The realization that AI-driven decision-making is indispensable in todays fast-paced and ultra-competitive marketplace has raised interest in industrial machine learning (ML) applications significantly. The current demand for analytics experts vastly exceeds the supply. One solution to this problem is to increase the user-friendliness of ML frameworks to make them more accessible for the non-expert. Automated machine learning (AutoML) is an attempt to solve the problem of expertise by providing fully automated off-the-shelf solutions for model choice and hyperparameter tuning. This paper analyzed the potential of AutoML for applications within business analytics, which could help to increase the adoption rate of ML across all industries. The H2O AutoML framework was benchmarked against a manually tuned stacked ML model on three real-world datasets to test its performance, robustness, and reliability. The manually tuned ML model could reach a performance advantage in all three case studies used in the experiment. Nevertheless, the H2O AutoML package proved to be quite potent. It is fast, easy to use, and delivers reliable results, which come close to a professionally tuned ML model. The H2O AutoML framework in its current capacity is a valuable tool to support fast prototyping with the potential to shorten development and deployment cycles. It can also bridge the existing gap between supply and demand for ML experts and is a big step towards fully automated decisions in business analytics.


We present a comprehensive framework for evaluating line chart smoothing methods under a variety of visual analytics tasks. Line charts are commonly used to visualize a series of data samples. When the number of samples is large, or the data are noisy, smoothing can be applied to make the signal more apparent. However, there are a wide variety of smoothing techniques available, and the effectiveness of each depends upon both nature of the data and the visual analytics task at hand. To date, the visualization community lacks a summary work for analyzing and classifying the various smoothing methods available. In this paper, we establish a framework, based on 8 measures of the line smoothing effectiveness tied to 8 low-level visual analytics tasks. We then analyze 12 methods coming from 4 commonly used classes of line chart smoothing-rank filters, convolutional filters, frequency domain filters, and subsampling. The results show that while no method is ideal for all situations, certain methods, such as Gaussian filters and TOPOLOGY-based subsampling, perform well in general. Other methods, such as low-pass CUTOFF filters and Douglas-peucker subsampling, perform well for specific visual analytics tasks. Almost as importantly, our framework demonstrates that several methods, including the commonly used UNIFORM subsampling, produce low-quality results, and should, therefore, be avoided, if possible.


Li-ion battery is becoming a popular energy storage device in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV) and Electric Vehicles (EV) due to its high energy density, high voltage and low self-discharge rate. The major concerns in designing Li-ion batteries are their life, performance and safety, which have close relations to their thermal behaviors. The temperature of Li-ion batteries rises during charge/discharge process. It goes faster especially with high charge/discharge rate during fast charging procedure. In this research, CFD models are developed based on ANSYS/FLUENT MSMD battery model coupled with electrochemical submodel-Newman, Tiedeman, Gu and Kim (NTGK) empirical model. Detailed simulation results are obtained in battery thermal and electrochemical behavior for different bi-cell electrode and current collector tab configurations. The temperature, potential, current density distribution at the battery length scale are determined, temperature gradient distribution is computed, and the maximum temperature at different discharge rate are also compared. The thermal investigation can provide valuable input for Li-ion battery design and analysis, especially for fast-charging batteries where heat distribution and cooling is critical for the battery design.


Behavioural and learning difficulties experienced by students from minoritised cultural groups often arise because their cultural beliefs, values and preferred practices differ markedly from those of their teachers and their school. Research in New Zealand has shown that if inclusive education is to have real meaning for these students and their families, then their teachers and schools need to move towards pedagogies founded on relationships that are more inclusive of cultural differences. This paper discusses what we can understand about inclusion for Māori students experiencing behavioural and learning difficulties, from the experiences of their teachers and family members. Often effective interventions are found to be connected to a Māori worldview and begin by taking the time to develop relationships with Māori families, to regularly listen to them and seek to work and learn alongside them.


There is no shortage of assumptions about the economic benefits of international education for international students, graduates, and their home countries. At the individual level, the success stories are about improved employability in the local labor market. These stories, though, are often filled with accounts of personal struggles and systemic barriers relating to cultural adjustment, institutional structures and political contexts of the workplace, lack of research environment, technological and industrial infrastructures, and stigmatization of international students in the home countries. At the national level, returning graduates' acquired knowledge and skills are assumed to translate to quality human resources and national productivity that meet their country's economic development needs. Yet, there are limited studies with conclusive evidence of improved human capital or increased productivity as a result of studying abroad. Although there is some attention to how sending countries can attract students back such as repatriation schemes, which stipulate conditions of study abroad scholarships, there remains little attention to evaluating the effectiveness of these initiatives. The context and contradictions of various institutional and national policies and different countries' development needs, as well as graduates' circumstances that impact their choices and experiences, point to multifaceted outcomes and impacts of international education. Important as they are, contributions of returning international graduates to their society remain curiously underresearched and undertheorized.
This lack of attention to returnees is, in part, due to the focus of internationalization of higher education on revenue and the global reputation of universities rather than its impacts on the lives of international students, graduates, or their communities. But as de Wit (2020) pointed out, there has been an emerging shift in the last few years toward the role of international education in making contributions to society. There are various dimensions and explications of this shift. One way is for research and policies to articulate, implement, and evaluate international graduates' knowledge transfers and skills application when they return home. Given that the majority of international students come from developing countries and return home after completing their overseas studies, it is important to understand the impacts of international education for these returnees in terms of trajectories, economic and community integration experiences, and contribution to their countries' development needs. In this regard, student mobility should be studied as a holistic process of moving, studying, working, and engaging in local communities across national borders before, during, and after their international studies. These studies should be conducted in ways that can shed light on students and graduates' opportunities and practices, and capture overlapping effects of institutional and national policies and structures on students' choices and experiences.
Amartya Sen's (1999) capability approach can be a starting point for these types of tracer studies or policies because it places the graduate returnees at the center of the research or policy framework (Pham, 2015). In my research about Vietnamese international graduates' experiences when they returned home, I asked returnees to reflect and articulate different ideas from abroad and locally in relation to their choice of employers and community activities. Their accounts revealed different values about overseas-acquired knowledge and skills that were contingent on their social and professional networks, standards and practices in different sectors, and cultural environment of their organizations. These values, when shared, form the capabilities set that allow them to mobilize their knowledge and skills and enable improved standards of their work practices or community development (Pham, 2019).
For these graduates, understanding their capabilities is more than recognizing the types of knowledge and skills that they can apply or that are relevant to the organizational needs, although this recognition is important for gaining access to employment or community volunteer work. Capabilities are about their agency—how they shape their own lives and bring about change—rather than being shaped or instructed on how to think (Pham, 2019). Their contributions to society are not a universal set of checkpoints. They reflect the social, cultural, political, and economic specificities that condition their ability to create value in work, education, or civic activities. This process of creating and mobilizing value is pluralistic as they encounter traditional values that are different from those acquired during their sojourns. It also involves creating new networks in their home countries, or leveraging those acquired abroad to share and exchange information, reflecting on the new and old values and how these values mediate and enhance their social positions. These networks of co-workers and managers, volunteers and community leaders, friends in professional associations, and alumni groups also invite contestation and conflict because values are not always shared or appreciated in reciprocal ways. The returnees' capabilities stem from the linkage effects of their overseas-acquired skills and knowledge and the cultural values and social norms of these networks—the "value flows"—in knowledge transfers in specific situations. Value flows are potentialities of international graduates, which may be created and mobilized through linkages of graduates with their networks. The effects of these linkages are co-creation and mobilization of knowledge.
The practical implications of a capability-based policy framework are about creating mechanisms for international graduates to build actual collaborative relations so that they can create and mobilize values with their networks inside and outside their organizations, with government bodies, and broader society. A values-based analysis of returning international graduates has many potential benefits in a network-based society like Vietnam or countries with similar cultures, in terms of identifying the flows of skills and knowledge between returnees and their networks, and the extent to which these value flows enhance or hinder returnees' capabilities to contribute to their society. A capability-based policy can also be applied to design and evaluate the potential contribution of returnees in other aspects of development such as capacity development of educators, civic workers, or public administrators.
According to Sen (1999), a role of education is to expand human agency and freedom, both as an end in itself and as a means of further expansion of freedom. Freedom here refers to capabilities or opportunities to apply and develop students and graduates' knowledge and skills in ways that are valuable for themselves and for their societies. Thus, learning to expand freedom and agency should encourage people to examine themselves and their place in the world, their subjective conditions, and the forms that they can use to imagine and develop their own futures. This is a powerful contribution that the capabilities approach can bring to argue for the vision and processes of international education itself, but also for nuanced understandings of the myriad ways in which international graduates can harness their learning to contribute to the world that they live in. This link between international education and expansion of capabilities requires policy and research design beyond economic measures or quantitative indicators to understand both intrinsic and instrumental purposes of education for human flourishing. It is also a tool for reflection and tolerance of differences across cultures and traditions in their pathways to ethical development.


Credit unions increase social orientation and efficiency of the market economy by providing their members with necessary financial services on a non-profit basis. Unfortunately, the role of credit cooperation is underestimated in Ukraine. The article investigates factors, condition and prospects for the credit unions' development as an important component of Ukrainian economy. Both optimistic and pessimistic scenarios of credit unions' development in Ukraine have been provided based on forecasts involving methods of analytical equalization of dynamic series, correlation and regression analysis and extrapolation. Analysis of the main indicators of credit unions' activity in Ukraine between 2004 and 2016 made it possible to detect that between 2008 (when indicators were the highest) and 2016 there was a downward trend in the number of credit unions (by 41%), membership (by 76%), total assets (by 66.5%), deposit and loan portfolios (by 79 and 68%, respectively) with a relative stability of capital ratio (by 39%). Creating a cooperative cluster which will be able to combine the material, monetary and labor resources of all major types of cooperatives in the country at the regional level has been outlined as one of the means to increase the credit unions competitiveness in Ukraine. Therefore, the purpose of the article is to assess the state and forecast trends in the development of credit unions in Ukraine in order to identify the prospects for their functioning in the future.


This article highlights the challenges for the global community when harmonizing substantive cybercrime legislation. At the example of EU-Directive 2013/40/EU and the Council of Europe's Convention on Cybercrime the benefits of a model law over a binding international treaty are pointed out. Protecting critical infrastructures is recognized as most crucial and their vulnerability of digital attacks with trans-boundary effects is identified. Eventually the EU-Directive is proposed as a potential model law for international harmonization regarding core cybercrimes.


The leaking of information has increased in recent years. To address this problem, we previously proposed a function for tracing the diffusion of classified information in a guest OS using a virtual machine monitor (VMM). This function makes it possible to grasp the location of classified information and detect information leakage without modifying the source codes of the guest OS. The diffusion of classified information is caused by a file operation, child process creation, and inter-process communication (IPC). In a previous study, we implemented the proposed function for a file operation and child process creation excluding IPC using a kernel-based virtual machine (KVM). In this paper, we describe the design of the proposed function for IPC on a KVM without modifying the guest OS. The proposed function traces the local and remote IPCs inside the guest OS from the outside so as to trace the information diffusion. Because IPC with an outside computer might cause information leakage, tracing the IPCs enables the detection of such a leakage. We also report the evaluation results including the traceability and performance of the proposed function.


BACKGROUND: Personalised psychiatry requires a psychiatric diagnosis which aims to determine the causes of the mental disorder and the context within which it has developed, including the factors of most importance for the choice of an appropriate treatment. AIM To show that psychiatric diagnosis is personalised by definition. method Description of the differences between psychiatric classification and psychiatric diagnosis, including a discussion of symptom network diagnosis and diagnosis of meaningful connections. results It appears from references from classical and recent psychiatric textbooks and from the recent Dutch Guideline for psychiatric evaluation that psychiatric diagnosis, different from classification, has always been aimed at determining both biological and psychosocial etiological and pathogenic factors and factors influencing the course and the treatment of the disorder. conclusion: A personalised approach in psychiatry may lead toa direly necessary reappraisal of psychiatric diagnosis that is not limited to the classification of symptoms, but that aims specifically towards explaning and understanding mental illness.


In classical mathematics, the existence of a solution is often proven indirectly, non-constructively, without an efficient method for constructing the corresponding object. In many cases, we can extract an algorithm from a classical proof: e.g., when an object is (non-constructively) proven to be unique in a locally compact space (or when there are two such objects with a known lower bound on the distance between them). In many other practical situations, a (seemingly) natural formalization of the corresponding practical problem leads to a non-compact set. In this paper, we show that often, in such situations, we can extract efficient algorithms from classical proofs – if we explicitly take into account (implicit) knowledge about the situation. Specifically, we show that if we consistently apply Heisenberg's operationalism idea and define objects in terms of directly measurable quantities, then we get a Girard-domain type representation in which a natural topology is, in effect, compact – and thus, uniqueness implies computability.


Galaxies are among nature's most majestic and diverse structures. They can play host to as few as several thousands of stars, or as many as hundreds of billions. They exhibit a broad range of shapes, sizes, colours, and they can inhabit vastly differing cosmic environments. The physics of galaxy formation is highly non-linear and involves a variety of physical mechanisms, precluding the development of entirely analytic descriptions, thus requiring that theoretical ideas concerning the origin of this diversity are tested via the confrontation of numerical models (or "simulations") with observational measurements. The EAGLE project (which stands for Evolution and Assembly of GaLaxies and their Environments) is a state-of-the-art suite of such cosmological hydrodynamical simulations of the Universe. EAGLE is unique in that the ill-understood efficiencies of feedback mechanisms implemented in the model were calibrated to ensure that the observed stellar masses and sizes of present-day galaxies were reproduced. We investigate the connection between the morphology and internal kinematics of the stellar component of central galaxies with mass M* > 10^9.5 Msun in the EAGLE simulations. We compare several kinematic diagnostics commonly used to describe simulated galaxies, and find good consistency between them. We model the structure of galaxies as ellipsoids and quantify their morphology via the ratios of their principal axes. We show that the differentiation of blue star-forming and red quiescent galaxies using morphological diagnostics can be achieved with similar efficacy to the use of kinematical diagnostics, but only if one is able to measure both the flattening and the triaxiality of the galaxy. Flattened oblate galaxies exhibit greater rotational support than their spheroidal counterparts, but there is significant scatter in the relationship between morphological and kinematical diagnostics, such that kinematically-similar galaxies can exhibit a broad range of morphologies. The scatter in the relationship between the flattening and the ratio of the rotation and dispersion velocities (v/σ) correlates strongly with the anisotropy of the stellar velocity dispersion: at fixed v/σ, flatter galaxies exhibit greater dispersion in the plane defined by the intermediate and major axes than along the minor axis, indicating that the morphology of simulated galaxies is influenced significantly by the structure of their velocity dispersion. The simulations reveal that this anisotropy correlates with the intrinsic morphology of the galaxy's inner dark matter halo, i.e. the halo's morphology that emerges in the absence of dissipative baryonic physics. This implies the existence of a causal relationship between the morphologies of galaxies and that of their host dark matter haloes. Using these tools, we also investigate the morphology and kinematics of central galaxies with mass M* > 10^9.5 Msun and their globular cluster (GC) populations in the EAGLE spinoff project E-MOSAICS that incorporates the MOSAICS model of stellar cluster formation and evolution. We find that metal-poor and metal-rich GC populations (split by a threshold at [Fe=H] = -1) exhibit differing characteristic morpho-kinematic properties. The former are significantly more elliptical and dispersion-supported than the latter. In detail, the relations connecting the kinematic properties of the populations with those of their host galaxy exhibit good agreement with available observations, with the velocity dispersions of both metal-poor and metal-rich GC populations correlating positively with that of the host galaxy. The rotational velocity of the metal-rich globular cluster population also correlates positively with that of the host galaxy. The relationship between the morpho-kinematics of the metal-rich globular clusters and the host galaxy's field stars exhibits a scatter that is sensitive to the relative ages of the two populations: for fixed globular cluster kinematics, the field star population is more disky/rotation-supported if they are younger. We confirm that the connection between the morpho-kinematics of galaxies and their velocity dispersion anisotropy revealed in EAGLE is also exhibit in the higher-resolution E-MOSAICS simulation. However, the same behaviour is not seen in the metal-rich globular clusters, which we speculate is a consequence of them not representing a self-gravitating system.


Crawford v. Washington, 541 U.S. 36 (2004), which altered the Supreme Court's approach to the Confrontation Clause, has generally impacted trial practice. However, its effect on domestic violence and child abuse cases has been particularly severe. Pursuant to Crawford, if a declarant makes a "testimonial" statement, in the absence of forfeiture, its admission at trial violates the defendant's right of confrontation unless the declarant is unavailable and has been subjected to prior cross-examination. Young child witnesses may be incompetent to testify or otherwise available. Most complaining witnesses in domestic violence cases do not willingly cooperate with the police. Prior to Crawford, Ohio v. Roberts, 448 U.S. 56 (1980), and its progeny permitted the statements of absent declarants to be introduced under firmly rooted hearsay exceptions, or under ad hoc exceptions when the statements were trustworthy. As a result, in child abuse cases, statements of children were frequently introduced which had been obtained through multidisciplinary forensic interviews. Prosecutors relied heavily on excited utterances, statements to medical personnel, and child hearsay exceptions as well as on medical expert testimony and introduction of prior molestations by defendants. In domestic violence cases, prosecutors developed "victimless" prosecutions, based primarily on the complainant's excited utterances, medical statements, or other trustworthy hearsay, which were introduced through the testimony of police and medical personnel who photographed the injuries. In some jurisdictions expansive use of prior acts of domestic violence were offered under Rule 404(b) or domestic violence exceptions. The effort to hold batterers accountable for their actions did not create uniformly good results for battered women. Some complainants were virtually forced to testify or face jail when they ignored subpoenas in "no drop" jurisdictions. In addition, more women were arrested for domestic violence, judges often granted mutual protective orders, women were charged criminally for endangering their children who witnessed their abuse; and even when they were not charged, their children might be removed from the home and placed in foster care. The effect and effectiveness of such policies began to be questioned even before Crawford. This article critiques the testimonial approach, discusses how testimonial statements should be defined focusing particularly on excited utterances and 911 calls, and identifies current trends affecting domestic violence and child abuse litigation. It also explores forfeiture, waiver, and opening the door to testimonial statements. Rather than fighting Crawford, consideration should be given to adopting new hearsay exceptions for declarants who testify, determining whether Rule 404(b) is being adequately used, and expanding expert testimony to permit background about battering and child abuse. More globally, the article proposes restructuring domestic violence prosecutions into three separate tracks in order to devote scarce criminal justice resources to the most dangerous offenders. Finally, best practices are suggested that are most likely to permit child testimony.


Morphological development of the larvae of the Ambon damselfish Pomacentrus amboinensis from the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, is described from 34 reared specimens (2·5–13·0 mm standard length), and two wild settlement-stage larvae (10·8–11·3 mm) captured in light traps. Reared larvae emerged from demersal eggs at c. 2·5 mm, underwent notochord flexion at 4·0–4·5 mm, and settled at 11–13 mm at 19–21 days after hatching (within the known range for wild larvae). Reared larvae grew at 0·3 mm day−1 (preflexion) to 0·5 mm day−1 (postflexion). Development was direct with few specializations for pelagic existence and was typical of pomacentrids. Head spination consisted of very weak spines on the preopercle, opercle, interopercle, subopercle and supracleithrum. Development of the olfactory system and retina are also described. A summary of published descriptions of early life-history stages of pomacentrid damselfishes is provided (n= 15% of known species). Larvae of several genera (e.g. Abudefduf, Chromis and Stegastes) are deeper-bodied and more 'hunchbacked' than P. amboinensis. Larvae of other genera (e.g. Amblyglyphidodon, Chrysiptera and Neoglyphidodon) are similar to P. amboinensis. Larvae of only three other Pomacentrus species have been described, and they are similar to P. amboinensis in body morphology, pigmentation and head spination.


Recurrent neural networks (RNNs) are powerful models for processing time-series data, but it remains challenging to understand how they function. Improving this understanding is of substantial interest to both the machine learning and neuroscience communities. The framework of reverse engineering a trained RNN by linearizing around its fixed points has provided insight, but the approach has significant challenges. These include difficulty choosing which fixed point to expand around when studying RNN dynamics and error accumulation when reconstructing the nonlinear dynamics with the linearized dynamics. We present a new model that overcomes these limitations by co-training an RNN with a novel switching linear dynamical system (SLDS) formulation. A first-order Taylor series expansion of the co-trained RNN and an auxiliary function trained to pick out the RNN's fixed points govern the SLDS dynamics. The results are a trained SLDS variant that closely approximates the RNN, an auxiliary function that can produce a fixed point for each point in state-space, and a trained nonlinear RNN whose dynamics have been regularized such that its first-order terms perform the computation, if possible. This model removes the post-training fixed point optimization and allows us to unambiguously study the learned dynamics of the SLDS at any point in state-space. It also generalizes SLDS models to continuous manifolds of switching points while sharing parameters across switches. We validate the utility of the model on two synthetic tasks relevant to previous work reverse engineering RNNs. We then show that our model can be used as a drop-in in more complex architectures, such as LFADS, and apply this LFADS hybrid to analyze single-trial spiking activity from the motor system of a non-human primate.


Featuring a strong emphasis on the fundamentals underlying contemporary logic design using hardware description languages, synthesis, and verification, this book focuses on the ever-evolving applications of basic computer design concepts with strong connections to real-world technology. Treatment of logic design, digital system design, and computer design. Ideal for self-study by engineers and computer scientists.


Terrestrial cosmogenic exposure studies are an established and rapidly evolving tool for landscapes in both polar and non-polar regions. This thesis takes a multifaceted approach to utilizing and enhancing terrestrial cosmogenic methods. The three main components of this work address method development, reconstructing surface-elevation-changes in two large Antarctic outlet glaciers, and evaluating bedrock erosion rates in Victoria Land, Antarctica. Each facet of this work is intended to enhance its respective field, as well as benefit the other sections of this thesis. Quartz purification is a necessary and critical step to producing robust and reproducible results in terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide studies. Previous quartz purification work has centred on relatively coarse sample material (1 mm-500 μm) and is effective down to 125 μm. However, sample material finer than that poses significant purification challenges and this material is usually discarded. The new purification procedure outlined in this thesis shows that very fine sand size material (125-63 μm) can be reliably cleaned for use in terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide studies. The results below show that 35% mass loss in very fine-grained quartz is sufficient to remove major elements (Al, Ti, Na, K, Fe, Mg, Ca, Mn,) and trace elements (9Be, and 10B) along with meteoric 10Be. Insufficient leaching is most detrimental to Al concentration, however errors up to 27% in exposure age and up to 29% in erosion rate are possible if meteoric 10Be is not fully removed from quartz during the HF leaching stages. Outlet glaciers have been well observed since the beginning of the satellite era, approximately 60 years ago. However, we do not currently know how these important glaciers, which drain a significant portion of the Antarctic Ice Sheet, have behaved on centennial to millennial timescales. Dating glacial erratics deposited by a thinning outlet glacier provides a window into the long-term outlet glacier and ice sheet response to climatic forcing. New results in this thesis constrain the thinning history of Mawson and Tucker glaciers over the last several thousand years. Mawson Glacier undergoes rapid thinning from at least ~6.5 kya to ~4.9 kya then transitions to slower thinning until ~1 kya, with a minimum of 250 m of ice-surface-lowering. While Tucker Glacier ~450 km north undergoes gradual thinning from ~19 kya to ~5 kya with ~300 m of ice-surface-lowering. The results of this work show that either the Tucker Glacier was not significantly affected by the Ross Ice Shelf grounding line, or that Antarctic mountain glaciers respond differently to the outlet glaciers connected to the Easty Antarctic Ice Sheet. The style, rate, magnitude, and duration of thinning is unique to each outlet glacier, even with similar climate forcing. The results of this work shed light on the style and duration of outlet glacier thinning and retreat that is possible following a climate perturbation. Antarctica's average bedrock erosion rate is consistently lower than 4.5 m/Myr, the lowest bedrock erosion rates for any region on Earth. Therefore, many cosmogenic dating studies assume zero erosion when calculating exposure ages. However, previous erosion rate work in Antarctica is biased to arid high-elevation inland sites (~60% of work) and the hyperarid ice-free McMurdo Dry Valleys (~40% of work). These studies do not capture the effects of coastal maritime climates, where many outlet glacier studies are conducted, on the rate of bedrock erosion. New results presented in this thesis show that the Northern Victoria Land coast has the highest known erosion rate in Antarctica. Two sample sites were selected, one coastal and one in the interior. The coastal bedrock erosion rates are 8.86±0.78 m/Myr and 7.15±0.6 m/Myr while the interior bedrock erosion rates are 1.07±0.08 m/Myr and 0.42±0.03 m/Myr. The coastal erosion rates are average for non-polar cold climates while the inland sites are below average for polar erosion rates. The results suggest a strong gradient in the rate of erosion is present from the Antarctic coastline inland. If exposure ages are not calculated with an appropriate erosion rate the apparent age may under-estimate the actual age by as much as 12%, which is thousands of years for Holocene thinning histories like those found in this thesis.


Verrucous hemangiomas (VH) are uncommon, congenital vascular malformations of the cutaneous and subcutaneous tissues that spare the deeper subfacial structures. VH usually presents at birth and slowly grows with age. It usually presents as hyperkeratotic, scattered, bluish-red plaques or nodules of various sizes. Although the lesions mostly have a linear pattern, serpiginous and reticulate forms can occur that are unusual. We present a case of a 27-year-old male with linear angiomatous lesions over his right leg.


We describe the new gecko species Paroedura neglecta sp. n. from the Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park in western Madagascar, belonging to the P. bastardi/tanjaka clade. The species in this clade are characterized by three light dorsal crossbands on the dorsum of juveniles and subadults whereas all other Paroedura species have four such bands. The new species differs from all species in the P. bastardi complex in having the nostril in contact with the rostral scale. It is most similar to the sympatric P. tanjaka, from which it differs by the presence of prominent dorsal tubercles arranged in regular longitudinal rows (versus rather irregular rows of dorsal tubercles), smaller size, details of the dorsal colour pattern and strong genetic divergence.


This article considers preliminary findings from ethnographic fieldwork undertaken in Australia and Canada in do-it-yourself (DIY) libraries and archives. These spaces are usually run on small or no budgets, often in squatted or donated spaces, with no paid staff. They are motivated by a DIY ethos, and often have a connection to so-called "underground" communities. In this article the author responds to Chris Atton's model of librarian-as-ethnographer, which argues that information workers can draw on ethnographic methods to build cultural maps of grassroots and DIY communities. The author proposes that there are information professionals already in these communities, and their roles in both professional and DIY libraries enhances the librarian-as-ethnographer model by providing an insider perspective that may mediate tensions between the two collection spaces. The author draws on her fieldwork in zine libraries, infoshops, and social centers as example.


There is a high incidence of melanism among the cordylid lizards of Africa and it was suggested that melanism has a thermoregulatory function in these species. One prediction of the thermal melanism hypothesis would be that melanistic cordylid species would be restricted to cool environments. The aim of our study was to determine the climatic conditions with which melanistic cordylids are currently associated. Distributional data for the eight melanistic cordylid taxa occurring at the south-western tip of Africa were obtained from the CapeNature State of Biodiversity database. Using GIS and principal component analyses, the climatic variables best describing the geographical distribution of melanistic cordylids were investigated. We found that several melanistic cordylid populations show a distinct association with a high incidence of fog and cloud cover, underscoring the thermal melanism hypothesis. Several other populations, however, do not show such an association. We conclude that some species, such as Pseudocordylus capensis, have a morphology that provides them with great flexibility in habitat use, allowing them to overcome the constraints of melanism in warm environments. The available information suggests that melanism in cordylids evolved during the Miocene in response to the development of the cold Benguela Current along the west coast of Africa. We also conclude that viviparity, a sit-and-wait foraging strategy and a rock-dwelling lifestyle would have preadapted cordylids for survival in cool conditions brought about by the development of the cold Benguela Current. These conditions would have been unfavourable for oviparous, active-foraging lizards. The co-occurrence of melanistic lizards and melanistic molluscs at the Landdroskop locality casts some doubt on improved heating rates as the only explanation for melanism in cordylids, because molluscs are not heliothermic baskers.


Introduction: Significant advances have been made to understand the mechanisms involved in cardiac cell-based therapies. The early translational application of basic science knowledge has led to several animal and human clinical trials. The initial promising beneficial effect of stem cells on cardiac function restoration has been eclipsed by the inability of animal studies to translate into sustained clinical improvements in human clinical trials. Areas covered: In this review, the authors cover an updated overview of various stem cell populations used in chronic heart failure. A critical review of clinical trials conducted in advanced heart failure patients is proposed, and finally promising avenues for developments in the field of cardiac cell-based therapies are presented. Expert opinion: Several questions remain unanswered, and this limits our ability to understand basic mechanisms involved in stem cell therapeutics. Human studies have revealed critical unresolved issues. Further elucidation of the proper timing, mode delivery and prosurvival factors is imperative, if the field is to advance. The limited benefits seen to date are simply not enough if the potential for substantial recovery of nonfunctioning myocardium is to be realized.


In today's fashion system, dominated by business models predicated on continual consumption and globalized production systems that have major environmental and social impacts, the consumption of 'sustainable fashion' takes on an almost paradoxical quality. This paper explores this paradox by focusing on a previously under-researched group of consumers – 'sustainable fashion consumption pioneers' who actively engage and shape their own discourse around the notion of sustainable fashion consumption. These pioneers actively create and communicate strategies for sustainable fashion behaviour that can overcome the nebulous and somewhat paradoxical reality that sustainable development in the fashion industry presents. Specifically, we use passive netnography and semi-structured interviews to illuminate the role of motivational and contextual factors that help shape these consumers' definitions of sustainable fashion including such key behaviours as purchasing fewer garments of higher quality, exiting the retail market, purchasing only second-hand fashion goods and sewing or upgrading their own clothing. Central to much of these behaviours is the notion that personal style, rather than fashion, can bridge the potential disconnect between sustainability and fashion while also facilitating a sense of well-being not found in traditional fashion consumption. As such, our research suggests that for these consumers sustainability is as much about reducing measurable environmental or social impacts as it is about incorporating broader concepts through which to achieve goals beyond the pro-environmental or ethical.


In the socio-theoretical discourse on digitisation there is, among others, a strong sceptical and explicitly critical perspective towards socio-technical developments. The focus of this scepticism is the autonomous subject as the normative guiding value of modern society, which seems to be at stake due to the progress of digitisation processes. Accordingly, there seems to be a broad consensus that these developments will be problematic. However, it is also a possibility that they may not be problematized in social practice. This is hardly taken into account by contemporary social theories. In our contribution we would therefore like to plead for a problematisation of this practical de-problematisation. The de-problematisation of human autonomy is not only a possible vision of the future, but, as an already present undoing of autonomy, an empirical object that calls for a theoretical exploration that is not limited to a mere diagnosis of a problem in need of correction. Instead of theoretically assuming that the acting subjects must be interested in their autonomy, our contribution discusses the practical deproblematisation as a real possibility of future dealings with digital technologies and, against this background, pleads for a theoretical problematisation of this de-problematisation, which takes into account the possibility of posthuman social orders.


This thesis has focused on debate surrounding the commitment of the Arab Spring's neo-Islamists to democracy and pluralism. It examines neo-Islamism as a tendency that emerged within the mainstream Muslim Brotherhood movement and its pro-democracy affiliates in the Muslim World that uses politically liberal sets of concepts, for tactical or strategic purposes.

Neo-Islamism is distinguished by an ethical and theological emphasis on Islam that combines social conservatism with political moderation. Neo-Islamists are united in the view that Sharia law is not an immediate reform priority. However there are divisions over whether this is a tactical pause in the ultimate pursuit of shariatisation, whether it should be diluted if introduced at some future point, or whether it should never be introduced.

This study has brought to light six preferences of neo-Islamism as a socio-political phenomenon: gradualist Islamisation, modernisation, moderation, nationalistic Islamism, and pragmatism in Western relationships. It has been shown, through the case study of Tunisian Ennahda Party, that neo-Islamism employs tactical measures such as gradualism and pragmatic relations with the secularist elite and the West, and implements ideological reforms related closely to the concepts of democracy, civic participation and peaceful transitioning of power.


We report on an actuator based on dielectric elastomers that is capable of antagonistic actuation and passive folding. This actuator enables foldability in robots with simple structures. Unlike other antagonistic dielectric elastomer devices, our concept uses elastic hinges to allow the folding of the structure, which also provides an additional design parameter. To validate the actuator concept through a specific application test, a foldable elevon actuator with outline size of 70 mm × 130 mm is developed with angular displacement range and torque specifications matched to a 400-mm wingspan micro-air vehicle (MAV) of mass 130 g. A closed-form analytical model of the actuator is constructed, which was used to guide the actuator design. The actuator consists of 125-μm-thick silicone membranes as the dielectric elastomers, 0.2mm-thick fiberglass plate as the frame structure, and 50-μm-thick polyimide as the elastic hinge. We measured voltage-controllable angular displacement up to ±26° and torque of 2720 mN · mm at 5 kV, with good agreement between the model and the measured data. Two elevon actuators are integrated into the MAV, which was successfully flown, with the foldable actuators providing stable and well-controlled flight. The controllability was quantitatively evaluated by calculating the correlation between the control signal and the MAV motion, with a correlation in roll axis of over 0.7 measured during the flights, illustrating the high performance of this foldable actuator.


In an earlier article, we presented a case study of local loop unbundling (LLU) in the Republic of Ireland in 2001. We explained how the predecessor regulatory body to the Irish Commission for Communications Regulation (Comreg) could select the least arbitrary interim access rate. This article is an epilogue to the unfolding LLU experiment in Ireland. We provide assess the approach advocated by the Industry Advisory Group (IAG), which was appointed by Comreg to resolve the access-pricing dispute between the incumbent, eircom, and the regulator. The IAG does not provide factual support for its assertions that the low digital subscriber line (DSL) penetration and subscription rates in Ireland result from market failure – that is, that eircom is restricting supply of DSL service. Nor does the IAG provide factual support for its presumption that DSL service represents a distinct product market under standard tools for competitive analysis. Assuming, counterfactually, that the factual basis for such regulatory intervention exists, we articulate the problem confronting Comreg: to estimate the ratio of a variable for which Comreg believes it has very good information (eircom's historical costs) to a variable for which it has no information (eircom's long-run average incremental cost, or "LRAIC"). The IAG's solution cannot inform Comreg of this relationship. The IAG suggests that, after arbitrarily excluding the three countries with the highest LRAICs, eircom should make its unbundled loops available at a price within the range of the remaining LRAICs in the truncated sample. A more principled approach would be to estimate the ratio of historical costs to LRAIC from other countries and then to apply that ratio to eircom's historical costs. Alternatively, one would estimate in a regression model the relationship between LRAIC and the economic and demographic factors that influence LRAIC.


Technological change is central in explaining industrial leadership, but the relationships and interactions between scientific research, industrial innovation, and competitiveness are neither clear nor straightforward. Public research funding and business strategy dictate to a significant extent the manner in, and extent to which innovation occurs within the economy. This book analyses the role of technological change in the competitiveness of firms and national economies. This includes an examination of: * the roles of RD * the way institutions in various nations differ in the way in which they encourage - or discourage - innovation; and the way in which different industrial sectors provide - or fail to provide - incentives to innovate; and * the ways in which trade, the operation of multinationals and international trade negotiations influence national production and innovation systems . The book combines insights of innovation scholars with those from business history, sociology and economics, in exploring the relation between organizational structures and the process of innovation. It places the analysis of innovation within an international perspective and gives historical and current examples of the interaction between organisational and technological capabilities, industrial and innovation policies and economic performance. Examples are drawn from a range of sectors (services, pharmaceuticals, construction, chemicals) and a range of countries (including the UK and other European countries, the USA, East Asia and Latin America).


Objectives: To evaluate the impact and acceptability of a training program on effective internet use for general practitioners (GPs). Methods: The training program entitled Chaos to Clarity was developed and piloted in 2005 and was designed to improve GP use of the internet for the purposes of gathering valid and clinically useful medical information. It involved a single session of 45-60 minutes conducted at the GP's practice, and covered information management skills, search skills, structuring clinical questions, navigating through a selection of reputable clinical databases, and case studies. Thirty three GPs were recruited via three divisions of general practice in Melbourne following invitations via telephone calls, emails and newsletter advertisements. Three project officers were trained in delivering the program which was evaluated quantitatively through pre- and postprogram surveys. Qualitative evaluation was also undertaken using semi-structured telephone interviews with 10 GPs and face-to-face interviews with the project officers. Results: Significant pre- to post-program differences were found for GPs' knowledge about preappraised evidence-based medicine resources, frequency of use of the internet for clinical purposes, search skills and confidence, and perceived competence in using clinical databases. Favourable attitudes towards using of the internet to obtain clinical information were also reported by GPs. Qualitative data indicated that GPs were more likely to put the training into practice outside consultation times (rather than during consultation) as clinical searches take too long and can detract from doctor/patient rapport. GPs reported that they mainly use the internet to access patient education information, and to perform occasional quick searches for unfamiliar medications or illnesses. Conclusions: Training in efficient use of the internet can increase GP knowledge, skill and interest in using the internet to find evidence-based clinical information.


A human member of the immunoglobulin superfamily was shown to mediate entry of several alphaherpesviruses, including herpes simplex viruses (HSV) 1 and 2, porcine pseudorabies virus (PRV), and bovine herpesvirus 1 (BHV-1). This membrane glycoprotein is poliovirus receptor-related protein 1 (Prr1), designated here as HveC. Incubation of HSV-1 with a secreted form of HveC inhibited subsequent infection of a variety of cell lines, suggesting that HveC interacts directly with the virus. Poliovirus receptor (Pvr) itself mediated entry of PRV and BHV-1 but not of the HSV strains tested. HveC was expressed in human cells of epithelial and neuronal origin; it is the prime candidate for the coreceptor that allows both HSV-1 and HSV-2 to infect epithelial cells on mucosal surfaces and spread to cells of the nervous system.


The aftershock zone of the 3 November 2002, M = 7.9 earthquake that ruptured along the right-slip Denali fault in south-central Alaska has been investigated by using gravity and magnetic, magnetotelluric, and deep-crustal, seismic reflection data as well as outcrop geology and earthquake seismology. Strong seismic reflections from within the Alaska Range orogen north of the Denali fault dip as steeply as 25°N and extend to depths as great as 20 km. These reflections outline a relict crustal architecture that in the past 20 yr has produced little seismicity. The Denali fault is nonreflective, probably because this fault dips steeply to vertical. The most intriguing finding from geophysical data is that earthquake aftershocks occurred above a rock body, with low electrical resistivity (>10 Ω·m), that is at depths below ∼10 km. Aftershocks of the Denali fault earthquake have mainly occurred shallower than 10 km. A high geothermal gradient may cause the shallow seismicity. Another possibility is that the low resistivity results from fluids, which could have played a role in locating the aftershock zone by reducing rock friction within the middle and lower crust.


We use quantile regression and counterfactual decomposition methods to explore gender gaps across the earning distribution for full-time employees in the Australian private sector. Significant evidence of a self selection effect for women into full-time employment (or of components of self selection related to observable or unobservable characteristics) is, interestingly, not found to be relevant in the Australian context. Substantial gender earnings gaps (and glass ceilings) are established, with these earnings gaps found to be predominantly related to women receiving lower returns to their observable characteristics than men.


The Altermodern is a critical artistic theory defined by Nicolas Bourriaud, a French theorist and curator. His theory seeks to define a specific way of living and inhabiting in our current globalised state. Bourriaud observes and discusses how artists practise and align this with a global dynamic and via a mobility which he observes through specific concepts. This research report investigates whether this theory of the Altermodern aligns with South African digital artists and their practice and whether this theory can be used as a framework for the South African digital art being produced at present and in the future. Although currently limited, the South African digital art field is developing and a framework is necessary for artists to move forward within the surrounding discourse. This report discusses the various characteristics and nature of the digital medium, such as its interactivity and dynamism, which are then aligned to the Altermodern. This alignment is carried forward into a discussion of digital art in South Africa which is defined and aligned with the Altermodern. The field of South African digital art is expanded to include specific case studies. Interviews conducted with Nathaniel Stern and Marcus Neustetter, practising digital artists, are reported and their respective artworks, Given Time and relation IV, are reviewed, while Tegan Bristow, who curated the show Internet Art in the Global South (2009), discusses her role as a curator and researcher in the field. This report aims to make an initial contribution to the discourse on South African digital art through a critical engagement of the Altermodern and the specific case studies.


In March 2017, after the adoption of the Russian Federation Economic Security Strategy until 2030, the need for strengthening the security of the subjects of the Russian Federation including macro-regions became relevant. In this aspect, the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation deserves special attention as it is a strategically important not only for economic, but also the national security of the country. Therefore, at the present stage of the state development, the substantiation of the special measures for the stimulation of the macro-region's development to ensure its economic security is a relevant and priority task. The authors have analysed the intermediate results of some priority development areas since their creation in 2014. We have concluded that not enough time has passed to estimate whether this mechanism was effective or not in stimulating the regional growth and development of the business. Therefore, despite the traditional financial indicators of investment efficiency, we have included the estimation of quantitative change of one productive indicator depending on the change of a number of the parameters influencing this indicator in the assessment of the efficiency of priority development areas. We have estimated this quantitative change by means of the instruments of correlation and regression, and trend modelling. To apply this approach, we have designed a dependency model of the index of industrial production of Primorsky Krai as one of the indicators of the Economic Security Strategy on revealed factors, which cause the growth or decrease of this index. The economic interpretation of the model outputs consists in the following. When investments into fixed capital increase by 1 million rubbles, the index of industrial production in the region grows by 0,9 %. When the indicator of the real monetary income of the population increases by 1 thousand rubbles, the index of industrial production in the region decreases by 1,36 %. Trend forecasting has allowed to define such indicators as the investments into fixed capital and the real income of the population continue to change, the index of industrial production will show a steady downward trend for three next years. This proves that the policy of management of priority development areas in Primorsky Krai is inefficient. The research has concluded that from the perspective of ensuring the economic security of the macro-region, the creation of priority development areas in the Arctic will be effective only when all shortcomings of its functioning are eliminated. It is defined on the basis of the analysis of the corresponding experience of the Far East. High-quality forecasts will contribute to a positive impact from the creation of priority development area not only on the socio-economic sphere of the Arctic, but also on the strengthening the economic security of the macro-region in general. The results of the research can be used for the regional governance, monitoring of regional economic security, as well as for the increase in the scientific validity of state decisions.


Background Topical glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) treatment has previously demonstrated short-term efficacy in the treatment of lateral epicondylosis. No long-term follow-up has been performed. Hypothesis Benefits from topical GTN persist 5 years after the cessation of therapy. Study design A prospective comparative study. Methods A follow-up study of 58 patients treated with 6 months of topical GTN or placebo, combined with a tendon rehabilitation programme, was performed 5 years after discontinuation of therapy. Assessment included patient-rated pain scores, clinically assessed lateral epicondylar and proximal common extensor tendon tenderness, hand-held dynamometer measurement of resisted third finger metacarpophalangeal extension with a fully extended elbow (Maudsley's test) and wrist extensor tendon mean peak force using a modified chair pick-up test (the Orthopaedic Research Institute—tennis elbow testing system). Results Patients in both the GTN group and those in the placebo group had significant improvements in symptoms, clinical signs and provocative functional tests compared with baseline week 0 measures. GTN did not offer any additional clinical benefit over a standard tendon rehabilitation programme at 5 years. Conclusion While GTN appears to offer short-term benefits up to 6 months in the treatment of lateral epicondylosis, at 5 years there does not appear to be significant clinical benefits when compared with patients undertaking a standard tendon rehabilitation programme alone. This is in contrast to findings of continued benefits at long-term follow-up described in the literature for patients with Achilles tendinopathy treated with GTN.


The demand for information, insights and data is increasing in every segment of society. The ability to respond to ever increasing demand forces government statistical agencies to search for new opportunities and new methods. In these days of instantaneous demands, waiting a few years to build new data sources, investing valuable staff to the new development, then waiting for a sufficient time series to build for analysis, is usually an insufficient response to the original demand. If there is any other way to gain sufficient insight into a problem without waiting for several years to get a few answers to basic items, data users will gravitate to other, immediately available sources. The Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages program produces a dataset that some consider Big Data. There is no standard agreed upon definition of Big Data, but it is often defined as a data set with the following dimensions: volume, velocity, variety, and veracity. While the QCEW does not have the velocity of some other datasets, it certainly does have the volume, variety, and veracity that characterize Big Data. This paper describes the opportunities and challenges for using Big Data at BLS through its Business Register. We present some opportunities for developing new products such as recently released hurricane zone data, and employment and wage estimates for non-profits; and also prospects for employment estimates from foreign direct investment and other opportunities. We also present some challenges of using big data that include statistical, legal, and technical infrastructure issues. We also present the evolving nature of Big Data and describe how it may yield promising areas of future development.


Cloud computing is gaining acceptance among mainstream technology users. Storage cloud providers often employ Storage Area Networks (SANs) to provide elasticity, rapid adaptability to changing demands, and policy based automation. As storage capacity grows, the storage environment becomes heterogeneous, increasingly complex, harder to manage, and more expensive to operate. This paper presents PGML (Policy Generation for largescale storage infrastructure configuration using Machine Learning), an automated, supervised machine learning framework for generation of best practices for SAN configuration that can potentially reduce configuration errors by up to 70% in a data center. A best practice or policy is nothing but a technique, guideline or methodology that, through experience and research, has proven to lead reliably to a better storage configuration. Given a standards-based representation of SAN management information, PGML builds on the machine learning constructs of inductive logic programming (ILP) to create a transparent mapping of hierarchical, object-oriented management information into multi-dimensional predicate descriptions. Our initial evaluation of PGML shows that given an input of SAN problem reports, it is able to generate best practices by analyzing these reports. Our simulation results based on extrapolated real-world problem scenarios demonstrate that ILP is an appropriate choice as a machine learning technique for this problem. I


Through a reading of Amitav Ghosh's 2004 novel The Hungry Tide, the article proposes a preliminary attempt to combine anthropology with world literature, a concept that has recently attracted significant attention from the fields of postcolonial studies and comparative literature alike. Firstly, I argue that world literature is best seen as a number of overlapping and/or divergent projects, and that it thrives if tackled through a plurality of approaches. Secondly, I suggest one possible approach to world literature, employing John Comaroff's definition of anthropology as a discipline characterised by a few closely interrelated epistemic operations that qualify ethnographic fieldwork. Lastly, I map Comaroff's epistemic operations onto The Hungry Tide to unpack the levels of anthropological sophistication of this novel. I advocate the revised concept of ethnographic novel that results from this reading – the idea of a novel of the ethnographic encounter – as a useful point of departure for a project of world literature. Summary 1 World Literature: Points of Departure. – 2 An Anthropological Approach to World Literature. – 3 Amitav Ghosh's The Hungry Tide. – 3.1 Grounded theory. – 3.2 Reflexivity. – 3.3 Spatiotemporalisation. – 3.4 Rupture. – 3.5 Critical Estrangement. – 3.6 Being-and-becoming. –


We study time preferences by means of a longitudinal lab experiment involving both monetary and non-monetary rewards (leisure). Our novel design allows to measure whether participants prefer to anticipate or delay gratification, without imposing any structural assumption on the instantaneous utility, intertemporal utility or the discounting functions. We find that most people prefer to anticipate monetary rewards (positive time preferences for money), but they delay non-monetary rewards (negative time preferences for leisure). These results cannot be explained by personal timetables and heterogeneous preferences only. They invite to reconsider the psychological interpretation of the discount factor, and suggest that the assumption that discounting is consistent across domains can lead to non-negligible prediction errors in models involving non-monetary decisions, such as labor supply models.


We demonstrate the simulation results of the radiation properties from top-emitting organic light-emitting devices (top-emitting OLEDs) with two- and three-microcavity structures based on the general electromagnetic theory. The parameters of the layer thickness and complex refractive index of each layer, the locations and density of the oscillating dipoles, and the emission photoluminescence spectrum are varied to optimize the device performance. In evaluating the deice performances, the output spectrum, the intensity distribution, and the viewing-angle characteristics of a top-emitting OLED are concerned. The simulation results are consistent with the Fabry-Perot cavity equation, which can be used as a guideline for designing a two-cavity top-emitting OLED. In such a design process, the dipole position is chosen first. Then the thicknesses of the whole organic layer, the semitransparent cathode, and the dielectric layer are adjusted for optimizing the device performance. In a three-cavity top-emitting OLED, not only the emission intensity and the viewing angle can be optimized at the same time, but also the emission wavelength can be independently tuned. Besides, the use of a three-cavity structure helps to narrow the spectral width and increase the color purity


U.S. foreign policy increasingly embraces and seeks to empower civil society organizations in developing countries as a critical contributor to stability and security. This paper explores whether there are grounds for these claims, specifically whether variation in civil society can explain the onset of civil wars. It examines two common explanations for the conflict-preventative potential of civil society, namely its ability to increase social capital and citizens' voice. Four hypotheses are tested by integrating new data on various attributes of civil society from the Varieties of Democracies Initiative into a common model of civil war onset. Little support is found for claims that civil society reduces the probability of civil war onset by improving social capital, but onset may be reduced when a strong advocacy and political orientation is present in civil society. In other words, there appears to be some grounds for U.S. policy claims that a stronger civil society can enhance citizens' voice and reduce instability and conflict onset. This finding still raises many questions about the precise links between civil society and civil war onset, and introduces potential complications for how policymakers might address conflict onset through support for civil society.


Majority of the perception methods in robotics require depth information provided by RGB-D cameras. However, standard 3D sensors fail to capture depth of transparent objects due to refraction and absorption of light. In this paper, we introduce a new approach for depth completion of transparent objects from a single RGB-D image. Key to our approach is a local implicit neural representation built on ray-voxel pairs that allows our method to generalize to unseen objects and achieve fast inference speed. Based on this representation, we present a novel frame-work that can complete missing depth given noisy RGB-D input. We further improve the depth estimation iteratively using a self-correcting refinement model. To train the whole pipeline, we build a large scale synthetic dataset with transparent objects. Experiments demonstrate that our method performs significantly better than the current state-of-the-art methods on both synthetic and real world data. In addition, our approach improves the inference speed by a factor of 20 compared to the previous best method, ClearGrasp [43]. Code will be released at https://research.nvidia.com/publication/2021-03_RGB-D-Local-Implicit.


We developed photoacoustic tomography to peer deep into biological tissue. Photoacoustic tomography (PAT) provides in vivo omniscale functional, metabolic, molecular, and histologic imaging across the scales of organelles through organisms. We also developed compressed ultrafast photography (CUP) to record 10 trillion frames per second, 10 orders of magnitude faster than commercially available camera technologies. CUP can tape the fastest phenomenon in the universe, namely, light propagation, and can be slowed down for slower phenomena such as combustion.

PAT physically combines optical and ultrasonic waves. Conventional high-resolution optical imaging of scattering tissue is restricted to depths within the optical diffusion limit (~1 mm in the skin). Taking advantage of the fact that ultrasonic scattering is orders of magnitude weaker than optical scattering per unit path length, PAT beats this limit and provides deep penetration at high ultrasonic resolution and high optical contrast by sensing molecules. Broad applications include early-cancer detection and brain imaging. The annual conference on PAT has become the largest in SPIE's 20,000-attendee Photonics West since 2010.

CUP can image in 2D non-repeatable time-evolving events. CUP has a prominent advantage of measuring an x, y, t (x, y, spatial coordinates; t, time) scene with a single exposure, thereby allowing observation of transient events occurring on a time scale down to 100 femtoseconds, such as propagation of a light pulse. Further, akin to traditional photography, CUP is receive-only—avoiding specialized active illumination required by other single-shot ultrafast imagers. CUP can be coupled with front optics ranging from microscopes to telescopes for widespread applications in both fundamental and applied sciences.


Life cycle of the firm has an important role in the dynamics of firm's capital structure. A firm will take different funding decision along the life cycle because the firm's characteristics that affect the capital structure will adjust itself as the tranformation of the life cycle occuring. The research objectives were to analize the dynamic of firm's capital structure across three-life cycle stages of Indonesian manufacturing companies listed with a total sample of 121 companies observed during the period from 2011 to 2016. By using dynamic panel data analysis with Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) model, we find that profitability and liquidity affect the firm's life cycle for a growing stage, meanwhile the fixed asset, growth opportunities, profitability, and liquidity affect the capital structure for a mature stage, whereas only liquidity that affects capital structure for a decline stage. The coefficient of lag dependent variable of GMM model representing the previous year capital structure showed an adjustment rate of capital structure. The lowest speed of adjustment occurred on the decline stage which was orderly followed by the growth and mature stage. Keywords: capital structure, life cycle of firm, firm's characteristics, dynamic panel data analysis


The Internal Revenue Act, 2000 (Act, 592) of Ghana provides offences and penalties for non-compliance with tax regulations in order to facilitate revenue mobilization. Public awareness of such regulations is necessary for compliance. Yet the extent to which the Ghanaian public is aware of the tax regulations is uncertain. This paper assesses the extent of public awareness of tax reforms and its implication for tax evasion in the Wa Municipality of Ghana. A survey involving the use of semi-structure questionnaires was conducted to gather primary data from 120 respondents selected through a multi-stage sampling procedure. Descriptive statistics and chi-square test were used to analyse the data. The results reveal the inadequacy of knowledge on the tax regulations as a major but not sufficient factor for non-compliance as there were respondents who were well-informed yet evaded payment citing various reasons. Hence, compliance enforcement should embrace variety in targeting.


Cocrystallization of energetic materials has emerged as a strategy to modulate properties through directed selection of coformers. Here, the cocrystallization of a high-nitrogen energetic material, 3,6-bis(1H-1,2,3,4-tetrazol-5-ylamino)-s-tetrazine (BTATz), is detailed. The utility of electrostatic potential maps to predict the behavior of coformers with BTATz is demonstrated as well as a critical requirement for regions of sufficiently negative electrostatic potential on the coformer (Vs,min). Cocrystal structures are compared to the solvent-free structure of BTATz, determined here for the first time. The new materials exhibit good thermal stability (>200 °C) and are insensitive to impact. Cocrystallization of BTATz demonstrates the capability of high-nitrogen energetic materials to form multicomponent crystal systems and reaffirms the ability of coformers to modulate energetic performance.


Nonlinear spatial transforms and fuzzy pattern classification with unimodal potential functions are established in signal processing. They have proved to be excellent tools in feature extraction and classification. In this paper, we will present a hardware-accelerated image processing and classification system which is implemented on one field-programmable gate array (FPGA). Nonlinear discrete circular transforms generate a feature vector. The features are analyzed by a fuzzy classifier. This principle can be used for feature extraction, pattern recognition, and classification tasks. Implementation in radix-2 structures is possible, allowing fast calculations with a computational complexity of up to. Furthermore, the pattern separability properties of these transforms are better than those achieved with the well-known method based on the power spectrum of the Fourier Transform, or on several other transforms. Using different signal flow structures, the transforms can be adapted to different image and signal processing applications.


Abstract Background: The aim of the study was to determine the utility of plasma NfH in correlation with serum hsCRP for severity and short-term functional outcome prediction after ischemic stroke. Methods: 124 patients and 40 healthy controls were enrolled, serial plasma neurofilament heavy chains and hsCRP concentrations were measured and evaluated for TOAST subtype, stroke severity and functional outcome at discharge. Results: Serum level of hsCRP was significantly higher in patients versus controls (p<0.05) with no difference between TOAST subtypes. Plasma NfH concentration on day 5 was higher in CE stroke compared to LAA group and SVO group. A positive correlation between NfH levels on day 5 and mRS at discharge (r=0.304, p=0.001) and a gender stratification of hsCRP and mRS at discharge was found. Values of 6.04 mg/l for hsCRP and 46.4 ng/ml for NfH were found predictive for unfavorable short-term outcome, but after adjusting for age, sex and stroke severity, the prediction power was lost. Conclusions: Plasma concentration of NfH shows a significant increase over the first five days after ischemic stroke, in correlation with inflammatory status and short-term evolution.


CONTEXT
Reviewers increasingly are asked to review manuscripts from outside their own country, but whether they are more likely to recommend acceptance of such manuscripts is not known.

OBJECTIVE
To assess whether US reviewers or non-US reviewers evaluate manuscripts differently, depending on whether the manuscripts are submitted from outside the United States or from the United States.

DESIGN AND SETTING
A retrospective analysis of all original submissions received by Gastroenterology in 1995 and 1996. Reviewers ranked manuscripts in 4 decision categories: accept, provisionally accept, reject with resubmission, or reject.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE
Ranking of papers based on nationality of authors and reviewers.

RESULTS
The percentage of non-US manuscripts placed in each decision category by US (n = 2355) and non-US reviewers (n = 1297) was nearly identical (P= .31). However, US reviewers recommended acceptance of papers submitted by US authors more often than did non-US reviewers (P=.001). Non-US reviewers ranked US papers slightly more favorably than non-US papers (P=.09), while US reviewers ranked US papers much more favorably (P=.001).

CONCLUSIONS
Reviewers from the United States and outside the United States evaluate non-US papers similarly and evaluate papers submitted by US authors more favorably, with US reviewers having a significant preference for US papers.


Developing countries needs FDI to be at par with the progress of developed countries. The dearth of study on the effects of financial crisis on FDI justifies the objective which is to examine the potential effect of financial crisis inclusive of macroeconomic factors as control variables on FDI in dataset 23 developing countries for the period 1993-2013. This study includes descriptive analysis, correlation test, stationary test and regression analysis. The random effects generalized least square (GLS) estimator is used in the regression to examine the potential effect of financial crisis and macroeconomic factors on the inflow of FDI. Foremost, the US financial crisis has a positive significance to the inflow of FDI which validates Krugman's theory on fire-sale FDI. However, country specific economic recession, lending rates and natural resources discourage inflow of FDI. Nonetheless, trade openness, domestic currency, money supply and domestic fixed investment encourage FDI in developing countries. Keywords: Foreign Direct Investment; financial crisis; REM; developing countries JEL Classifications: C33; F21; G01; P52


Though asthma is a commonly occurring disorder today, the development and introduction of anti-inflammatory drugs in treating it has changed the possibilities of living with it. At the same time, the Swedish guidelines for asthma care have changed: the patient is to take responsibility for her or his chronic illness to attain full quality of life. The study aims to make a cultural analytical investigation of what possibilities exist for young people to take responsibility for their chronic illness and what limitations present themselves. Its approach, proceeding from Simone de Beauvoir's concept of situation, problematises the view of the human being as an independent subject; rather, the human being finds herself in relation to other people and things. It does not appear from the empiric that the young people automatically internalise the diagnosis and the treatment that comes with it; instead, they act in relation to diagnosis as well as treatment. As a result, the treatment is not always being allowed to stand in the centre of conduct; the young people may be prepared to expose themselves to risks of breathing difficulties for the purpose of creating themselves as subject. The young people allso often act in relation to the attention that the drug and the sequence of events with medication generate in social contexts. This may become a situation in which the individuals do not want to show their medicinal object, or keep quiet about not feeling well due to the asthma. Beauvoir points out in her philosophy that we have a responsibility to create possibilities for the person who is limited in her or his daily life, and this can be discussed proceeding from the possibilities and limitations that are created in a situation. The ethical subject becomes central: through making visible the situation in which the person with a chronic illness finds her- or himself, the individual encountering that person can act in such a way that she or he gives the other person possibilities. (Less)


Best practice exemplars suggest that digital platforms play a critical role in managing supply chain activities and partnerships that generate performance gains for firms. However, there is limited academic investigation on how and why information technology can create performance gains for firms in a supply chain management (SCM) context. Grant's (1996) theoretical notion of higher-order capabilities and a hierarchy of capabilities has been used in recent information systems research by Barua et al. (2004), Sambamurthy et al. (2003), and Mithas et al. (2004) to reframe the conversation from the direct performance impacts of IT resources and investments to how and why IT shapes higher-order process capabilities that create performance gains for firms. We draw on the emerging IT-enabled organizational capabilities perspective to suggest that firms that develop IT infrastructure integration for SCM and leverage it to create a higher-order supply chain integration capability generate significant and sustainable performance gains. A research model is developed to investigate the hierarchy of IT-related capabilities and their impact on firm performance. Data were collected from 110 supply chain and logistics managers in manufacturing and retail organizations. Our results suggest that integrated IT infrastructures enable firms to develop the higher-order capability of supply chain process integration. This capability enables firms to unbundle information flows from physical flows, and to share information with their supply chain partners to create information-based approaches for superior demand planning, for the staging and movement of physical products, and for streamlining voluminous and complex financial work processes. Furthermore, IT-enabled supply chain integration capability results in significant and sustained firm performance gains, especially in operational excellence and revenue growth. Managerial initiatives should be directed at developing an integrated IT infrastructure and leveraging it to create process capabilities for the integration of resource flows between a firm and its supply chain partners.


ABSTRACT Accurate spindle positioning is essential for error-free cell division. The one-cell Caenorhabditis elegans embryo has proven instrumental for dissecting mechanisms governing spindle positioning. Despite important progress, how the cortical forces that act on astral microtubules to properly position the spindle are modulated is incompletely understood. Here, we report that the PP6 phosphatase PPH-6 and its associated subunit SAPS-1, which positively regulate pulling forces acting on spindle poles, associate with the Aurora A kinase AIR-1 in C. elegans embryos. We show that acute inactivation of AIR-1 during mitosis results in excess pulling forces on astral microtubules. Furthermore, we uncover that AIR-1 acts downstream of PPH-6–SAPS-1 in modulating spindle positioning, and that PPH-6–SAPS-1 negatively regulates AIR-1 localization at the cell cortex. Moreover, we show that Aurora A and the PP6 phosphatase subunit PPP6C are also necessary for spindle positioning in human cells. There, Aurora A is needed for the cortical localization of NuMA and dynein during mitosis. Overall, our work demonstrates that Aurora A kinases and PP6 phosphatases have an ancient function in modulating spindle positioning, thus contributing to faithful cell division. Summary: Aurora A kinase and PP6 phosphatase are required for spindle positioning in C. elegans embryos and human cells by modulating the localization of cortical force generators.


'Newsround' offers a platform for new discoveries that do not appear within the specialist contributions of this year's Archaeological Reports, but which nevertheless warrant emphasis, either as a result of their particular characteristics or for the contribution they make to broader archaeological narratives. This section is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather an overview of archaeological research in Greece. It comprises largely preliminary reports (results of excavations that took place up to and including August 2022, where possible) that complement the digital content made available through Archaeology in Greece Online (https://chronique.efa.gr). Due to the diachronic nature of a number of the sites, and for ease of reference, the material is organized geographically in the first instance and then chronologically (earliest to latest) within each section as far as possible.


Underwater communication and networking have become very essential both for commer- cial and military purposes. The number of research conducted in this field has increased over the past few decades. The need to communicate between sensor nodes in sensor network requires the characterization of underwater acoustic channel. This project focuses on the statistical characterization of an underwater communication channel using real data. This kind of approach of characterizing a channel makes it possible to access the performance of modern digital systems before they are built. The main idea behind this thesis report is to be able to perform simulations on real data using matlab to get reasonable results that can be compared to existing research papers.


Isolated livers from male Sprague-Dawley rats were perfused at 20 ml/min for 3 h at 37 degrees C with 100 ml of an oxygenated, recirculating solution of 20% rat blood in Krebs bicarbonate buffer containing 20 micrograms/ml [3H]etoposide. Ninety % of administered radioactivity was eliminated in bile over a 3-h collection period. The clearance of etoposide was 3.56 ml/min indicating that, in the rat, it is not highly extracted. Its clearance is, therefore, independent of hepatic blood flow. Etoposide was both excreted into the bile and metabolized by the liver. Perfusate and bile samples analyzed by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography techniques were found to contain three peaks of radioactivity. Positive and negative ion fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry identified the first two peaks as etoposide glucuronides and the third peak as parent drug. Following the i.v. administration of etoposide to rabbits, etoposide glucuronide was also identified in rabbit urine. The recovery of etoposide both from rabbit urine and rat bile was increased by preincubation with glucuronidase. However, the glucuronides were relatively resistant to the action of glucuronidase and showed varying sensitivity to the type of glucuronidase and the reaction conditions used. These studies document the presence of etoposide glucuronide as an etoposide metabolite in two mammalian species and suggest that previous clinical studies using beta-glucuronidase to quantitate glucuronide formation may have underestimated this metabolite due to its relative resistance to some glucuronidase preparations.


This thesis explores the overlooked topic of the post-‐contemporary visionary art movement and live painting. Some visionary artists attempt to convey non-‐ordinary states of consciousness, and in doing so, merge spiritual and cultural iconography and symbolism from around the world and across time while expressing archetypes of the collective unconscious. This thesis addresses paintings by local artists and more globally recognized, self-‐proclaimed visionary artists, including Alex Grey and Laurence Caruana, to show how they merge and bring universal archetypes into material form through iconography and symbols. Another section discusses the role of live painting at music and art events and how this method allows the artist to connect to people on a personal level outside of museums and galleries. The heart of this project is to discuss how visionary art can reveal connections between cultures, and how live painting can inspire viewers to embrace their own creativity and spirituality. Uri https://digital.library.txstate.edu/handle/10877/5598 Collections Honors College Theses Name: Colombo,DanielleFinal.pdf Size: 3.296Mb Format: PDF


Field and microstructural studies were conducted on the basal, nonwelded and partially welded portions of the rhyolite Bishop Tuff in eastern California to examine the nature and processes of brittle deformation in these units. The nonwelded tuff consists of a variable sequence of finely laminated to massive pumice‐rich deposits, fine‐grained ash, and pyroclastic glass erupted from the Long Valley Caldera. The deposits are experiencing east–west extension in the hanging wall of the White Mountain fault, and small‐displacement faults and fractures cut the tuff. Deformation in the Bishop Tuff occurred by fracturing associated with faults, and by slip along narrow faults with smooth, often mineralized surfaces. Localization of fracturing appears to be a function of welding. Units with a greater degree of welding have a greater abundance of fractures associated with faults, whereas nonwelded portions typically have a narrow deformation band–type faults with little or no associated damage. Microstructural observations show that transgranular fractures lie along grain boundaries of pumice and feldspar phenocrysts, and these fractures are often filled with calcite. These deposits appear to have behaved as an open‐cell foam with a low strength, but with a cohesion that allowed the support of a differential stress to failure that resulted in subvertical open fractures and faults. These results demonstrate how brittle deformation may be manifested in nonwelded deposits in the vadose zone, and impart an anisotropy in which flow would be enhanced vertically and impeded horizontally. The Bishop Tuff is analogous to other nonwelded tuffs in the western USA. Thus, these results have implications for understanding deformation and flow in a variety of arid regions.


The X Window System, Version 11, is the standard window system on Linux and UNIX systems. X11, designed in 1987, was "state of the art" at that time. From its inception, X has been a network transparent window system in which X client applications can run on any machine in a network using an X server running on any display. While there have been some significant extensions to X over its history (e.g. OpenGL support), X's design lay fallow over much of the 1990's. With the increasing interest in open source systems, it was no longer sufficient for modern applications and a significant overhaul is now well underway. This paper describes revisions to the architecture of the window system used in a growing fraction of desktops and embedded systems


This paper will discuss the bonds and boundaries a researcher must take into consideration when attempting to show links between intellectual history (or history of theory) and real historical events. Specifically, it will focus on the methodological considerations of a research project that is attempting to establish connections between academic International Relations theory, political ideology, and world history in the 20th century. The two main difficulties obvious from the outset in attempting to create such links are that the subject area is a) almost impossibly vast and b) deals largely in the abstract realm of contending ideological worldviews. As such, a rigorous, astute and highly selective methodological approach must be carefully applied if the resulting argument is to be of real academic value. This paper, therefore, explores how to navigate specific boundaries and limitations such as a) the limited ability to make direct assessments of causality, b) the boundaries between different epistemological or ontological worldviews in their interpretations of the 'same' historical events, and c) the difficulties of situating a given worldview within its own historical context. Without a disciplined focus on the issues above it would be easy, given the ethereal nature of the subject area, to falter into generalisations or ideological partisanship that would render the argument practically meaningless. It concludes by discussing why an explicitly historical approach is the most suited to dealing with the project at hand. To read or download this article, please follow this link:  http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1503803 DOI: 10.14324/111.2057-2212.064


The Restart Project is a community-based repair initiative which seeks to extend the lifetime of, and reduce the waste from, electrical and electronic devices, thus reducing carbon emissions and enabling
sustainable resource consumption. It does so by various means of community engagement. Research reported here focuses on their pop-up repair events, or 'Restart Parties'.
An initial survey was conducted with 99 of 316 individuals who attended Restart Parties across London
between September and November 2016. This research explored environmental and repair-related topics and sought to establish the reasons why people attend Restart Parties. It was presented in a
report published in March 2017. The current report presents the findings of a follow-up survey which sought to establish if Restart Party attendance had:
● Increased engagement in repair activities
● Fostered new knowledge and skills
● Changed respondents' attitudes and/or behaviour towards repair and obtaining electrical and electronic devices.
The research also examined respondents' understanding of the broader issues around repair and how The Restart Project contributes to tackling them. The survey approached 74 of the previous 99 respondents and obtained 25 responses. Whilst this small sample size should be noted, the results show that:
● The majority of respondents (60%) had taken environmentally-responsible action with their
device since the events, such as continued use of the device or recycling it, but some stored
it (16%) or "threw it away" (8%)
● Three-quarters (75%) of respondents were more likely to "attend a community repair event"
● A small majority (56%) of respondents were more likely to attempt repairs at home
● Nearly a third of respondents were more likely to ''volunteer at a community repair event''
(30%), a higher proportion than those less likely to do so (22%)
● A small proportion of respondents (12%) had volunteered at a subsequent repair event
● Equal proportions of respondents were more likely to use a commercial repairer (39%) as
those less likely to do so (39%)
● Respondents gained a variety of knowledge and skills, including laptop servicing skills, device disassembly, how to locate repair manuals, and how to recycle devices
● Some respondents also reported that attendance at Restart Parties improved their
confidence to undertake repairs on their own
● Priorities when buying items have changed, although the average importance placed on
environmentally-responsible considerations has not
● There was little change in the order of actions taken by respondents when a device breaks
● Respondents did not have a full understanding of The Restart Project's aims.
In summary, the results showed that respondents were more able to repair items and to dispose of those beyond repair responsibly. However, this ability is not consistently put into action. The priorities when buying items, the order of actions taken when a device breaks and recycling rates could be improved, whilst the rate at which items are stored could be decreased. Future work could focus on achieving sustained behaviour change.


The NitroEurope IP – or NEU for short – addresses the major question: What is the
effect of reactive nitrogen (Nr) supply on net greenhouse gas budgets for Europe? The
objectives are to:
1. establish robust datasets of N fluxes and net greenhouse-gas exchange (NGE) in
relation to C-N cycling of representative European ecosystems, as a basis to
investigate interactions and assess long-term change,
2. quantify the effects of past and present global changes (climate, atmospheric
composition, land-use/land-management) on CN cycling and NGE,
3. simulate the observed fluxes of N and NGE, their interactions and responses to
global change/land-management decisions, through refinement of plot-scale models,
4. quantify multiple N and C fluxes for contrasting European landscapes, including
interactions between farm-scale management, atmospheric and water dispersion, and
consideration of the implications for net fluxes and strategies,
5. scale up Nr and NGE fluxes for terrestrial ecosystems to regional and European
levels, considering spatial variability and allowing assessment of past, present and
future changes,
6. assess uncertainties in the European model results and use these together with
independent measurement/inverse modelling approaches for verification of
European N2O and CH4 inventories and refinement of IPCC approaches.
These objectives are met by a programme that integrates: 1) an observing system for N
fluxes and pools, 2) a network of manipulation experiments, 3) plot-scale C-N
modelling, 4) landscape analysis, 5) European up-scaling and 6) uncertainty and
verification of European estimates. Cross-cutting activities address management,
databases, training & dissemination.
NEU will advance the fundamental understanding of C-N interactions at different scales
and deliver: process-based models, landscape-level assessments, European maps of C-N
pools, Nr fluxes and NGE, and independent verification of GHG inventories, as required
under the Kyoto Protocol.