Nowadays discussion about different conceptions of place and how it is perceived by users of the place is an important debate in architecture and urbanism, especially in the area of behavioral sciences. In this vein, one of the most important concepts associated with this area especially in the discussions about environmental psychology is the conception of place. By recognizing different conceptions of place, its formation process and also parameters contributing to the perception of people of place, it is possible to create a desirable environment, which is the ultimate goal of architecture and urbanism. The main thrust of the present study was to extract and measure the factors contributing to the conception of architects and non-architects of place and the distinction between the two through a place narrative analysis. This was accomplished by a case study carried out in two main bus stations located in Isfahan. For this purpose, two concepts namely "thinking content" and "thinking modes" were separately investigated and compared for architects and non-architects, using closed and open questionnaires and in-depth interviews with people in two terminals (i.e., Kaveh and Soffeh) in Isfahan. The sample was 174 people. Out of this sample, 100 were non-architects and 74 were architects. The results were indicative of the fact that both architects and non-architects consider individual factors as relevant to the formation of conception of meaning. However, according to non-architects, individual factors are more relevant to individual needs and to the degree to which these needs are met, given the facilities in the environment whereas architects express individual factors in terms of recognition of behavioral patterns and also the existing conditions and quality in the environment. In terms of thinking mode, the findings indicate that non-architects have an emotional, empirical or relative thinking towards place and the conceptions in it, but architects have abstract and conceptual thinking in understanding place conceptions.


What is the place of human free will in our lives if all our actions are the result of some other cause? Does our processing unconscious beliefs or desires make us less free? Is our free will necessarily restricted if we do not choose our own beliefs? The debate between free will and its opposing doctrine, determinism, is one of the key issues in philosophy. Free Will: An historical and philosophical introduction provides a comprehensive introduction to this highly important question and examines the contributions made by sixteen of the most outstanding thinkers from the time of early Greece to the twentieth century: *Homer *Sophocles *Platto *Aristotle *St Augustine *St Thomas Aquinas *Descaartes *Spinoza *Hume *Kant *Schopehauer *Freud *Sartre *Weil *Wittgenstein *Moore Ilham Dilman brings together all the dimensions of the problem of free will with examples from literature, ethics and psychoanalysis. Drawing out valuable insights from both sides of the free will-determinism divide, and he provides an accessible and highly readable introduction to this perennial problem.


Trapped ions in linear Paul traps are largely isolated from interaction with the environment. This property of trapped ions make them a primary choice for quantum technology.
Over the last decade, trapped atomic ions in linear radio frequency Paul traps have shown to be an important tool to implement quantum algorithms. The scalability of linear ion
traps is required to handle large numbers of qubits, in order to implement useful quantum computation. Advance micro-fabrication technology allows the realisation of scalable ion traps. Further developments of micro-trap designs, for the purpose of scalable quantum technology, requires inter-disciplinary investigations of ion traps. Micro-scale ion trap designs typically require a versatile experimental setup. The first part of this thesis describes such an experimental setup including a chip bracket that can host macroscopic ion traps as well as advanced symmetric and asymmetric ion trap chips with up to 90 control electrodes. The system provides versatile optical access for both type of traps and the vacuum chamber is designed in a way so the ion traps can be replaced within a short amount of time. To test the working of the setup, a macroscopic ion trap with an ion-electrode distance of 310±10 μm is used to trap ytterbium ions (Yb+). The trap is characterised by measuring the heating rate, (n•), and spectral noise density SE(ω). A
photoionisation technique is used to ionise the different isotopes of Yb in our trap. Isotope selective photoionisation requires exact measurements of 1So↔1P1 transition for the different Yb isotopes. A technique to measure these resonant frequencies is described.
This technique works by observing and aligning fluorescence spots and by using this technique, the 1So↔1P1 transition frequencies for stable isotopes of Yb were measured with an accuracy of 60 MHz. These new measured transition frequencies for stable Yb isotopes differ from previously published work by 660 MHz. Furthermore, this technique can also be used to obtain the transition frequencies at different laser-atomic beam angles, typical for non-perpendicular laser-atomic beam angles. The second part of this thesis discusses the optimisation of surface trap geometries as they are being used to implement scalable ion trap designs which consist of a large number of trapping zones. The trap depth in surface traps is low compared to symmetric traps of similar dimensions. How to optimise the trap geometry to achieve maximum trap depth for a given ion height above the trap electrodes, is discussed. Fast and adiabatic ion shuttling operations in one dimension as well as ion separation and recombination processes are important for many quantum information implementations. The maximum speed of separation of trapped ions for adiabatic shuttling operations depends on the secular frequencies, the trapped ion experiences in the process. It will be shown how such ion trap structures have to be designed for fast ion separation process and linear shuttling. Numerical results of adiabatic shuttling operations for trapped ions in such trap structures are also presented.


(TYPE=abstract)Recently released global gravity field models generated solely from CHAMP and GRACE satellite observations allow with an unprecedented accuracy and resolution the recovery of the mean sea surface topography from the difference between an altimetry-based mean sea surface height model and the gravity model's derived geoid. Here the CHAMP EIGEN-2 gravity field model, and the first GFZ GRACE gravity model, EIGEN-GRACE01S, are used. The mean sea surface height model has been compiled from four years' worth of TOPEX altimeter data. To evaluate the accuracy and resolution limits of the CHAMP and GRACE geoids for the envisaged application, a low pass filter in the spatial domain with different cut-off wavelengths has been applied to the geoid and sea surface data before subtraction. The minimum wavelength, where noisy and erroneous features in the recovered sea surface topography are minimised, can be interpreted as an indicator for the best suited common spatial resolution. The EIGEN-2 model's geoid has been tested to have a resolution of 1800 km, which corresponds to a truncation degree of l = 22 in terms of spherical harmonics. Using the EIGEN-GRACE01S model, the resolution could be extended to 1000 km (l = 40). These boundaries can be attributed to the geoid's error, exceeding 2 cm in case of the CHAMP model, and in case of the GRACE model to spurious systematic signals increasing with increasing spherical harmonic degree. The calculated sea surface topography models have been used to derive absolute geostrophic sea surface velocities. An error propagation shows that the requirement of 1 cm/s for geoid induced velocity errors is fulfilled at the given resolutions for all latitudes excluding a narrow equatorial band. Maximum geostrophic velocities are derived in the 1000 km-resolution model for the Kuroshio region with 40 cm/s, and for the Gulf Stream east off Cape Hatteras with 25 cm/s.


Importance
Patients who have a fragility fracture are at high risk for subsequent fractures. Prescription drugs represent 1 factor that could be modified to reduce the risk of subsequent fracture.

Objective
To describe the use of prescription drugs associated with fracture risk before and after fragility fracture.

Design, Setting, and Participants
Retrospective cohort study conducted between February 2015 and March 2016 using a 40% random sample of Medicare beneficiaries from 2007 through 2011 in general communities throughout the United States. A total of 168 133 community-dwelling Medicare beneficiaries who survived a fracture of the hip, shoulder, or wrist were included. Cohort members were required to be enrolled in fee-for-service Medicare with drug coverage (Parts A, B, and D) and to be community dwelling for at least 30 days in the immediate 4-month postfracture period.

Exposures
Prescription drug use during the 4-month period before and after a fragility fracture.

Main Outcomes and Measures
Prescription fills for drug classes associated with increased fracture risk were measured using Part D retail pharmacy claims. These were divided into 3 categories: drugs that increase fall risk; drugs that decrease bone density; and drugs with unclear fracture risk mechanism. Drugs that increase bone density were also tracked.

Results
A total of 168 133 patients with a fragility fracture (141 569 women; 84.2%) met the inclusion criteria for this study; 91.8% were white. Across all fracture types, the mean (SD) age was 80.0 (7.7) years, and 53.2% of the fracture cohort was hospitalized at the time of the index fracture, although this varied significantly depending on fracture type (100% of hip fractures, 8.2% of wrist fractures, and 15.0% of shoulder fractures). The frequency of discharge to an institution for rehabilitation following hospitalization also varied by fracture type, but the mean (SD) duration of acute rehabilitation did not: 28.1 (19.8) days. Most patients were exposed to at least 1 nonopiate drug associated with increased fracture risk in the 4 months before fracture (77.1% of hip, 74.1% of wrist, and 75.9% of shoulder fractures). Approximately 7% of these patients discontinued this drug exposure after the fracture, but this was offset by new users after fracture. Consequently, the proportion of the cohort exposed following fracture was unchanged (80.5%, 74.3%, and 76.9% for hip, wrist, and shoulder, respectively). There was no change in the average number of fracture-associated drugs used. This same pattern of use before and after fracture was observed across all 3 drug mechanism categories. Use of drugs to strengthen bone density was uncommon (≤25%) both before and after fracture.

Conclusions and Relevance
Exposure to prescription drugs associated with fracture risk is infrequently reduced following fragility fracture occurrence. While some patients eliminate their exposure to drugs associated with fracture, an equal number initiate new high-risk drugs. This pattern suggests there is a missed opportunity to modify at least one factor contributing to secondary fractures.


Summary
Hyperlipaemia is a disease resulting from excessive mobilisation of triglyceride stores such that plasma clearance processes become overwhelmed. Consequently increased plasma triglyceride concentrations (>5.6 mmol/l), visibly cloudy plasma and a sick, anorexic or hypophagic subject follow. Epidemiological studies have identified many predisposing and triggering factors and the attentive carer or veterinary surgeon should be alert to such risk factors so that the disease can be prevented, or at least identified and treated at an early stage. Hyperlipaemic subjects are invariably in a negative energy balance, and nutritional management therefore plays a central role in both the prevention and resolution of the disease.


BACKGROUND
We compared the angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor LCZ696 with enalapril in patients who had heart failure with a reduced ejection fraction. In previous studies, enalapril improved survival in such patients.

METHODS
In this double-blind trial, we randomly assigned 8442 patients with class II, III, or IV heart failure and an ejection fraction of 40% or less to receive either LCZ696 (at a dose of 200 mg twice daily) or enalapril (at a dose of 10 mg twice daily), in addition to recommended therapy. The primary outcome was a composite of death from cardiovascular causes or hospitalization for heart failure, but the trial was designed to detect a difference in the rates of death from cardiovascular causes.

RESULTS
The trial was stopped early, according to prespecified rules, after a median follow-up of 27 months, because the boundary for an overwhelming benefit with LCZ696 had been crossed. At the time of study closure, the primary outcome had occurred in 914 patients (21.8%) in the LCZ696 group and 1117 patients (26.5%) in the enalapril group (hazard ratio in the LCZ696 group, 0.80; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.73 to 0.87; P<0.001). A total of 711 patients (17.0%) receiving LCZ696 and 835 patients (19.8%) receiving enalapril died (hazard ratio for death from any cause, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.76 to 0.93; P<0.001); of these patients, 558 (13.3%) and 693 (16.5%), respectively, died from cardiovascular causes (hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.71 to 0.89; P<0.001). As compared with enalapril, LCZ696 also reduced the risk of hospitalization for heart failure by 21% (P<0.001) and decreased the symptoms and physical limitations of heart failure (P=0.001). The LCZ696 group had higher proportions of patients with hypotension and nonserious angioedema but lower proportions with renal impairment, hyperkalemia, and cough than the enalapril group.

CONCLUSIONS
LCZ696 was superior to enalapril in reducing the risks of death and of hospitalization for heart failure. (Funded by Novartis; PARADIGM-HF ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01035255.).


We propose a formalism for representation of finite languages, referred to as the class of IDL-expressions, which combines concepts that were only considered in isolation in existing formalisms. The suggested applications are in natural language processing, more specifically in surface natural language generation and in machine translation, where a sentence is obtained by first generating a large set of candidate sentences, represented in a compact way, and then by filtering such a set through a parser. We study several formal properties of IDL-expressions and compare this new formalism with more standard ones. We also present a novel parsing algorithm for IDL-expressions and prove a non-trivial upper bound on its time complexity.


Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) have attracted considerable research attention in recent years because of the perceived potential benefits offered by self-organising, multi-hop networks consisting of low-cost and small wireless devices for monitoring or control applications in di±cult environments. WSN may be deployed in hostile or inaccessible environments and are often unattended. These conditions present many challenges in ensuring that WSNs work effectively and survive long enough to fulfil their functionalities. Securing a WSN against any malicious attack is a particular challenge. Due to the limited resources of nodes, traditional routing protocols are not appropriate in WSNs and innovative methods are used to route data from source nodes to sink nodes (base stations). To evaluate the routing protocols against DoS attacks, an innovative design method of combining formal modelling and computer simulations has been proposed. This research has shown that by using formal modelling hidden bugs (e.g. vulnerability to attacks) in routing protocols can be detected automatically. In addition, through a rigorous testing, a new routing protocol, RAEED (Robust formally Analysed protocol for wirEless sEnsor networks Deployment), was developed which is able to operate effectively in the presence of hello flood, rushing, wormhole, black hole, gray hole, sink hole, INA and jamming attacks. It has been proved formally and using computer simulation that the RAEED can pacify these DoS attacks. A second contribution of this thesis relates to the development of a framework to check the vulnerability of different routing protocols against Denial of Service(DoS) attacks. This has allowed us to evaluate formally some existing and known routing protocols against various DoS attacks iand these include TinyOS Beaconing, Authentic TinyOS using uTesla, Rumour Routing, LEACH, Direct Diffusion, INSENS, ARRIVE and ARAN protocols. This has resulted in the development of an innovative and simple defence technique with no additional hardware cost for deployment against wormhole and INA attacks. In the thesis, the detection of weaknesses in INSENS, Arrive and ARAN protocols was also addressed formally. Finally, an e±cient design methodology using a combination of formal modelling and simulation is propose to evaluate the performances of routing protocols against DoS attacks.


Introduction: This study investigated the effect of the environmental enrichment during adolescence on morphine-induced Conditioned Place Preference (CPP) and locomotor sensitization in maternally separated male and female rat pups. Methods: Male Wistar rats were allowed to mate with female virgin Wistar rats. Pups were separated from them 3 hours per day during 2–14 days postnatal. All pups were weaned at 21 Postnatal Day (PND) and reared in standard environment or enriched environment from 21 to 50 PND with litter-mates of the same sex. The CPP and behavioral sensitization to morphine were assessed by an unbiased place conditioning paradigm and open filed method. Results: The results showed that the maternal separation enhanced morphine-induced CPP in both sexes, locomotor sensitization in male pups and tolerance to morphine-induced motor activity in female pups during adolescence. While, male and female pups reared in an EE exhibited a decrease in morphine-induced CPP, locomotor sensitization and tolerance induced by maternal separation compared to their control pups. Conclusion: Access to enriched environment during adolescence may have a protective effect against morphine-induced reward, locomotor sensitization and tolerance in adolescent male and female rats following maternal separation.


This study investigates the adsorption of a block copolymer composed of a poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) cationic polyelectrolyte and a poly(di(ethylene glycol) methyl ethermethacrylate) (PDEGMA) on oxidized cellulose nanocrystals (TO-CNCs) to produce hydrogels. PDMEAMA- b-PDEGMA was synthesized by atom-transfer radical polymerization. The extent and dynamics of the adsorption of PDMAEMA- b-PDEGMA on TO-CNCs were determined by electromechanical microbalance and optical techniques. Electrostatic adsorption was identified on TO-CNCs with the quaternized block copolymer. Small-angle neutron scattering experiments were performed to investigate the polymer behavior on the TO-CNC surfaces. Depending on the temperature, block copolymer induces the aggregation of nanocrystals after adsorption by connecting CNCs bundles with block copolymer chains. A reversible liquid-to-gel transition, triggered by temperature, was clearly detected by rheological measurements for the copolymer-CNC mixtures. At the optimal copolymer to CNC ratio the viscosity increased by 4 orders of magnitude at low shear rates. These stimuli-responsive CNC-based materials could be used as injectable biomedical systems.


Visual-based navigation has been a source of numerous researches in the field of mobile robotics. In this paper we present a topological map building and localization algorithm using wide-angle scenes. Global-appearance descriptors are used in order to optimally represent the visual information. First, we build a topological graph that represents the navigation environment. Each node of the graph is a different position within the area, and it is composed of a collection of images that covers the complete field of view. We use the information provided by a camera that is mounted on the mobile robot when it travels along some routes between the nodes in the graph. With this aim, we estimate the relative position of each node using the visual information stored. Once the map is built, we propose a localization system that is able to estimate the location of the mobile not only in the nodes but also on intermediate positions using the visual information. The approach has been evaluated and shows good performance in real indoor scenarios under realistic illumination conditions.


Textbooks have a direct bearing on the quality of education imparted to the students. Therefore, it is of paramount importance that the educational content of textbooks should provide rich learning experience to the students. Recent studies on understanding learning behavior suggest that the incorporation of digital visual material can greatly enhance learning. However, textbooks used in many developing regions are largely text-oriented and lack good visual material. We propose techniques for finding images from the web that are most relevant for augmenting a section of the textbook, while respecting the constraint that the same image is not repeated in different sections of the same chapter. We devise a rigorous formulation of the image assignment problem and present a polynomial time algorithm for solving the problem optimally. We also present two image mining algorithms that utilize orthogonal signals and hence obtain different sets of relevant images. Finally, we provide an ensembling algorithm for combining the assignments. To empirically evaluate our techniques, we use a corpus of high school textbooks in use in India. Our user study utilizing the Amazon Mechanical Turk platform indicates that the proposed techniques are able to obtain images that can help increase the understanding of the textbook material.


In the research of risk associated with developing energy and water efficient green buildings, previous studies had mainly focused on "what the risks are and how the risks may impact on project objectives", which were from an inward looking self-perspective and treated the risks in isolation from one another. While intensive research efforts have been dedicated to risk identification, assessment, classification, prioritisation and mitigation, a research gap exists, that is previous studies had ignored the fact that most risks are interrelated and associated with internal or external project stakeholders. To remedy the gap, this current research developed and presented a SNA (Social Network Analysis) based stakeholder-associated risk analysis method to assess risks in green buildings and the interactions between the risks. A case study has been conducted to demonstrate and validate this method. This research contributes to the development of a new theory to model the interdependent and interactive relationships of risks by using SNA as a methodology. This research should broaden project managers' awareness of the influential risks in green building and enhance their ability to perceive, understand, assess, and mitigate the risks in an effective and efficient way, thereby achieving higher performance in strategic risk management and stakeholder communication in green building development.


Present models for circadian rhythm generator are not sufficient to explain all the properties of a mechanism of circadian clocks. In this thesis, a new model is presented including a single element consisting of coupled genetic and metabolic oscillators and a net of such elements. The model investigates synchronisation in the net of elements influenced by variability or white noise due to the global and diffusive coupling and the possibility of entrainment of such nets with respect to external perturbations. Period of the single element is in endogenous region of circadian clocks if certain values of coupling parameter are applied. Synchronisation in the net of globally coupled elements influenced by variability is established for the critical coupling coefficient linearly dependant on variability strengths. Formation of spatial patterns is present in the net of diffusively coupled elements with variability and depends on the size of the net and the strength of variability. The optimal size of the net is taken in order to observe the patterns. Noise in mRNA concentration induces the variation of amplitudes for the variables of the metabolic oscillators, while the period of a single element is not perturbed. Synchronisation in the net influenced by noise is better achieved for the globally coupled elements. Entrainments are established for the single element and for the net of elements (with variability or noise) for all variables if the period of external perturbation corresponds to endogenous period (circa 24 hours) and the couplings are applied in the system. The variables of genetic oscillator are not entrained when the period is significantly different from endogenous period, indicating that metabolic oscillator is sensitive to environmental perturbations. Furthermore, differences are observed between two different couplings for both nets, since diffusive coupling is able to induce formation of spatial patterns.


Nanocrystalline ZnO powder was prepared using ultrasonic atomization technique. Thick films of this powder were prepared using simple screen printing technique. Pt-modified-ZnO (platinum activated) films were obtained by dipping pure ZnO films into an aqueous solution of chloroplatnic acid for different intervals of time, followed by firing at 500C for 30 min. The sensing performance of the unmodified (pure) and Pt-modified ZnO(Pt-ZnO) films was tested on exposure of CWA (chemical warfare agents) simulants, such as, dimethyl methyl phosphonate (DMMP), 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (CEES) and 2-chloroethyl phenyl sulfide (CEPS). Both pure ZnO and Pt-ZnO films showed higher response to DMMP than the responses to CEES and CEPS. Enhanced oxygen adsorption capability due to surface platinum would be the reason of higher response and good selectivity to DMMP. The simulant response, selectivity, response time and recovery time of the sensors were measured and presented. The role played by surface platinum species in the simulant sensing performance is discussed. Keyword: Ultrasonic atomization, Nanocrystalline ZnO powder, thick films, Pt-modified ZnO films, CWA simulant sensing, DMMP sensor.


The coastal zone comprises only 3% of the earth's surface, but contains a disproportionately high amount of its assets. Tidal areas include all those coastal areas where the tidal processes are capable of affecting man's activity or of being influenced by man. Tidal areas differ greatly depending on their location, geophysical conditions, climate, tidal range and cultural differences. Throughout the world, tidal areas have been and are being developed. These developments will continue as food production will need to be doubled in the next 25 years. To address questions related to a sustainable development of tidal areas, the International Commission of Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) established the Working Group on Sustainable Development of Tidal Areas in 2001. The working group has studied these questions and formulated principles and issues for sustainable development of tidal areas based on the relevant international conventions. The aim of this paper is to represent the official position of ICID and to support the preparation of the ICID Handbook Towards Sustainable Development of Tidal Area: Some Principles and Experiences. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Cloud computing opens a new era in IT as it can provide various elastic and scalable IT services in a pay-as-you-go fashion, where its users can reduce the huge capital investments in their own IT infrastructure. In this philosophy, users of cloud storage services no longer physically maintain direct control over their data, which makes data security one of the major concerns of using cloud. Existing research work already allows data integrity to be verified without possession of the actual data file. When the verification is done by a trusted third party, this verification process is also called data auditing, and this third party is called an auditor. However, such schemes in existence suffer from several common drawbacks. First, a necessary authorization/authentication process is missing between the auditor and cloud service provider, i.e., anyone can challenge the cloud service provider for a proof of integrity of certain file, which potentially puts the quality of the so-called `auditing-as-a-service' at risk; Second, although some of the recent work based on BLS signature can already support fully dynamic data updates over fixed-size data blocks, they only support updates with fixed-sized blocks as basic unit, which we call coarse-grained updates. As a result, every small update will cause re-computation and updating of the authenticator for an entire file block, which in turn causes higher storage and communication overheads. In this paper, we provide a formal analysis for possible types of fine-grained data updates and propose a scheme that can fully support authorized auditing and fine-grained update requests. Based on our scheme, we also propose an enhancement that can dramatically reduce communication overheads for verifying small updates. Theoretical analysis and experimental results demonstrate that our scheme can offer not only enhanced security and flexibility, but also significantly lower overhead for big data applications with a large number of frequent small updates, such as applications in social media and business transactions.


Beyond the Pink: (Post) Youth Iconography in Cinema is a project in cultural time travel. It cuts up linear cinematic narratives to develop a hop-scotched history of youth, Generation X and (post) youth culture. I focus upon the pleasures, pedagogies and (un)popular politics of a filmic genre that continues to be dismissed as unworthy of intellectual debate. Accelerated culture and the discourse of celebrity have blurred the crisp divisions between fine art and crude commodity, the meaningful and meaningless, and real and fictive, unsettling the binary logic that assigns importance to certain texts and not others. This research project prises open that awkward space between representation and experience.

Analysts require methods and structures through which to manage historical change and textual movement. Through cinema, macro-politics of identity emerge from the micro-politics of the narrative. Prom politics and mallrat musings become imbued with social significance that speak in the literacies available to youth. It grants the ephemerality and liminality of an experience a tactile trace. I select moments of experience for Generation X youth and specific icons - Happy Harry Hardon, Molly Ringwald, the Spice Girls, the Bitch, the invisible raver, teen time travellers Marty McFly and Donnie Darko, and the slacker - to reveal the archetypes and ideologies that punctuate the cinematic landscape. The tracked figures do not configure a smooth historical arc. It is in the rifts and conflicts of diverse narratives and subjectivities where attention is focused.

This research imperative necessitates the presentation of a series of essays arranged in a tripartite framework. The first section proposes theoretical paradigms for a tethered analysis of filmic texts and Generation X. The second segment explores sites of struggle in public spaces and time. The final section leaves the landscape of post-Generation X to forge the relationship between history, power and youth identity. I particularly focus on the iconography, ideologies and imaginings of young women to lead the discussion of the shifts in the experience and representations of youth. By reinserting women into studies of film, it is imperative to stress that this is not a dissertation in, and of, women's cinema. Rather, it serves as an historical corrective to the filmic database.

The existing literature on youth cinema is disappointing and narrow in its trajectories. Timothy Shary's Generation Multiplex: The Image of Youth in Contemporary American Cinema and Jon Lewis' The Road to Romance and Ruin: Teen Films and Youth Culture exemplify the difficulties of capturing the complexities of individual films when they are collated in artificial and stifling categories. At one end of the analytical spectrum is the critique that comes with the caveat of 'it's just another teen movie'. Jonathon Bernstein's monograph Pretty in Pink: The Golden Age of Teenage Movies is one such example which derails into acerbic diatribes and intellectual dismissal. The Cinema of Generation X: A Critical Study by Peter Hanson is a more successful project that is interested in the influences that inform a community of filmmakers than arriving at a catalogue of generic themes and narratives. There is an emphasis on the synergy between text, producer and readership.

I continue this relationship explored by Hanson, but further accent the politics of film. The original contribution to knowledge offered by this doctoral thesis is a detailed study of (post) youth popular culture, building into a model for Generation X cinema, activating the interdisciplinary perspectives from film and cultural studies. With its adaptability into diverse media forms, cultural studies paradigms allow navigation through the expansive landscape of popular culture. It traverses beyond simple textual analyses to consider a text's cultural currency. As an important carrier of meaning and sensory memories, cinema allows for alternative accounts that are denied in authorised history. As a unique form with its own visual literacy, screen theory is needed to refine observations. This unique melding of screen and cultural studies underscores the convergent relationship between text, readership, production and politics.

This doctoral thesis activates concepts and methods of generationalism, nationalism, social history and cultural practice. There is a dialogue between the chapters that crosses over text and time. The 1980s of Molly Ringwald shadows the dystopia of Donnie Darko. The celebrity status of the Spice Girls clashes with the frustrated invisibility of the female raver. Douglas Coupland's vision of Generation X in 1991 has evolved into Richard Linklater's documentation of post-youth in the new millenium. Leaping between decades through time travel in cinema, I argue that the nostalgic past and projections for the future evoke the preoccupations and anxieties of the present.


Being regarded as representing authentic Chinese cultural tradition in the eyes of many mainland Chinese, the Taiwanese practice of the art of tea, however, is displayed as an adapted authenticity that integrates multiple sources, including Chinese cultural legacy, Japanese art influences and constant innovations by Taiwanese actors. By conditionally selecting whether to side with Japanese or Chinese culture, a Taiwanese cultural identity through the art of tea is manifested as quests for liberal changes, leisure lifestyle, anti-showy representation and a paradox over commodified practices. This article traces the historical and ongoing transnational cultural flow among China, Taiwan and Japan in the art of tea, and focuses on exploring Taiwanese cultural reconstruction through the development of the art of tea. The author argues that the trajectory of the art of tea intrinsically reflects the paradox of cultural authenticity in Taiwan.


We used cores and logs from Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 313 to generate biostratigraphic, lithofacies, biofacies, and geochemical data that constrain the ages and paleoenvironments of Pleistocene sequences. We integrate sequence stratigraphy on cores with new seismic stratigraphic data to interpret the Pleistocene history of the Hudson shelf valley and paleoenvironmental and sea-level changes on the inner to middle continental shelf. Improved age control compared to previous studies is provided by integrated calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy, Sr isotopic stratigraphy, and amino acid racemization. We recognize four upper Pleistocene–Holocene sequences: sequence uP1 is correlated with Marine Isotope Chrons (MIC; "chron" is the correct stratigraphic term for a time unit, not "stage") 7 or 5e, sequence uP2 with MIC 5c, sequence uP3 with MIC 5a, and sequence uP4 with the latest Pleistocene to Holocene (MIC 1–2). However, within our age resolution it is possible that sequences uP2 and uP3 correlate with MIC 4–3c and 3a, respectively, as suggested by previous studies. Lower Pleistocene sequences lP1 and lP2 likely correlate with peak interglacials (e.g., MIC 31 and MIC 45 or 47, respectively). Thus, we suggest that preservation of sequences occurs only during peak eustatic events (e.g., MIC 45 or 47, MIC 31, and MIC 5), unless they are preserved in eroded valleys. The architecture of the Pleistocene deposits at Sites M27 and M29 is one of thin remnants of highstand and transgressive systems tracts, with lowstand deposits only preserved in the thalwegs of incised valleys. Incised valleys at the bases of sequences uP3 (IODP Site M27) and uP2 (IODP Site M29) document more southward courses of the paleo–Hudson valley, compared to the more southeastward course of the MIC 1–2 paleo–Hudson valley. The patchy distribution of Pleistocene sequences beneath the New Jersey inner-middle continental shelf is due to low accommodation during an interval of large eustatic changes; this predicts that sequences in such settings will be discontinuous, patchy, and difficult to correlate, consistent with previous studies in Virginia and North Carolina.


This proposal outlines the construction of an alternative music venue, The Glass Onion, in Oakland using Carnegie Mellon University investment to provide educational and professional opportunities for its students, and enhance the larger Pittsburgh arts community. The Glass Onion will be staffed and operated by Carnegie Mellon University with input from community leaders. A faculty advisory board consisting of members from Dietrich College, The College of Fine Arts, Tepper Business School, and The Heinz College will help direct student workers and advise their work. One faculty advisor from this board will act as the primary faculty advisor, and serve a more present and permanent role working with student staff closely. The student staff will be composed of undergraduate and graduate students from a variety of disciplines. Those students in higher positions will be paid by federal work study and tuition stipend programs. Volunteer positions will also be available for students to engage with the venue on a smaller level that can lead to later full-time experience. Creating the space will cost at least $50,000 and as much as $74,000, given estimates of equipment, supplies and potential rent prices. However, it is important to stress the biggest obstacle in its construction is the cost of rent. Yet, this cost gets immediately reduced if the Glass Onion could operate in a space that Carnegie Mellon University already owns and is vacant.


We present a broadband two-dimensional transient absorption setup for the UV around 300 nm with a time resolution of 150 fs. A narrowband, frequency tunable pump pulse and a broadband probe pulse are generated from the output of a noncollinear optical parametric amplifier operated at 20 kHz repetition rate and combined in a spectrally resolved transient absorption experiment. The high repetition rate and low noise of the setup allow us to acquire high quality two-dimensional data as a function of time delay with an unsurpassed frequency window of 10,000 and 8000  cm(-1) along the probe and pump axis, respectively. The performance of the setup is demonstrated on 2,5-Diphenyloxazol dissolved in cyclohexane.


The Upper Cretaceous sequence in the area located between Uniejow, Klodawa and Ozorkow, Central Poland, is dominated by carbonate and carbonate-siliceous deposits. They are represented by limestones, marly limestones, marls and opokas with local gaize intercalations in the uppermost part of the sequence. There is also a complex of Santonian-Campanian clastics immediately adjoining the present-day Mid-Polish Swell near the Klodawa Salt Diapir. The clastics may represent gravity flow deposits associated with a strong uplift of the Izbica-Klodawa-Leczyca Zone due to salt movements during inversion of this structure related to the incipient phase of the Late Cretaceous inversion of the whole Mid-Polish Swell. These processes caused increasing morphological gradients when passing south-westwards to the neighbouring subsiding trough. Detailed sedimentological studies of the clastic series cannot be made due to insufficient material and poor core condition. Investigations of the regional facies distribution and sedimentation, performed both along the areas adjoining the present-day Mid-Polish Swell and in local inversion structures, may help in the elucidation of timing of the incipient tectonic inversion phase of the Mid-Polish Trough which was ultimately transformed into the Mid-Polish Swell during the Early Tertiary.


While a consensus has emerged concerning the role radicalization plays in persuading Westerners to participate in terrorism, little research investigates the cognitive processes inherent to radicalization processes. Transformative learning theory, developed from the sciences in education and rehabilitation, offers an interdisciplinary lens with which to study the processes of personal change associated with radicalization. Transformative radicalization explains how triggering factors lead to critical reflection of meaning perspectives and personal belief systems that guide and alter behavior. Using an autobiographical account of the radicalization process, this study offers a plausibility probe of an inherently interdisciplinary and novel theoretical framework.


Abstract. While tropical montane cloud forests (TMCF) provide critical hydrological services to downstream regions throughout much of the humid tropics, catchment hydrology and impacts associated with forest conversion in these ecosystems remain poorly understood. Here, we compare the annual, seasonal and event-scale streamflow patterns and runoff generation processes of three neighbouring headwater catchments in central Veracruz (eastern Mexico) with similar pedological and geological characteristics, but different land cover: old-growth TMCF, 20 yr-old naturally regenerating TMCF and a heavily grazed pasture. We used a 2 yr record of high resolution rainfall and stream flow data (2008–2010) in combination with stable isotope and chemical tracer data collected for a series of storms during a 6-week period of increasing antecedent wetness (wetting-up cycle). Our results showed that annual and seasonal streamflow patterns in the mature and secondary forest were similar. In contrast, the pasture showed a 10% higher mean annual streamflow, most likely because of a lower rainfall interception. During the wetting-up cycle, storm runoff ratios increased at all three catchments (from 11 to 54% for the mature forest, 7 to 52% for the secondary forest and 3 to 59% for the pasture). With the increasing antecedent wetness, hydrograph separation analysis showed progressive increases of pre-event water contributions to total stormflow (from 35 to 99% in the mature forest, 26 to 92% in the secondary forest and 64 to 97% in the pasture). At all three sites, rainfall-runoff responses were dominated by subsurface flow generation processes for the majority of storms. However, for the largest and most intense storm (typically occurring once every 2 yr), sampled under wet antecedent conditions, the event water contribution in the pasture (34% on average) was much higher than in the forests (5% on average), indicating that rainfall infiltration capacity of the pasture was exceeded. This result suggests that despite the high permeability of the volcanic soils and underlying substrate in this TMCF environment, the conversion of forest to pasture may lead to important changes in runoff generation processes during large and high intensity storms. On the other hand, our results also showed that 20 yr of natural regeneration may be enough to largely restore the original hydrological conditions of this TMCF.


Over the last 10-15 years, our industry has developed and deployed many large-scale Internet services, from e-commerce to social networking sites, all facing common challenges in latency, reliability, and scalability. Over time, a relatively small number of architectural patterns have emerged to address these challenges, such as tiering, caching, partitioning, and pre- or post-processing compute intensive tasks. Unfortunately, following these patterns requires developers to have a deep understanding of the trade-offs involved in these patterns as well as an end-to-end understanding of their own system and its expected workloads. The result is that non-expert developers have a hard time applying these patterns in their code, leading to low-performing, highly suboptimal applications.
 In this paper, we propose FLUXO, a system that separates an Internet service's logical functionality from the architectural decisions made to support performance, scalability, and reliability. FLUXO achieves this separation through the use of a restricted programming language designed 1) to limit a developer's ability to write programs that are incompatible with widely used Internet service architectural patterns; and 2) to simplify the analysis needed to identify how architectural patterns should be applied to programs. Because architectural patterns are often highly dependent on application performance, workloads and data distributions, our platform captures such data as a runtime profile of the application and makes it available for use when determining how to apply architectural patterns. This separation makes service development accessible to non-experts by allowing them to focus on application features and leaving complicated architectural optimizations to experts writing application-agnostic, profile-guided optimization tools.
 To evaluate FLUXO, we show how a variety of architectural patterns can be expressed as transformations applied to FLUXO programs. Even simple heuristics for automatically applying these optimizations can show reductions in latency ranging from 20-90% without requiring special effort from the application developer. We also demonstrate how a simple shared-nothing tiering and replication pattern is able to scale our test suite, a web-based IM, email, and addressbook application.


The introduction of Java applets has taken the World Wide Web by storm. Java allows web creators to embellish their content with arbitrary programs which execute in the web browser, whether for simple animations or complex front-ends to other services. We examined the Java language and the Sun HotJava, Netscape Navigator, and Microsoft Internet Explorer browsers which support it, and found a significant number of flaws which compromise their security. These flaws arise for several reasons, including implementation errors, unintended interactions between browser features, differences between the Java language and bytecode semantics, and weaknesses in the design of the language and the bytecode format. On a deeper level, these flaws arise because of weaknesses in the design methodology used in creating Java and the browsers. In addition to the flaws, we discuss the underlying tension between the openness desired by web application writers and the security needs of their users, and we suggest how both might be accommodated.


Abstract Many ferns have specialized fronds that bear sporangia, whereas sterile fronds lack reproductive structures. Although a strong case can be made that the presence of the sporangia will affect the physiology of the frond, only one study could be located that investigated this phenomenon. Thus, ecophysiological (and some morphological) features of fertile fronds were compared with those of sterile fronds of the subtropical epiphytic fern Pyrrosia lingua in Taiwan. Fertile fronds were thicker than sterile fronds, a result of the presence of the large sori. Stomatal sizes and densities did not differ between the two types of fronds. The osmotic potential of liquid expressed from the fertile fronds was more negative than that of the liquid of sterile fronds, although this may be an artifact due to a matric effect of the released spores. No differences in chlorophyll concentrations (area basis only) and a/b ratios were found between sterile and fertile fronds. In situ rates of net CO2 exchange of the fertile fronds were substantially lower than those of the sterile fronds. Similar stomatal conductances and internal CO2 concentrations in the sterile fronds indicated that the efficiency of the photosynthetic apparatus was lower in fertile relative to sterile fronds. The results of this study indicate that the presence of sori on fronds of the epiphytic fern Pyrrosia lingua reduces the photosynthetic capacity of these fronds and, most likely, the productivity of plants harboring many fertile fronds.


Abstract Liposome surface modifications serve great potential applications of liposomes, for instance, increasing stability, bioactive liposome conjugates, and targeted drug, gene, and image agent delivery. In this study, novel targeted lipopolymers, peptide 18/peptide 563-poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)-dioleoylphosphatidyl-ethanolamine (P18/P563-PEtOx-DOPE), have been demonstrated to be successfully synthesized. The structures of P18/P563-PEtOx-DOPE were confirmed by FT-IR spectroscopy, GPC, and 1H-NMR. In this strategy, poly(2-ethyl 2-oxazoline)-modified liposomes were firstly constructed with molecular weights of 3,500 and 5,800 Da. Then, we chose PEtOx5800-DOPE because it has been obtained better particle size (88.74 ± 0.6816) according to the DLS results. Then, peptides- and dye-PEtOx lipid-based nanovesicle (LN) were prepared by peptide-18, peptide-563, and 7-mercapto-4-methyl coumarin. Genetic material (pDNA) was encapsulated into the liposomes and evaluated the encapsulation of plasmid DNA with migration by using agarose gel electrophoresis. In vitro cytotoxicity experiment results on prostate cancer and breast cancer cell lines, parallelly with the healthy prostate (PNT1A) and breast (MCF10A) epithelial cell lines, cells showed insignificant toxic effects. Thus, we can suggest a novel PEtOx phospholipid thanks to this article and its integration with ligands, which great potential for gene transfer system. Graphical Abstract


Intraorbital foreign body may lead to unexpected findings; their management depends on the type of projectile and its intraorbital trajectory. Medical imaging is an imperative part of the initial assessment. The main two risks of these injuries are first mechanical with possible bulbe, nerve, muscle or bone complications and second infectious. We report a case of long metallic intraocular foreign body (radio antenna) causing marked visual impairment, optic nerve dysfunction and III paralysis analyzed by CT scan, and we discuss its management.


Abstract Parturient ungulates are relatively more sensitive to predation risk than other individuals and during other times of the year. Selection of calving areas by ungulates may be ultimately related to trade-offs between minimizing risk of predation and meeting nutritional needs for lactation. We used digital and field data to examine selection of calving areas by 31 global positioning system–collared moose (Alces alces) in southeastern British Columbia. We examined movements 12 days before and after calving, and analyzed habitat selection at 2 scales of comparison: the immediate calving area to the extended calving area (100 ha), and the extended calving area to the surrounding home range. Maternal moose exhibited 1 of 2 distinct elevational strategies for calving area selection during the days leading up to calving: 16 moose were climbers and 15 were nonclimbers. Climbers moved a mean of 310 m higher in elevation to calve, whereas nonclimbers showed little change in elevation. Hourly movements by all maternal females increased 2- to 3-fold in the 1–4 days before calving and were generally directional, such that all calving areas were outside of areas used during the 12 days before calving. At the broad scale, elevation was the strongest predictor of the extended calving area within the home range. At the fine scale, climbers selected areas with reduced tree density, reduced forage, and increased distance from water, whereas nonclimbers selected areas with increased forage, decreased distance from water, and decreased slope. Beyond the obvious elevation difference between climbers and nonclimbers, moose appeared to exhibit 2 distinct calving strategies in mountainous ecosystems. A functional explanation for the 2 strategies may be that climbers moved into areas where forage quantity and quality were relatively low, but where risk of predation (mainly by grizzly bears [Ursus arctos]) also was reduced. Nonclimber moose calved in areas with higher forage values, and appeared to select areas at the finer scale to reduce predation risk (e.g., association with water and reduced tree density for visibility).


The rapid transformation of urban socio-spatial landscape in China has resulted in an increasing degree of frustration and discontent among local residents who face threats of demolition and eviction. This has given rise to sporadic protests by local residents who are often known as 'nail households', that is, persistent protesters who are fixed to the land and hold onto their dwellings in protest against unwilling eviction and demolition of their dwellings. The presence of these protesters provides an effective example of local residents' out cry in China. This paper is an attempt to critically re-visit the existing debates on local residents' property rights activism in urban redevelopment processes, and to discuss the extent to which it can be an effective strategy. The paper refers to the right-to-the-city debate to examine whose right counts in China's urban renewal contexts. It also makes use of empirical findings, both quantitative and qualitative, to examine how nail houses are received among local residents and migrants, and discusses the extent to which migrants can fit into local residents' struggle against the top-down imposition of neighbourhood transformation. The paper ultimately calls for the need to form a place-based alliance that enables urbanites including migrants to come together to launch an effective claim on their right to the city


Objective: The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of drugs in critically ill patients are difficult to predict due to complex pathophysiological changes. Vancomycin is an antibiotic commonly used to treat serious gram positive bacterial infections in critically ill patients and the treatment goal is to rapidly achieve and maintain therapeutic concentrations. We assessed the pharmacokinetics of vancomycin in critically ill patients to help guide dosing. Methods: A total of 138 patients with 299 vancomycin serum concentrations were included in this analysis. Vancomycin serum concentrations were measured using a fluorescence polarization immunoassay. Population pharmacokinetic parameters were estimated using nonlinear mixed effects regression. Age, creatinine clearance (CrCL) and body weight were tested as potential covariates in the pharmacokinetic model. Results: Vancomycin concentration-time profiles were best described by a two-compartment pharmacokinetic model with an additive error model for between subject variability. Creatinine clearance significantly influenced vancomycin clearance (CL). Mean population pharmacokinetic parameters (% between subject variability) were: CL 3.39 l/h (13%), central compartment volume of distribution (V1) 24.92 l (26%); and peripheral compartment volume of distribution (V2) 24.6 (37%). Conclusion: Higher clearance and a smaller volume of distribution of vancomycin was observed in critically-ill patients compared to those reported in non-critically ill patients with a similar distribution of renal function and body weight. Close monitoring of vancomycin serum concentrations is warranted in critically ill patients with dose interval adjustments based on the patient's creatinine clearance.


Infants and toddlers with developmental disabilities and certain medical conditions are at risk for a variety of adverse outcomes in childhood as well as into adulthood. Early identification and early intervention are essential for improving the trajectories and outcomes of these children. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a federal law that affords protections to children with disabilities and those at risk for developmental delays. IDEA provides guidance and regulations to early intervention programs, schools, and states for identifying and delivering intervention services to children ages birth through 21 years. Although the provision of early intervention services are regulated by the federal government through IDEA, states have autonomy to decide how they define and measure disabilities and developmental delays. As a result, states differ greatly in their eligibility criteria as well as in the percentages of children identified for early intervention (IDEA Part C) and preschool special education (IDEA Part B). Thus, children who receive early intervention services may or may not continue to meet criteria for special education once they reach age 3. Few studies have examined the child, family, and early intervention characteristics that relate to how, when, and if children will transition from Part C to Part B. Those studies that have examined these relationships have not focused specifically on how these transitions occur in Florida. The purpose of the present study was to examine child, family, and early intervention characteristics that increase the likelihood of children transitioning from Part C to Part B in Florida. Participants in this study included infants and toddlers who exited the Bay Area Early Steps Program (one of Florida's Part C providers) in 2016. Archival data were examined using a combination of descriptive statistics, Chi-squares, independent t-tests, and logistic regression analyses. Results of this study indicate that children exiting the Bay Area Early Steps Program were more likely to be eligible for preschool special education (Part B) if they were Black/African American, Hispanic, had an established/diagnosed condition, had a lower socioeconomic status, received speech/language services in Early Steps, received multiple different service types in Early Steps, and/or received Early Steps services in Polk County (as opposed to Hillsborough County). Children were not more likely to be eligible for Part B based on their gender, primary language, length of time in Early Steps, or receipt of occupational therapy, physical therapy, or early intervention services while in Early Steps. The findings of this study provide preliminary information about factors that relate to children's transitions from early intervention to preschool special education in Florida. The findings also offer practical implications for the day-to-day operations of the Bay Area Early Steps program and…


Dissolution kinetics of pyrite ore (sourced from Nigeria) by hydrochloric acid were investigated. The elemental composition was determined by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry, while the mineral phase was characterized by powder X-ray diffractometry. The major elements in the ore were Fe (42.76 %), S (31.89 %), Si (7.35 %) and Zn (4.76 %). The minor elements consisted of Pb (2.63 %), Ag (1.39 %), and Mn (0.03 %), whi-le traces of Ca, Mg, V, Sb, Ni and Ra were also found. The major compounds in the ore were FeS2 and Fe2 (SO4)3, with associated mineral phases of ¥a-SiO2, Mn3O5, PbS and ZnS. The effects of HCl concentration, tem-perature and particle size on the dissolution rate indicated that about 76.4 % of the ore of < 0.1 mm particle size was dissolved at 80 ¢aC and stirring rate of 360 rpm. The dissolution rate was also dependence on hydrogen ion concentration of the reaction system. Activation energy of 38.8 kJ mol-1 and Arrhenius constant of 3.00 s-1 were obtained for the dissolution, confirming the rate controlling mechanism to be diffusion controlled surface chemi-cal reaction


Pointwise consistent, feasible procedures for estimating contemporaneous linear causal structure from time series data have been developed using multiple conditional independence tests, but no such procedures are available for non-linear systems. We describe a feasible procedure for learning a class of non-linear time series structures, which we call additive non-linear time series. We show that for data generated from stationary models of this type, two classes of conditional independence relations among time series variables and their lags can be tested efficiently and consistently using tests based on additive model regression. Combining results of statistical tests for these two classes of conditional independence relations and the temporal structure of time series data, a new consistent model specification procedure is able to extract relatively detailed causal information. We investigate the finite sample behavior of the procedure through simulation, and illustrate the application of this method through analysis of the possible causal connections among four ocean indices. Several variants of the procedure are also discussed.


Economic commentators regularly urge the Fed to use the level of unemployment or the rate of change in wages as leading indicators of inflation and as guides to whether they should ease or tighten monetary policy. The logic behind this approach is based on modern (post-1970) Keynesian macroeconomics and, more specifically, on the Phillips curve and the nonaccelerating inflation rate of unemployment (NAIRU). This article attempts to provide some basic information about this NAIRU theory of the causes of inflation and the role of monetary policy. After describing the historical development of the NAIRU theory, the discussion raises some practical questions about the validity of the theory and its usefulness as the basis for policy advice. Perhaps the most important question involves the difficulty of distinguishing policy-induced changes in nominal wages that reflect future changes in the price level from changes in relative wages associated with real changes in the economy. The authors also describe recent developments in neoclassical theory that indicate that business cycle fluctuations in employment and output may be caused primarily by real forces-a situation that, if true, increases the danger that monetary policy based on the NAIRU may interfere with the proper functioning of the price system.


A renewed focus on the notion of empire has prompted an interest in questions of modern Japanese imperialism after the Meiji Restoration, both in Japan and abroad. It has also focused attention on the issue of comparing empires across Eurasia during the early modern period, under the rubric of 'global history'. Japan has not really been incorporated into this latter discussion. This article begins by examining the reasons for this lack of incorporation, before moving on to discuss the value of considering early modern Japan as an imperial formation. The lens it adopts is one of cartography, that quintessentially imperial practice that has featured heavily in discussions of a Eurasian early modernity. The article examines the cartographic incorporation of Japan's northern region of the Yezo into Japan itself, culminating in the area being newly designated as Hokkaido in the early Meiji period, the newest circuit within Imperial Japan's administrative map. This political outcome was the result of varied practices that found reflection across the Tokugawa–Meiji divide. Yet this intense variety of practices, constantly shifting in response to contingency, served to form the state-effect, through which the land of Yezo was granted its unity and represented on the map. The territory on the map provided the visual, graphic representation of the demarcation of authority of the state that authorized the practice of its own mapping. In this manner, the state mapped itself into Hokkaido and from this perspective, the division between the early modern and modern eras is far less significant than is frequently assumed.


This paper suggests to study the phenomena of gendering in political journalism from intersectionality perspective (Davis, 2008; McCall, 2005) in order to understand gendering in the framework of other discriminatory and promoting mechanisms in political news. Gendering is understood as the perceived imprint of gender on the media portrayal of politics and politicians, as well as the processes whereby gendered media representations materialize (Voronova, 2014). The paper is based on forty semi-structured interviews with political journalists working for the quality press in Russia and Sweden. The choice of the countries is driven by the wish to explore the difficulties and similarities of the journalists' conceptualizations of gendering and other discriminatory and promoting mechanisms in two very different political and cultural contexts. The paper shows that the journalists in both countries highlight the importance of not only gender mainstreaming, but diversity in the content as a democratic value, where gender stands in the same row with other difference-making categories (such as ethnicity, age, sexuality etc.). The paper highlights the difficulties and contradictions the Russian and Swedish political journalists face trying to achieve their diversity ideal. The paper suggests a definition of intersectional labelling in political journalism, and proposes that it is an ambiguous process, which can be either discriminatory or promoting, depending on its manifestations. Moreover, its application is contextual, and is related to the journalists' vision of ethics, commercial benefits of the media organization, and press freedom.


I think my body was my soul, And when we are made thus Who shall control Our hands, our eyes, the wandering passion of our feet? (1) THE POETRY OF CHARLOTTE MEW (1869-1928) STRUGGLES TO ANSWER THIS very question. Through her small but powerful body of work, Mew searches for a solution to the anguish of "wandering passion" and a body seemingly beyond her control. A deeply closeted lesbian troubled by fear of insanity, she employs a wide variety of poetic voices in the quest to conquer and categorize what she saw as a disobedient, unruly body. Trying to believe the answers offered by religion and science, Mew nevertheless remains conflicted throughout her career. During her lifetime, Charlotte Mew attracted the praise of her generation's literary stars, including Thomas Hardy, Virginia Woolf, and Ezra Pound. In spite of this impressive list of references and accolades, Mew was all but forgotten by the time of her death in 1928. Noting her demise, the neighborhood newspaper ran a simple, chilling obituary for "Miss Charlotte Mary New [sic], ... a writer of verse" (Warner, p. xiii). The inaccuracy and disregard underscore just how fickle Mew's reading public could be. Scholars and readers may have put her aside because of the enigmatic nature of much of her work. In Mew, critics find a challenge unlike any other; those in search of clear answers resist her poetry. This seems to have been the case since the early days of Mew scholarship. A year after her death, critic John Freeman wrote in The Bookman that there had been a "secret" Mew took to the grave with her. (2) Similarly, Lorna Keeling Collard wrote in The Contemporary Review that "one is continually being asked fo r a key to her poetry." (3) Collard goes on: "Is there any one poem or line which may give us a clue? Or is there no solution at all, and must Charlotte Mew ... forever remain a mystery?" Mew seems to prove that the canon, with all its pretenses and parameters, is reluctant to embrace an original voice. Today, as in the later years of her lifetime, Charlotte Mew's poetry maintains a cult following; the relatively small number of readers who have encountered her work become ardent fans, while the majority of people cannot recall having seen her name in print. A Virago edition of her Collected Poems and Prose (1981) and an impressive biography by award-winning novelist Penelope Fitzgerald (1998) (4) have attracted a modicum of critical attention, but Mew continues to linger in the margins of the canon. Providing an excellent analogy, scholar Lucy Bland writes in her feminist historiography Banishing the Beast of the social residuum that lingered ominously and persistently at the edges of nineteenth-century British society. (5) Mew's poetry has become a form of literary "residuum"--not embraced, but still vibrant and dynamic, still clinging to the very margins from which it derived its inspiration. Through her poetry, Mew agonized over a body that did not fit into the categories and organizations offered to her by an often strictly stratified society. Mew's poetic ambivalence toward the body can be illuminated by a brief examination of some biographical and political elements. Charlotte Mary Mew was born in 1869 to Frederick Mew, a struggling architect, and Anna Kendall Mew, a privileged woman who never recovered from her decline in social status after marriage. Both Anna's brother and sister suffered from mental illness and had to be institutionalized. Within the Mew nuclear family, of the four of seven children who lived past childhood, two went mad. Charlotte was only nineteen when her eldest brother Henry began to deteriorate from the effects of dementia praecox, or what would now be called schizophrenia. Since doctors had no cure for those suffering from this disease, Henry was sent to a mental institution, where he spent the last thirteen years of his short life. …


Abstract Nicotine is the main psychoactive substance present in tobacco, targeting neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (AChRs). The main effects of nicotine associated with smoking are AChR activation, desensitization, and upregulation, with the subsequent modulation of the mesocorticolimbic dopaminergic system. However, there is a lack of a comprehensive explanation of their roles that effectively makes clear how nicotine dependence might be established on those grounds. Receptor upregulation is an unusual effect for a drug of abuse, because theoretically this implies less need for drug consumption. Receptor upregulation and receptor desensitization are commonly viewed as opposite, homeostatic mechanisms. We here review the available information on smoking addiction, and drugs employed as aids in smoking cessation, especially under a recently presented model of nicotine dependence. In this model both receptor upregulation and receptor desensitization are responsible for establishing a biochemical mechanism of nicotine dependence, which have an important role in starting and maintaining tobacco addiction. Basically, a conclusion of this model is that those drugs used for smoking cessation should inhibit preferentially α4β2-containing AChRs and to have a low or null ability to upregulate AChRs, as this characteristic allows the smoker to achieve downregulation without abstinence symptoms.


This document defines the Extended Report (XR) packet type for the RTP Control Protocol (RTCP), and defines how the use of XR packets can be signaled by an application if it employs the Session Description Protocol (SDP). XR packets are composed of report blocks, and seven block types are defined here. The purpose of the extended reporting format is to convey information that supplements the six statistics that are contained in the report blocks used by RTCP's Sender Report (SR) and Receiver Report (RR) packets. Some applications, such as multicast inference of network characteristics (MINC) or voice over IP (VoIP) monitoring, require other and more detailed statistics. In addition to the block types defined here, additional block types may be defined in the future by adhering to the framework that this document provides.


We propose a general framework for aligning continuous (oblique) video onto 3D sensor data. We align a point cloud computed from the video onto the point cloud directly obtained from a 3D sensor. This is in contrast to existing techniques where the 2D images are aligned to a 3D model derived from the 3D sensor data. Using point clouds enables the alignment for scenes full of objects that are difficult to model, for example, trees. To compute 3D point clouds from video, motion stereo is used along with a state-of-the-art algorithm for camera pose estimation. Our experiments with real data demonstrate the advantages of the proposed registration algorithm for texturing models in large-scale semi-urban environments. The capability to align video before a 3D model is built from the 3D sensor data opens up new possibilities for 3D modeling. We introduce a novel modeling-through-registration approach that fuses 3D information from both the 3D sensor and the video. Initial experiments with real data illustrate the potential of the proposed approach.


This report provides a recommended program for contaminated site management over a relatively long (20-year) time horizon. This program will help Kosovo to prevent potentially significant unforeseen consequences in several economic areas, including real estate markets and public budgets, and to avoid the pressure to accept legislation that is not optimal for the country's social and environmental needs. The program will also assist Kosovo's compliance directly and indirectly with existing and emerging EU legislation and strategies as a part of its European Union (EU) accession candidacy. This report focuses on the legacy from point sources (contaminated sites). The recommended program is a well-defined and investable program, strongly oriented toward capacity building and a learning-by-doing approach for Kosovar stakeholders and practitioners. The program reflects good practice in management, policy, and regulation in other European countries (Nathanail et al. 2013). Moreover, it builds upon the World Bank advisory report on Developing a Program for Contaminated Site Management in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (Kovalick and Montgomery 2014). The intended audience of this report is twofold. The technical assessment sections (chapters two, three and Annex one, two) target practitioners and stakeholders in contaminated site management in Kosovo (including agencies, regulators, planners, local authorities, site owners and operators, academics, consultants, and contractors). The Executive Summary and the guiding principles and recommended program for contaminated site management (Chapter four) would also be of interest to policy makers.


Eritrea is a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual and multi-religion country. The country does not have an official state religion. However, since the country's independence in 1991, the relationship between state and religion has been a troubled one. At least four religions are officially recognised by the state: Islam, of the Sunni rite; the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahdo Church, part of the worldwide Coptic Orthodox Church of the eastern rite; the Eritrean Catholic Church, part of the worldwide Roman Catholic movement; and the Eritrean Evangelical Church, part of the Lutheran World Federation. There are also a number of religious beliefs which are not formally recognised by the state. Members of these religious groups practise their belief clandestinely at the risk of insurmountable levels of persecution: If caught practising their religion in whatever form, they are treated harshly. The persecution of these groups takes place mainly in the form of coerced repudiation of one's religion. This is routinely accompanied by various forms of human rights violations, such as prolonged arbitrary detention and solitary confinement, including torture. In extreme cases it also entails extrajudicial execution. In this context, freedom of religion is severely restricted in Eritrea due to the excessive levels of state intervention in matters of personal belief or creed. As such, Eritrea has become a major example of religious persecution in the world. This has prompted, amongst other things, the description of Eritrea as one of the worst abusers in the world, along with North Korea. The relationship between the state and religion has been particularly problematic since the Eritrean government introduced a new policy in 2002 ordering the 'closure' of all other religions except the four officially-recognised beliefs. This article critically analyses the troubled relationship of state and religion in Eritrea and, in so doing, it addresses the challenge from a human rights perspective.


This paper therefore addresses the challenges facing the home garden farmers in Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Sixty households farmer were selected through systematic sampling from Nkokonbe municipality which were purposively selected. The small scale farmers were interviewed with the help of an interview schedule containing open and closed ended questions. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics with the help of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The results revealed that small scale farmers in Eastern Cape Province lack awareness of improved agricultural practices and technical knowhow because the extension staffs to farmer ratio is high. Results further reveals that they also lacked finance, experienced high interest rates on credit facilities and uncertainty of the right seed to use due to flooding of the market by many seed companies. In view of the research findings, several policy proposals are suggested. These include ensuring the availability of market information to all farmers, capacitating smallholder farmers with production and financial management skills and extension support service.


The Euclidean projection onto a convex set is an important problem that arises in numerous constrained optimization tasks. Unfortunately, in many cases, computing projections is computationally demanding. In this work, we focus on projection problems where the constraints are smooth and the number of constraints is significantly smaller than the dimension. The runtime of existing approaches to solving such problems is either cubic in the dimension or polynomial in the inverse of the target accuracy. Conversely, we propose a simple and efficient primal-dual approach, with a runtime that scales only linearly with the dimension, and only logarithmically in the inverse of the target accuracy. We empirically demonstrate its performance, and compare it with standard baselines.


Medication-overuse headache (MOH) is defined as a secondary headache in patients with previous
 primary headache, mostly migraine or tension headache, present for 15 or more days per month due to the
 overuse of acute symptomatic therapy for headache (10 or more or 15 or more days per month, depending on the
 medication used) and persisting for more than 3 months. Based on the papers published in the past 15 years on
 the topic, identified by searching the PubMed database, definition, epidemiology, pathophysiology,clinical
 picture,
 diagnosis, therapy, prognosis and prevention of MOH are discussed. The aim of this review is to make
 physicians aware of the fact that MOH is a frequent diagnosis among patients with primary headaches, which
 needs to be treated appropriately but the development of which can be prevented at the primary healthcare level.


The Nordic countries have recently experienced increased pressure to adopt English as a language of science, higher education and business, and Iceland is no exception. Although the majority of courses at Icelandic universities are still taught in Icelandic, over 90 percent of all course material is now in English and there is extreme overt pressure on academic staff to publish in English. We report studies that show that at the tertiary level there exists a clear, although largely unacknowledged, discrepancy between the prevailing ideology, policies and language practice. Additionally, schools may not prepare students adequately to meet the demands of tertiary level studies. The findings of our studies support a view that a new linguistic environment has emerged in Iceland which has implications for the National Curriculum in English and for teacher education, if Icelandic youth is to be prepared for the use of English parallel to Icelandic in academia.


ABSTRACT Hypomyelination is a key symptom of Allan-Herndon-Dudley syndrome (AHDS), a psychomotor retardation associated with mutations in the thyroid-hormone (TH) transporter MCT8 (monocarboxylate transporter 8). AHDS is characterized by severe intellectual deficiency, neuromuscular impairment and brain hypothyroidism. In order to understand the mechanism for TH-dependent hypomyelination, we developed an mct8 mutant (mct8−/−) zebrafish model. The quantification of genetic markers for oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) and mature oligodendrocytes revealed reduced differentiation of OPCs into oligodendrocytes in mct8−/− larvae and adults. Live imaging of single glial cells showed that the number of oligodendrocytes and the length of their extensions are reduced, and the number of peripheral Schwann cells is increased, in mct8−/− larvae compared with wild type. Pharmacological analysis showed that TH analogs and clemastine partially rescued the hypomyelination in the CNS of mct8−/− larvae. Intriguingly, triiodothyronine (T3) treatment rescued hypomyelination in mct8−/− embryos before the maturation of the blood–brain barrier (BBB), but did not affect hypomyelination in older larvae. Thus, we expressed Mct8-tagRFP in the endothelial cells of the vascular system and showed that even relatively weak mosaic expression completely rescued hypomyelination in mct8−/− larvae. These results suggest potential pharmacological treatments and BBB-targeted gene therapy that can enhance myelination in AHDS and possibly in other TH-dependent brain disorders. Summary: Expression of thyroid transporter specifically in the blood–brain barrier of zebrafish, and pharmacological treatments with thyroid hormone analogs and clemastine, rescue myelin deficiencies.


Engineers and product designers are concerned with the design, development, implementation and operation of a wide range of systems. If a system is to perform optimally, all of the component parts must communicate and cooperate effectively. Technologists must therefore have an appreciation for both, the functionality of a single component of that system and the interoperability, or impact of that component within the context of the system. Scientific first principles underpin all aspects of technical education. The application of scientific knowledge at component level impacts at system level. Practical or laboratory-based activity has long been used as a complimentary pedagogy to that of traditional lectures. Laboratory offerings are conventionally conducted on a single piece of apparatus or at component level, rather than at a system level. Interfaces which help convey scientific principles in action, within the context of a system, must thus be regarded as a demarcation in technical education delivery. This paper outlines the novel pedagogies developed by a UNESCO award winning European training initiative which created both hard and soft vehicles for learning, for level 5 learners on the European Qualification Framework. The paper describes an authentic systems-based laboratory interface to aid the lecturer in the dissemination of scientific principles, within the context of a system; as well as novel instructional modes designed to improve the soft skills of the learner. The paper further outlines, how the pedagogies developed, can be implemented within the learning curricula of higher level programmes within the wider engineering and product design community.


In this paper, we demonstrate single-channel operation of the first InP monolithic tunable optical router (MOTOR) chip designed to function as the packet forwarding engine of an all-optical router. The device has eight-input and eight-output ports and is capable of 40-Gb/s operation per port with bit-error rates below 1E-9. MOTOR integrates eight wavelength-tunable differential Mach–Zehnder semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) wavelength converters with preamplifiers and a passive 8 8 arrayed-waveguide grating router. Each wavelength converter employs a widely tunable sampled-grating distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) laser for efficient wavelength switching across the C band and other functions required for 40-Gb/s wavelength conversion. Active and passive regions of the chip are defined through a robust quantum well intermixing process to optimize the gain in the wavelength converters and minimize the propagation losses in passive sections of the chip. The device is one of the most complex photonic integrated circuits (PICs) reported to date, with dimensions of 4.25 mm 14.5 mm and more than 200 functional elements integrated on-chip. We demonstrate single-channel wavelength conversion and channel switching with this device using pseudorandom bit sequence (PRBS) data at 40 Gb/s. A power penalty as low as 4.5 dB was achieved with less than 2-W drive power per channel.


The geomechanical stability of the permafrost formations containing gas hydrates in the Arctic is extremely vulnerable to global warming and the drilling of wells for oil and gas exploration purposes. In this work the effect of gas hydrate and ice on the geomechanical properties of sediments was compared by triaxial compression tests for typical sediment conditions: unfrozen hydrate‐free sediments at 0.3 °C, hydrate‐free sediments frozen at −10 °C, unfrozen sediments containing about 22 vol% methane hydrate at 0.3 °C, and hydrate‐bearing sediments frozen at −10 °C. The effect of hydrate saturation on the geomechanical properties of simulated permafrost sediments was also investigated at predefined temperatures and confining pressures. Results show that ice and gas hydrates distinctively influence the shearing characteristics and deformation behavior. The presence of around 22 vol% methane hydrate in the unfrozen sediments led to a shear strength as strong as those of the frozen hydrate‐free specimens with 85 vol% of ice in the pores. The frozen hydrate‐free sediments experienced brittle‐like failure, while the hydrate‐bearing sediments showed large dilatation without rapid failure. Hydrate formation in the sediments resulted in a measurable reduction in the internal friction, while freezing did not. In contrast to ice, gas hydrate plays a dominant role in reinforcement of the simulated permafrost sediments. Finally, a new physical model was developed, based on formation of hydrate networks or frame structures to interpret the observed strengthening in the shear strength and the ductile deformation.


As the title suggests there were many changes made to first-class cricket in England during the period 1945 to 1963 and the main aim of this study is to assess how far the game moved away from the 'traditional' and towards the 'modern' over this period.
The thesis explores themes such as the process of re-establishing the game after the Second World War, the problems of attracting support during an age of growing consumerism and the problematic financial situation at county level. Furthermore, the study discusses the attempts at internal reform of the game, both on and off the pitch. To facilitate the research for this and ftilfil the aims, a variety of primary sources have been used. These include the written press, Cricketer magazine, Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, autobiographies and MCC minute books and reports.
Although the history of cricket is a popular subject, very little has been written on the period 1945 to 1963. However, it is argued in this thesis that the period was of great consequence to the game. It is argued that the changes, which were made during these years changed cricket forever and opened the door to a more financially astute form of the game. Perhaps the crucial overarching aspect of this study has been the investigation of the quest to improve the county cricket clubs financial situation and the means used to do so. This was specifically of major importance after 1950 when gate attendances at County Championship games declined and to some extent forced cricket's governing body, the MCC, in to action.
Despite the MCC's traditionally conservative tendencies during the post-war period and more specifically after 1960, it became rather pro-active and in a sense even radical. By 1963, the amateur and professional distinction had been abolished from first-class cricket, the one-day game was underway in the form of the Gillette Cup and there was an increasingly commercial presence in the sport. This study highlights that there can be no argument that 1963 was a watershed in the development of cricket, not just as a game but as an establishment, and that by 1963 it could truly call itself a 'modern' sport.


Roughly 1.6 billion people, 40 percent of the world's population, live in urban areas today. At the beginning of the last century, the urban population of the world totaled only 25 million. According to recent United Nations estimates about 3.1 billion people, twice today's urban population, will be living in urban areas by the year 2000.

Scholars and policy makers often disagree when it comes to evaluating the desirability of current rapid rates of urban growth and urbanization in many parts of the globe. Some see this trend as fostering national processes of socioeconomic development, particularly in the poorer and rapidly urbanizing countries of the Third World; whereas others believe the consequences to be largely undesirable and argue that such urban growth should be slowed down.

This paper, originally written by Nathan Keyfitz for the U.S. National Academy of Sciences volume entitled Five Year Outlook on Science and Technology, was slightly revised by him during his stay at IIASA earlier this year and is being issued as a working paper with the kind permission of the Academy. It links together a number of topics of interest to the HSS Area and sets out an agenda of research that is congruent with our future plans.

A list of the papers in the Population, Resources, and Growth Series appears at the end of this report.


The TNF-receptor family has a dual signaling pathway, including induction of apoptosis and NF-kappaB activation associated with cell survival. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells express TNF-receptor family members and the signaling from these receptors induces NF-kappaB activation. However, the role of Fas in induction of NF-kappaB activation in HCC cells is not well understood. In this study, SK-Hep1, HepG2 or HLE cells were stimulated by anti-Fas agonistic antibody. Fas stimulation induced NF-kappaB activation in a dose-dependent manner in SK-Hep1 and HepG2 cell lines, but not in HLE cells. Anti-Fas agonistic antibody or the metabolic inhibitor, cyclo-heximide (CHX), failed to kill SK-Hep1 cells, but co-incubation with anti-Fas agonistic antibody and CHX was effective for induction of apoptosis. SK-Hep1 cell lines receiving Fas stimulation had increased viability, but the extent of cell proliferation was not dose-dependent. The observation suggests that Fas stimulation may contribute to HCC cell survival or proliferation.


This book deals with the set up of tissue culture laboratory, protocols for maintaining a laboratory and methods for different experiments for nacre layer formation to achieve in vitro pearl formation. Indeed, this study explains the mantle tissue culture techniques of different pearl producing molluscs, cell proliferation with pearl sac formation and crystal deposition which form the basis for in vitro pearl formation. The techniques and methodologies used for pearl sac formation are unique and achieved after several trials and errors. Studies with different species of pearl producing molluscs reveal that, all the species are capable of producing cells, pearl sac and nacre crystals by techniques used in this study. Moreover, results of this study revealed that the shell bead is the best material for crystal adhesion. Formation of nacre layers is proved by Raman spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) in all the experimental shell beads. It is the first authenticated report of nacre layer formation over the shell bead in in vitro conditions with mantle cells of different pearl producing molluscs such as Pinctada fucata, Haliotis varia and Pteria avicular. This study is the stepping stone and needs further research to produce more lustrous pearls for commercialization.


Abstract Background We compared the prognosis of patients with breast cancer according to surgical options including mastectomy with reconstruction after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). We also assessed the association between prognosis and surgical options according to clinical stage and clinical response in patients with neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Methods A total of 140,712 patients were enrolled in the Korean Breast Cancer Society Registry database between 2000 and 2014 in Korea. We compared the prognosis of three groups; 1) patients who underwent breast-conserving surgery (BCS), 2) patients who underwent mastectomy, and 3) patients who underwent mastectomy with reconstruction. Results Of all 6,634 patients who were treated with NAC, 1,745 patients underwent BCS, 1,459 patients underwent mastectomy, and 363 patients underwent mastectomy with reconstruction. In survival analysis, five-year survival rate (5YSR) of mastectomy with BR group was not inferior compare to other groups in clinical stage IIA and IIB. 5YSR of mastectomy with BR group was 100% and 90.0% clinical stage IIA and IIB, whereas 5YSR of mastectomy group was 97.2% and 86.2% (clinical stage IIA and IIB; P = 0.033 and 0.023). In clinical stage IIIA and IIIB, there was no significant difference in 5YSR between mastectomy with BR group and other groups. However, women who underwent mastectomy with BR had a worse prognosis compare to BCS or mastectomy group in clinical stage IIIC. In univariate analysis by Cox regression method according to surgical methods, women who underwent mastectomy with BR had a worse prognosis compared to other groups in patients with clinical stage IIIC (HR 5.88; 95% CI 2.17-15.89; P Conclusions In this study, women who underwent mastectomy with reconstruction followed by NAC were associated with a worse prognosis in the clinically advanced stage. This study suggests that reconstruction followed by NAC should be considered for appropriately selected patients. Legal entity responsible for the study The authors. Funding Has not received any funding. Disclosure All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.


Abstract Background and aims : The emission of sulfur dioxide in the air has hazardous effects on human health and environment. In this research the use of surfactants with sodium bicarbonate and limestone for the removal of sulfur dioxide was studied. Methods : A packed scrubber was used and the effect of absorbents (limestone or sodium bicarbonate), the kind and concentration of surfactants were assessed. Concentration of sulfur dioxide was measured at inlet and outlet of scrubber by real-time devices. Results : The results showed that removal efficiency of sulfur dioxide was enhanced when the concentration of cation surfactants with limestone or sodium bicarbonate increased but when the concentration of anion surfactants with absorbents increased it caused the decrease of removal efficiency of sulfur dioxide. The highest average of removal efficiency (94.54%) was reported when 2% of limestone with 0.01 mole of cation surfactant was used and concentration of sulfur dioxide was 55 ppm. The efficiency was also high whenever sodium bicarbonate was used instead of limestone. Conclusion : The results of this research show that using sodium bicarbonate or limestone with cation surfactants is more efficient than using these absorbents alone for removing sulfur dioxide from air pollutants and this removal process can be applied for controlling sulfur dioxide at industrial process.