Cloud computing is a recently developed new technology for complex systems with massive service sharing, which is different from the resource sharing of the grid computing systems. In a cloud environment, service requests from users go through numerous provider-specific steps from the instant it is submitted to when the requested service is fully delivered. Quality modeling and analysis of clouds are not easy tasks because of the complexity of the automated provisioning mechanism and dynamically changing cloud environment. This work proposes an analytical model-based approach for quality evaluation of Infrastructure-as-a-Service cloud by considering expected request completion time, rejection probability, and system overhead rate as key quality metrics. It also features with the modeling of different warm-up and cool-down strategies of machines and the ability to identify the optimal balance between system overhead and performance. To validate the correctness of the proposed model, we obtain simulative quality-of-service (QoS) data and conduct a confidence interval analysis. The result can be used to help design and optimize industrial cloud computing systems.


Recent studies have shown that using social media such as blogs and wikis in classroom can enhance student learning. In this paper, we briefly introduce constructivist and social learning theories, blog technology and the use of blogs in education, and different design architecture of educational blogs. We then present a case study of using blogs in an undergrad level management information systems course in a university setting. The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of blogmediated learning, knowledge discovery and creation within the scope of information systems education. The study also aims to investigate the design and usability issues of classroom blogs. Relevant data collected over the course of a semester include students' blog posts, classroom presentations and interactions, survey questionnaires (including five-Liker scale and open-ended questions), and instructional materials. Analysis of the data examines student goals, motivations, system usage, and perceived effectiveness and value of using blogs in classroom.


Collecting three comedies that show Aristophanes tackling the consequences of war and social upheaval in Athens with his characteristic wit, Lysistrata and Other Plays is translated from the Greek with an introduction and notes by Alan H. Sommerstein in Penguin Classics. Writing at a time of political and social crisis in Athens, Aristophanes was an eloquent, yet bawdy challenger to the demagogue and the sophist. In Lysistrata, the titular heroine persuades the women of Greece to withhold sex from their husbands, forcing them to end the Peloponnesian War; and in The Archanians, a lone peasant enters into a private peace treaty with the Spartans, much to the chagrin of his fellow Athenians. The darker comedy of The Clouds satirises Athenian philosophers, Socrates in particular, and reflects the uncertainties of a generation in which all traditional religious and ethical beliefs were being challenged. For this edition Alan H. Sommerstein has completely revised his translation of the three plays, bringing out the full nuances of Aristophanes' ribald humour and intricate wordplay, with a new introduction explaining the historical and cultural background to the plays. Aristophanes (c.4 45-386 BC) was probably born in Athens. Little is known about his life, but there is a portrait of him in Plato's Symposium. He was twice threatened with prosecution in the 420s for his outspoken attacks on the prominent politician Cleon, but in 405 he was publicly honoured and crowned for promoting Athenian civic unity in The Frogs. Aristophanes had his first comedy produced when he was about twenty-one, and wrote forty plays in all. The eleven surviving plays of Aristophanes are published in the Penguin Classics series as The Birds and Other Plays, Lysistrata and Other Plays, The Wasps and Other Plays and The Frogs and Other Plays. If you enjoyed Lysistrata and Other Plays, you might like Aristophanes' The Birds and Other Plays, also available in Penguin Classics.


This paper proposes an interactive goal-based method for designing day lit buildings. The lighting simulation tool which supports this process is a hybrid global illumination rendering method which efficiently computes annual daylighting metrics. The goal-based method uses a knowledge base populated using a set of previously completed simulations that quantify the effects of various facade design modifications. The knowledge base guides a simple algorithm over an iterative design process. The current knowledge base includes information about window size, shape, location on the facade, and simple shading devices. Three case studies are given in which this iterative optimization method was applied; all resulted in improved daylighting performance.


Abstract. In early modern Japan, it was a political tradition for the central government to compile a national map. Edo Shogunate had compiled nationally the nihon-sōzu (national map of Japan) from the kuni-ezu (provincial map). The Shogunate government ordered the major Daimyōs (feudal lords) of each kuni (province) to produce personally their own kuni-ezu (provincial maps), and present it to the Shogunate. Then the government compiled nationally the map of Japan from those provincial maps, which were consists of 68 pieces of all kuni traditionally in Japan.Each Shogunate national map of Japan was a huge chromatic hand writing map. For a considerable time, the national map created by the Shogunate government was mistakenly believed to have been produced total of four times (during the Keichō, Shōhō, Genroku, and Kyōhō eras) in all. This is because it was generally known that the Shogunate government collected provincial maps from each province in all these eras.By the way, recently it was revealed in my study that the national maps created by the Tokugawa Shogunate during the Edo era 260 years (1608-1867) was six times in all, as shown in Table 1, except for the last Ino's map. Ino's map was not compiled from kuni-ezu and the making of this map had a big personal role rather than work of the government. Therefore, in this report, it has not taken up about the Ino's map.It was assumed that the Keichō era's national map was based on its provincial map. However, it is now a general view that Keichō era's provincial map not created nationwide but having been created only in western part of Japan with many lords promoted by Toyotomi Hideyosi. This raises an important question; how can a national map be correctly produced if all provincial maps in Japan are not included?On the other hand, the third shogun Tokugawa Iemitu sent Junkenshi (Administrative inspectors) to all provinces for the first time in 10th year of Kan'ei (1633), and each inspector collected provincial maps from their respective province and then the Shogunate government compiled the national map of Japan for the first time in the Edo period. Its copy remains nowadays in four places, including the Saga prefectural Library.The Revolt of Simabara occurred four years after the first national map of Japan was made, and Shogunate government had difficulty in dispatching armies to distant Kyūshū. Not only was strongly aware of the lack of traffic information in the previous map, but the 3-disc set map was too large for usable. From that reflection, Inoue Masashige, the chief officer of the government hurriedly thought about the revision of the national map, and collected the provincial maps again only from the Chūgoku district leading to kyūshū and quickly reproduced the map. That is the map of 15 years of Kan'ei.


In order to assess the effectiveness of software fault tolerance techniques for enhancing the reliability of practical systems, a major experimental project has been conducted at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. Techniques were developed for, and applied to, a realistic implementation of a real-time system (a naval command and control system). Reliability data were collected by operating this system in a simulated tactical environment for a variety of action scenarios. This paper provides an overview of the project and presents the results of three phases of experimentation. An analysis of these results shows that use of the software fault tolerance approach yielded a substantial improvement in the reliability of the command and control system.


The Georges Bank and Gulf of Maine haddock resource and fishery is reviewed. Nominal catches for Georges Bank averaged 46,000 metric tons annually during 1935-60 and then increased to a peak of 150,000 tons in 1965 as Canadian and distant water (European) fleets entered the fishery. Catches subsequently declined to an average of 5,000 tons during 1974-76 under quota and incidental catch limitations and then increased rapidly to an average of 21,000 tons in 1978-79. Nominal catches for the Gulf of Maine averaged 5,000 tons during 1935-66, declined to less than 1,000 tons during 1972-74 and increased to an average of 5,000 tons in 1978-79. Minor recreational catches have also been reported from the western Gulf of Maine in recent years. Total stock size (age 2 and older haddock) for Georges Bank, determined from virtual population analysis, averaged 140 million fish (153,000 tons) during 1935-60, increased to 530 million fish (427,000 tons) in 1965 and declined precipitously to 8 million fish (22,000 tons) in 1972. Subsequently, there was a substantial increase in stock size due to recruitment of the 1975 year-class. The 1978 year-class appears to be comparable in size to that of 1975. Instantaneous fishing mortality (F) for age 3 and older fish averaged 0.44 during 1935-60, increased to a peak of 0.79 in 1966 and subsequently declined as abundance decreased and fishing effort was diverted to other species. Trends in abundance and mortality evidenced by data from research vessel surveys since 1963 have been generally consistent with those indicated by virtual population analysis. Variability in growth of Georges Bank haddock during 1931-65 and pronounced <i;,anges in the late 1960's and early 1970's appear primarily attributable to changes in abundance. Reduction in spawning stock biomass during the late 1960's and early 1970's was associated with low recruitment and increased variability in year-class size. Trends in abundance for the Gulf of Maine were similar to those observed for Georges Bank, although discrepancies were evident in relative strengths of recent year-classes. Fig. 1. Georges Bank and Gulf of Maine areas with place names and boundaries of divisions mentioned in the text. (Crosshatched areas are subject to seasonal closure.) (NAFO Subarea 5), although substantial quantities were also taken on Browns Bank (NAFO Division 4X) and areas farther eastward (Fig. 1). SUbsequently, the


In this paper we give an overview of the four TRECVID tasks submitted by COST292, European network of institutions in the area of semantic multimodal analysis and retrieval of digital video media. Initially, we present shot boundary evaluation method based on results merged using a confidence measure. The two SB detectors user here are presented, one of the Technical University of Delft and one of the LaBRI, University of Bordeaux 1, followed by the description of the merging algorithm. The high-level feature extraction task comprises three separate systems. The first system, developed by the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) utilises a set of MPEG-7 low-level descriptors and Latent Semantic Analysis to detect the features. The second system, developed by Bilkent University, uses a Bayesian classifier trained with a "bag of subregions" for each keyframe. The third system by the Middle East Technical University (METU) exploits textual information in the video using character recognition methodology. The system submitted to the search task is an interactive retrieval application developed by Queen Mary, University of London, University of Zilina and ITI from Thessaloniki, combining basic retrieval functionalities in various modalities (i.e. visual, audio, textual) with a user interface supporting the submission of queries using any combination of theavailable retrieval tools and the accumulation of relevant retrieval results over all queries submitted by a single user during a specified time interval. Finally, the rushes task submission comprises a video summarisation and browsing system specifically designed to intuitively and efficiently presents rushes material in video production environment. This system is a result of joint work of University of Bristol, Technical University of Delft and LaBRI, University of Bordeaux 1.


There is the quest for sustainable eradication of threats to enhance the health of organizations. This study's curiosity is to tackle the concept of determining how an organization diagnoses the threats in its environment. This study is qualitative research and content analysis method has been adopted by the researcher. The research design of content analysis is used to create inferences from papers and observations. Permission was sort from three people before the interview, through video recording. The recorded video interview data was transcribed by an expect transcriber, and were analyzed, and interpreted by the researcher. The study revealed that effective clinical diagnosis that leads to changes requires a sense of urgency, the establishment of a strong team of change agents. The development of a vision and strategy through careful and well-thought-out planning, and the communication of the vision for change to the business organization, as well as the empowerment of team members to help and participate in change initiatives, and the generation of shifts. The members of the organizations may not have a mutual perspective on the organizational diagnosis. Therefore, the onus rest on professionals to consider obtaining data from various sources and consider this in their diagnosis and procedures. The study recommends that different quantitative methods can be used to diagnose business organizations.


Assessing the impacts of climate variability on agricultural productivity at regional, national or global scale is essential for defining adaptation and mitigation strategies. We explore in this study the potential changes in spring wheat yields at Swift Current and Melfort, Canada, for different sowing windows under projected climate scenarios (i.e., the representative concentration pathways, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5). First, the APSIM model was calibrated and evaluated at the study sites using data from long term experimental field plots. Then, the impacts of change in sowing dates on final yield were assessed over the 2030-2099 period with a 1990-2009 baseline period of observed yield data, assuming that other crop management practices remained unchanged. Results showed that the performance of APSIM was quite satisfactory with an index of agreement of 0.80, R2 of 0.54, and mean absolute error (MAE) and root mean square error (RMSE) of 529 kg/ha and 1023 kg/ha, respectively (MAE = 476 kg/ha and RMSE = 684 kg/ha in calibration phase). Under the projected climate conditions, a general trend in yield loss was observed regardless of the sowing window, with a range from  -24% to -94% depending on the site and the RCP, and noticeable losses during the 2060s and beyond (increasing CO2 effects being excluded). Smallest yield losses obtained through earlier possible sowing date (i.e., mid-April) under the projected future climate suggested that this option might be explored for mitigating possible adverse impacts of climate variability. Our findings could therefore serve as a basis for using APSIM as a decision support tool for adaptation/mitigation options under potential climate variability within Western Canada.


AIMS
Phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3Ks) relay growth factor signaling and mediate cytoprotection and cell growth. The cystine/glutamate antiporter system xc(-) imports cystine while exporting glutamate, thereby promoting glutathione synthesis while increasing extracellular cerebral glutamate. The aim of this study was to analyze the pathway through which growth factor and PI3K signaling induce the cystine/glutamate antiporter system xc(-) and to demonstrate its biological significance for neuroprotection, cell growth, and epilepsy.

RESULTS
PI3Ks induce system xc(-) through glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK-3β) inhibition, general control non-derepressible-2-mediated eukaryotic initiation factor 2α phosphorylation, and the subsequent translational up-regulation of activating transcription factor 4. This pathway is essential for PI3Ks to modulate oxidative stress resistance of nerve cells and insulin-induced growth in fibroblasts. Moreover, the pathway is active in human glioblastoma cells. In addition, it is induced in primary cortical neurons in response to robust neuronal activity and in hippocampi from patients with temporal lobe epilepsy.

INNOVATION
Our findings further extend the concepts of how growth factors and PI3Ks induce neuroprotection and cell growth by adding a new branch to the signaling network downstream of GSK-3β, which, ultimately, leads to the induction of the cystine/glutamate antiporter system xc(-). Importantly, the induction of this pathway by neuronal activity and in epileptic hippocampi points to a potential role in epilepsy.

CONCLUSION
PI3K-regulated system xc(-) activity is not only involved in the stress resistance of neuronal cells and in cell growth by increasing the cysteine supply and glutathione synthesis, but also plays a role in the pathophysiology of tumor- and non-tumor-associated epilepsy by up-regulating extracellular cerebral glutamate.


Exciton-polaron quenching (EPQ) is a major efficiency loss process in organic optoelectronic devices, in particular at high excitation densities. Within commonly used models, the rate is assumed to be given by the product of the exciton density, the polaron density, and a constant EPQ rate coefficient, which is proportional to the polaron diffusion coefficient and an EPQ capture radius. In this work, we study the effects of polaron diffusion on the EPQ rate in energetically disordered materials with a Gaussian density of states using kinetic Monte Carlo simulations, and show that the effective rate coefficient can depend strongly on the polaron concentration and on the electric field. We furthermore find that under realistic conditions, the effective value of the capture radius can exceed the expected value of $\ensuremath{\sim}1$ nm by up to two orders of magnitude. To a first approximation, the simulation results can be understood from macroscopic diffusion theory, adapted at finite electric fields to include the observed ``polaron wind'' effect. However, for strongly disordered systems we find distinct deviations from that theory, related to the very small time and spatial scales involved in the capture process.


The main goal of this hydraulic study is the asses of flooding in the Vidaa River system. In order to realize a complete assessment, the main water contributions to the river system have been included in the flood analysis.
Three kind of software have been used:
• Flooding simulation (MIKE11).
• Stochastic weather generator (RainSim).
• Extreme value analysis (EVA tool from MIKE11).
Mike11 offers the possibility of based upon twenty years observed rainfall data (main head catchments) and water levels data of the Vidaa River mouth dam, setting up a model to auto calibrate and evaluate the Manning Coefficients (M) and the water levels around the Vidaa course.
To estimate flood, stochastic weather generator is going to be used. Through observed rainfall time series, RainSim will analyse, fit, and simulate to obtain synthetic rainfalls time series with different time periods. These time series will have the same characteristics as observed rainfall data (the precipitation occurrence process will be exactly the same).
The synthetic rainfall time series, and the auto calibrated Manning values will be introduce in the flood model as a new Boundary Conditions to simulate our river and extract a new water level time series for each rainfall time period.
Thanks to these new water levels time series, and using the Extreme Value Analysis (EVA) tool from MIKE11, an engineer can obtain the extreme events for different return periods (10, 25, 50, 100, 200, 500 years) and evaluate if floods in order to get the higher and more dangerous data from our system.
Return periods of 50, 100, and 200 years have been used to simulate floods in three different point along Vidaa River (WL1 – Upstream, WL4-Middle stream, and WL5-Downstream) The results show that Tonder (WL1, the biggest town in the area) will be safe from extreme flood events. In the Middle- and Down- Stream, the flow will exceed Vidaa River banks, flooding surrounding farm lands.


Demand for mangrove forest resources has led to a steady decline in mangrove area over the past century. Land conversions in the form of agriculture, aquaculture and urbanization account for much of the deforestation of mangrove wetlands. However, natural processes at the transition zone between land and ocean can also rapidly change mangrove spread. In this study, we applied a robust field-based carbon inventory and new structural and temporal remote sensing techniques to quantify the magnitude and change of mangrove carbon stocks in major deltas across Africa and Asia. From 2000–2016, approximately 1.6% (12 270 ha) of the total mangrove area within these deltas disappeared, primarily through erosion and conversion to agriculture. However, the rapid expansion of mangroves in some regions during this same period resulted in new forests that were taller and more carbon-dense than the deforested areas. Because of the rapid vertical growth rates and horizontal expansion, new mangrove forests were able to offset the total carbon losses of 5 332 843 Mg C by 44%. Each hectare of new mangrove forest accounted for ∼84% to ∼160% of the aboveground carbon for each hectare of mangrove forest lost, regardless of the net change in mangrove area. Our study highlights the significance of the natural dynamics of erosion and sedimentation on carbon loss and sequestration potential for mangroves over time. Areas of naturally regenerating mangroves will have a much larger carbon sequestration potential if the rate of mangrove deforestation of taller forests is curbed.


Since its founding, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has employed a disclosure-enforcement framework, combined with a cooperative relationship with the securities industry, as the key means of ensuring market legitimacy and investor confidence. This article argues that not only is this framework deeply rooted within the SEC, but is equally ingrained in the public psyche. It is the deep belief of the public in this "prosecutorial orientation" that has sustained the SEC's disclosure-enforcement framework in the face of charges of obsolescence, inefficiency and agency capture. But as the SEC is increasingly called upon to concern itself with questions of efficiency and capital formation in the global economy, the stage may be set for a shift away from the disclosure-enforcement orientation and towards a more active, "promotional role" in the economy. In addition to external market forces, however, any qualitative shift in the SEC's regulatory mission will be affected only if there is a comparable shift in the public philosophy regarding the SEC's regulatory intent and a change in the internal orientation of the SEC. The author contends that seeds of these changes have long since been sowed.


The use of spherical wave expansion of the solution of the wave equation to predict Far-Field values from data measured in the Near-Field region is a well known technique, typically used to perform antenna measurements in compact anechoic chambers. However, when designing the computing algorithm it is fundamental to validate the results and to quantify the numerical error of the method. In this regard, a computer application that samples the electric Near-Field and calculates the values of the electric Far-Field region using spherical wave expansion was developed to measure antenna radiation patterns in the Fresnel zone inside a fully anechoic chamber. In order to validate the code, this paper describes three validation methods: firstly, using the theoretical electric Near-Field values of an infinitesimal dipole as the input to the algorithm to compare the output with the response analytically expected; secondly, using a Far-Field electric field data of a calibrated half wavelength dipole measured in an anechoic chamber and finally, using an electric Near-Field data of a calibrated half wavelength dipole measured in the same chamber. These methods provide simple procedures to calculate the error introduced by the code in different scenarios that should be considered to estimate the measurement uncertainty.


Unlike most current researchers in philosophy and psychology, who view interpretation as a way to understand the minds and behavior of others, Radu J. Bogdan sets out to establish a new evolutionary and practical view of interpretation. According to Bogdan, the ability to interpret others' mental states has evolved under communal, political, and epistemic pressures to enable us to cope with the impact of other organisms on our own goals in the competition to survive. Interpretation evolved among primates by natural and then cultural selection. As an adaptation, it is a competence in the form of a battery of practical skills that serve the interpreter's interests in social interactions. Evolutionary theory does not just deepen our understanding of interpretation; without it, we cannot understand what interpretation is and how it does its job. Interpreting Minds raises many thought-provoking issues for philosophers of mind and culture; evolutionary, developmental, and social psychologists; ethologists; cognitive and cultural anthropologists; evolutionary biologists; and others interested in cognitive development.


Sediment was sampled from a contaminated river. Sequential extraction was applied to determine the speciations of Cu, Pb, and Cr in the sediment with varied pH (5–9), and the redox potential was maintained at -150 mV. Pretreatments of sequential extraction with oxidic and anoxic conditions were investigated. Experimental results indicated that the pretreatment of sequential extraction should be carried out under anoxic conditions. Under reduction condition (-150 mV), metals in the binding forms of both exchangeable and bound to carbonates were more sensitive to the variations in pH. Both Cu and Cr in exchangeable and bound to carbonates forms increased with increased pH. Pb in exchangeable form did not exist as the pH varied from 5 to 9; in addition, Pb bound to carbonates increased with increased pH. These three metals had different performances in the form of bound to Fe-Mn oxides. In this form, the amount of Cu was greater in middle pH, Pb was greater in pH value greater than 7.2, and Cr did not alter with pH. All the metals in the forms of bound to sulfidic/organic matter and residual were stable.


Computing motion on the basis of the time-varying image intensity is a difficult problem for both artificial and biological vision systems. We show how gradient models, a well-known class of motion algorithms, can be implemented within the magnocellular pathway of the primate's visual system. Our cooperative algorithm computes optical flow in two steps. In the first stage, assumed to be located in primary visual cortex, local motion is measured while spatial integration occurs in the second stage, assumed to be located in the middle temporal area (MT). The final optical flow is extracted in this second stage using population coding, such that the velocity is represented by the vector sum of neurons coding for motion in different directions. Our theory, relating the single-cell to the perceptual level, accounts for a number of psychophysical and electrophysiological observations and illusions.


In image segmentation, clustering algorithms are very popular because they are intuitive and, some of them, easy to implement. For instance, the k-means is one of the most used in the literature, and many authors successfully compare their new proposal with the results achieved by the k-means. However, it is well known that clustering image segmentation has many problems. For instance, the number of regions of the image has to be known a priori, as well as different initial seed placement (initial clusters) could produce different segmentation results. Most of these algorithms could be slightly improved by considering the coordinates of the image as features in the clustering process (to take spatial region information into account). In this paper we propose a significant improvement of clustering algorithms for image segmentation. The method is qualitatively and quantitative evaluated over a set of synthetic and real images, and compared with classical clustering approaches. Results demonstrate the validity of this new approach


The implementation of open educational resources (OER) at the course level in higher education poses numerous challenges to education practitioners—ranging from discoverability challenges to the lack of knowledge on how to best localize and utilize OER as courseware. Drawing on case studies of OER initiatives globally, the article discusses field-tested solutions to addressing those challenges at the faculty level, the programmatic level, and institutional level. The article concludes with an ontological framework that highlights the importance of weighing the efficiencies afforded by a higher level of institutional control in OER implementation efforts, with the need for individual freedom on behalf of faculty to creatively use and adapt OER.


Aromatic nitro-compounds are known to photochemically abstract hydrogen atoms from adjacent hydrocarbon moieties. For ortho-substituted nitro-aromatics these abstractions proceed intra-molecularly and
trigger secondary processes. Due to these processes aromatic nitro-compounds are used as, e.g., photo-labile protecting groups and
as the leaving group in caged compounds. Here, a prototypical nitro-compound, ortho-nitrobenzaldehyde (o-NBA), which is photochemically transformed into ortho-nitrosobenzoic acid is studied. This reaction is known for more than 100 years but is still not totally specified.
Tracing these photochemical processes requires high temporal resolution down to about 100 fs and a detection technique that is sensitive to structural changes after starting the photoreaction. Femtosecond vibrational spectroscopy fulfils these conditions in observation of ultrafast chemical processes. So transient IR spectroscopy and the recently developed
femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy (FSRS) are used to record the ultafast structural changes in this photoreaction. In addition the kinetics of the o-NBA photoreaction are monitored by means of visible femtosecond absorption spectroscopy.
The novel implementation of FSRS uses a white light continuum as the Stokes probe pulse in the stimulated Raman process. The reaction is
started by a actinic laser pulse thereby the transient Raman spectra can be recorded in pump-probe fashion and are compared with calculated spectra of possible intermediates of the reaction.
With the use of these techniques the photoreaction of NBA into intermediates can be followed and a reaction mechanism is described.


Grape skin extracts and white wines with and without pomace contact were made for two vintages from Chenin blanc, French Colombard, Semillon, and Thompson Seedless. HPLC separated at least 124 substances absorbing in the ultraviolet. Seven of these have been identified and quantitated as gallic acid, caftaric acid, coutaric acid, catechin, epicatechin, astilbin, and engeletin. The retention times for these substances on three different reversed phase columns were different, but in the same sequence with coefficients of variation for known standards (5-7 replicates) typically 1-2% for retention time and 1.2-8.9% for peak area. Detection at 280, 292, or 320 nm gave considerably different absolute and relative peak areas depending on the absorbance maxima of the substances, but as long as the absorbance was appreciable and separation complete, fairly constant amounts were calculated. Contamination of the catechin peak with a substance having more absorbance at longer wavelengths illustrated a difficulty with direct quantitation by peak area alone on a complex chromatogram. Composition was similar within a grape variety and differed between varieties. Vintage differed also, but less so, but pomace contact made vary large compositional differences. Evidence is presented that specified components are added by extraction from seeds or skins and others are augmented or depleted by reactions such as hydrolysis and oxidation during processing.


Dissatisfaction with the high transaction costs of compensating workers for their injuries led seven states in the 1910s to enact legislation requiring that employers insure their workers' compensation risks through exclusive state insurance funds. This paper traces the political-economic history of the success of compulsory state insurance in three states in the 1910s -- Minnesota, Ohio, and Washington. State insurance gained broad support in these states because a coalition of progressive legislators took control of their respective legislatures, bringing with them the idea that government had the unique ability to correct market imperfections. The political environment in which state insurance thrived in the 1910s provides important insights into the growth of government in the 1930s and 1960s. The major social insurance programs of the New Deal and the Great Society were widely supported at the time because the private market was seen as unable to solve a particular problem, such as unemployment compensation or poverty in old-age. This paper argues that the government's dramatic expansion after the 1932 federal election was not unprecedented; in fact, the ideological roots of New Deal activism were planted during the debates over compulsory state insurance and workers' compensation in the 1910s.


Back in 2004, I was awakened early one morning by a loud clatter. I ran outside, only to discover that a car had smashed into the corner of my house. As I went to speak with the driver, he threw the car into reverse and sped off, striking me and running over my right foot as I fell to the ground. When his car hit me, I was wearing a computerized-vision system I had invented to give me a better view of the world. The impact and fall injured my leg and also broke my wearable computing system, which normally overwrites its memory buffers and doesn't permanently record images. But as a result of the damage, it retained pictures of the car's license plate and driver, who was later identified and arrested thanks to this record of the incident.


This article discusses independent operations in the context of unconventional oil and gas resources. It considers how the Canadian Association of Petroleum Landmen (CAPL) and the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators (AIPN) have reacted to this. It provides a detailed analysis of the differences between the 2015 CAPL Operating Procedures and the 2014 AIPN Unconventional Resources Operating Agreement . Particular focus is given to permissible independent operations under each agreement, the timing of those independent operations, and the penalties given to a non-participating party. The article concludes by discussing the importance of drafting customized sole risk provisions in some situations, given that unconventional resource development often varies from project to project.


Analysis of infrastructure's role in facilitating international trade and consequently regional economic integration is still rudimentary. This original book fills that knowledge gap by exploring relevant concepts, measurement issues, aspects of the implementation of trade-related infrastructure facilities and their impacts on poverty, trade, investment and macroeconomic balances.


Among available policy levers to boost innovation, investment in applied research organisations has received little empirical attention. In this paper, we analyse the case of the Fraunhofer Society, the largest public applied research organization in Germany. We analyse whether project interaction with Fraunhofer affects the performance and strategic orientation of firms. To that end, we assemble a unique dataset based on the confidential Fraunhofer-internal project management system and merge it with the German contribution to the Community Innovation Survey (CIS), which contains panel information on firm performance. Using instrumental variables that exploit the scale heteroscedasticity of the independent variable (Lewbel, 2012), we identify the causal effects of Fraunhofer interactions on firm performance and strategies. We find a strong, positive effect of project interaction on growth in turnover and productivity. In particular, we find that a one percent increase in the size of the contracts with FhG leads to an increase in growth rate of sales by 1.3 percentage points, and to an increase in the growth rate of productivity by 0.8 percentage points in the short-run. We also provide evidence of considerable long-run effects accumulating to 18% growth in sales and 12% growth in productivity over the course of 15 years. More detailed analyses reveal, amongst others, that the performance effects become stronger the more often firms interact with Fraunhofer and that interactions aiming at generation of technology have a stronger effect than interactions aiming merely at the implementation of existing technologies. Finally, we provide evidence on the macroeconomic productivity effects of Fraunhofer interactions on the German economy. Our results indicate that doubling Fraunhofer revenues from industry (+€ 0.68 bn.) would increase overall productivity in the German economy by 0.55%.


A comparative analysis of observation targeting methods based on total energy singular vectors (TESVs) and Hessian singular vectors (HSVs) is performed with a finite volume global shallow-water model, along with its first and second order adjoint model. A 4D-Var data assimilation framework is considered that allows for adaptive observations distributed in both time and space domain. To obtain the HSVs a generalized eigenvalue problem was solved using the generalized JacobiDavidson algorithm. A full 4D-Var procedure without incremental approximation was used leading to an accurate second order adjoint and derivation of a consistent Hessian matrix. Numerical experiments involving TESV and HSV as alternative targeting strategies were carried out to assess the potential benefits of targeting methods using second order adjoint information. The results obtained point to an advantage of using HSV as a tool for observation targeting where interaction between targeted observations taken at distinct instants in time has a significant impact on efficiency of both adaptive strategies. Additional metrics such as similarity indices between HSV and TESV also point to the same conclusion.


The ontological turn asks difficult questions and pushes conceptual boundaries both forward and against the grain, challenging our standard epistemological orientations. That it replaces epistemological with ontological concerns is a position I oppose in the following reflections, inspired by Martin Holbraad's "double-bind," one which frames a predicament that not only resonates with my own ethnographic experience but also represents something of an occupational hazard (our X-files) for many of us working on spirit-worlds. In an alternative solution to Holbraad's double-bind, based on Moore's paradox and my own exposure to Shango's wrath in Nigeria, I propose a radical decoupling of Knowledge and Belief to obviate the ontological proliferation of worlds.


Senior food insecurity and social isolation are potentially two serious issues within Maine communities. The Orono Community Garden (OCG) is a local effort to combat both of these issues. The OCG relies on volunteer workers, who donate the food they produce to low-income seniors living in three neighboring housing complexes in Orono, Maine. This project uses participant observation, surveys, and personal interviews as the basis for a qualitative analysis, to assess how seniors' food security is influenced due to the food from the OCG, the ways in which the OCG provides a sense of community and social integration for the seniors, and how the garden impacts volunteers who work there. This research contributes to our understanding of the roles and functions of a community gardens, as well as its impact on senior food security and social isolation.


Recent theoretical papers suggest that high uncertainty about firmsi?½ economic prospects can explain delays in the adjustment of their stock prices to economic news. Using analyst forecast revisions and earnings announcements as proxies of news, we find mixed evidence in support of this hypothesis. We confirm that stocks of firms whose prospects are highly uncertain display a relatively large delayed price reaction (so-called continuation) after the release of news, but we argue that this evidence does not necessarily imply a slower adjustment speed. Indeed, for these stocks the immediate reaction to news is also relatively strong. In fact, the magnitude of the delayed price reaction (the price continuation) depends both on the degree of price sluggishness and on the i?½scalei?½ of the news hitting the stock. We therefore consider both the delayed and immediate responses, and compute measures of adjustment speed that do not depend on the i?½scalei?½ of the news. We then compare these measures across portfolios of stocks characterized by different degrees of uncertainty. Our findings indicate that: (i) stock prices characterized by high uncertainty tend to adjust to bad news more sluggishly than those characterized by low uncertainty; (ii) the opposite holds true in the case of good news; (iii) stock prices characterized by high uncertainty tend to adjust to bad news more sluggishly than to good news. Previous empirical literature focuses on price continuation patterns but neglects to control for the i?½scalei?½ of the news, reaching erroneous conclusions.


The attacks of 11 September 2001 and the reaction to them has been the gravest challenge to date to the Human Rights Act 1998. The Antiterrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 has expanded the remit of the Terrorism Act 2000 and there has been a new concentration on antiterrorism by government. This article assesses the impact of human rights law on the debate about liberty and security following 11 September. It considers how the provisions of the Human Rights Act have influenced the formulation and interpretation of anti-terrorism laws, and examines the role of the judiciary in adjudicating on disputes between the individual and the state. It ends with some general discussion about the security-driven challenges to human rights that lie ahead.


Outside-knowledge visual question answering (OK-VQA) requires the agent to comprehend the image, make use of relevant knowledge from the entire web, and digest all the information to answer the question. Most previous works address the problem by first fusing the image and question in the multi-modal space, which is inflexible for further fusion with a vast amount of external knowledge. In this paper, we call for an alternative paradigm for the OK-VQA task, which transforms the image into plain text, so that we can enable knowledge passage retrieval, and generative question-answering in the natural language space. This paradigm takes advantage of the sheer volume of gigantic knowledge bases and the richness of pretrained language models. A Transform-Retrieve-Generate framework (TRiG) framework is proposed11The code of this work will be made public., which can be plug-and-played with alternative image-to-text models and textual knowledge bases. Experimental results show that our TRiG framework outperforms all state-of-the-art supervised methods by at least 11.1 % absolute margin.


This presentation discusses how the Forest Investment Attractiveness Index (IAIF) and the Process to Improve the Business Climate for Forest Investment (PROMECIF) can be useful to improve forest sector governance. The general objective of the IAIF is to measure the business climate for investments in the sustainable forest business. The IAIF allows the systematic, periodic, quantitative and more rigorous analyses of the factors that affect the success of forest direct investment and business decision making. This presentation was created for a side event to the 24th Session of the Latin American and Caribbean Forestry Commission that took place on June 26th, 2006, in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic.


Clock synchronization is an important issue in wired and wireless networks as a common time basis is essential for coordinated activities of nodes in distributed systems. Typical applications demanding precise synchronization are Industrial Internet scenarios having real-time constraints, Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) where the nodes communicate only for a short period and can sleep the remaining time to save energy, approaches based on Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), and distributed measurements. The basic idea of our approach is to estimate all delays in a network. As a result, we can estimate the one-way delay between a reference node and all other nodes in the network. Consequently, we can use broadcast messages to synchronize the entire network. Utilizing a novel measurement method and a Java prototype implementation, we show that our approach achieves a high precision (≈ 123 μβ). Furthermore, it is highly scalable and platform independent. As our synchronization approach operates at the application layer, it is suitable for both wired and wireless networks.


********** In what follows, I discuss the lessons that I have learned from a reading of the science studies literature, lessons that I believe we can apply profitably to parapsychology. Because of the reaction of some listeners to this paper when I delivered a previous version as my Presidential Address in New York City in 2001, I would like to anticipate a possible misapprehension of my points and my motives. I consider myself to be a working social scientist in parapsychology, although it has been some years since I have had the pleasure of conducting research, whether experimental or survey or questionnaire-based. I have spent far too many years in this field as a social scientist to be equivocal about the existence of the natural world as a whole. Neither am I in doubt about the possibility that scientific progress can be made in my own small corner of the scientific enterprise, the study of the psychology of successful experimental participants and of those who report psychic experiences in their lives. I believe scientific methodology of all types possesses an unsurpassed power for amassing knowledge. I am not, in any way, someone who believes that scientific knowledge is entirely socially constructed. However, neither am I a person who believes that objective reality imposes itself on the scientific community in such a way as to preclude error or interpretation. Reality exists, but like raw sensation, it comes to conscious understanding through the imposition of perception, and perception--however, it happens--is an essay in complexities. In this article, I briefly describe some of the work that science studies has done on the problem of controversy. I have tried to do the following: draw some lessons for the parapsychological community; tell some inspirational tales (because that is a function of Presidential Addresses these days, it seems); and make some cautionary statements about some social practices in which we as a community regularly engage, social practices that are, I think, debilitating to our sense of self as individual scientists and to our shared identity as scientific parapsychologists. Under no circumstances should the seriousness with which I take the work of the science studies community be construed as a negation of science and its power, nor as a negation of the importance of "the scientific method" as an ideal in parapsychological research. THE STUDY OF CONTROVERSY IN SCIENCE STUDIES For some decades in all the various subdisciplines of science studies, from history and philosophy of science to sociologies of science and knowledge to the anthropology of science to the rhetoric and psychology of science, the deep examination of controversy has been a growth industry. At one point, in the prehistory of this collection of subdisciplines in science studies, scholars believed that controversy was an aberrant moment on the way to some grand consensus. This consensus was then imagined to hold sway over all practitioners of "true" science. As one psychologist of science (McMullin, 1987) put it: Classical theories of science, whether of Aristotle, of Descartes, of Kant, or of the positivists, all took for granted two theses: foundationalism (that science must be built on a foundation of propositions, themselves unproblematically true), and logicism (that science possesses a logical method that will allow one to determine which of two theories is the better one in any given case. (p. 50) As the various disciplines of science studies developed, this simplistic view of scientific practice was repeatedly challenged, replaced by the understanding that controversy is itself "continual and essential" (McMullin, 1987, P. 50) to the refinement of scientific methodology and to the development of scientific knowledge. Controversy can then be defined as a "publicly and persistently maintained dispute ... in which the difference is one of belief, of knowledge claim . …


OBJECTIVE To review the clinical features, treatment, and outcome of children in the UK with Down's syndrome and acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). DESIGN A retrospective study of 59 children with Down's syndrome and AML presenting between 1987 and 1995. Data were obtained from hospital case notes, trial records, and by questionnaire. RESULTS The patients were unusually young (median age, 23 months) with a predominance of megakaryoblastic AML. Two of the seven infants who presented with abnormal myelopoesis aged 2 months or younger achieved complete spontaneous remission. Most of the older children with AML (32 of 52) were treated on recognised intensive protocols but 13 received individualised treatment and seven symptomatic treatment alone. Only four received a bone marrow transplant (BMT) in first remission. For the 45 older children who received chemotherapy the overall survival was 55% (median follow up 4.5 years). Patients on individualised protocols had a similar overall survival and toxic death rate but marginally higher relapse rate than those on standard (intensive) protocols. Children with Down's syndrome treated on the national AML 10 trial had a similar overall survival (70%v 59%) at five years to children of comparable age without Down's syndrome: their improved relapse risk (12% v 38%) offset the slight increase in deaths as a result of treatment toxicity (19%v 11%). CONCLUSION Neonates with Down's syndrome and abnormal myelopoesis may achieve spontaneous remission, and older children with Down's syndrome and AML can be treated successfully with intensive chemotherapy, without BMT.


For the first four decades of its existence the U.S. nuclear power industry was run by regulated utilities, with most companies owning only one or two reactors. Beginning in the late 1990s electricity markets in many states were deregulated and almost half of the nation's 103 reactors were sold to independent power producers selling power in competitive wholesale markets. Deregulation has been accompanied by substantial market consolidation and today the three largest companies control more than one-third of all U.S. nuclear capacity. We find that deregulation and consolidation are associated with a 10 percent increase in operating efficiency, achieved primarily by reducing the frequency and duration of reactor outages. At average wholesale prices the value of this increased efficiency is approximately $2.5 billion annually and implies an annual decrease of almost 40 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions.


Bees are extremely valuable models in both ecology and evolutionary biology. Their link to agriculture and sensitivity to climate change make them an excellent group to examine how anthropogenic disturbance can affect how genes flow through populations. In addition, many bees demonstrate behavioural flexibility, making certain species excellent models with which to study the evolution of social groups. This thesis studies the molecular ecology and social evolution of one such bee, the eastern carpenter bee, Xylocopa virginica. As a generalist native pollinator that nests almost exclusively in milled lumber, anthropogenic disturbance and climate change have the power to drastically alter how genes flow through eastern carpenter bee populations. In addition, X. virginica is facultatively social and is an excellent organism to examine how species evolve from solitary to group living. Across their range of eastern North America, X. virginica appears to be structured into three main subpopulations: a northern group, a western group and a core group. Population genetic analyses suggest that the northern and potentially the western group represent recent range expansions. Climate data also suggest that summer and winter temperatures describe a significant amount of the genetic differentiation seen across their range. Taken together, this suggests that climate warming may have allowed eastern carpenter bees to expand their range northward. Despite nesting predominantly in disturbed areas, eastern carpenter bees have adapted to newly available habitat and appear to be thriving. This is in marked contrast to many other bee species, particularly in the genus Bombus, which appear unable to shift their ranges along with climate change. Facultatively social organisms are excellent species to study the evolution of social groups, and the remaining chapters address questions of sociality in X. virginica. I used observation nests and genetic relatedness to examined how females behave towards one another in the spring prior to the establishment of dominance hierarchies in social nests. In spring, females directed fewer aggressive behaviours and more cooperative behaviours towards familiar rather than related individuals, indicating that females use nestmate recognition rather that kin recognition when interacting with conspecifics. Overwintering groups often contain both related and unrelated individuals, indicating that many bees interacting with one another in the fall prior to overwintering may be unrelated, emphasizing the importance of recognizing nestmates. Within social carpenter bee nests three different types of female have been described: primary, secondary and tertiary. Primary females are the dominant foragers and egg layers in the nest while secondary and tertiary females appear to join a reproductive queue behind the primary. To understand the nature and flexibility of this reproductive queue I performed removal experiments across three different years. This study showed that secondary females always assumed the role of replacement primary, while tertiary females rarely opted to forage and reproduce even if they were the only female in the nest. Removal experiments demonstrated that social groups in X. virginica are complex and comprise two different reproductive strategies (breed in the current year or delay reproduction) as well as form dominance hierarchies among primary and secondary females. Several tertiary females were able to become primary or solitary females in their second summer, providing evidence for how each type of female may have evolved in social nests. Finally, I examined how competition influences the evolution and maintenance of social groups in eastern carpenter bees. In conditions of high population density significantly more social nests were present in the population, indicating that competition for limiting nesting resources drives individuals together into social groups. Within social groups relatedness was low, and siblings actually dispersed away from one another to other nests in the population, reducing competition among kin. Eastern carpenter bees appear to demonstrate an interesting evolutionary route to sociality, where very high levels of competition among kin lead to dispersal, while limited nesting substrate forces individuals back into unrelated social groups. While predicted by kin selection, social groups of this nature are previously undescribed in the Hymenoptera, and further study of eastern carpenter bees can provide novel insights into alternate routes to sociality.


Objective - To investigate the frequency of positive findings within the lung bases during abdominal ultrasound (US) examinations in children with referral diagnosis not suggesting pulmonary disease. Materials and methods - A retrospective study included all children with abdominal US performed within 2 years by a single pediatric radiologist in the regional children's hospital. Of all examined children, 22 (mean 7.4 y, SD=4.2 y) had pathological findings detected within the lung bases, without referral diagnosis suggesting a pulmonary pathology. Each abdominal US included a trans-abdominal (trans-hepatic and trans-splenic) approach to both lung bases. Results - While performing abdominal US a detected pulmonary pathology included: 19 pneumonias and 3 pleuropneumonias, with the most common referral diagnosis being abdominal pain (15 children), followed by nausea and vomitting (3 children), febrile convulsiones (2 children), exacerbation of juvenile arthritis (1), and a routine follow-up a day after hydrostatic reduction of ileocolic intussusception (1). In outpatients with referral diagnosis of abdominal pain, 0.95% had positive lung base US findings. Conclusion - Each radiologist should be aware of the potential pathological finding within the lung bases when performing abdominal ultrasound in children. Its detection might have a serious impact on the patient's treatment.


Tracking of targets from aerial platforms is an important activity in several applications, especially surveillance. Knowled ge of geolocation of these targets adds additional significant and useful information to the application. This paper determines the geolocation of a target being tracked from an aerial platform using the technique of image registration. Current approaches utilize a POS to determine the location of the aerial platform and then use the same for geolocation of the targets using the principle of photogrammetry. The constraints of cost and low-payload restrict the applicability of this approach using UAV platforms. This paper proposes a methodology for determining the geolocation of a target tracked from an aerial platform in a partially GPS devoid environment. The method utilises automatic feature based registration technique of a georeferenced satellite image with an ae rial image which is already stored in UAV's database to retrieve the geolocation of the target. Since it is easier to register subsequent aerial images due to similar viewing parameters, the subsequent overlapping images are registered together sequentially thus resulting in the registration of each of the images with georeferenced satellite image thus leading to geolocation of the target under interest. Using the proposed approach, the target can be tracked in all the frames in which it is visible. The proposed concept is verified experimentally and the results are found satisfactory. Using the proposed method, a user can obtain location of target of interest as well features on ground without requiring any POS on-board the aerial platform. The proposed approach has applications in surveillance for target tracking, target geolocation as well as in disaster management projects like search and rescue operations.


Social capital theorists have contributed to inclusive practice by arguing for new paradigms to build the capacity of people with disabilities and their families to participate in community life (Chenoweth & Stehlik, 2004). The aim of the research was to shed light on what has helped members of a family to be resilient when there is a child with a disability. A narrative insider approach was adopted in the qualitative research methodology as it had the advantage of capturing a naturalistic perspective on lived experiences within trusted relationships (Denzin & Lincoln, 2005; Rabbitt, 2003). Participants for this case study were 4 adult members of a family unit, known to the researcher. The family was selected because there was a young adult with an intellectual disability who had received specialised early intervention and additional support since the time of diagnosis at 18 months of age and is now 19 years of age and actively engaged in work training and other pursuits. The story of this family's experiences was worthy of exploring as it may help others to think about their own situations and offer new possibilities in inclusive practices. A major challenge was undertaking research which can give families of children with disabilities a voice into socially inclusive policies and practices, leading to improving family quality of life issues. In teacher education, prospective inclusive educators need to increase their awareness of the value of connection with families. Narratives of family members revealed fresh insights about personal qualities that strengthen resilience. The research identified the specific factors that differentiate what makes a family resilient. Sources of resilience portrayed within and across members of a family unit may deepen understandings about protective factors and guide richer understandings of what makes a difference to learning and life outcomes for diverse learners. These new understandings of resilience in families from real-life experiences may inform the work of teacher educators in inclusive practices.


Capillary fluidic self-assembly (SA) intrinsically features massively-parallel, contactless die handling and allows for high-precision die placement. It may thus boost die-to-substrate assembly throughput and scalability. Here we characterize for the first time indium interconnects established between dummy dies and substrates as integral part of a capillary SA process. We present a simple way to keep the solder surface free of oxide during assembly, and we show that In/Au wetting and bonding is not prevented by hydrocarbons and self-assembled monolayers locally present during processing. Resulting solder joints are characterized by mechanical shear tests, SEM and SAM. We assess the electrical functionality of interconnects with a simple test structure. Finally, we discuss the effects of an external load applied on dies during bonding. Our results open interesting perspectives for adopting capillary SA for die integration over non-planar substrates.


P.L. 104-193 (the 1996 welfare reform legislation) made major changes to the Child Support Enforcement (CSE) program. Some of the changes include requiring states to increase the percentage of fathers identified, establishing an integrated, automated network linking all states to information about the location and assets of parents, and requiring states to implement more enforcement techniques to obtain collections from debtor parents. Additional legislative changes were made in 1997, 1998, and 1999, but not in 2000, 2001, or 2002. This report describes several aspects of the revised CSE program and discusses three issues that probably will be reexamined by the 108th Congress — CSE financing, parental access by noncustodial parents, and distribution of support payments.


An 800 yr tree-ring-based reconstruction of the Palmer Hydrological Drought Index was used to document the frequency, severity, and duration of growing-season moisture anomalies (both wet and dry events) in the southern mid-Atlantic region of the USA. The data indicate that this region has experienced significant growing-season moisture variability (interannual to multidecadal) since A.D. 1185. Conditions during the 18th century were much wetter than they are today, and the droughts that occurred during the 16th century tended to be both longer and more severe. The recent growing-season moisture anomalies that occurred during 2002 and 2003 can only be considered rare events if they are evaluated with respect to the relatively short instrumental record (1895 to 2003). When compared to the 800 yr reconstructed record, neither of these events is particularly unusual. Growing-season moisture conditions during the 20th century appear to be well within the range of natural climate variability when compared to the 800 yr record.


This thesis presents a comprehensive review on switched-mode converters in terms of dynamic behavior and practical limitations that arise from the fundamental properties of the electrical sources and loads, control engineering principles and topological properties of the converters. The main focus is on analyzing the behavior of a single converter used to interface a photovoltaic generator into a high-voltage dc link. The main objective is to introduce interfacing principles with numerous examples and a thorough discussion. The interfacing of photovoltaic generators by means of switched-mode converters has proven to be problematic according to numerous scientific publications indicating operational disadvantages and anomalies. The output characteristics of the photovoltaic generator, which are bound to varying environmental conditions, introduce design challenges. It has been recognized recently that the photovoltaic generator does not contain similar electrical behavior as conventional electrical sources, most notably due to its limited-power characteristics, yielding two distinctive operating regions. Yet, the constraints arising from the properties of the source have not been completely recognized, although the effect of these constraints can be seen from the published research results. When switched-mode converters are used to adapt individual photovoltaic modules into larger system by connecting converters in series or in parallel, severe operational limitations are observed. On the other hand, if the photovoltaic generator is substituted with a source that does not contain similar characteristics, observations may lead to misconclusions as the effect of the photovoltaic generator is not properly modeled. Therefore, claims that are not valid for actual applications with photovoltaic generators may be presented and widely accepted. This thesis presents methods to perform proper analysis of switched-mode converters implemented in distributed photovoltaic applications, by continuing previous work around the subject (Leppäaho, 2011). The dynamic models for series-connected and parallelconnected systems of interfacing converters are given, explaining the observed operational anomalies. Additionally, it is shown by a thorough review that the parallel configuration does not contain the claimed disadvantageous properties and actually provides better performance. A patented converter topology designed for the parallel configuration is presented with comprehensive analysis and practical validation. Finally, the problematics of photovoltaic interfacing is summarized under the interfacing constraints, which give guidelines for design and analysis of interfacing converters.


Corona virus positive sense Ribonucleotide Acid virus with spike like structure as well as a zoonotic virus causing number of diseases in pigs, cows, chickens and recently in a tiger as well as humans. The worldwide emerging pandemic of a great concern to all the scientists, virologists, microbiologists, doctors and even to the common people. In December2019 a life-threatening virus novel corona virus 2019(2019-nCoV) also called as (SARS-CoV) which is an outbreak emerged from the city of Wuhan in China and spread nation-wise to all the world. The disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 is a corona virus disease COVID-19. SARS-CoV2 like SARSCorona virus uses receptor ACE2 to their entrance into the host cell. Many drugs like Hydroxy-chloroquine etc. used for the treatment as it decreases the effect of corona virus by inhibiting the replication of the corona virus. SARS-CoV2 spreads faster than their two other ancestral species i.e., SARS (2002) and MERS (2012). This virus is spreading exponentially therefore its proper rapid diagnosis is of great concern for the infected ones by providing them medicos. In this review article we will focus on the different diagnostic methods for COVID which are based on molecular and serological testing. RT-PCR the first and rationally used technique to the diagnosis sometimes give false positive and false negative results ascribed to inaccurate isolation of the nucleic acids and takes 5-6 hours which are not applicable for the detection at early stage of infection. So other methods like RT-LAMP (Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification),FET (Field Effect Transistor)based biosensor detect S-protein on the virus surface, Lateral flow immunoassay (LFI)are the other alternative methods for diagnosis purposes.


Abstract Background: The use of intraoperative neuromonitoring is a well-established method of detecting neurologic injuries during spine surgery. Anaesthesia, especially inhalational agents, influence motor evoked potential (MEP) monitoring. The aim of our study was to compare the effect of balanced anaesthesia (BA) (intravenous plus inhalational anaesthesia) and total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) on the incidence of intraoperative neuromonitoring changes, interventions performed and neurological outcomes of patients following high-risk spinal surgery. Methods: After Research and Ethics Board approval, a retrospective review of 155 patients who underwent spinal surgery with MEP was performed. Data were collected on changes in MEP and/or somatosensory evoked potential, interventions performed and neurological outcomes. Patients were divided into BA and TIVA groups and data were analysed. Results: A total of 152 patients were eligible for the study (mean age 54 ± 17, male: female 45:55). A BA technique was used in 62% and TIVA in 38%. Desflurane (<0.5 minimum alveolar concentration [MAC]) was used in 85% BA cases. Intraoperative neuromonitoring changes occurred in 11.8% (18/152) of cases. There was no statistical difference in the incidence of monitoring changes between BA (78%) and TIVA (22%) groups (P = 0.197). Anaesthetic or surgical interventions were performed in 12 patients, with a resolution of changes in 50% (P = 0.455). All 5 patients with persistent MEP changes had worsening of existing neurological deficits postoperatively; 8 had transient MEP changes, and 2 experienced worsening of existing neurological deficits. Conclusions: We found that intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring can be performed with both BA (MAC <0.5) and TIVA in high-risk spinal surgery with no statistical difference in the incidence of intraoperative monitoring changes.


The aim of this article is not only to reply to the points made in Newmeyer's review of my Structure and function: A guide to three major structural-functional theories (S&F), but also to further discussion on relationships between functionalism and formalism. Functionalist claims about external motivation of the language system are discussed, and it is shown that there are very considerable differences between Chomsky's recent discussion of external motivation and that in the functionalist and cognitivist/constructionist literature. It is pointed out that functional linguistics claims a motivational relationship between semantics and syntax rather than a purely interpretive one as in formalist theories, and that functionalists take a much wider view of what constitutes semantics. Furthermore, not only is there more direct connection between meanings and forms than Newmeyer claims, but also structural-functional theories invoke a second type of semantic motivation not involving one-to-one mapping. They also vary in the level of motivation they postulate. Recent work by Jackendoff and his colleagues is shown to present serious challenges to mainstream generativism and to make many claims which agree with those of functionalism and constructionism, so providing the possibility of interesting cross-fertilisation. Finally, it is pointed out that S&F agrees with Newmeyer that Functional Grammar and Role and Reference Grammar fail to attain fully their professed standards of adequacy.


RTAA* is probably the best-performing real-time heuristic search algorithm at path-finding tasks in which the environ- ment is not known in advance or in which the environment is known and there is no time for pre-processing. As most real- time search algorithms do, RTAA∗ performs poorly in presence of heuristic depressions, which are bounded areas of the search space in which the heuristic is too low with respect to their border. Recently, it has been shown that LSS-LRTA∗, a well-known real-time search algorithm, can be improved when search is actively guided away of depressions. In this paper we investigate whether or not RTAA∗ can be improved in the same manner. We propose aRTAA∗ and daRTAA∗, two algorithms based on RTAA∗ that avoid heuristic depressions. Both algorithms outperform RTAA∗ on standard path-finding tasks, obtaining better-quality solutions when the same time deadline is imposed on the duration of the planning episode. We prove, in addition, that both algorithms have good theoretical properties


When President Truman had his shot at universal health care in 1949, the American Medical Association unfortunately made use of Sir Luke Fildes's famous painting, "The Doctor," in a negative campaign. "The Doctor" happens to be my favorite painting, mostly because of the story behind it: Sir Luke Fildes lost his oldest son, Phillip, on Christmas Eve, 1877; despite the tragedy, he was so impressed with the physician who cared for the child, that for his first commission from sugar merchant Henry Tate (who would go on to establish a collection and gallery in London by his name) he chose to depict "the physician in our time."


Today, talking about educational planning generates a certain vital importance for the achievement of the goals and objectives previously established, as well as the definition of the steps and means necessary to carry out this process. However, we cannot talk about planning without addressing the assessment process as an essential element to review, through concrete and reliable criteria, how many goals have been achieved and under what conditions. This article discusses the important relationship between two essential areas at educational level: Planning and Assessing during the Teaching and the Learning Process. The main purpose of this work is to present a pedagogical tool that could facilitate the organization and the establishment of a followup in an actual form and thus contribute to the improvement of the study programs. Readers interested in this field of education will find in this article considerable ideas that would help them to understand the transcendence of systematized planning and organized assessment under a complex process, to complement their didactic training and thus make practical decisions that allow them to reach the established objectives. It seems that both Planning and Assessing work together to the achievement of the outcomes. But under what circumstances and conditions should be done the whole merging?


Fibrotic interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) include a number of pulmonary disorders characterized by infiltration of inflammatory cells in lung parenchyma and fibrosis resulting in decreased lung compliance. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) represents the most common ILD. ILDs can be divided in two anatomo-pathological and radiographic patterns: usual interstitial pneumonitis (UIP) and non-specific interstitial pneumonitis (NSIP). The different radiological features of UIP and NSIP are discussed. The American Thoracic Society, the European Respiratory Society, the Japanese Respiratory Society, and the Latin American Thoracic Association guidelines for the diagnosis and management of IPF have identified several characteristic high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) features of UIP. However, even if these guidelines recommend to avoid surgical lung biopsy in case of confident UIP diagnosis on HRCT, they present some limitations, the most important of which is represented by interobserver agreement. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be considered as a radiation-free alternative to HRCT for several lung diseases. However, the clinical value of MRI for IPF diagnosis remains to be proven. (Sarcoidosis Vasc Diffuse Lung Dis 2017; 34: 300-306)


From Leonardo's drawings of grotesque heads to contemporary prints lampooning American politicians, The Metropolitan Museum of Art has a vast but largely unknown collection of caricatures and other satirical works. This handsome book offers 165 examples, dating from about 1500 to the present, that reflect the age-old tradition of using exaggeration and humor to convey personal, social, or political meaning. The selection of images is notably broad, ranging from the elevated to the rudely humorous: renowned writers and decidedly unhygienic cooks; elegantly dressed noblemen and victims of outrageous fashion fads; Napoleon as a tidy Lilliputian and Boss Tweed as a bloated Roman emperor. Stressing the continuity of certain artistic approaches, Infinite Jest examines the development of the genre across centuries and cultures. The essential visual components of caricature are discussed and illustrated, as are recurring motifs, including exaggerated faces and bodies, people depicted as animals or objects, and processions of bizarre figures. One section is devoted to social satire (eating and drinking, gambling, fashion, several of the Seven Deadly Sins), another to various aspects of political life (British, French, Mexican, and American). Artists as diverse as Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, William Hogarth, Francisco de Goya, Thomas Rowlandson, Eugene Delacroix, Honore Daumier, and Al Hirschfeld contribute their distinctive talents to this fascinating, informative, and very amusing volume.


Like many libraries, the University of Minnesota Libraries-Twin Cities now offers a next-generation catalog alongside a traditional online public access catalog (OPAC). One year after the launch of its new platform as the default catalog, usage data for the OPAC remained relatively high, and anecdotal comments raised questions. In response, the Libraries conducted surveys that covered topics such as perceptions of success, known-item searching, preferred search environments, and desirable resource types. Results show distinct differences in the behavior of faculty, graduate student, and undergraduate survey respondents, and between library staff and non-library staff respondents. Both quantitative and qualitative data inform the analysis and conclusions.


This paper explores trends and issues in outdoor and adventure-based programming in the United States. Many of the trends and issues hold valuable lessons for practitioners and scholars worldwide. The trends and issues included were gathered through interviews with a panel of professionals, checked throughout multiple regional, national and international conferences over a  two-year  period  and  supported  from the literature. The specific trends and issues discussed are: a) cultural diversity and changing demographics; b) nature-deficit disorder; c) older adult participation; d) public land access; e) professionalization of outdoor leaders, and f) program outcome accountability through evidence-based research.


Primary grade teachers randomly selected from across the United Sates completed a survey (N = 168) that examined their instructional practices in spelling and the types of adaptations they made for struggling spellers. Almost every single teacher surveyed reported teaching spelling, and the vast majority of respondents implemented a complex and multifaceted instructional program that applied a variety of research-supported procedures. Although some teachers were sensitive to the instructional needs of weaker spellers and reported making many different adaptations for these students, a sizable minority of teachers (42%) indicated they made few or no adaptations. In addition, the teachers indicated that 27% of their students experienced difficulty with spelling, calling into question the effectiveness of their instruction with these children.


Fletcher [Rev. Mod. Phys. 12, 47–65 (1940)] summarized his observations on pitch, loudness, and masking in terms of ''auditory patterns—spiral lines representing the cochlea with shaded regions showing neural responses to sinusoids. The auditory filterbank was a set of overlapping auditory patterns spanning the frequency range of hearing—a concept that has served as a functional model of auditory frequency analysis ever since. It has four main components: the filter shape, its bandwidth, the distribution of filters across frequency, and the detection criterion at the filter output. Fletcher identified these components and focused attention on them with his famous ''band‐widening'' experiment in which a tone is masked by a variable width noise centered on the tone. The current paper reviews four areas of research spawned by the components of Fletcher's filterbank concept. The research has shown that the band‐widening experiment is actually rather insensitive, and subject to a confounding which led to underestimation of filter bandwidth and overestimation of the detection criterion. But the more important assumptions about filter shape and distribution were proven essentially correct. As a result, current, computational, auditory filterbanks are surprisingly similar to Fletcher's original conception.


Learning to imitate expert behavior from demonstrations can be challenging, especially in environments with high-dimensional, continuous observations and unknown dynamics. Supervised learning methods based on behavioral cloning (BC) suffer from distribution shift: because the agent greedily imitates demonstrated actions, it can drift away from demonstrated states due to error accumulation. Recent methods based on reinforcement learning (RL), such as inverse RL and generative adversarial imitation learning (GAIL), overcome this issue by training an RL agent to match the demonstrations over a long horizon. Since the true reward function for the task is unknown, these methods learn a reward function from the demonstrations, often using complex and brittle approximation techniques that involve adversarial training. We propose a simple alternative that still uses RL, but does not require learning a reward function. The key idea is to provide the agent with an incentive to match the demonstrations over a long horizon, by encouraging it to return to demonstrated states upon encountering new, out-of-distribution states. We accomplish this by giving the agent a constant reward of r=+1 for matching the demonstrated action in a demonstrated state, and a constant reward of r=0 for all other behavior. Our method, which we call soft Q imitation learning (SQIL), can be implemented with a handful of minor modifications to any standard Q-learning or off-policy actor-critic algorithm. Theoretically, we show that SQIL can be interpreted as a regularized variant of BC that uses a sparsity prior to encourage long-horizon imitation. Empirically, we show that SQIL outperforms BC and achieves competitive results compared to GAIL, on a variety of image-based and low-dimensional tasks in Box2D, Atari, and MuJoCo.


Purpose: Unstable footwear lacks peer-review published research to support concepts and claims. The present study was therefore undertaken to quantify and compare the effect of commercially available unstable sandals on single-leg balance in a healthy female population. Methods: Fifteen participants stood on their right-leg in one control sandal (Earth) and four sandals that are marketed as unstable footwear (FitFlop, Masai Barefoot Technology, Reebok Easy-Tone and Skechers Tone-Ups). Centre of pressure trajectory, lower limb kinematics and lower limb muscle activation were recorded as participants undertook three 30 second trials in each sandal. Results: The unstable sandals altered parameters related to stability in participants. Namely Masai Barefoot Technology increased centre of pressure range in the anterior-posterior direction and concurrently increased sagittal ankle motion. Reebok Easy-Tone had a similar effect in the coronal plane at the ankle. Muscle activation increased in the unstable sandals, with significant differences apparent in the medial gastrocnemius, soleus and rectus femoris, predominantly in Masai Barefoot Technology. Findings were attributed to the large rocker sole on the Masai Barefoot Technology sandal and more subtle outsole designs in the other sandals. Conclusions: Overall minimal differences from the control sandal were evident and it is expected that dynamic tasks may elicit greater differences in stability. The instability imposed by the sandals is design-specific and consideration should be given to this when the footwear is recommended to specific individuals.


Despite the importance of the strategic choices taken by subsidiary managers to the long terms survival of their unit, little is known about the phenomenon. (Dorrenbacher & Geppert, 2009, Scott, Gibbons, & Coughlan, 2010). This paper analyses and synthesises the research streams on subsidiary management to date to provide critical conceptual insights and proposes a new theoretical approach to subsidiary analysis, applied to the critical routine of subsidiary strategy. The adoption of more global business structures by MNEs has led to additional strategic constraints on subsidiary managers (Buckley, 2009, Buckley & Ghauri, 2004, Mudambi, 2008), which we categorise as the dual embeddedness constraint, the domain constraint and the resource constraint. Paradoxically despite these exacerbating constraints, expectations on subsidiary managers to create knowledge and innovation and develop their mandate are escalating, forcing them to evaluate the range of strategic decisions remaining under their control, While the literature implicitly assumes that subsidiary managers can respond to MNC pressures by reconfiguring resources and developing capabilities (Birkinshaw & Hood, 1998), improving performance (Subramaniam & Watson, 2006) and influencing the strategic direction of the MNE as a whole (Andersson, Bjorkman, & Forsgren, 2005, Williams, 2009), there is an absence of guidance on how subsidiary managers develop strategies to achieve these options, and influence strategy from below (Andersson, Forsgren, & Holm, 2007). Our review of the empirical and theoretical research on subsidiary management identifies how the tensions between the headquarters perspective and the subsidiary perspective have resulted in the application of inappropriate conceptual frameworks. Platforming from the four primary theoretical approaches applied to date, and combining critical tenets of both the resourced based and transaction cost approaches, we develop a conceptual framework which overcomes prior theoretical limitations and offers a new perspective of subsidiary to apply to the subsidiary unit of analysis.


BACKGROUND
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of strict supragingival plaque control on the subgingival microbiota in smokers and never-smokers. Research into the impact of supragingival plaque control on the number of subgingival bacteria has resulted in contradictory findings. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been suggested as a valid alternative to current microbiologic methods based on bacteria cultures.

METHODS
Forty-five subjects with chronic periodontitis were selected. Twenty-four of them had never smoked, and 21 were active smokers. Four sites per patient were selected for sampling. Supragingival debridement was performed at baseline, and the subjects received weekly instructions on oral hygiene for 180 days. A clinical examination and subgingival plaque sampling were carried out at baseline and at 30, 90, and 180 days. A real-time PCR assay was used to detect and quantify Porphyromonas gingivalis, Parvimonas micra (previously Peptostreptococcus micros or Micromonas micros), Dialister pneumosintes, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (previously Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans), and the total bacteria load (eubacteria) in the subgingival samples. Statistical analysis was performed using linear models adjusted for the clustering of observations within individuals.

RESULTS
Smokers and never-smokers exhibited a similar and significant reduction in total bacteria counts over time. Irrespective of smoking status, deep sites consistently harbored greater quantities of total bacteria throughout the study. Higher numbers of the bacteria investigated were associated with bleeding on probing.

CONCLUSION
Supragingival plaque control markedly reduced subgingival microbiota counts in smokers and never-smokers.


The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of depression, mental distress and empathy on the strength of the rubber hand illusion (RHI). The RHI is a perceptual illusion that is thought to occur as a result of visual capture during multimodal sensory stimulation. The RHI was induced in participants by synchronous stroking of their real hand and the visible fake hand for two minutes. Participants were then requested to complete a nine-item questionnaire on the strength of the illusion, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS), which was used to screen for depressive symptoms and general mental distress, and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) to assess each participant's level of empathy. Results showed that depression and mental distress were positively correlated with embodiment of the RHI, and that the mean score on both the depression and mental distress scales was higher for individuals who experienced the illusion than those who did not. Contrary to the existing literature the correlations found between empathy and strength of the RHI were found for cognitive aspects rather than affective aspects of empathy. The implications of the current study are that individuals who are psychologically less healthy are more likely to experience the illusion. It is possible that diminished interoceptive awareness is responsible for entrainment of the illusion, and this represents a promising avenue for future research.


Social networks evolve over time with the addition and removal of nodes and links to survive and thrive in their environments. Previous studies have shown that the linkformation process in such networks is influenced by a set of facilitators. However, there have been few empirical evaluations to determine the important facilitators. In a research partnership with law enforcement agencies, we used dynamic social-network analysis methods to examine several plausible facilitators of co-offending relationships in a large-scale narcotics network consisting of individuals and vehicles. Multivariate Cox regression and a two-proportion z-test on cyclic and focal closures of the network showed that mutual acquaintance and vehicle affiliations were significant facilitators for the network under study.We also found that homophily with respect to age, race, and gender were not good predictors of future link formation in these networks. Moreover, we examined the social causes and policy implications for the significance and insignificance of various facilitators including common jails on future co-offending.These findings provide important insights into the link-formation processes and the resilience of social networks. In addition, they can be used to aid in the prediction of future links. The methods described can also help in understanding the driving forces behind the formation and evolution of social networks facilitated by mobile and Web technologies.


Former president of Personnel Laboratories Inc, King Whitney Jr, was quoted in the Wall Street Journal on 7 June 1967 as saying; "Change has considerable psychological impact on the human mind. To the fearful it is threatening as it means things may get worse. To the hopeful it is encouraging because things may get better. To the confident it is inspiring because the challenge exists to make things better."


In the forty plus years since passage of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), special education has grown in the number of students and amount spent on services. Despite this growth, the academic performance of students with disabilities (SWDs) remains troubling low compared to general education students (GENs). To some extent, these differences reflect persistent underlying disabilities, but they may also reflect ineffective special education services. Does special education improve academic outcomes for students with disabilities? There is surprisingly little evidence to guide policy and answer this question. This paper provides an answer for the largest disability group, students with learning disabilities (LDs), using rich data from New York City public schools. Because the majority of LDs are classified after school entry, we observe outcomes both before and after classification, allowing us to gauge impact using within-student pre/post comparisons and, ultimately, student fixed effects in regression models exploring impacts. We find that academic outcomes improve for LDs following classification into special education, and impacts are largest for those entering special education in earlier grades. Results are robust to alternative specifications and falsification tests bolster confidence in a causal interpretation. Differences in impacts by gender and race/ethnicity, grade of classification, and settings shed light on possible mechanisms.


Expansion of quinolone-resistant Neisseria meningitidis clone ChinaCC4821-R1-C/B from sequence type (ST) 4821 clonal complex (CC4821) caused a serogroup shift from serogroup A to serogroup C invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) in China. To determine the relationship among globally distributed CC4821 meningococci, we analyzed whole-genome sequence data from 173 CC4821 meningococci isolated from 4 continents during 1972–2019. These meningococci clustered into 4 sublineages (1–4); sublineage 1 primarily comprised of IMD isolates (41/50, 82%). Most isolates from outside China (40/49, 81.6%) formed a distinct sublineage, the Europe–USA cluster, with the typical strain designation B:P1.17-6,23:F3-36:ST-3200(CC4821), harboring mutations in penicillin-binding protein 2. These data show that the quinolone-resistant clone ChinaCC4821-R1-C/B has expanded to other countries. The increasing distribution worldwide of serogroup B CC4821 raises the concern that CC4821 has the potential to cause a pandemic that would be challenging to control, despite indirect evidence that the Trumenba vaccine might afford some protection.


Abstract : This work is concerned with the development of computational methods for approximating sensitivities of solutions to boundary value problems. We focus on the continuous sensitivity equation method and investigate the application of adaptive meshing and smoothing projection techniques to enhance the basic scheme. The fundamental ideas are first developed for a one dimensional problem and then extended to 2-D flow problems governed by the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations. Numerical experiments are conducted to test the algorithms and to investigate the benefits of adaptivity and smoothing.


The purpose of this study was to determine the depth and breadth of Electronics and Communications Technology (ECT) provision currently on offer within the 11-16 age phase in Design and Technology departments in secondary schools within Yorkshire and the surrounding regions. The report presents an analysis of data resulting from a quantitative research study undertaken across a range of secondary schools in the region. Findings from the study with regard to curriculum content, resources and teacher expertise have been used as a basis for developing In-Service Training (INSET) and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) opportunities for teachers.


In Spain, same sex marriage and adoption was legalized in 2005, and in 2006 the Law of Assisted Reproduction made this available to every woman regardless of their sexual orientation or marital status. Drawing on interviews carried out in Madrid about assisted conception and lesbian parenting, as well as on previous contributions advanced by queer and gender scholars, this article questions to what extent the assumptions of assimilation to a normative system adequately apply to queer families. Some activists and academics characterize lesbian, gay and/or bisexual partnering and parenting as (hetero)normative, at the same time as the very same forms of constituting a family are the object of rejection from politicians, lawmakers and cultural institutions. Taking this context as the premise, in this article I discuss the need for more diverse analytical instruments which take into account more human and psychosocial aspects of life alongside the political and academic analysis of queer trajectories concerning maternity decisions and everyday experiences of motherhood.