In attempt to study the spatial differences in autumnal equatorial upwelling intensity relative to bio-productivity in the eastern equatorial Atlantic, oceanographic in situ data along regions 10°W, 0°E, 2.5°E and 6°E, collected in the Gulf of Guinea during autumn cruise carried out in September 2007 were analyzed. The surface mean values for temperature along 10°W, 0°E, 2.5°E and 6°E are 25.02, 26.15, 26.88 and 25.60°C, respectively. There was eastward weakening of the equatorial undercurrent from 10°W until its complete disappearance at 6°E. The highest concentration of nitrate recorded at the surface at 10°W was attributed to the shoaling pycnocline observed at this region. The surface mean values for nitrate along 10°W, 0°E, 2.5°E and 6°E are 0.37, 0.09, 0.04 and 0.04 μmol.kg-1, respectively. In response to the shoaling pycnocline at 10°W, corresponding to the highest concentration of chlorophyll fluorescence was recorded at this region. The surface mean values for chlorophyll fluorescence along 10°W, 0°E, 2.5°E and 6°E are 0.34, 0.05, 0.07 and 0.08 mg/m3, respectively. Contributions to equatorial upwelling by the equatorial undercurrent were the strongest and mostly expressed along 10°W. Profiles for apparent oxygen utilization and chlorophyll fluorescence gave indications that biological response to surface enrichments within the equatorial bands was highest at region 10°W. Vertical sections for studied parameters were unsuggestive of westward advection from 6°E to 10°W within the equatorial band, and this signifies the important role of vertical processes in equatorial enrichment at 10°W during boreal autumn.

 Key words: Vertical mixing, zonal advection, equatorial undercurrent, equatorial upwelling, Gulf of Guinea, nutrients, phytoplankton biomass, surface enrichment.


Municipal solid waste management is one of the major challenges facing Qatar with more than 2.5 million tons of municipal solid waste each year, a very high waste generation rate in a country with small land mass. Solid waste in Qatar consists mostly of organic materials (60%) with the remaining made up of recyclables, such as glass, metals and plastics. Qatar's ambitious development strategy targets environmental sustainability and invests in research on key grand challenges including water/food security. Fortunately both can be addressed through value-added conversion of solid organic waste into biochars. Solid municipal wastes such as newspaper, cardboard, woodchips and plant residues from landscaping can be converted to biochar for mitigation of their environmental impact and value-addition. On the other hand, agricultural soils have significant deficiencies in a range of essential trace elements and macronutrients and often exhibit low water holding capacity. These deficiencies impact both the yield and the nutritional quality of edible crops with direct consequences cost-effectiveness and human health. Fortunately, these challenges can be advantageously addressed by production of biochars from organic sources such as mixed organic solid waste from municipalities as well as agricultural and landscaping operations. The landfill and composting of these solid municipal wastes generate greenhouse gases that contribute to climate changes. Biochars prepared from solid municipal wastes can greatly benefit the carbon content of soil. Additionally, biochar may interact with fertilizers to deliver indirect improvements in plant growth and reduce the emission of greenhouse gases from native organic matter. Biochars can also be custom-designed to increase/decrease native soil pH to bring it closer to the optimum range for microbial and plant growth. These applications give solid organic municipal wastes promising potential as precursors for value-added biochars with varied physicochemical characteristics allowing them to be used not only as an alternative to bio-waste management and greenhouse gas mitigation but also as means to improve depleted soil. We hypothesize that soil deficiencies in soil can be remedied by the application of biochars that are custom-designed to possess the right physicochemical characteristics suitable to improve soil fertility. The aim of this study was to: (1) produce biochars from mixed solid organic waste for use in soil quality enhancement, (2) investigate the effect of biochar addition to soil on plant germination and growth and (3) evaluate the potential of biochars in mitigating green house gas (GHGs) emissions. Select solid organic municipal wastes (newspaper, cardboard, woodchips and landscaping residues) were used as a precursor for biochar preparation. A blend of 25% of each precursor was used and pyrolyzed at 700°C for 2 hrs under N2 gas at a flow rate of 0.1 mL min− 1 using a Lindberg box programmable furnace equipped with an air-tight retort. Soil fertility parameters such as pH, water retention and macro and micronutrients were analyzed. Fine sandy clay loam soil from the Ap horizon (0-15 cm deep) was amended with biochar at the rate of 2% (w/w). To test the germination rate in soils, with and without biochars (produced from municipal solid waste precursors of 25% blend of four types of waste materials), hybrid savoyed spinach seeds were sown in germination trays (3 seeds/well) for two weeks in climate controlled greenhouse settings. Trays were watered twice daily to maintain moisture level between 10 and 12 percent. The percentage of seed germination was calculated and the plant growth measured as dry biomass. Incubation experiments were conducted to measure GHGs production in sealed glass vials containing soil with and without biochar or raw materials from which this biochar was produced. Greenhouse gases emission differential between the biochars and their corresponding raw feedstocks in treated soil was used as indicator of GHGs emission by biochars during the incubation period Biochars prepared from blends produced at 700°C pyrolysis temperatures and used at 2% application rate to soil showed higher pH (6.8), increased water retention, and high K and NO3-N content. The net effect of these changes in soil properties positively impacted both seed germination and biomass yield of the plants (up to two folds in soil amended with biochars). At the same time, conversion of solid organic wastes into biochar enabled 14% reduction in GHGs emission compared to the solid waste precursors, as indicated by lower CO2 emission. Biochar amendment in soil significantly reduced the CO2 emission (14%), which would otherwise have increased greenhouse gas due to solid waste decomposition in soil. This differential is mainly due to respiration controlled by microbes. Soil amended with biochar closely followed the trend of soil treatment signifying no additional contribution to CO2 efflux. The increase in CO2 efflux seen in feedstock-amended soil can be attributed to the decomposition of feedstock during the time incubation period. In summary, biochars from mixed solid organic wastes at 2% carbon to soil ratio improved seed germination, increased plant biomass yield, and reduced GHGs emission compared to precursors. To reach the maximum benefits, pyrolysis conditions and feedstock selection are critical steps to produce biochars with desirable properties for specific soil amendment. From the present study, it is clear that constituents of municipal solid organic wastes hold promising potential as inexpensive precursor for value-added biochar manufacturing with varied and customizable physicochemical characteristics that would be beneficial in soil amendments while alleviating the problem of solid waste disposal and contributing to mitigation of GHGs. Further studies are need needed to confirm the reported advantages in natural field settings.


Sustainability and food production represent a major challenge to society, with both consumption and supply sides posing practical and ethical dilemmas. This book shows that food governance issues can occur in many ways and at many points along the food chain. The risks and impacts, particularly with the increasing globalisation of food systems, are often distributed in unequal ways.

It is the role of law to form the pivot around which these issues are addressed in society in the form of food governance mechanisms. The chapters in this book address a range of issues in food governance revolving around questions of justice, fairness, equality and human rights. They identify different issues regarding inequality in access and control over food governance. Some address generic governance and institutional issues across a range of international contexts, while others present case studies, including from Argentina, China, India, Indonesia, Thailand, UK and West Africa. The book offers directions for reform of the law and legal institutions to mitigate the dangers of inequality and promote greater fairness in food governance.


"Catch-22" is like no other novel we have ever read. It has its own style, its own rationale, its own extraordinary character. It moves back and forth from hilarity to horror. It is outrageously funny and strangely affecting. It is totally original. It is set in the closing months of World War II, in an American bomber squadron on a small island off Italy. Its hero is a bombardier named Yossarian, who is frantic and furious because thousands of people he hasn't even met keep trying to kill him. (He has decided to live forever even if he has to die in the attempt.) His problem is Colonel Cathcart, who keeps raising the number of missions the men have to fly. The others range from Lieutenant Milo Minderbinder, a dedicated entrepreneur (he bombs his own airfield when the Germans make him a reasonable offer: cost plus 6%), to the dead man in Yossarian's tent; from Major Major Major, whose tragedy is that he resembles Henry Fonda, to Nately's whore's kid sister; from Lieutenant Scheisskopf (he loves a parade) to Major -- de Coverley, whose face is so forbidding no one has ever dared ask him his first name; from Clevinger, who is lost in the clouds, to the soldier in white, who lies encased in bandages from head to toe and may not even be there at all; from Dori Duz, who does, to the wounded gunner Snowden, who lies dying in the tail of Yossarian's plane and at last reveals his terrifying secret. "Catch-22" is a microcosm of the twentieth-century world as it might look to someone dangerously sane. It is a novel that lives and moves and grows with astonishing power and vitality. It is, we believe, one of the strongest creations of the mid-century.


Objectives Under the prevailing conditions of imbalanced life table and historic gender discrimination in India, our study examines crossover between life expectancies at ages zero, one and five years for India and quantifies the relative share of infant and under-five mortality towards this crossover. Methods We estimate threshold levels of infant and under-five mortality required for crossover using age specific death rates during 1981–2009 for 16 Indian states by sex (comprising of India's 90% population in 2011). Kitagawa decomposition equations were used to analyse relative share of infant and under-five mortality towards crossover. Findings India experienced crossover between life expectancies at ages zero and five in 2004 for menand in 2009 for women; eleven and nine Indian states have experienced this crossover for men and women, respectively. Men usually experienced crossover four years earlier than the women. Improvements in mortality below ages five have mostly contributed towards this crossover. Life expectancy at age one exceeds that at age zero for both men and women in India except for Kerala (the only state to experience this crossover in 2000 for men and 1999 for women). Conclusions For India, using life expectancy at age zero and under-five mortality rate together may be more meaningful to measure overall health of its people until the crossover. Delayed crossover for women, despite higher life expectancy at birth than for men reiterates that Indian women are still disadvantaged and hence use of life expectancies at ages zero, one and five become important for India. Greater programmatic efforts to control leading causes of death during the first month and 1–59 months in high child mortality areas can help India to attain this crossover early.


The phenomena of stall and surge in axial-centrifugal compressors is investigated through high-response measurements of both the pressure field and the flowfield throughout the surge cycle. A unique high-response forward-facing and aft-facing probe provides flow information. Several axial-centrifugal compressors are examined, both in compressor rigs and engines. Extensive discussion is presented on the differences in axial and centrifugal rotors and their effect on the system response characteristics. The loading parameters of both are examined and data is presented that shows the increased tolerance of the centrifugal stage to instability. The dynamics of the compressor blade response are shown to be related to the transport time of a fluid particle moving through a blade passage. The data presented provides new insight into the dynamic interactions that occur prior to and during stall and surge. In addition, the inception of rotating stall and the inception of surge are shown to be the same phenomena. An analytical dynamic model (DYNTECC) is applied to one of the compression systems and the results are compared to data. The results show that the model can capture the global effects of rotating stall and surge. The data presented, along with the analytical results, provide useful information for the design of active and passive stall control systems.


We investigate whether Amazon's Mechanical Turk (MTurk) service can be used as a reliable method for transcription of spoken language data. Utterances with varying speaker demographics (native and non-native English, male and female) were posted on the MTurk marketplace together with standard transcription guidelines. Transcriptions were compared against transcriptions carefully prepared in-house through conventional (manual) means. We found that transcriptions from MTurk workers were generally quite accurate. Further, when transcripts for the same utterance produced by multiple workers were combined using the ROVER voting scheme, the accuracy of the combined transcript rivaled that observed for conventional transcription methods. We also found that accuracy is not particularly sensitive to payment amount, implying that high quality results can be obtained at a fraction of the cost and turnaround time of conventional methods.


This paper considers the problem of parameter estimation in a model for a continuous response variable y when an important ordinal explanatory variable x is missing for a large proportion of the sample. Nonmissingness of x, or sample selection, is correlated with the response variable and/or with the unobserved values the ordinal explanatory variable takes when missing. We suggest solving the endogenous selection, or 'not missing at random' (NMAR), problem by modelling the informative selection mechanism, the ordinal explanatory variable, and the response variable together. The use of the method is illustrated by re-examining the problem of the ethnic gap in school achievement at age 16 in England using linked data from the National Pupil database (NPD), the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE), and the Census 2001. JEL classification: C13, C35, I21.


Subject has been seleted den to following reasons;- 1, Novelty of the subject . None preceded me to write on the subject. 2. The topic is Important as theory of arbitrariness make a legal & valid action illegal &Invalid for others whereas the of Excuse Contrarily make an illegal & Invalid action legal & valid for other. 3, I wished to compare the theory of excuse with that of extraordinary Circumstances to show difference between them.

I Faced difficultly in colleting the material for this virgin topic as I faced difficulty in distinguishing theory of excuse from theory of unusual circumstances because as both Intermingles in predecessor's books it was also difficult to try for reconciliation between divergent opinions to prefer one to another. So for as methodology is concerned I have mentioned in the text, opinion of every school of thought & in the foot notes I have quoted their sources. After giving the arguments of every school of thought, I have directly given my comments on them following their by the methodology.

Abu – Ishaq Shirazi in his work AL – Tabsirah Fi Usul AL-Fiqh' First of all I have Collected all the arguments of various Schools of thought, then I have sub – divided them according to Quran, Sunnah & Consensus. It is incumbent upon every Research Scholar to try for Concurrence between various opinions as far as it is possible as two reconciled opinions are preferable to ignoring them altogether. I have avoided replication of arguments. Practically I have tried to apply 'theory of excuse' to doctrinal problems. I have applied this theory to devotionals actions, Crimes & transactions.

I have confined myself to the application of this theory & its effect on obligation leaving aside the difference of scholars in this regard.


Most global ecosystem models assume that controls over soil organic matter are alike in climatically similar regions. In this study, we tested the generality of controls over soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil organic nitrogen (SON) in temperate grasslands. We measured organic matter pools in Inner Mongolia, China, along the Northeast China Transect, and analyzed the relationship of SOC and SON to climate, soil texture, and land use variables. We then compared our data to values simulated by a regression model developed in the U.S. Great Plains and also to Century model simulations. We found that, as in the U.S. Great Plains, climate and soil texture variables could explain a large proportion of variation in observed SOC and SON, but a regression model developed in the Great Plains overestimated SOC and underestimated SON in Inner Mongolia. Using Century, we found that simulated SOC and SON values were sensitive to both inclusion of altered land use and changes in N deposition and that the model that best fit our data included higher‐intensity grazing and N deposition values higher than that in the Great Plains. This model also produced aboveground net primary production (ANPP) values comparable with values observed in the literature for Inner Mongolian grasslands, but these values were higher than ANPP predicted by previously published regression models. These results suggest that different controls over SOC and SON cycling in Inner Mongolia may affect our ability to predict SOC and SON pool sizes using relationships in other regional models.


Multi-antenna coded caching is known to combine a global caching gain that is proportional to the cumulative cache size found across the network, with an additional spatial multiplexing gain that stems from using multiple transmitting antennas. However, a closer look reveals two severe bottlenecks; the well-known exponential subpacketization bottleneck that dramatically reduces performance when the communicated file sizes are finite, and the considerable optimization complexity of beamforming multicast messages when the SNR is finite. We here present an entirely novel caching scheme, termed cyclic multi-antenna coded caching, whose unique structure allows for the resolution of the above bottlenecks in the crucial regime of many transmit antennas. For this regime, where the multiplexing gain can exceed the coding gain, our new algorithm is the first to achieve the exact one-shot linear optimal DoF with a subpacketization complexity that scales only linearly with the number of users, and the first to benefit from a multicasting structure that allows for exploiting uplink-downlink duality in order to yield optimized beamformers ultra-fast. In the end, our novel solution provides excellent performance for networks with finite SNR, finite file sizes, and many users.


Bedouin culture, the culture of desert-dwelling nomads, has existed for 4,500 years, including the era when the texts of the Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament, were composed. It is thus a good context for understanding much of the Bible's often ambivalent content regarding economics, material culture, social values, social organization, legal practices, religious behavior, and oral traditions. The abundant and varied Bedouin materials in this book constitute a cultural document that supplements materials learned from other cultures of the Ancient Near East about the Bible. The plenitude of Bedouin materials in the Hebrew Bible, the common logic between Bedouin and biblical experiences, and the ancient proximity of Bedouin to what the Bible cites as Israelite abodes, ensure that the origin of almost all the biblical references presented in this book stemmed from Bedouin rather than other ancient cultures. This book, in detailing the profusion of Bedouin culture in the Bible, goes far toward establishing that the ancient Israelites did have a nomadic background, as they are portrayed. Through the prism of Bedouin culture we also gain fresh insights into our customary perspectives on prominent aspects of Judaism and their biblical origins, such as the Israelite god Yahweh (enunciated in Judaism as "Adonai"), the attribute of this god as unseen, the original significance of circumcision, the eating of unleavened bread during Passover, the dwelling in thatched booths during the Feast of Tabernacles, and the Jewish prohibitions against eating pork and other forbidden foods.


This book treats the difficult topic of "operating systems" in a somewhat novel manner–one which is not necessarily suggested by its title. The "pragmatic approach" amounts to basing the descriptions virtually entirely in the context of two very widely used operating systems: IBM's OS/MVT and IBM's TSS/360. As an expositional framework, these two systems certainly provide a surfeit of material–there are literally stacks of it in a large number of machine rooms throughout the country. Katzan culls and organizes this material in a manner which surely demonstrates that it's been culled and organized, but less surely demonstrates any significant extraction of the essences of OS's. The material is not, however, without its good points even though, in most instances, they are hard to discern from the jargon jungle which seems to be de regle when speaking of operating systems.


Purpose
To investigate the effect of the vascular adhesion protein-1 (VAP-1) inhibitor RTU-1096 on retinal morphologic changes and ocular inflammation after retinal laser photocoagulation in mice.

Methods
C57BL/6JJcl mice were fed a diet containing RTU-1096, a specific inhibitor for VAP-1, or a control diet ad libitum for 7 days. Laser photocoagulation was performed on the peripheral retina of the animals. The semicarbazide sensitive amine oxidase (SSAO) activities in plasma and chorioretinal tissues were measured. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) images were acquired before and at 1, 3, and 7 days after laser photocoagulation, and thickness of the individual retinal layers was measured. Intravitreal leukocyte infiltration was assessed by histologic analysis. The expression level of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in retinal tissues were examined by quantitative real-time PCR.

Results
One day after laser photocoagulation, the thickness of the outer nuclear layer (ONL) increased in the laser group compared with in the control group, and RTU-1096 administration abrogated the ONL thickening. Histologic analysis and OCT observation revealed that laser photocoagulation caused infiltration of inflammatory cells and the appearance of hyperreflective foci at the vitreoretinal surface, both of which were suppressed by RTU-1096 administration. In addition, systemic administration of RTU-1096 reduced upregulation of the leukocyte adhesion molecules ICAM-1 in the retina.

Conclusions
The current data indicate that VAP-1/SSAO inhibition may be a potential therapeutic strategy for the prevention of macular edema secondary to scatter laser photocoagulation in patients with ischemic retinal diseases such as diabetic retinopathy.


While instructors and students generally value the integration of videos in the online classroom, there are a number of practical considerations that may mediate the utility of videos as a teaching and learning tool. The current survey examines faculty and student perceptions of videos in the online classroom with an emphasis on the practical factors that influence video integration. Results indicate differences in faculty and student acceptance and endorsements of videos for content presentation compared to assignment feedback. Faculty desire more opportunities to interact with their students (i.e., video-based discussions, video-conferencing, and student-generated videos) and highlighted efficiency as a key consideration. Students emphasized a desire for multiple opportunities to engage with course material; while students value text-based resources, they also want to have options to learn and interact via video and audio. Key to student recommendations is an awareness of the time involved to engage with online videos. Discussion highlights practical approaches to maximize the value and utility of videos in the online classroom.


People's health and well-being maybe determined by the interaction of endogenous and external rhythms. Late chronotypes should become anxious. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between circadian types (morningness-eveningness) and anxiety among the university students.

 Materials & Methods: The method of present study was causal-comparative. Research participants were 288 (123 boys and 165 girls) of the university students. The scores obtained on the morningness-eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) of Horn and Ostberg and state-trait anxiety inventory of spielberg. Data were analyzed by multivariable analysis of variance (Manova) and Analysis of variance (ANOVA) between two independent groups.

 Results: The results showed that there was a significant relationship between two circadian type and anxiety (p<0/001). The result of Manova showed that there are significant differences between two circadian types in state-trait anxiety. The results of ANOVA showed that in circadian types and state-trait anxiety there isn't significant differences between two groups.

 Conclusion : Based on the findings of this study could be concluded that the anxiety is related to circadian type eveningness.


It is the objective of this study to analyze the methodologies used for the evaluation of alternative projects in the environmental planning procedure. There are many methodologies used for evaluation of a project or alternative actions such as financial analysis, cost effectiveness analysis, cost benefit analysis and multicriteria analysis. The main methodologies that are being considered in this study are cost benefit analysis and multicriteria analysis. They are two basic methodologies which facilitate the decision-making procedure especially in cases where many criteria should be taken into account in the decision-making model. The character of data being worked out by each methodology differs. Cost benefit analysis is a monetary based technique and all variables should have a monetary value while multicriteria analysis is a non-monetary technique and it can incorporate qualitative variables. The advantages and disadvantages of each methodology are being discussed in the study in order to find a methodology


. We introduce a sound non-wellfounded proof system whose regular (or 'cyclic') proofs are complete for (in)equations between regular expressions. We achieve regularity by using hypersequents rather than usual sequents, with more structure in the succedent, and relying on the discreteness of rational languages to drive proof search. By inspection of the proof search space we extract a PSpace bound for the system, which is optimal for deciding such (in)equations.


Fibroid treatment with MR-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS; syn.: HIFU = high-intensity focused ultrasound) is a thermoablative method in which the tissue to be treated is heated by focused ultrasound in single small volume increments (sonifications, syn: sonications) under constant MRI control until complete denaturation of the planned fibroid volume is achieved. After thermoablation, imaging showed a lack of contrast enhancement of the treated tissue (NPV = non-perfused volume). MRgFUS is organ-preserving and noninvasive and can be performed on an outpatient basis. The treatment method is offered only by a few specialized centers. The goal of MRgFUS treatment is to reduce or eliminate fibroid-related symptoms in affected women. A reduction in fibroid size can be achieved with ultrasound treatment. Complete fibroid regression is not to be expected and is also not the goal of the treatment. The disciplines of gynecology and radiology agree that the indication for the treatment of uterine fibroids should be determined by a gynecologist following examination and counseling of the patient. Comprehensive patient counseling regarding the treatment options in symptomatic uterine fibroids should include medication, surgery, and the two non-surgical treatment options uterine artery embolization (UAE) and MRgFUS. The decision for or against a treatment alternative should be made under consideration of the patient's wishes and with knowledge of other treatment options, the chance of success, limitations, typical side effects, and possible complications (informed consent). MRgFUS treatment provides a treatment method for patients with fibroid-related symptoms and allows further treatment individualization for uterine fibroids in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.


Abstract. A large number of radiometers are traceable to the World Standard Group (WSG) for shortwave radiation and the interim World Infrared Standard Group (WISG) for longwave radiation, hosted by the Physikalisch-Meteorologisches Observatorium Davos/World Radiation Centre (PMOD/WRC, Davos, Switzerland). The WSG and WISG have recently been found to over- and underestimate radiation values, respectively (Fehlmann et al., 2012; Grobner et al., 2014), although research is still ongoing. In view of a possible revision of the reference scales of both standard groups, this study discusses the methods involved and the implications on existing archives of radiation time series, such as the Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN). Based on PMOD/WRC calibration archives and BSRN data archives, the downward longwave radiation (DLR) time series over the 2006–2015 period were analysed at four stations (polar and mid-latitude locations). DLR was found to increase by up to 3.5 and 5.4 W m−2 for all-sky and clear-sky conditions, respectively, after applying a WISG reference scale correction and a minor correction for the dependence of pyrgeometer sensitivity on atmospheric integrated water vapour content. Similar increases in DLR may be expected at other BSRN stations. Based on our analysis, a number of recommendations are made for future studies.


It may be the most interesting and yet loneliest spot on earth: a volcanic rock surrounded by a million square miles of ocean, named for the day Dutch explorers discovered it, Easter Sunday, April 5, 1722. Here people created a complex society, sophisticated astronomy, exquisite wood sculpture, monumental stone architecture, roads, and a puzzling ideographic script. And then they went about sculpting amazing, giant human figures in stone. This richly illustrated book of the history, culture, and art of Easter Island is the first to examine in detail the island's vernacular architecture, often overshadowed by its giant stone statues. It shows the conjecturally reconstructed prehistoric pole houses; the ahu, the sculptures' platform, as a spectacular expression of prehistoric megalithic architecture; and the Easter Island Statue Project's inventory of the colossal moai sculptures. This publication is made possible in part by a generous contribution from Furthermore: a programme of the J. M. Kaplan Fund.


The International Agricultural Trade Research Consortium is an informal association of University and Government economists interested in agricultural trade. Its purpose is to foster interaction, improve research capacity and to focus on relevant trade policy issues. It is financed by United States Department of Agriculture (ERS, and FAS), Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the participating institutions.


Protein sequence and profile alignment has been used essentially in most bioinformatics tasks such as protein structure modeling, function prediction, and phylogenetic analysis. We designed a new algorithm MSACompro to incorporate predicted secondary structure, relative solvent accessibility, and residue-residue contact information into multiple protein sequence alignment. Our experiments showed that it improved multiple sequence alignment accuracy over most existing methods without using the structural information and performed comparably to the method using structural features and additional homologous sequences by slightly lower scores. We also developed HHpacom, a new profile-profile pairwise alignment by integrating secondary structure, solvent accessibility, torsion angle and inferred residue pair coupling information. The evaluation showed that the secondary structure, relative solvent accessibility and torsion angle information significantly improved the alignment accuracy in comparison with the state of the art methods HHsearch and HHsuite. The evolutionary constraint information did help in some cases, especially the alignments of the proteins which are of short lengths, typically 100 to 500 residues. Protein Model selection is also a key step in protein tertiary structure prediction. We developed two SVM model quality assessment methods taking query-template alignment as input. The assessment results illustrated that this could help improve the model selection, protein structure prediction and many other bioinformatics problems. Moreover, we also developed a protein tertiary structure prediction pipeline, of which many components were built in our group's MULTICOM system. The MULTICOM performed well in the CASP10 (Critical Assessment of Techniques for Protein Structure Prediction) competition.


Abstract. The largest uncertainty in projections of future sea-level change results from the potentially changing dynamical ice discharge from Antarctica. Basal ice-shelf melting induced by a warming ocean has been identified as a major cause for additional ice flow across the grounding line. Here we attempt to estimate the uncertainty range of future ice discharge from Antarctica by combining uncertainty in the climatic forcing, the oceanic response and the ice-sheet model response. The uncertainty in the global mean temperature increase is obtained from historically constrained emulations with the MAGICC-6.0 (Model for the Assessment of Greenhouse gas Induced Climate Change) model. The oceanic forcing is derived from scaling of the subsurface with the atmospheric warming from 19 comprehensive climate models of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP-5) and two ocean models from the EU-project Ice2Sea. The dynamic ice-sheet response is derived from linear response functions for basal ice-shelf melting for four different Antarctic drainage regions using experiments from the Sea-level Response to Ice Sheet Evolution (SeaRISE) intercomparison project with five different Antarctic ice-sheet models. The resulting uncertainty range for the historic Antarctic contribution to global sea-level rise from 1992 to 2011 agrees with the observed contribution for this period if we use the three ice-sheet models with an explicit representation of ice-shelf dynamics and account for the time-delayed warming of the oceanic subsurface compared to the surface air temperature. The median of the additional ice loss for the 21st century is computed to 0.07 m (66% range: 0.02–0.14 m; 90% range: 0.0–0.23 m) of global sea-level equivalent for the low-emission RCP-2.6 (Representative Concentration Pathway) scenario and 0.09 m (66% range: 0.04–0.21 m; 90% range: 0.01–0.37 m) for the strongest RCP-8.5. Assuming no time delay between the atmospheric warming and the oceanic subsurface, these values increase to 0.09 m (66% range: 0.04–0.17 m; 90% range: 0.02–0.25 m) for RCP-2.6 and 0.15 m (66% range: 0.07–0.28 m; 90% range: 0.04–0.43 m) for RCP-8.5. All probability distributions are highly skewed towards high values. The applied ice-sheet models are coarse resolution with limitations in the representation of grounding-line motion. Within the constraints of the applied methods, the uncertainty induced from different ice-sheet models is smaller than that induced by the external forcing to the ice sheets.


One method to ensure that nursing students are better prepared for their future professional role can be to offer them process-oriented group supervision. The aim of this prospective, longitudinal pilot study was to evaluate the effects of a process-oriented group supervision programme (PGSP) comprising educational, supportive and developmental areas based on reports by nursing students undergoing a 3-year nursing education. The students (N=61) evaluated their experiences of the PGSP by means of a questionnaire, which they filled in after each study year. An independent t-test was conducted to compare the educational, supportive, and developmental areas after the first (2002), second (2003) and third year (2004) as well as over the whole 3-year study period. The result showed no significant difference in scores in the educational area. However, there was a significant increase in the supportive area (p=.03) over the 3-year period, which was especially noticeable during the first year (p=.013). There was also an increase in the developmental area over the 3-year period (p=.021) as well as during the first year (p=.024). Thus, PGSP seems to develop nursing students in their professional identity and personal growth. However, as this was a pilot study, a research implication is to perform a large-scale study over a longer period of time.


Understandings of freedom are often discussed in moral, theological, legal and political terms, but they are not often set in a historical perspective, and they are even more rarely considered within their specific language context. From Homeric poems to contemporary works, the author traces the words that express the various notions of freedom in Classical Greek, Latin, and medieval and modern European idioms. Examining writers as varied as Plato, Aristotle, Luther, La Boetie, Hobbes, Rousseau, Kant, Stirner, Nietzsche, and Foucault among others, this theoretical mapping shows old and new boundaries of the horizon of freedom. The book suggests the possibility of transcending these boundaries on the basis of a different theorization of human interactions, which constructs individual and collective subjects as processes rather than entities. This construction shifts and disseminates the very locus of freedom, whose vocabulary would be better recast as a relational middle path between autonomous and heteronomous alternatives.


This volume is a collection of the Nobel Lectures delivered by the prizewinners, together with their biographies and the presentation speeches at the award ceremonies in Stockholm for the period 2001-2005. Each Nobel Lecture is based on the work for which the laureate was awarded the prize. This volume of inspiring lectures should be on the bookshelf of every keen student, teacher and professor of economics as well as of those in related fields. Below is a list of the prizewinners during the period 2001-2005 with a description of the works which won them their prizes: (2001) George A. Akerlof, A. Michael Spence & Joseph Stiglitz - for their analyses of markets with asymmetric information; (2002) Daniel Kahneman - for having integrated insights from psychological research into economic science, especially concerning human judgment and decision-making under uncertainty & Vernon L. Smith - for having established laboratory experiments as a tool in empirical economic analysis, especially in the study of alternative market mechanisms; (2003) Robert F. Engle III - for methods of analyzing economic time series with time-varying volatility (ARCH) & Clive W. J. Granger - for methods of analyzing economic time series with common trends (cointegration); (2004) Finn E. Kydland & Edward C. Prescott - for their contributions to dynamic macroeconomics: the time consistency of economic policy and the driving forces behind business cycles; (2005) Robert J. Aumann & Thomas C. Schelling - for having enhanced our understanding of conflict and cooperation through game-theory analysis.


High tech companies – especially in the emerging areas of the Internet of Things, wearable devices, and personalized medicine – have found it difficult to enforce their patents on interactive technologies. This is especially true when multiple parties combine to perform all of the steps of a claimed method. This problem is referred to as joint or divided infringement, and some commentators advocate that "interactive" patents susceptible to divided infringement should not be enforced.In contrast, this article argues that economic theory supports the enforcement of interactive patents. Previous papers have analyzed divided infringement problems from a doctrinal and policy perspective. This article is the first to analyze divided infringement from an economic perspective, using three prevalent economic theories of the patent system.Uniquely, all three prevalent economic theories of the patent system – (1) reward theory, (2) prospect theory, and (3) rent dissipation theory – support the enforcement of interactive patents. Reward theory is consistent with enforcing the rights of interactive patents so long as the patent system balances the social cost with the social benefit of interactive technologies. Prospect theory recommends enforcing interactive patents where it would promote an inventor's ability to commercialize her invention free from direct competition. Finally, rent dissipation theory suggests enforcing interactive patents if it will effectively reduce the dissipation of patent rents.Viewing interactive patent enforcement through the lens of these economic theories reveals how doctrinal tests for divided infringement may align with the economic goals of the patent system. Although it is likely that the doctrinal test for divided infringement will continue to evolve, start-ups and disruptive, hi-tech companies who own interactive patents should find some guidance in the notion that the economic underpinnings of the patent system support enforcement of their interactive inventions.


Objectives: Oral mucositis and their correlation with oral infections, pro-inflammation agents and deficiency of proteins such as mannose binding lectin in haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) have been part of an ongoing study at the Haematology and Oncology, Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong. Methods: A cohort of randomly selected adult patients with hematological disorders who underwent HSCT during 2005-07 was screened from the day of admission until discharged. Confounding variables include the type of donor, conditioning regimens, immunosuppressants and opioid analgesics used, disease state, hematological values and, febrile episodes. Oral mucositis scoring system (OMS) was adopted with modifications (WHO). The assessment and sampling of specimens was conducted by dental specialists and/or transplantation specialty nurses. Inter-examiner cross validations were done prior to actual assessment period. Mouth mirrors and bedside lighting were used to evaluate the oral conditions. Results: A total of 65 adult patients were participated in this study. They included 39 males and 26 females with an age range of 17-65 years with diseases such as myeloma, lymphomas, acute leukaemia and, pre-leukaemia. Forty-eight (74%) had chemotherapy alone and 17 (26%) had combined chemotherapy and radiation as conditioning regimen. Donors included autologus (20, 30.7%), allogenic (16, 24.6%) and syngenic/sibling match (29, 44.6%). The total OMS ranged between 10 and 25 (normal total score = 9) with no significant difference between the variable scores amongst autologus, allogenic and sibling-match. Hospital stay was highest in the allogenic group (mean, 35 days) compared with sibling-match (mean, 30 days) and autologus (mean, 25 days). OMS correlated well with neutropenia (p=0.0004), high pain score (p=0.005) and thrombocytopenia (p<0.0001; ANOVA). Conclusions: OMS significantly correlated with the causative events of oral complications such as neutropenia and thrombocytopenia and positively correlated with pain visual analogous score. Type of donor cells was correlated well with duration of hospital stay.


In this article it is argued that notions of 'quality' in early childhood education have been captured by neo-liberal discourses. These discourses perpetuate the western, individualistic, normativising and exploitative attitudes and practices that are contributing to the climate crisis currently imperilling our planet. Educators may inadvertently perpetuate this situation, or they can instead consciously challenge this dominant culture, opening up spaces of divergence. Via a sequence of short scenarios or stories based within the early childhood care and education context of Aotearoa (New Zealand), readers are invited to consider alternative conceptualisations, drawing on post-humanist and Indigenous theorising, which focus on fostering dispositional qualities that holistically engage intra-actively with(in) children's worlds.


The work presented here aims to answer this question: Using just binary occupancy sensors is it possible to build a behaviour occupancy model over long-term logged data? Sensor measurements are grouped to form artificial words (activities) and documents (set of activities). The goal is to infer the latent topics which are assumed to be the common routines from the observed data. An unsupervised probabilistic model, namely the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA), is applied to automatically discover the latent topics (routines) in the data. Experimental results using real logged data of 24 weeks from an office building, with different number of topics, are shown. The results show the power of the LDA model in extracting relevant patterns from sensor network data.


South Africa has eleven official languages and legally learners receive tuition in their mother tongue until the end of Grade 3. From then on teachers are required to teach through the medium of English or Afrikaans. The implication is that the majority of learners in the senior secondary school phase study Life Sciences in their second language, which is English. This has a major effect on the performance of learners in Life Sciences. A review was done of possible strategies teachers could use to assist English second language learners. Focus group interviews were held with Life Science teachers in an attempt to determine what the impact of teaching Life Sciences to English second language learners is and what teachers can do to assist English second language learners master concepts and terminology. The findings and recommendations of this research are reported here.


This paper provides examples of current research in the field of 3D printed ceramics from a creative design perspective. It will also present a case study of a research collaboration between Denby Potteries and the Centre for Fine Print Research (CFPR), which is intended to move 3D printing from making replica prototypes to creating actual objects in ceramics.
Denby bring to the project expertise from a traditional but forward looking pottery company, who use 3D prototyping as an integral part of their concept design process. The CFPR bring a body of UK Research Council funded research and a patented material consisting of a 3D printable ceramic body. The research undertaken potentially allows the ability to print directly in a compatible ceramic material that can be rapidly glazed and decorated; a quantum leap in concept modelling for Denby, and the tableware industry.
A 3D printed sugar bowl will provide an exemplar of the inherent problems of re-creating an existing ceramic artefact. 3D printing of ceramics is a fundamentally different process from conventional ceramic forming techniques for tableware. Its evolution demonstrates some of the problems and solutions developed during the creation of an actual 3D printed ceramic artefact.


The effects of a carbon fiber ionizer on the collection efficiency of an electret filter for residential house ventilation were investigated with varying the face velocity, the number of ionizers, and the polarity of the ionizer. A Flimmer filter, which was made by a Swedish company, was used as the electret filter. The air ion concentration upstream of the filter gradually increased as the velocity increased. Under the same conditions of velocity and the same number of ionizers, the positive ion concentrations were slightly higher than the negative ones. The ion concentration at any location away from the ion source was only slightly affected by the number of ionizers. When ionizers were used in front of the Flimmer filter, the collection efficiencies for submicron particles increased by 10 to 25%. When positive ionizers were used, the collection efficiencies were 10 to 15% higher than with the negative ionizers. The increase in collection efficiency occurred because most of the generated air ions were captured on the surface of the electret filter fibers, thereby increasing the electrostatic potential inside the electret filter.


Visual acuity was measured in terms of the reciprocal of the angle in minutes subtended by the individual lines in a parallel-line test object at the limit of perception of the lines when the observer was allowed to see the target for less than one millisecond. Visual acuity, measured with the lines passing either vertically or horizontally through the visual field, was found to be approximately 20 percent higher than when measured with the lines passing diagonally through the visual field at angles of 45 and 135 degrees with the horizontal. These results indicate that the variation in the visibility f a parallel-line test object as a function of its orientation is not produced by preferential directions for eye movements. The variation of visual acuity with test-object orientation was also measured as a function of pupil diameter and fixation point, but these data do not give any conclusive evidence as to the factors producing the variations.


This project expands future applied-design capabilities for textiles as a function of inkjet deposition technology. The project investigates 3D inkjet rapid-production tools' potential, focusing on creative gaps in the developing technology in its application to the textile design process. As such, the research investigates future design possibilities for inkjet printing technology in the creation of 3D textile structures and surfaces. The research "demonstrates how tacit knowledge can be employed, observed and created in a methodical way, with new artefacts playing a role in provoking insights based on tacit understanding"... [with a ] focus on developing and employing tacit insights that would not be revealed in situations where nothing has been changed." (Rust, 2007) As inkjet textile technology evolves past a rapid prototyping tool into a series of responsive manufacturing techniques for textile products, designers, textile technology developers and soft goods industries will be able to use the results of this research to maximize their creative development. By developing and employing modified 2D/3D textile design processes with the technology future creators will be assisted to conceptualise and manufacture locally, creatively and with more accessible technologies.


Biopolymers are attractive candidates to fabricate biocompatible hydrogels, but the low water solubility of most of them at physiological pH has hindered their applications. To prepare a water-soluble derivative of chitosan (WSC) biopolymer, it was grafted with a small anionic amino acid, l-glutamic acid, using a single-step 1-ethyl-3-[3-dimethylaminopropyl]carbodiimide coupling reaction. This resulted in a zwitterion-tethered structure onto the polymer backbone. The degree of substitution range was 13-16 ± 1.25%, which was controlled by varying the feeding reagent ratios. Differential scanning calorimetry- and X-ray diffraction-based analysis confirmed a transition from  amorphous into a moderately amorphous/crystalline morphology after amino acid grafting, which made the derivative water-soluble at physiological pH. Composite hydrogels gelated within 60 s when using this WSC together with benzaldehyde-terminated 4-arm poly(ethylene glycol) as cross-linker. The compressive modulus of these hydrogels could be easily tuned between 4.0 ± 1.0 and 31 ± 2.5 kPa, either by changing the cross-linker concentration or total solid content in the final gel. The gels were injectable at the lowest cross-linker as well as total solid content, due to the enhanced elastic behavior. These hydrogels showed biodegradability during a 1 month incubation period in phosphate-buffered saline with weight remaining of 60 ± 1.5 and 44 ± 1.45% at pHs 7.4 and 6.5, respectively. The cytocompatibility of the gels was tested using the fibroblast cell line (i.e., WI-38), which showed good cell viability on the gel surface. Therefore, these hydrogels could be an important injectable biomaterial for delivery purpose in the future.


(a) The provisions of this section and § 1002.215 apply to the reinstatement in the Medicaid program of all individuals or entities excluded in accordance with § 1002.210, if a State affords reinstatement opportunity to those excluded parties. (b) An individual or entity who has been excluded from Medicaid may be reinstated only by the Medicaid agency that imposed the exclusion. (c) An individual or entity may submit to the State agency a request for reinstatement at any time after the date specified in the notice of exclusion.


We present a detailed analysis of the quantum description of electro-optical phase modulation. The results define a black-box type model for this device, which may be especially useful in the engineering steps leading to the design of complex quantum information systems incorporating one or more of these devices. By constructing an explicit representation of the phase modulation scattering operator, it is shown that an approach based entirely on its classical description leads to unphysical modes associated to non-positive frequencies. After modifying this operator, phase modulation is described, for the first time to the best of our knowledge, in terms of a unitary scattering operator S defined over positive-frequency modes. The modifications introduced by S in the process of sideband generation by phase modulation are shown to be insignificant when the radiation belongs to optical bands, thus being consistent with the classical description. Finally, the model is employed to characterize the important case of multitone radio- frequency modulation of an optical signal.


This paper deals with the development of methodologies and architectures for autonomous systems that act and interact in a shared, dynamic environment. We present the agent architecture INTERRAP 1. INTERRAP extends previous approaches to building layered architectures by a cooperation layer, and thus allows the designer of a system not only to build agents with both reactive and deliberative facilities, but also to provide important mechanisms for communication, coordination, and collaboration with other agents. The components of the architecture and their interplay are described. It is evaluated by the simulation of an automated loading dock, an interacting robots application, where autonomous forklifts have to perform loading and unloading tasks. We show how different functionalities of the forklift agents can be modeled in an adequate manner at different layers of the INTERRAP architecture. Thus, the main contribution of this work is the reconciliation of (D)AI concepts such as goals, plans, conflict resolution, and negotiation with mobile robot research which is absolutely necessary in order to model the lower layers of the agent, such as sensor data processing, obstacle avoidance, navigation, and physical control.


This book covers all aspects of bioavailability, as related to environmental contaminants. After a discussion of the definition of bioavailability and its context, focus is placed on the role of risk assessment and bioavailability. Methods of analysis are then discussed including a range of atomic spectroscopic and electrochemical techniques for metal analysis and chromatographic approaches for persistent organic pollutants (POPs). The occurrence, properties and eco-toxicity of POPs and metals in the soil/sediment environment are discussed. Particular emphasis is placed on the uptake of POPs and metals by plants (phytoextraction). Examples of POPs and metals in the environment are reviewed. Methods to assess the bioavailability of POPs and metals in the environment are discussed. The particular approaches considered are: non-exhaustive extraction techniques; single extraction techniques; sequential extraction techniques; use of cyclodextrin and surfactants; in-vitro gastrointestinal methods including physiological-based extraction test; the use of bioasssays including earthworms. Finally, selected case studies highlight the importance of determining the bioavailability of POPs and metals.


Learning distance metrics from data is a fundamental problem in machine learning and useful way to extract data-driven features by using the matrix root of a distance matrix. Finding a proper metric amounts to optimization over the cone of positive definite (PD) matrices. This optimization is difficult since restricting optimization to remain within the PD cone or repeatedly projecting to the cone is prohibitively costly. Here we describe COMET, a block-coordinate descent procedure, which efficiently keeps the search within the PD cone, avoiding both costly projections and unnecessary computation of full gradients. COMET also continuously maintains the Cholesky root of the matrix, providing feature extraction and embedding of samples in a metric space. We further develop a structurally sparse variant of COMET, where only a small number of features interacts with other features. SparseCOMET significantly accelerates both training and inference while improving interpretability. As a block-coordinate descent procedure, COMET has fast convergence bounds showing linear convergence with high probability. When tested on benchmark datasets in a task of retrieving similar images and similar text documents, COMET has significantly better precision than competing projection-free methods. Furthermore, sparse-COMET achieves almost identical precision as dense-COMET in document classification, while running◊4.5 faster, maintaining a 0.5% sparsity level, and outperforming competing methods both in precision and in run time.


In the 1890s, New Zealand legislators established the Arbitration Court as an ad hoc system for settling industrial disputes; by the mid-twentieth century the Court had become a pillar of New Zealand's welfare state. This transformation did not proceed smoothly, however, because of a mismatch between the mission and its managers. The judges who presided over the court were more interested in legal principles and forensic debate than the bargains of workers and their employers. They considered their tenure as a purgatory to be endured until they were promoted to full-time service on the New Zealand Supreme Court. This mismatch resulted because the Court evolved into an institution that differed from the founders' intent and because a dearth of other professionals left only the judiciary as a vehicle for putting the resolution of industrial disputes beyond the reach of partisan politics. This article is reproduced by kind permission of the Friends of the Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand (www.turnbullfriends.org.nz).


A recent trend in exemplar based unsupervised learning is to formulate the learning problem as a convex optimization problem. Convexity is achieved by restricting the set of possible prototypes to training exemplars. In particular, this has been done for clustering, vector quantization and mixture model density estimation. In this paper we propose a novel algorithm that is theoretically and practically superior to these convex formulations. This is possible by posing the unsupervised learning problem as a single convex "master problem" with non-convex subproblems. We show that for the above learning tasks the subproblems are extremely well-behaved and can be solved efficiently.


Penetration of solar radiation in the upper few meters of the ocean creates a near-surface, stratified diurnal warm layer. Wind stress accelerates a diurnal jet in this layer. Turbulence generated at the diurnal thermocline, where the shear of the diurnal jet is concentrated, redistributes heat downward via mixing. New measurements of temperature and turbulence from fast thermistors on a surface-following platform depict the details of this sequence in both time and depth. Temporally, the sequence at a fixed depth follows a counterclockwise path in logϵ–logN parameter space. This path also captures the evolution of buoyancy Reynolds number (a proxy for the anisotropy of the turbulence) and Ozmidov scale (a proxy for the outer vertical length scale of turbulence in the absence of the free surface). Vertically, the solar heat flux always leads to heating of fluid parcels in the upper few meters, whereas the turbulent heat flux divergence changes sign across the depth of maximum vertical temperature gradient, cooling fluid parcels above and heating fluid parcels below. In general, our measurements of fluid parcel heating or cooling rates of order 0.1°C h−1 are consistent with our estimates of heat flux divergence. In weak winds (<2 m s−1), sea surface temperature (SST) is controlled by the depth-dependent absorption of solar radiation. In stronger winds, turbulent mixing controls SST.


Introduction: Since regional advance care planning (ACP) programs have demonstrated effects that to many seemed impossible until recently, widespread implementation into regular care is a matter of time. But where are we heading for, and how can we get there? Methods: Review of the literature and analysis of experiences with a German ACP program. Results: ACP is a powerful concept to strengthen patients' autonomous choices in situations of severe illness. As ACP requires a change in decision making culture, it cannot be decreed – it needs to be implemented in an evolutionary regional process, involving the community and relevant health care institutions. Most countries will need to see thriving ACP pilots before nation-wide programs can be launched. However, barriers and pitfalls have to be considered. Realizing patient autonomy is not embraced by all, some worry that ACP will pave the way for active euthanasia, and many fear a hidden health-economic rationale. In order for an ACP program to become a sustained success, the resulting care plans must prove to be both relevant (i.e., making a difference) and valid (i.e., congruent with the person's true intention). Relevance and validity of advance care plans, however, are primarily a function of skillful facilitation. Besides transparency of economic incentives, research and implementation policies should concentrate on facilitator qualification, standards of the facilitation process, and assessments warranting that advance care plans are relevant and valid. Conclusion: In the long run, ACP programs will stand or fall with the proven quality of the implemented professional facilitation process.


Mikhail Larionov9s Still-Life with Crayfish is a result of the artist sintense engagement
with Russian folk art traditions. In attempting to liberate Russian art from the influence of
the West, Larionov discovered new formal languages by looking to his heritage and
bringing into his paintings images derived from icons, lubki (popular prints) as well as
painted shop signs and children sart. Although Larionov did not spearhead the Russian
crafts revival, his participation became critical for its dissemination. Still-Life with Crayfish exemplifies Larionov9s insistence on russifying Western forms.
The lessons of Czanne and the bold experiments of the Fauves figure prominently;
however, the artist9s conception of line, depth and color is a clear reference to lubki . The
strident palette reflects Eastern influences, and the feast itself conveys an essentially
Russian character. Larionov spassionate interest in creating new art forms inclined him
to draw upon a diversity of sources. His admiration for the stability and timelessness of
Russian peasant culture, life and art played a critical role in developing his oeuvre and
allowed him to create a distinctive style independent of the West without wholly rejecting
it.


Since Internet routers are not aware of the contents being forwarded, the same content file is often delivered multiple times inefficiently. Similarly, users cannot exploit a nearby copy of the content of interest unless the content file is serviced by costly content delivery networks. Prior studies on the content-aware routing for efficient content delivery suffer from the scalability problem due to a large number of contents. We propose a scalable content routing, dubbed SCAN, which can exploit nearby and multiple content copies for the efficient delivery. SCAN exchanges the information of the cached contents using Bloom filter. Compared with IP routing, SCAN can offer reduced delivery latency, reduced traffic volume, and load balancing among links.


ABSTRACT To understand relationships between the urban environment and cycling practices we need new ways to face complexity and multidimensionality. Neither measurable environmental variables, nor thickly descriptive, particularistic, or overtly theoretical contributions provide satisfying recommendations for cycling policy and practice. We propose the development of a pattern language for urban cycling environments, together with a supporting methodology – named Embodied Making – for the development of novel patterns. We define an individual pattern as "a honed solution that successfully resolves conflicting forces in a recurring context"; a pattern language as a grouping of related patterns that work together within a given domain. Rather than attempting to identify existing solutions, Embodied Making seeks to develop new patterns from the bottom-up, i.e. from the analysis of forces themselves. The use of a pattern language naturally addresses the integrated quality of the physical, perceived, and lived dimensions of urban environments, and holds promise for a more holistic understanding of cycling environments, which could help bridge existing ontological and epistemological divisions within cycling research. We discuss how such a pattern language (1) Addresses integrated quality of physical, perceived, and lived environments; (2) Makes human experience part and parcel of the investigation; (3) Offers an approach to accommodating complexity; (4) Is adaptable, because it formulates patterns as mid-level abstractions instead of either absolutes or unique context-specifics; (5) Uses pragmatism as its philosophical underpinning; (6) Works with languages in which patterns take on significance and meaning according to connections with other patterns, and; (7) Facilitates community building.


Safer speeds are recognised as an integral tool in reducing road trauma, also they are a key pillar of the Safe System philosophy. The current national guidance on speed limits recognises this at the conceptual level but the approach for practical implementation has not been developed to date. This paper aims to stimulate discussion around the emerging concept of setting speed limits on basis of severe crash risk (fatal and serious injury outcomes). It draws on recent Austroads research to propose several alternative approaches based on crash history, assessment of inherent crash risk due to the road environment, or both. The presented approaches also recognise the intended road function within the network as an indicator of the mobility level expected by the public. The paper explores the possible application of established network-level risk assessment tools such as AusRAP in risk-based approach to speed limits.


In the recent past, Healthcare sector has shown an exceptional growth all over the world. At the same time, rising health consciousness among patients and demand for quality services has resulted in a stiff competition among hospitals. Consequently, hospitals are increasingly focusing on improving the operations to meet the requirements of patients. To meet this requirement, hospitals need to improve and redesign their existing processes. In this mission of redesigning the healthcare systems, simulation modelers have an important role to play. Simulation modelers can help hospitals in delivering high quality healthcare by proposing strategic scenarios that work in synchronization with operations management philosophies. In this study, we extend an effort in this direction by showcasing the use of simulation as a modeling and analysis tool at an Indian ophthalmic hospital. In particular, we model the outpatient department with a goal of achieving a streamlined patient flow. We analyze various scenarios to compute the adequate resources, while maximizing their utilization. This study results in significant reduction in service lead time, especially in the circumstances where every extra minute spent add to the vows of patients and their aids.


How do managers and companies quickly transform new hires into productive employees, a process called "rapid on-boarding"? The authors contend that companies that are more successful at rapid on-boarding tend to use a relational approach, helping newcomers to rapidly establish a broad network of relationships with coworkers that they can tap to obtain the information they need to become productive. Most organizations realize the importance of integrating new employees, but many fail in this regard, often because of five pervasive myths about the process: (1) the best newcomers can fend for themselves, (2) a massive information dump allows newcomers to obtain what they need, (3) cursory introductions are all that's needed, (4) first assignments should be small, compact and quickly achievable, and (5) mentors are best for getting newcomers integrated. Because of those misconceptions, managers will frequently rely on certain taken-for-granted practices that can actually hinder new employees from becoming productive.


A highly efficient, regioselective five-step synthesis of the TRPV1 antagonist 1 is described. The coupling of piperazine 7 with dichloropyrimidine 8 proceeded via a regioselective Pd-mediated amination affording product 11 in excellent yield. Conversion of the penultimate product 14 afforded 1 through formation of a magnesium ate complex and trapping with CO2.


Environmental fate processes of neonicotinoid insecticides are of significant interest, given the serious threats these chemicals can pose to nontarget organisms such as pollinators (e.g., bees). Direct photolysis was investigated using a laboratory photoreactor approximating full-spectrum sunlight to predict the aquatic fate of neonicotinoids. Quantum yields (ϕc) were 0.019 ± 0.001, 0.013 ± 0.001, 0.0092 ± 0.0005, 0.0022 ± 0.0003, and 0.0013 ± 0.0002 for thiamethoxam, clothianidin, imidacloprid, acetamiprid, and thiacloprid, respectively. On the basis of these values, estimated half-lives were 0.2–1.5 days for different seasons in surface waters at temperate latitudes for thiamethoxam, consistent with the 0.98 day half-life observed experimentally outdoors at Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada (50°N), for thiamethoxam in summer. Light attenuation through shallow clear surface waters (e.g., by natural organic matter) indicated that photolysis of thiamethoxam at depths greater than 8 cm was negligible, which may h...


Three portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) methods were compared and tested in an exploration program using till in Sinoselkä, northern Finland. The use of one truck-mounted XRF unit and two handheld pXRF analysers were tested for basal till samples gathered using percussion drilling with a flow-through sampling bit. The datasets were compared to both conventional aqua regia based analyses and each other. The results prove that a correlation between the data generated by different pXRF methods was acceptable for some major (Ca, Fe) and most of the base metal elements (like As, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn) in the Sinoselkä area. The pXRF analyses also correlate well with the aqua regia geochemical data of the same elements. Distribution of the elements was comparable to the lithological changes in the underlying bedrock that indicates a short glacial transport distance. It is also demonstrated that more than absolute values, the relative values and their changes are those which should be considered and carefully examined. The results reported here emphasize the usefulness of pXRF analysers in till geochemical exploration and demonstrate that they involve easy and fast methods to collect geochemical data for tracing sources of multi-metal mineralization. Furthermore, pXRF is applicable in gold exploration, although indicator elements like As, Bi, Cu, Mn and Sb have to be used instead of Au.


Description: This booklet is one of a series prepared during the UNESCO training workshops to produce gender-sensitive materials for HIV/AIDS prevention for Southern African countries. The gender theme that is integrated into this post-literacy materials allows for the recognition of local conditions, attitudes, values, beliefs, dreams and aspirations. This booklet addresses a wider-range of issues normally not incuded in materials for HIV/AIDS, such as the secondary status of girls and women in the family, wife inheritance, traditional medicinal practices, supersitions, home-based care and living positively with HIV/AIDS. The series aims at providing materials that can help readers: women, men, young and old change their attitudes, which, in turn will bring about positive changes in their behaviour and urge them to raise issues and seek answers to questions concerning their risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. It also takes into consideration, readers with limited literacy skills.This story is about the importance of information-sharing on serious issues such as HIV/AIDS with others, and with particular emphasis on the role and impact of education.


This paper reports a novel launch scheme for coupling light into the skew rays of a graded index fiber. This is accomplished by utilizing a diffractive optical element in conjunction with a single mode fiber to mode match a graded index fiber. Results are used to confirm the fact that the element does improve the coupling into the skew rays of graded index fiber. This approach offers an alternative to existing methods based on tilting and angular offsets for the conditioned launch problem.


The project was conducted on four coals seams, the Shallow and Yard (Lower Coal Measures) from Lea Hall Colliery at Rugeley, and the Park and-Eight Feet seams from Littleton Colliery, near Cannock. Ultimate, proximate analyses and moisture contents showed them to be of high volatile bituminous 'B' coal-rank, and typical of high Cl coals. The Cl investigation showed a relationship with organic matter where ash is a dilutant, reaching c. 1% (by weight) in the coals, almost an order higher than in the associated mudrocks. It is related to the internal surface area and is thus highest in the vitrinite dominated 'bright rocks' and lowest in the 'dull coals'. Two types of Cl were identified, originating from saline ground waters, the former representing present ground water solutions trapped in the larger pores and readily water-soluble, and the latter held in organic combination within smaller or closed pores produced by Hercynian rank imposition. Varying levels of this Cl can be released by ion exchange with carbonates in leaching experiments. The mudrock and coal ash mineralogy was conducted on low temperature ashed material which suffered the side-effect of gypsum formation during oxidation. The mudrock mineralogy is dominated by detrital minerals, quartz and clays predominating. Diagenetic minerals rarely account for 7% of the normative minerals except in localised pyrite and siderite nodules., Climate played an important role in the detrital mineralogy, the lower seam floor measures being dominated by a tropically leached suite of kaolinite and quartz. Continental movement led to increased aridity characterised by illite and chlorite which dominate the higher seams. The intraseam dirt bands are composed of very fine clays, rapidly deposited over wide areas by minor base-level changes or river (ii) bank bursts. The roof measures show least evidence of leaching and are often highest in diagenetic siderite. Ba, Sr, Rb (illite) and Zr (zircon) are predominantly detrital trace elements whilst oxyhydroxide material was-the transporting media. for the diagenetically located elements, Ni, Pb (pyrite), Co and Mn (siderite). Cu is primarily associated with organic matter. The detrital coal mineralogy reflects the fine mudrock material and is usually highest associated with the dirt bands. Diagenetic minerals dominate the ash, reaching 95% (by weight), the major component being late diagenetic cleat. A paragenetic sequence of mineralisation follows a widespread trend from sulphides, silicates to carbonates reflecting changing ground water composition. The cleat fractures represent microjointing produced with stress release during uplift. Its frequence decreases with bed thickness, and the brittle nature of vitrinite causes it to have the earliest formed and most abundant cleat. The strength of multimaceral lithotypes such as durain is much greater and therefore fracture least, later and with a greater dilation.


Type 1 or invariant NKT (iNKT) cell agonists, epitomized by α-galactosylceramide, protect against cancer largely by IFN-γ-dependent mechanisms. Here we describe what we believe to be a novel IFN-γ-independent mechanism induced by β-mannosylceramide, which also defines a potentially new class of iNKT cell agonist, with an unusual β-linked sugar. Like α-galactosylceramide, β-mannosylceramide directly activates iNKT cells from both mice and humans. In contrast to α-galactosylceramide, protection by β-mannosylceramide was completely dependent on NOS and TNF-α, neither of which was required to achieve protection with α-galactosylceramide. Moreover, at doses too low for either alone to protect, β-mannosylceramide synergized with α-galactosylceramide to protect mice against tumors. These results suggest that treatment with β-mannosylceramide provides a distinct mechanism of tumor protection that may allow efficacy where other agonists have failed. Furthermore, the ability of β-mannosylceramide to synergize with α-galactosylceramide suggests treatment with this class of iNKT agonist may provide protection against tumors in humans.


Youth sport parenting research, in psychology, has methodologically prioritised individual level analysis of the behaviours, perceptions or needs of parents and young athletes. While this has contributed greatly to understanding the role of parents in sport, children's parenting preferences and the challenges of parenting in this unique setting, an exploration of parenting in youth sport from a dyadic, inter-individual perspective has received far less attention. Accordingly, the purpose of this research was to explore parent's and children's experience of their interaction and relationship, in the context of elite youth football. Eight parent-player dyads, recruited from English professional football club youth academies, participated in phenomenological interviews. A two-stage analysis process was performed to explore individual parent and player experiences and examine how accounts related dyadically. Findings present a detailed description and interpretation of the parent-player relationship; as one constituted by relations with other family members, an embodied sense of closeness, the temporal significance of football transitions, and gender relations. This research advocates the need for a view of parenting in youth sport that accounts for how interaction is experienced by both parents and children and highlights the importance of conceptualising parenting as an embodied, temporal process, constituted through interaction and the social context.


Trade liberalisation in the livestock sector is not likely to benefit to any great degree from the trade negotiations on agriculture at the WTO that commenced in the spring of 2000. This is because the major barriers to trade in livestock and red meat are not related to tariffs and other traditional border measures that restrict trade or subsidisation; rather, they are governed by the WTO's SPS Agreement and the GATT's contingency protection provisions relating to dumping and countervailing duties. Negotiations on these issues will have to await a general WTO negotiating round. As SPS and contingency protection questions have many interested sectors, progress is likely to be slow and the prospects for further formal liberalisation remote in the near future. In these circumstances, private sector initiatives to defuse trade problems before they start is a strategy that should be continued and expanded.


The newspaper, as we know it - the actual broadsheet or tabloid that is delivered at our doorstep or purchased at the news stand - will cease to exist within the next 34 years, assert the scholars who trace the circulation and readership statistics in the United States. The era of the printed newspaper will end in the United States by 2043. A similar timeline may hold true for all countries with high Internet penetration and declining newspaper sales. So, we will see the end of the era of the print revolution, which began with Bi Sheng or Gutenberg (depending on how you interpret history). Thus, newspaper journalism will have to pave the way for cyberspace/digital/electronic journalism.


Research on the impact of the internet in the Middle East has been
dominated by a focus on politics and the public sphere, and oscillated between the
hope for 'revolutionary' change and the admission that regime stability in the
region has not easily been unsettled by media revolutions alone. Obsession with
the new and with the latest technologies has helped to obscure more long-term
socio-cultural developments. This paper is a plea for a shift of paradigm: to study
more seriously the social and cultural effects of internet and mobile phone use; to
find out what impact the use of these media has on conceptions of the individual
and its role in the construction of knowledge and values; and how these dynamics
are embedded in more long-term historical developments promoting a greater role
for the individual vis-a-vis established authorities.


DANGEROUS KNOWLEDGE? MORALITY AND MORAL PROGRESS AFTER NATURALISM Daniel Diederich Farmer, B.A., M.A. Marquette University, 2014 From the perspective of at least some of our valuing practices, the advance of the sciences can seem to constitute a threat. The question I take up in this dissertation is whether or not naturalism—understood as the picture of the world and of ourselves bequeathed to us by the sciences—should be understood as a threat to our moral practices, to moral living. On the account I defend, the knowledge we gain from empirical inquiry need not undermine moral living in toto, although a naturalistic mindset does raise some possibly dangerous questions for particular inherited moral norms and ideals. In defense of my claim that the examined life need not destroy the moral life, I develop a social view of morality. On this view, both moral authority and moral justification are viewed as fundamentally social phenomena, and morality itself as a tool for social living. With a case study on the development of the ethics of care, I illustrate ways in which a concern for empirically truthful representations of humanity can also dovetail with liberatory political concerns. That is, I defend not only the claim that moral living can survive critical scrutiny, but also the claim that it can be enriched by this scrutiny—that the truth can be transformative. Expansive moral ideals, such as those humanist views that see progress in the expansion of our moral vocabularies and institutions, are compatible with a naturalistic outlook, I argue. However, a strong defense of humanist views, according to which such ideals flow unproblematically from the nature of reason or from the history of ethical practice, does not seem possible. A weak defense of humanism, which connects the ideals of humanists to more widely held values, seems more promising. In working socially and politically for their cause, I contend that humanists in some sense have the truth on their side: sexist, racist, classist, or otherwise inegalitarian views regularly trade in falsehoods and obfuscation. Empirically truthful accounts of particular inherited norms and ideals thus continue to be dangerous, at least for those invested in the continued existence of the corresponding institutions.


Background: Early onset dementias (EOD) are rare neurodegenerative dementias that present before 65 years. Genetic factors have a substantially higher pathogenetic contribution in EOD patients than in late onset dementia. Objective: To identify known and/or novel rare variants in major candidate genes associated to EOD by high-throughput sequencing. Common-risk variants of apolipoprotein E (APOE) and prion protein (PRNP) genes were also assessed. Methods: We studied 22 EOD patients recruited in Memory Clinics, in the context of studies investigating genetic forms of dementia. Two methodological approaches were applied for the target-Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) analysis of these patients. In addition, we performed progranulin plasma dosage, C9Orf72 hexanucleotide repeat expansion analysis, and APOE genotyping. Results: We detected three rare known pathogenic mutations in the GRN and PSEN2 genes and eleven unknown-impact mutations in the GRN, VCP, MAPT, FUS, TREM2, and NOTCH3 genes. Six patients were carriers of only common risk variants (APOE and PRNP), and one did not show any risk mutation/variant. Overall, 69% (n = 9) of our early onset Alzheimer's disease (EAOD) patients, compared with 34% (n = 13) of sporadic late onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) patients and 27% (n = 73) of non-affected controls (ADNI, whole genome data), were carriers of at least two rare/common risk variants in the analyzed candidate genes panel, excluding the full penetrant mutations. Conclusion: This study suggests that EOD patients without full penetrant mutations are characterized by higher probability to carry polygenic risk alleles that patients with LOAD forms. This finding is in line with recently reported evidence, thus suggesting that the genetic risk factors identified in LOAD might modulate the risk also in EOAD.


Noninvasive brain stimulation using focused ultrasound has many potential applications as a research and clinical tool. Here, we investigated the effect of focused ultrasound (FUS) combined with systemically administered microbubbles on visual-motor decision-making behavior in monkeys. We applied FUS to the putamen in one hemisphere to open the blood-brain barrier, and then tested behavioral performance 3-4 hours later. On days when the monkeys were treated with FUS, their decisions were faster and more accurate than days without sonication. The performance improvement suggested both a shift in the decision criterion and an enhancement of the use of sensory evidence in the decision process. FUS also interacted with the effect of a low dose of haloperidol. The results suggest that a two-minute application of FUS can have a sustained impact on performance of complex cognitive tasks, and may increase the efficacy of psychoactive medications. The results lend further support to the idea that the dorsal striatum plays an integral role in evidence- and reward-based decision-making.


A survey of Myxosporidia in teleosts from the South-Western. coast of England demonstrated the widespread occurrence of these parasites. Infection in selected fish ·species was related to age, sex and seasonal migration of the host. Structural studies of Myxobolus exiguus and Myxidium incurvatum were undertaken in order to investigate sporogenesis, parasite development and-the host-parasite interface. Of particular note was the intimate association between parasite and host cells, the structure of the surface layers in Myxobolus exiguus and Myxidium incurvatum, and the occurrence of epithelioid cells in developmental stages of Myxobolus exiguus. · Myxobolus · exiguus was transmitted experimentally. in mullet, and aspects of the mode of infection, including exsporulation, were studied in·this and other species, including those with coelozoic development. patterns. 'Experiments designedto simulate the gut biotope identified the action of trypsin and mechanical fracture as important exsporulation factors in Myxobolus exiguus. The .release of spores and their dispersal and survival outside the host were investigated, and the possible existence of intermediate transport hosts discussed. Pathological effects of histozoic and coelozoic myxosporidian infection were examined in selected hosts. Fibroblastic encapsulation of plasmodia, and hyperplasia, characterised intestinal and branchial infections of Myxobolus exiguus in mullet, and cystic replacement of renal tissue was associated with Myxidium giardi infection in eels. Biliary myxosporidiosis caused chronic irritation and fibrosis of the gall bladder wall, increased bile viscosity and discolouration. Incidence, periodicity and severity of various Myxosporidian infections are discussed with regard to their disease potential and possible impact on commercially-important teleost species.


RoboCup-97, The First Robot World Cup Soccer Games and Conferences, was held at the Fifteenth International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence. There were two leagues: (1) real robot and (2) simulation. Ten teams participated in the real-robot league and 29 teams in the simulation league. Over 150 researchers attended the technical workshop. The world champions are CMUNITED (Carnegie Mellon University) for the small-size league, DREAMTEAM (University of Southern California) and TRACKIES (Osaka University, Japan) for the middle-size league, and AT-HUMBOLDT (Humboldt University) for the simulation league. The Scientific Challenge Award was given to Sean Luke (University of Maryland) for his genetic programming- based simulation team LUKE, and the Engineering Challenge Awards were given to UTTORI UNITED (Utsunomiya University, Toyo University, and Riken, Japan) and RMIT (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia) for designing novel omnidirectional driving mechanisms. Over 5000 spectators and 70 international media covered the competition worldwide. RoboCup-98, the Second Robot World Cup Soccer, was held in conjunction with the Third International Conference on Multiagent Systems in Paris, France, in July 1998.


A large share of global trade being priced and invoiced primarily in US dollar rather than the exporter's or the importer's currency has important implications for the transmission of shocks. We introduce this "dominant currency pricing" (DCP) into ECB-Global, the ECB's macroeconomic model for the global economy. To our knowledge, this is the first attempt to incorporate DCP into a major global macroeconomic model used at central banks or international organisations. In ECB-Global, DCP affects in particular the role of expenditure switching and the US dollar exchange rate for spillovers: In case of a shock in a non-US economy that alters the value of its currency multilaterally, expenditure switching occurs only through imports; in case of a US shock that alters the value of the US dollar multilaterally, expenditure switching occurs both in non-US economies' imports and - as these are imports of their trading partners - exports. Overall, under DCP the US dollar exchange rate is a major driver of global trade, even for transactions that do not involve the US. In order to illustrate the usefulness of ECB-Global and DCP for policy analysis, we explore the implications of the Euro rivaling the US dollar as a second dominant currency in global trade. According to ECB-Global, in such a scenario the global spillovers from US shocks are smaller, while those from euro area shocks are amplified; domestic euro area monetary policy effectiveness is hardly affected by the Euro becoming a second globally dominant currency in trade.


The major goal of this study was to assess the role of indigenous institutions in handling/ settling conflicts in the Sidama Society. Sidama Communities are found in Sidama Zone, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Regional State (SNNPRS). The research was conducted in Dalle woreda, Sidama Zone and it was purposively selected. Qualitative research methodology was employed in the study for its appropriateness to assess the role of indigenous institutions in handling/ settling conflicts in the study area and data was collected through the use of interview, key informant interview, focus group discussion, personal observation and document review. The results obtained from the study suggest that Conflicts in Sidama, as in anywhere else, may vary from trivial interpersonal disagreements to a serious dispute which might eventually lead to homicide. The most common conflict issues in Sidama are grazing land, water, farmland and borderland. There are many deeds and accounts in the daily activities of the society which are considered to be crimes with regard to the norms and traditions of the Sidama community. However, the most serious ones are: beating a man with a slump and/or thin stick, Beating elderly, raping, murder, Physical damage, Adultery. Sidama indigenous institutions have played a great role to solve different local conflicts and for the development of modern institutions. The modern institutions (Courts) have and took a strong base from the indigenous institutions in resolving conflict and preserving peace and security. Besides to modern institution, the indigenous institutions have played a great role for the emergence of cooperative unions. To sum up, indigenous/traditional/ institutions are costly and time effective in addition to many other benefits provide for the society when we compare with modern institutions. Therefore, at this time government courts encourages indigenous/traditional/ institutions to promote peace and to solve conflicts at the grass root level or at the local level.


Student-centered learning has an important place in education because it fosters student engagement and allows the traditional micromanaging teacher to transform into a guide. The current education model emphasizes teacher control and curriculum based on standardized testing, which stunts students' natural learning processes. This study investigates the positive outcomes of student-centered learning and how these practices can be included in mainstream, elementary classrooms. A review of the literature found that student-driven curriculum uses experiential knowledge and student choice to increase student responsibility and retention, while establishing effective techniques for self-regulation. It also exposes the difficulties in creating a studentcentered environment for contemporary teachers due to the many political, financial and creative factors that affect decisions about classroom organization and lesson planning. This study follows a mixed method design using qualitative and quantitative data. Participants include four, female teachers between the ages 20 to 40 from an elementary setting. In addition, a pilot study was conducted in a mock classroom using selected students to participate and provide feedback about direct-instructional approach versus a student-motivated lesson. Results indicated that students prefer having a choice in the classroom. It was also shown that there are multiple ways to integrate student choice into a mainstream classroom. Student Centered Curriculum: Elementary School 8 CHAPTER


Inference in expressive probabilistic models is generally intractable, which makes them difficult to learn and limits their applicability. Sum-product networks are a class of deep models where, surprisingly, inference remains tractable even when an arbitrary number of hidden layers are present. In this paper, we generalize this result to a much broader set of learning problems: all those where inference consists of summing a function over a semiring. This includes satisfiability, constraint satisfaction, optimization, integration, and others. In any semiring, for summation to be tractable it suffices that the factors of every product have disjoint scopes. This unifies and extends many previous results in the literature. Enforcing this condition at learning time thus ensures that the learned models are tractable. We illustrate the power and generality of this approach by applying it to a new type of structured prediction problem: learning a nonconvex function that can be globally optimized in polynomial time. We show empirically that this greatly out-performs the standard approach of learning without regard to the cost of optimization.