Sydney Basin, with those of the Lebedevian of the Lower Tungus and Nordvik Basins, northern Siberia, which in turn, indicate a correlation (Lozovsky, 1998) with the Late Tatarian Vjatian (Luptug member) horizon of the Russian Platform. We speculate that the conchostracans may have lived in estuaries and ephemeral relict water bodies along a coastal plain, and that their eggs were dispersed either by wind, by minor marine incursions, or by both of these processes. Such marginal marine influences could partly explain the widespread distribution of Mitchell's Late Permian (Tatarian) conchostracan species.


Information Retrieval (IR) has been widely accepted as a method for automated traceability recovery based on the textual similarity among the software artifacts. However, a notorious difficulty for IR-based methods is that artifacts may be related even if they are not textually similar. A growing body of work addresses this challenge by combining IR-based methods with structural information from source code. Unfortunately, the accuracy of such methods is highly dependent on the IR methods. If the IR methods perform poorly, the combined approaches may perform even worse. In this paper, we propose to use the feedback provided by the software engineer when classifying candidate links to regulate the effect of using structural information. Specifically, our approach only considers structural information when the traceability links from the IR methods are verified by the software engineer and classified as correct links. An empirical evaluation conducted on three systems suggests that our approach outperforms both a pure IR-based method and a simple approach for combining textual and structural information.


Most studies on humanoid robot locomotion focus on the dynamic stability of the robot and movements of the limbs. The role of the head during locomotion is one aspect that has received relatively little focus. In humans, the head plays a very important role of stabilizing in space and anticipating walking direction. In order to generate realistic humanoid motion, this is a vital aspect that must be taken into account. In this study, we propose a generalized framework for modeling human like head-body behavior during locomotion. We developed a dynamic model of the head and body orientation in which the head orientation is actively controlled and the trunk is coupled to it by a rotational spring-damper like term. Least-squares optimization was used to determine the parameters of this model from recorded human experimental data. The results were evaluated against novel recordings and provided a good prediction of human behavior. Our approach is an effective way to create human-like motions for anthropomorphic agents such as humanoid robots, and provides a good mathematical basis for extension to other aspects of human movements.


Fungi play critical roles in ecosystem processes such as decomposition and nutrient cycling, but have also been highlighted as significant contributors to organic matter build‐up in boreal forest soils. Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) mycelial biomass and necromass dynamics have recently been highlighted as essential for regulating build‐up of soil organic matter. Understanding the extent to which shifts in mycelial community or growth trait composition cause changes in mycelial production and turnover over ecological gradients would aid a mechanistic understanding of these important processes at an ecosystem scale. Here, we test the hypotheses that shifting species and mycelial trait (exploration type) composition within the mycelial community underpin changes in biomass turnover with increasing forest age. We quantified mycelial turnover and assessed fungal community composition in a chronosequence of eight, 12‐ to 158‐year‐old, managed Pinus sylvestris forests. Turnover was estimated by determining mycelial biomass (ergosterol) in a sequence of ingrowth mesh bags and applying mathematical models. Fungal communities in the bags were identified using Pacific Biosciences sequencing of fungal ITS2 amplicons. To evaluate the accuracy of this method to represent all ECM fungi, community composition in bags was followed over time and compared with communities in soil. Mycelial communities changed with stand age, but we found no evidence that there were concurrent shifts in mycelial exploration types. Forest age and turnover were significantly correlated with ECM mycelial community composition and collectively explained 39.4% of total variation. The similarity between fungal communities in mesh bags and in soil was strongly forest age dependent, with communities in mesh bags diverging from soil communities in stands older than 60 years. However, in all stands, when bag incubation time exceeded 75 days, communities became more similar to soil communities. Synthesis. Our results support the idea that shifts in fungal community composition underpin the forest age‐related decrease in mycelial turnover; however, since ingrowth mesh bags exclude some mycorrhizal species in older forests, it remains a possibility that turnover estimates were not reflecting the entire community. While we found no evidence that mycelial exploration types of fungi changed systematically with forest age, we suggest that other traits that relate to biomass turnover and necromass degradation require further study, as they may explain the extent to which ectomycorrhizal fungi regulate and contribute to soil organic matter accumulation.


Online communities of consumption (OCCs) represent highly diverse groups of consumers whose interests are not always aligned. Social control in OCCs aims to effectively manage problems arising from this heterogeneity. Extant literature on social control in OCCs is fragmented as some studies focus on the principles of social control, while others focus on the implementation. Moreover, the domain is undertheorized. This article integrates the disparate literature on social control in OCCs providing a first unified conceptualization of the topic. The authors conceptualize social control as a system, or configuration, of moderation practices. Moderation practices are executed during interactions operating under different governance structures (market, hierarchy, and clan) and serving different purposes (interaction initiation, maintenance, and termination). From this conceptualization, important areas of future research emerge and research questions are developed. The framework also serves as a community management tool for OCC managers, enabling the diagnosis of social control problems and the elaboration of strategies and tactics to address them.


Deep Metric Learning (DML) is arguably one of the most influential lines of research for learning visual similarities with many proposed approaches every year. Although the field benefits from the rapid progress, the divergence in training protocols, architectures, and parameter choices make an unbiased comparison difficult. To provide a consistent reference point, we revisit the most widely used DML objective functions and conduct a study of the crucial parameter choices as well as the commonly neglected mini-batch sampling process. Under consistent comparison, DML objectives show much higher saturation than indicated by literature. Further based on our analysis, we uncover a correlation between the embedding space density and compression to the generalization performance of DML models. Exploiting these insights, we propose a simple, yet effective, training regularization to reliably boost the performance of ranking-based DML models on various standard benchmark datasets. Code and a publicly accessible WandB-repo are available at this https URL.


In this paper, current account sustainability of Turkey is analyzed in a nonlinear framework. Various nonlinear unit root tests have been used to test for structural break, sign and size nonlinearity. We have tested structural break and size nonlinearity separately and structural break-sign and size-sign nonlinearities simultaneously. Only considering the size nonlinearity, we have found that the current account of Turkey is sustainable. Thus, the size nonlinearity, in other words the speed of reversion to equilibrium, is essential for the current account sustainability of Turkey. We have also found that the speed of adjustment towards equilibrium is symmetric, while considering size and sign nonlinearities simultaneously.


1. Carbon monoxide, 0.5-13%, is found in the float gases of Physalia . Oxygen comprises 15-20% of the total gas. Carbon dioxide is present in negligible amounts. 2. The gas gland, pneumadena, is the site of carbon monoxide formation. 3. L-Serine is the substrate for carbon monoxide formation. 4. A strikingly large concentration of folic acid is found in the gas gland. 5. It is suggested that carbon monoxide secretion serves to inflate the float of Physalia and that carbon monoxide is later slowly replaced by air through diffusion and exchange.


Pakistan is experiencing a sharp resurgence in sectarian violence. Most frequently, such violence involves clashes between members of the two main sects of Islam – Sunnis and Shias – but violent incidents between the Barelvi and Deobandi sub-sects of Sunni Islam are also on the rise. The heightened frequency and brutality of Sunni-Shia clashes threaten national security – Pakistan's is the second-largest Shia population in the world after Iran – as well as bilateral relations with Iran and the regional power dynamic vis-a-vis Saudi Arabian influence. The current resurgence of sectarian violence can be traced to the rise of the Pakistani Taliban in the mid-2000s and this organisation's growing ties with militant sectarian organisations such as Lashkar-eJhangvi; as such, sectarian violence is arguably the most dangerous fallout for Pakistan of the U.S.-led war against terrorism in neighbouring Afghanistan. Sectarian violence has spread across the country and is increasingly directed at disenfranchised targets such as Balochistan's Hazaras (an ethnic minority) and worshippers at Sufi shrines. The government's continuing failure to dismantle militant groups, enforce bans on hate speech and sectarian propaganda, improve the criminal justice system, and reform the madrassas has allowed sectarianism to thrive. In the absence of a comprehensive state crackdown, sectarian violence threatens to worsen Pakistan's fragile security situation.


Adsorption of contaminant species to mineral surfaces is largely responsible for the retardation of radionuclides in the subsurface environment. However, despite much research effort, the advancement of models that can be used to successfully calculate or predict adsorption is still somewhat limited. This report covers three different aspects of modeling adsorption of radioruclides with an emphasis on the use of surface complexation models (SCM). The methods provide a rigorous and thermodynamic-based alternative to the more conventional and empirical Ko approach often used inappropriately in the performance assessment of nuclear waste sites. The fist study provides an example of how adsorption constant uncertainty propagates through a one-dimensional reactive-transport code and can strongly influence the calculated aqueous metal (i.e., uranyl) concentrations as a function of distance and time from a contaminant source. In this study, the hydrology and mineralogy of the Naturita uranium mill tailings site in Colorado are used to establish initial conditions and processes to incorporate into a onedimensional (1-D) reactive-transport model. An electrostatic surface complexation model is used lo describe adsorption onto smectite, an abundant clay mineral at the Naturita site. A probabilistic investigation demonstrates that uncertainty in adsorption constants can dramatically change the calculated shape of contaminant concentration profiles. This study demonstrates the importance of selecting appropriate adsorption constants when using reactive-transport models in performance assessment to evaluate risk and pollution attenuation at contaminated sites. Adsorption processes at the solid-water interface can be investigated at different levels of chemical detail: electronic, atomistic, and thermodynamic. The second study addresses this scaling issue by describing how electronicand atomic-scale investigations provide useful insight for the development of accurate bulk thermodynamic models (for example, SCM). Molecular modeling can be used to investigate the stoichiometries and relative adsorption energies of possible surface complexes. Both quantum and molecular mechanics calculations that focus on the submicroscopic details of the adsorption process can provide us with new, more quantitative ways to bound the uncertainties associated with "averaging" surface site characteristics and for selecting only one or two surface reactions to describe the adsorption of a contaminant over a range of environmental conditions. These atomic-scale studies may provide us with a more definitive appreciation for how detailed an SCM is necessary for accurate reactive-transport simulations of contaminant migration. The third study reviews recent progress in developing an internally-consistent database to describe adsorption over a wide range of solution and solid compositions. Substantial progress has been made to establish a database for a specific SCM (triple-layer model). Newly-defined standard states for surface species allow us to normalize and compare experimental adsorption data collected using different solid to liquid ratios. X-ray standing-wave measurements, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, molecular modeling, and ab initio modeling all contribute to a greater understanding of surface complexation, and in particular, to the nature of contaminant surface species that need to be incorporated into larger-scale thermodynamic models. Combining approaches ranging from bulk adsorption measurements to ab initio quantum calculations in our investigation of processes at the solid-water interface and synthesizing information for different interfacial systems, may lead to major breakthroughs in adsorption modeling in the next decade.


Self-determination theory (SDT) has become an established framework for exploring motivational processes in physical exercise. The integral components of SDT are three basic psychological needs. For our study we translated and validated a German scale that measures need satisfaction in exercise. A total of 614 individuals (n = 347 female, age: M = 38.39 years, SD = 12.05) recruited from a private fitness center, various sport clubs, and the Academic Sports Association Zurich, Switzerland, took part in the online-based baseline assessment (T1). Nine months later, 216 participants completed the online follow-up questionnaire (T2). The results demonstrate adequate factor validity and internal consistency at both measurement points. Moreover, construct validity was demonstrated by medium to strong correlations of several motives to exercise and the self-efficacy of physical exercise. In addition, the three subscales were differentially predictive for different types of motivation (for example, intrinsic and e...


In this thesis, new and efficient codes are developed for solving Initial Value Problems
(IVPs) of first and higher order Ordinary Differential Equations (ODEs) using variable
step size. The new codes are based on the implicit multistep block methods formulae.
Subsequently, a more structured and efficient algorithm comprising the block methods
was constructed for solving systems of first order ODEs using variable step size and
order.
The new codes were then used for the parallel implementation in solving large systems of
first and higher order ODEs. The sequential programs of these methods were executed on
DYNIXlptx operating system. The parallel programs were run on a Sequent Symmetry
SE30 parallel computer.The Cq stability in the multistep method was introduced and the focused was on the error
propagation from a more practical angle.
The numerical results showed that the sequential implementation of the new codes could
reduce the total number of steps and execution times even when solving small systems of
first and higher order ODEs compared with the 1-point method and the existing 2PBVSO
code in Omar (1 999).
The parallel implementation of the codes was found to be most appropriate in solving
large systems of first and higher order ODEs. It was also discovered that the maximum
speed up of the parallel methods improved as the dimension of the ODEs systems
increased.
In conclusion, the new codes developed in this thesis are suitable for solving systems of
first and higher order ODEs


This study examines the association between corporate transparency, ethical orientation of Fortune 500 companies, the number of females represented on the board of directors as reported in the 2010 annual report data and respective stock performance. Our basis for this judgement was whether the firm was listed on either (both) Ethisphere Magazine's 2010 'World's Most Ethical Companies' or (and) Corporate Responsibility Magazine's 2010 '100 Best Corporate Citizens List'. Our results indicate that, as the number of women directors increased, the probability of a corporation appearing in these lists increases. Finally, while being on one of these lists did not increase corporate return data in a statistically significant sense, it did dramatically reduce the degree of negative returns.


The availability, timeliness and consistency of official monetary, financial and other economic statistics is of paramount importance for the decision-making of the ECB. The ECB is the main user of its own euro area statistics, as they provide the basis for an effective analysis of the monetary and economic situation and for a well-founded assessment of future prospects. Moreover, the presentation of (relevant) data is essential when communicating the ECB monetary policy analysis and the decisions taken. Besides, euro area statistics contribute to fulfilling many other Eurosystem functions (market operations, payment systems, contribution to financial stability, research, international relations, etc.) and serve users such as financial market analysts, academics and the public at large. The ECB is also using heavily the statistics produced by other institutions – predominantly by Eurostat - namely the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP, used by the ECB to monitor price stability), Gross Domestic Product (GDP), labour markets statistics consistent with national accounts and short-term statistics. Given the ECB's dual role as producer and intensive user of statistics, it is very well aware of the importance of cooperation among statistical authorities. While the division of responsibilities in statistics between National Central Banks (NCBs) and National Statistical Institutes varies from country to country, the statistical work in Europe has benefited from close cooperation under a clear allocation of tasks between the ECB and Eurostat.


Providing personalized medical care based on a patient's specific characteristics (diagnostic-image content, age, sex, weight, and so on) is an important aspect of modern medicine. This paper describes tools that aim to facilitate this process by providing clinicians with information regarding diagnosis, and treatment of past patients with similar characteristics. The additional information thus provided can help make better-informed decisions with regards to the diagnosis and treatment planning of new patients. Two existing tools: Shambala and Shangri-La can be combined for use within a clinical environment. Deployment inside healthcare facilities can become possible via the MD-Paedigree project.


Perception is a good basis for consumers in finding the required product information. Perception will affect consumer buying behavior for the desired a needs product so expected the resulting product can make satisfied consumer and to be loyal. Consumer loyalty is very important for the company in maintaining the viability of companies and business success.
The main objective of this study was to determine how much influence the perception of the buying behavior of the Blackberry and its implications on consumer loyalty. The used variables in this study is the independent variable is the perception consisting of brand, price, product and advertising.
While the dependent variables is purchasing behavior and consumer loyalty.

The analysis method is the Smart Partial Least Square (PLS) with deployment of 100 respondents questionnaire in area Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Ekonomi Kesatuan Bogor. The research result showed that perception influential significant to buying behavior, where the significant result with t-statistics is 5.679652 and also perceptions influential significant to consumer loyalty, the significant results with T-Statistics is 4.063912. For while buying behavior also significantly to consumer loyalty where the significant result is 0.697294.


Bio-optical data recorded from April 30 to July 19, 1991, using a mooring located in the open ocean (59°35.6°N, 20°57.9°W) are described and interpreted. Five multi-variable moored systems (MVMS) were deployed in the upper 90 m to obtain concurrent, co-located measurements of horizontal currents, water temperature, photosynthetically available radiation (PAR), transmission of light at 660 nm (c660), and stimulated chlorophyll fluorescence. In addition, meteorological and subsurface temperature data (12 depths from 80 to 310 m) were collected. When the mooring was deployed, surface waters were weakly stratified and there was little evidence of a phytoplankton bloom. Soon after the deployment, a marked increase in phytoplankton concentration occurred simultaneously with an increase of near-surface water temperature. The most striking observation was a period (year days 128–140) of strong mixed layer depth variability (daily amplitude of about 40 m) during which phytoplankton standing stock reached its maximum. During this period, phytoplankton biomass was mixed down to deeper waters at nighttime. As a result, the variability of the bio-optical parameters was extremely high, and deepwater phytoplankton concentration was much greater than would have been expected from the productivity estimates. Later, phytoplankton concentrations declined sharply in response to extremely stormy weather around year day 140. Once the storm passed (after day 143), surface waters stratified and the phytoplankton stock increased again, but the depth integrated biomass concentration did not reach as high values as before the storm. During this strong thermal stability period, fluorescence and c660 signals in near-surface waters were much higher than at depth, and displayed a diel cycle which was well correlated with PAR.


In this paper, we develop symplectic Hodge theory on transversely symplectic foliations. In particular, we establish the symplectic dδ-lemma for any such foliations with the (transverse) s-Lefschetz property. As transversely symplectic foliations include many geometric structures, such as contact manifolds, co-symplectic manifolds, symplectic orbifolds, and symplectic quasi-folds as special examples, our work provides a unifying treatment of symplectic Hodge theory in these geometries. As an application, we show that on compact K-contact manifolds, the s-Lefschetz property implies a general result on the vanishing of cup products, and that the cup length of a 2n + 1 dimensional compact Kcontact manifold with the (transverse) s-Lefschetz property is at most 2n − s. For any even integer s ≥ 2, we also apply our main result to produce examples of K-contact manifolds that are s-Lefschetz but not (s+1)Lefschetz.


This thesis seeks to support the longer-term development of the community sector in Scotland, the United Kingdom (UK) and further afield, through consideration of a community sector theory and practice (CSTP): where, such a theory and practice is assumed to involve elements of both theorising as to actual, developing practices and theorising as to the impact of the broader workings of society (structure) on the forming and performing of such practices. The thesis focuses on a particular model and narrative of a community organisation as a 'community anchor': where, such an organisation is understood to be community-based and led, and to undertake a multi-purpose role across a range of local development, service provision and advocacy. The term community anchor has been/is active within policy-making, namely that of the New Labour UK Government (1997-2010) and, currently, SNP Scottish Government (2007-present). Within Scotland, the Scottish Community Alliance (SCA) has positioned a community anchor narrative within a particular narrative of community empowerment; the latter rooted in themes of community ownership and enterprise, local democracy, and local economic and social development (Pearce, 2003). This community anchor/community empowerment narrative (CACE) can be understood as one particular strand of a wider CSTP, a 'CACE within a CSTP' (CACE/CSTP) in fact, such that a CACE too can be supported and informed through theorising on practice and structural context. The thesis works to strengthen theoretical understanding and development relating to a CACE/CSTP, and then to draw from this to inform, interpret and analyse an empirical inquiry, using a qualitative and critical case-study research methodology, of three community anchor organisations and their respective communities – one from each of urban, rural and remote island contexts. Theoretical discussion that supports an understanding of a CSTP is developed through consideration of theorising on: post-1945 political economic trends in relation to public policy, particularly urban public policy, in the UK and currently as a dominant neoliberalism, although as distinctive variants within policy-making in England and Scotland; the practices of community development and social enterprise, in particular relative to social structure and inequality; and, social structure and agency, through use of structuration theory (Giddens, 1984). The understanding of a CACE is deepened through consideration of: policy-making on community anchors within Scottish and English policy-making contexts; matters and issues of practice for community anchors – in particular as being 'community-led', developing 'sustainable independence' and undertaking a diverse, multi-purpose role; the role of the community sector and its development as part of the social economy; and the wider political economic dynamics of the nation state (Giddens, 1984; Pearce: 1993, 2003; Harvey, 2009 [1973]). The empirical inquiry, and the related interpretation and analysis, explore the three casestudies, and illustrate and develop theoretical understandings of a CACE/CSTP and a CSTP, more generally. In focusing on practice, the complexities of community-led practices, organisational independence (sustainable independence) from the state, and the integration of the breadth of working of a community anchor are considered both as activities on-the-ground and in relation to the state and market. In focusing on political economy, the complexity of the community sector's relationship with the state and the market is explored. It is recognised that the sector will find itself undertaking a 'community management' role, seeking to limit social and economic crises, in response to neo-liberal economic and social marginalisation of many communities. Yet, such recognition can support the community sector in continuing with aspirations for a 'community ownership' and in seeking alternatives in relation to local economic and social development, service provision, political advocacy and policy-making. The resulting articulation of a CACE/CSTP can be used to inform a developing community sector research agenda(s) for both 'the research community' and community sector, and to inform and support discussions of policy and practice within community sector and wider policy-making.


OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the study were to assess the 2 year BMD changes and their determinants in patients with early inflammatory back pain suggestive of axial spondyloarthritis (SpA) (DESIR cohort).

METHODS
A total of 265 patients (54% male, mean age 34.4 years) had BMD measurements at baseline and at 2 years. Low BMD was defined as a Z score ≤-2 (at at least one site) and significant bone loss was defined by a decrease in BMD ≥0.03 g/cm(2). Clinical, biological and imaging parameters were assessed over 2 years.

RESULTS
Thirty-nine patients (14.7%) had low BMD at baseline; 112 patients (42.3%) had a 2 year significant bone loss. One hundred and eighty-seven (70.6%) used NSAIDs at baseline and 89 (33.6%) received anti-TNF therapy over 2 years. In anti-TNF users, BMD significantly increased at the lumbar spine and did not change at the hip site from baseline. In multivariate analysis, baseline use of NSAIDs [odds ratio (OR) 0.38, P = 0.006] had a protective effect on hip bone loss. In patients without anti-TNF treatments, baseline use of NSAIDs (OR 0.09, P = 0.006) and a 2 year increase in BMI (OR 0.55, P = 0.003) had protective effects on hip bone loss, whereas a 2 year increase in fat mass was associated with hip bone loss (OR 1.18, P = 0.046).

CONCLUSION
Among patients with symptoms suggestive of early axial SpA, 42.3% of patients have significant bone loss over 2 years. Anti-TNF therapy is protective against bone loss and baseline use of NSAIDs has a protective effect on hip bone loss.


Alfred C. Barker's 1864 photograph of V-huts amidst unkempt grasses bracketted by flax bushes is well-known. Less often reproduced are his drawings of his own V-hut: Studdingsail Hall, though texts, such as Anna Petersen's New Zealanders At Home and the Drummonds' At Home in New Zealand, reproduce two similar Barker sketches drawn on the 27th and the 28th February 1851. The drawings were also reproduced three dimensionally, almost 100 years after they were drawn, as part of Canterbury Museum's "Canterbury Colonists Exhibition" (1950-1951). This paper examines the references to V-huts which permeate 1850s journals, diaries and newspapers, concluding with an examination of the Barker drawings and the Canterbury Museum replication of one of them.


Those who talk can be heard. Those who are allowed to talk may be listened to. This study is an attempt to give legal voice to those who cannot talk or are usually not listened to: children. This study is about the attention given to their interests, the best interests of the child. When these interests are immersed in a minority context, children may be overlooked for different reasons, including discriminatory attitudes or prejudice regarding their families. Law and its interpretation must be changed in order to include the difference. This study discusses the best interests of the child principle with special attention to its legal relevance in cases where lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) are, or want to be, parents. The authoritative source for the interpretation of the principle is the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). The analysis focuses on the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and its case law. The study aims to explore the Court's approach to the best interest of the child and identify whether the principle is being consistently applied in cases involving LGBT families, given the fact that sexual orientation and gender identity are still sensitive issues in Europe. This is done by comparing these cases to cases lodged by applicants who were not identified as belonging to sexual minorities. The margin of appreciation doctrine and the lack of European consensus on sexual minorities' rights are confronted with the urgent paramount consideration that has to be given to children's best interests. The analysis explores whether there is room for detecting a possible Court's biased approach towards the concept of the best interests of the child. This study challenges the Court's decisions in the sense that the focus should not only be at the LGBT parents' rights to private and family life, but also at the interests of their daughters and sons. This is an attempt to call upon the ECtHR and all States not only to actively fight against LGBT discrimination, but, ultimately, to stop interpreting the concept of the best interests of the child in an arguably biased way, and to consider the principle's legal value in any decision, regardless of their parents' sexual orientation or any other distinction.


This paper presents a methodology to approximate the urban heat island effect by using a PostgreSQL database and CitySim software, a simulation tool to evaluate urban energy flows. A ground temperature model has been developed for shallow depths (until 4m), which reproduces the phenomena of heat transfer into the ground on an hourly basis. This model is further used to predict the outdoor ground surface temperature, which is an indicator of the urban heat island effect. A PostgreSQL database which contains information such as the building footprints, geographical location, address, construction date, energy system etc. of the buildings was modified to include data relative to this model. A case study has been performed in a small neighbourhood, Rue des Maraichers, in Geneva (Switzerland) in order to illustrate the usage of this tool to analyse the surface temperature of asphalted roads and green alleys. Finally, a methodology has been introduced to predict the urban heat island effect using this temperature.


An outstanding and fundamental problem in contemporary physics is to include and probe the many-body effect in the study of relativistic quantum manifestations of classical chaos. We address this problem using graphene systems described by the Hubbard Hamiltonian in the setting of resonant tunneling. Such a system consists of two symmetric potential wells separated by a potential barrier, and the geometric shape of the whole domain can be chosen to generate integrable or chaotic dynamics in the classical limit. Employing a standard mean-field approach to calculating a large number of eigenenergies and eigenstates, we uncover a class of localized states with near-zero tunneling in the integrable systems. These states are not the edge states typically seen in graphene systems, and as such they are the consequence of many-body interactions. The physical origin of the non-edge-state type of localized states can be understood by the one-dimensional relativistic quantum tunneling dynamics through the solutions of the Dirac equation with appropriate boundary conditions. We demonstrate that, when the geometry of the system is modified to one with chaos, the localized states are effectively removed, implying that in realistic situations where many-body interactions are present, classical chaos is capable of facilitating greatly quantum tunneling. This result, besides its fundamental importance, can be useful for the development of nanoscale devices such as graphene-based resonant-tunneling diodes.


We examine how the net worth of billionaires relates to their looks, as rated by 16 people of different gender and ethnicity. Surprisingly, their financial assets are unrelated to their beauty; nor are they related to their educational attainment. As a group, however, billionaires are both more educated and better-looking than average for their age. Men, people who reside in Western countries, and those who inherited substantial wealth, are wealthier than other billionaires. The results do not arise from measurement error or nonrandom sample selectivity. They are consistent with econometric theory about the impact of truncating a sample to include observations only from the extreme tail of the dependent variable. The point is underscored by comparing estimates of earnings equations using all employees in the 2018 American Community Survey to those using a sample of the top 0.1 percent. The findings suggest the powerful role of luck within the extremes of the distributions of economic outcomes.


In this paper we examine market taxation in Dar es Salaam from a gender perspective. We do not find any evidence of gender bias in the way market traders are taxed, but we do find a major gender issue that we did not expect – toilet fees. Female traders pay up to 18 times more for their daily use of the market toilets than they pay as market tax. High toilet fees have a differential and adverse impact on women, who require toilets more frequently than men, and have fewer alternatives. This shows that a focus on formal taxation systems does not reveal all complex linkages between gender and taxation in the informal sector of developing countries. A gender-aware perspective on market taxation requires us to look wholistically at gender-differentiated patterns of use and funding of collective goods and services.


To understand the visual world, a machine must not only recognize individual object instances but also how they interact. Humans are often at the center of such interactions and detecting human-object interactions is an important practical and scientific problem. In this paper, we address the task of detecting (human, verb, object) triplets in challenging everyday photos. We propose a novel model that is driven by a human-centric approach. Our hypothesis is that the appearance of a person - their pose, clothing, action - is a powerful cue for localizing the objects they are interacting with. To exploit this cue, our model learns to predict an action-specific density over target object locations based on the appearance of a detected person. Our model also jointly learns to detect people and objects, and by fusing these predictions it efficiently infers interaction triplets in a clean, jointly trained end-to-end system we call InteractNet. We validate our approach on the recently introduced Verbs in COCO (V-COCO) and HICO-DET datasets, where we show quantitatively compelling results.


This paper presents a dynamic model as a heuristic tool to discuss some issues of changing industrial specialization which arise in the context of catching-up processes of (technologically) less advanced economies and the impact which various scenarios of such catching-up processes might have on the labour market dynamics both in the advanced and in the catching-up economies. In analysing the evolution of international specialization, we demonstrate the twin pressures exerted upon the industrial structures of "northern" economies: competition from "type-A southern" economies, which maintain a comparative competitive strength in labour-intensive and less skill-intensive branches, and competition from "type-B catching-up" economies, whose catching-up increasingly focuses upon branches in which the initial productivity gaps and hence the scope for catching-up are the highest. The contrast between these two catching-up scenarios allows the explicit analysis of the implications of "comparative advantage switchovers" between northern and southern (type B) economies for labour market dynamics.


Even in the presence of cytoplasmic Ca2+ oscillations, influx through CRAC channels can provide a local Ca2+ signal crucial to activation of gene expression. Oscillations in cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration provide a ubiquitous signaling mechanism that elicits a wide range of cellular responses, with selective activation of Ca2+-sensitive targets thought to depend on the amplitude and frequency of the oscillation. However, these oscillations depend on Ca2+ flux through channels, and Ca2+ microdomains near permeable channels also enable the selective activation of Ca2+ targets. Thus, Di Capite et al. investigated leukotriene C4 (LTC4)–dependent Ca2+ oscillations in mast cells [in which LTC4 elicits Ca2+ release from intracellular stores and activation of store-operated Ca2+ release–activated Ca2+ (CRAC) channels] to explore the role of localized Ca2+ gradients in the response. Analyses of oscillations in the presence or absence of extracellular Ca2+ with or without the addition of La3+ (which suppresses plasmalemmal Ca2+ extrusion and also blocks CRAC channels) indicated that oscillations did not depend on Ca2+ influx through CRAC channels (although influx sustained the time period over which oscillations occurred). However, Ca2+ influx was required for LTC4-dependent activation of c-fos expression: Ca2+ oscillations of similar amplitude and frequency to those that effectively stimulated an increase in c-fos mRNA abundance when Ca2+ influx took place failed to do so when influx was blocked. The Ca2+ chelator EGTA, which blocked oscillations but binds Ca2+ too slowly to interfere with localized Ca2+ signals near open channels, failed to inhibit LTC4-dependent activation of c-fos expression. In contrast, BAPTA, a chelator that binds Ca2+ rapidly, thereby attenuating even local signals, effectively inhibited LTC4-dependent activation of c-fos. Thus, even in the presence of global oscillations of cytoplasmic Ca2+, influx through CRAC channels—rather than simply enabling the replenishment of depleted stores—can provide a local Ca2+ signal crucial to Ca2+-dependent activation of gene expression. J. Di Capite, S. W. Ng, A. B. Parekh, Decoding of cytoplasmic Ca2+ oscillations through the spatial signature drives gene expression. Curr. Biol. 19, 853–858 (2009). [PubMed]


Over especially the last 50 to 60 years, US laws and policies concerning the sexual relationships between men and women have more consciously articulated a need to pursue social justice according to the categories of autonomy, equality, diversity and care for the poor. These categories are admirable on their face and responsive to the times in which they emerged. They are particularly well-suited to the history of discrimination against women and African Americans in the US. They were strongly influenced, inter alia, by the development of contraceptive technology and an array of social welfare initiatives, the rise of feminism and civil rights, and a growing belief in the importance of sexual happiness. The laws and policies designed to achieve these goals, however, are currently insufficient. They relied on various presumptions about human preferences and behaviors, children's needs, and the relationship marketplace — especially among the poor — which proved inadequate or false. Consequently while these categories remain relevant and important, US law and policy concerning sexual relationships need to be updated and rebalanced in order to achieve progress toward equality, autonomy, diversity and care for the poor.


In the absence of some form of government intervention, knowledge is a classic public good which will be under-produced because of lack of price excludability. Government intervention may take the form of establishing intellectual property rights, or other means of shielding knowledge-based innovations from imitation or copying. Such intervention offers the prospect of 'privatising' the production of knowledge in the sense that a certain level of private knowledge production may become profitable if producers can appropriate at least part of the benefits of R&D. However, publicly funded R&D or extension still can 'crowd out' private knowledge production by charging lower prices. The principal finding of this study is that such 'crowding out' behaviour may be efficient in the sense of being potentially Pareto superior even if it is at the expense of public funding for so called 'orphan' areas of knowledge production which are privately unprofitable. The reason why conventional conclusions about privatisation and 'crowding out' of private goods need not apply to rural research and extension is that private goods are both rival in consumption and price excludable, while knowledge is intrinsically non rival in consumption even if it can be made price excludable.


Register allocation is an important component of most compilers, particularly those for RISC machines. The SPUR Lisp compiler uses a sophisticated, graph-coloring algorithm developed by Fredrick Chow [Chow84]. This paper describes the algorithm and the techniques used to implement it efficiently and evaluates its performance on several large programs. The allocator successfully assigned most temporaries and local variables to registers in a wide variety of functions. Its execution cost is moderate.


In the Tourism domain, e-Commerce is becoming the dominant means for value exchange i.e. selling and buying touristic services. Considering the latest developments of the Web in the direction of user-generated content, information sharing, online collaboration and social media, all gathered under the umbrella term of Web 2.0, the number of channels for value exchange and interaction with customers has drastically increased. Nowadays, successful e-Commerce solutions require the ability to communicate and engage with customers for a better visibility, reputation and in the end, increased revenue. In this paper, we introduce the Seekda Social Agent (SESA), an ongoing effort that aims to deliver a platform which will help businesses in the tourism domain in dealing with the challenge of improving and maintaining their communication needs in order to engage with their customers in an efficient and timely manner that ultimately supports effective and efficient value exchange. Our solution integrates various social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, YouTube and Flickr, disseminates information items with one click through a multitude of channels, shows feedback collected from customers, and supports engagement and value exchange based on the use of semantic technology.