Sustainable performance of buildings has become a major concern among construction industry professionals. However, sustainability considerations are often treated as an add-on to building design, following ad hoc processes for their implementation. As a result, the most common problem to achieve a sustainable building outcome is the absence of the right information at the right time to make critical decisions. For design team members to appreciate the requirements of multidisciplinary collaboration, there is a need for transparency and a shared understanding of the process. The aim of this study is to investigate, model, and facilitate the early stages of Building Information Modelling (BIM) enabled Sustainable Building Design (SBD) by formalising the ad hoc working relationships of the best practices in order to standardise the optimal collaboration workflows. Thus, this research strives to improve BIM maturity level for SBD, assisting in the transition from ad hoc to defined , and then, to managed . For this purpose, this study has adopted an abductive research approach (iterative process of induction and deduction) for theory building and testing. Four (4) stages of data collection have been conducted, which have resulted in a total of 32 semi-structured interviews with industry experts from 17 organisations. Fourteen (14) best practice case studies have been identified, and 20 incidents narratives have been collected applying the Critical Decision Method (CMD) to examine roles and responsibilities, resources, information exchanges, interdependencies, timing and sequence of events, and critical decisions. As a result, the research has classified the critical components of SBD into a framework utilising content and thematic analyses. These have included the definition of roles and competencies that are essential for SBD along with the existing opportunities, challenges, and limitations. Then, Schedules of Services for SBD have been developed for the following stages of the RIBA Plan of Work 2013: stage 0 (Strategic Definition), stage 1 (Preparation and Brief), and stage 2 (Concept Design). The abovementioned SBD components have been coordinated explicitly into a systematic process, which follows Concurrent Engineering (CE) principles utilising Integrated DEFinition (IDEF) structured diagramming techniques (IDEF0 and IDEF3). The results have identified the key players roles and responsibilities, tasks (BIM Uses), BIM-based deliverables, and critical decision points for SBD. Furthermore, Green BIM Box (GBB) workflow management prototype tool has been developed to analyse communication and delivery of BIM-enabled SBD in a centralised system (Common Data Environment, CDE). GBB s system architecture for SBD process automation is demonstrated through Use Case Scenarios utilising the OMG UML (Object Management Group s Unified Modelling Language) notation. The proposed solution facilitates the implementation of BIM, Information Communication Technology (ICT), and Building Performance Analysis (BPA) software to realise the benefits of combining distributed teams expertise holistically into a common process. Finally, the research outcomes have been validated through academic and industrial reviews that have led to the refinement of the IDEF process model and framework. It has been found that collaborative patterns are repeatable for a variety of different non-domestic building types such as education, healthcare, and offices. Therefore, the research findings support the idea that a detailed process, which follows specified communication patterns, can assist in achieving sustainability targets efficiently in terms of time, cost, and effort.


In this paper we consider distributed K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN) search and range query processing in high dimensional data. Our approach is based on Locality Sensitive Hashing (LSH) which has proven very efficient in answering KNN queries in centralized settings. We consider mappings from the multi-dimensional LSH bucket space to the linearly ordered set of peers that jointly maintain the indexed data and derive requirements to achieve high quality search results and limit the number of network accesses. We put forward two such mappings that come with these salient properties: being locality preserving so that buckets likely to hold similar data are stored on the same or neighboring peers and having a predictable output distribution to ensure fair load balancing. We show how to leverage the linearly aligned data for efficient KNN search and how to efficiently process range queries which is, to the best of our knowledge, not possible in existing LSH schemes. We show by comprehensive performance evaluations using real world data that our approach brings major performance and accuracy gains compared to state-of-the-art.


Background Preventive home visits (PHV) may contribute to identify risks and needs in older people, and thereby delay the onset of functional decline and illness, otherwise often followed by home care or admission to hospital or nursing homes. There is a need to increase knowledge about which factors are associated with different risk areas among older people, so that the PHV questionnaire focuses on relevant tests and questions to make the PHV more specific and have a clear focus and purpose. Objective The objective of this study was to examine associations between five kinds of risks: risk of falls, malnutrition, polypharmacy, cognitive impairment, and risk of developing illness and factors related to lifestyle, health, and medical diagnoses among older people living at home. Methods A cross-sectional study design was applied. PHV were conducted by nurses among 77-year-old people in an urban municipality and among ≥75-year-old people in a rural municipality. A questionnaire including tests and a risk assessment score for developing illness was used. Descriptive and inferential statistics including regression models were analyzed. Results The total sample included 166 persons. Poor perceived health was associated with increased risk of developing illness and risk of fall, malnutrition, and polypharmacy. Lifestyle and health factors such as lack of social support, sleep problems, and feeling depressed were associated with risk of developing illness. Risk of falls, malnutrition, polypharmacy, and cognitive impairment were also associated with increased risk of developing illness. None of the independent factors related to lifestyle, health, or medical diagnosis were associated with risk of cognitive impairment. Conclusion Poor perceived health was associated with health-related risks in older persons living at home. Preventive health programs need to focus on social and lifestyle factors and self-reported health assessment to identify older people at risk of developing illnesses.


Monte Carlo (MC) method is the standard method to characterize statistical moments of cell delays and slopes. However, this method suffers from very high computational cost. In this paper, we propose a technique to quickly and accurately estimate Standard Deviation (SD) of standard cell delays and slopes. The proposed technique is based on the identification, performed with a reduced set of MC simulations, of delay and output slope SD functions that take input slope, output load and supply voltage as input arguments. These identified functions are then used to estimate SDs of delays and slopes at different operating conditions (input slope, output load, supply voltage). This proposed method provides at least 76% of CPU gains, with respect to MC, while keeping high accuracy.


The information rate transferred through the Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) channel affected by discrete-time multiplicative Wiener's phase noise is computed in the paper. Upper and lower bounds based on quantization of the phase space and trellis representation of phase noise memory are proposed. The results presented in the paper show that both the upper bound and the lower bound converge to the actual information rate as the number of quantizer's bins increases, the convergence of the lower bound being faster. The analysis presented in the paper allows for pilot symbols being considered. From the one hand, the insertion of pilot symbols penalizes the net symbol rate, thus subtracting space to information transmission, while, from the other hand, they bring information on channel state. The balance between what is lost and what is gained is computed in the paper.


We describe multistage stochastic programs in a purely in-distribution setting, i.e., without any reference to a concrete probability space. The concept is based on the notion of nested distributions, which encompass in one mathematical object the scenario values as well as the information structure under which decisions have to be made. The nested distance between these distributions is introduced and turns out to be a generalization of the Wasserstein distance for stochastic two-stage problems. We give characterizations of this distance and show its usefulness in examples. The main result states that the difference of the optimal values of two multistage stochastic programs, which are Lipschitz and differ only in the nested distribution of the stochastic parameters, can be bounded by the nested distance of these distributions. This theorem generalizes the well-known Kantorovich-Rubinstein theorem, which is applicable only in two-stage situations, to multistage. Moreover, a dual characterization for the nested distance is established. The setup is applicable both for general stochastic processes and for finite scenario trees. In particular, the nested distance between general processes and scenario trees is well defined and becomes the important tool for judging the quality of the scenario tree generation. Minimizing—at least heuristically—this distance is what good scenario tree generation is all about.


'Thank you very much for this opportunity to join you in the road to entrenching democracy in our country,' then Law Society of South Africa (LSSA) Co-chairperson, Max Boqwana, said to Electoral Commission dignitaries at a gala dinner hosted in Pretoria early in February. The dinner was held by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to celebrate the beginning of the LSSA's electoral project to train observers for the 2016 municipal elections.


Violent and erotic media has been suggested to have a long-lasting negative effect on both the brain and behaviour (e.g. Anderson & Bushman, 2001; Grimes, Anderson & Bergen, 2008) and has been linked with increased aggression (Anderson & Bushman, 2001, 2002; Bartholow, Bushman, & Sestir, 2006; Engelhardt, Bartholow, & Saults, 2011; Greitemeyer, 2018). This thesis is the first comprehensive investigation into the effects of aggression and visual media content on early neurological response. Despite adopting gold-standard measures of aggression and contemporary EEG methodology, there was no evidence to support claims of a negative effect using a range of differing content visual stimuli. However, participant sex was identified as a key defining factor in electrocortical response towards all stimuli categories. In general, females tended to respond with an early negativity bias and an increased overall response in comparison to males. This was especially found where the content was related to biological drives. Support was found for research and theory providing that attention is motivated towards evolutionary salient stimuli (e.g. Gur et al, 2002; Kim et al. 2013; Schupp, Junghofer, Weike and Hamm, 2003; Weinberg and Hajak, 2010; Wheaton et al, 2013), and preferred media content (Boheart, 2001; Nordstrom and Wiens, 2012). A variety of measures of aggression have been employed within the field with inconsistencies across procedure, analysis method and reporting that has impacted objectivity and the validity of findings. Four methods of data processing were employed in order to analyze scores on trait aggression scales. Results showed that trait aggression appeared to modulate ERP response towards affective imagery. However, this finding was sex specific (for males only) and was dependent on data processing method employed thus, was inconsistent. This identified that minor modifications to simple data processing techniques have major implications on results and meaning. These findings have clearly demonstrated the need for standardization of methods and analysis across processes, measurement tools and techniques. Additional investigation found that there were numerous elements of stimuli content and context that influenced response. This included neutral stimuli. Taken together, these findings have made a clear case for the requirement of a valid stimuli collection that encompasses a stringent classification of appropriate content that can be widely adopted across research within multiple disciplines.


The cardiac ganglion (CG) of Homarus americanus is a central pattern generator that consists of two oscillatory groups of neurons: "small cells" (SCs) and "large cells" (LCs). We have shown that SCs and LCs begin their bursts nearly simultaneously but end their bursts at variable phases. This variability contrasts with many other central pattern generator systems in which phase is well maintained. To determine both the consequences of this variability and how CG phasing is controlled, we modeled the CG as a pair of Morris-Lecar oscillators coupled by electrical and excitatory synapses and constructed a database of 15,000 simulated networks using random parameter sets. These simulations, like our experimental results, displayed variable phase relationships, with the bursts beginning together but ending at variable phases. The model suggests that the variable phasing of the pattern has important implications for the functional role of the excitatory synapses. In networks in which the two oscillators had similar duty cycles, the excitatory coupling functioned to increase cycle frequency. In networks with disparate duty cycles, it functioned to decrease network frequency. Overall, we suggest that the phasing of the CG may vary without compromising appropriate motor output and that this variability may critically determine how the network behaves in response to manipulations.


Choroideremia (CHM) is an X-linked recessive chorioretinal dystrophy caused by mutations in CHM, encoding for Rab escort protein 1 (REP1). Loss of functional REP1 leads to the accumulation of unprenylated Rab proteins and defective intracellular protein trafficking, the putative cause for photoreceptor, retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), and choroidal degeneration. CHM is ubiquitously expressed, but adequate prenylation is considered to be achieved, outside the retina, through the isoform REP2. Recently, the possibility of systemic features in CHM has been debated; therefore, in this study, whole metabolomic analysis of plasma samples from 25 CHM patients versus age- and sex-matched controls was performed. Results showed plasma alterations in oxidative stress–related metabolites, coupled with alterations in tryptophan metabolism, leading to significantly raised serotonin levels. Lipid metabolism was disrupted with decreased branched fatty acids and acylcarnitines, suggestive of dysfunctional lipid oxidation, as well as imbalances of several sphingolipids and glycerophospholipids. Targeted lipidomics of the chmru848 zebrafish provided further evidence for dysfunction, with the use of fenofibrate over simvastatin circumventing the prenylation pathway to improve the lipid profile and increase survival. This study provides strong evidence for systemic manifestations of CHM and proposes potentially novel pathomechanisms and targets for therapeutic consideration.


Hydrocarbon bearing chalks are of significant economic importance within the Central
Graben of the North Sea. The reservoirs have formed within predominantly allochthonous
deposits which exhibit a range of sedimentary and diagenetic features not
necessarily found in their onshore equivalents. Reservoir quality is closely related to
the preservation of high porosity and is associated with high pore pressures. Today,
during hydrocarbon production, change in pore fluid pressure has led to both compactional
deformation of the reservoir and localised flow of chalk through perforations into
production wells.
This project has been undertaken to investigate, in the laboratory, the compaction and
flow characteristics of chalks of medium and high porosity. The data obtained are used
to evaluate the present day compaction and flow characteristics of chalk from the
standpoint of reservoir engineering, and also to interpret the mechanical conditions
that prevailed during allochthonous chalk deposition. This experimental investigation
has show that the mechanical behaviour of all porous chalks is similar. Quantitatively,
this behaviour is dependent on a number of parameters, the most important of which
is the pre-deformational porosity.
The experimental study, utilised high pressure triaxial equipment to determine the
mechanical characteristics of a number of different chalks with pre-deformational
porosities in the range 19-49%. Behaviour during loading under undrained triaxial and
uniaxial strain conditions has been investigated. The former experiments provide data
of importance to evaluating flow, both today, due to pore pressure drawdown in
hydrocarbon production wells, and in the past during mobilisation and redeposition of
the Central Graben chalks in Cretaceous and Palaeocene times. The experiments using
the uniaxial strain path were conducted, primarily, to determine the compactional
characteristics of the chalk for computer modelling of reservoir compaction and associated
sea-floor subsidence using the finite element method. Compaction associated factors such as permeability change, and possible instability of chalk during sea water
injection have also been investigated. A number of experiments were conducted at slow
strain rates in an attempt to determine the influence of strain rate on the magnitude of
the deformation.


Dedicated electronic hardware has been constructed to monitor fluid distributions inside a plant rooting/nutrient substrate (Rockwool). With this hardware the effect of dynamically varying gravity states, from enhanced 2g to reduced 0.01g, on solution distributions inside a cube of substrate was monitored aboard the NASA KC-135 reduced gravity research aircraft. The 8 vertices and the center of the cube were used to place sinusoidal voltage sources (electrodes), emitting different fixed frequencies, inside the substrate. Using another set of 9 electrodes the voltage fields were detected across all frequencies. Since the substrate cannot conduct, those frequencies which appeared on any detector (sensor) were indicative of the conductive liquid pathways inside the substrate. An analysis algorithm was developed to visualize the fluid distributions under g-level conditions. Even though the duration of the experiment was short, gravity induced changes in fluid position were readily and reliably detected. Since fluids carry the nutrients necessary for plant growth these data and techniques can lead to the development of a uniform nutrient supply system supportive of optimal plant growth in space.


This study aims to determine some important determinants of the wage differential between native and immigrant physicians by applying a human capital framework and Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression analysis. Section II of the paper details the human capital theoretical framework that is central to this study and that is used in the most important previous literature. Then, this literature is discussed in the context of the research problem that immigrant physicians earn substantially less than native physicians in the U.S. The principle hypotheses are also developed following the theory and literature review. Section III describes the data set and the empirical model that is employed to test the hypotheses. Section IV presents descriptive statistics as well as the results obtained from the regression models and discusses important findings. Section V concludes the paper with policy implications and avenues for future research. This article is available in The Park Place Economist: http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/parkplace/vol15/iss1/15


List of Figures and Tables. Preface. Acknowledgments. Part 1: The Evolution of Market Monetary Institutions:. The Mystery of Money. Mengera s Theory Restated. Some Implications of the Theory. From Simple Commodity Money to Coins. Bank--Issued Money. Regular Par Acceptance. Clearing Arrangements. The Path to Fiat Money. Spontaneous Separation Between the Media of Redemption and Account?. Questions. Part II: Commodity Money:. Determining the Price Level. The Simple Stock--Flow Analytics of Gold Supply and Demand. The Historical Sources of Gold Supply Disturbances. The Benefits of a Gold Standard. The Resource Costs of a Gold Standard. Is a Gold Standard Worth the Resource Cost?. Questions. Part III: Money Issue by Unrestricted Banks:. The Purchasing Power of Money. Bank Optimization and the Equilibrium Quantity of Bank--Issued Money. Correcting Over--Issue by an Individual Bank. Correcting Over--Issue by the System as a Whole. Responding to Shifts in Demand. Shifts Between Deposits and Currency. Questions. Part IV: The Evolution and Rationales of Central Banking:. Central Banking Roles and Clearinghouse Associations. The Origins of Government Central Banks. Historical Cases. Questions. Part V: Should Government Play a Role in Money?. Is Some Aspect of Money a Public Good?. Are There Relevant External Benefits in the Choice of Which Money to Use?. Are There Relevant External Benefits to the Choice of How Much Money to Hold?. iv. Is the Supply of Base Money a Natural Monopoly?. Questions. Part VI: Should Government Play a Role in Banking? . The Problem of Bank Runs. Inherent Vulnerability in Theory: The Diamond--Dybvig Model. The Fragility of the Diamond--Dybvig Bank: A Numerical Example. Deposit Insurance in the Diamond--Dybvig Model. Criticism of the Diamond--Dybvig Model. Are Deposit Contracts Inherently Fragile?. Historical Evidence on Inherent Vulnerability. Is There a Natural Monopoly in Bank--Issued Money?. Questions. Part VII: Seigniorage:. The Sources of Seigniorage. Maximizing the Take from Seigniorage. Reserve Requirements. Other Legal Restrictions. The Dynamics of Hyperinflation. The Transition Between Steady States: Is Honesty a Governmenta s Best Policy?. How Well Does Seigniorage Explain Actual Governmentsa Behavior?. Questions. Appendix. Part VIII: Central Bank as Bureaucracy:. Bureaucratic Explanation of the Feda s Operating Procedures. Bureaucracy and "inflationary bias". Questions. Part IX: Political Business Cycle Hypotheses:. The Nordhaus--MacRae Model. The Rational Expectations Critique. An Alternative Formulation: Wagnera s Political Seigniorage Cycle. The "Partisan" Political Business Cycle Theory. Questions. Part X: Discretion and Dynamic Inconsistency:. The Kydland--Prescott Model. Positive Implications: Using the Model to Explain Changes in Inflation. Policy Implications Under Discretion. Rules Versus Discretion. Subsequent Literature. Questions. Appendix. Part XI: Monetary Rules:. Benefits and Burdens of Counter--Cyclical Policy. Independence for the Central Bank. Arguments for Rules. Friedmana s Proposals. McCalluma s Case for a Feedback Rule. Simple Versus Complicated Rules. Questions. Part XII: Competitive Supply of Fiat--Type Money:. i. Kleina s Model with Perfect Foresight. ii. Kleina s Model with "Imperfect Foresight". Is the Equilibrium Rate of Inflation Bounded under Imperfect Foresight?. Conclusion. Questions. Part XIII: Cashless Competitive Payments and Legal Restrictions:. The Greenfield--Yeager Proposal. Is Bundles--Worth Redemption Workable?. Other Concerns About the GY Proposal. The Legal Restrictions Theory. Historical Evidence on the Non--Coexistence Prediction. Questions. References. Index.


Medicare coverage policies of medical procedures can be promulgated at a national level by the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as National Coverage Determinations (NCDs) or at a local level by Medicare contractors as Local Coverage Determinations (LCDs). Although LCDs shouldn't contradict NCDs, they can differ. In the present study, I analyze some factors that could partially account for the differences between NCDs and LCDs. Using the Medicare Coverage Database from CMS, I searched for differences between NCDs and LCDs in five benefit categories: inpatient hospital services, durable medical devices, diagnostic laboratory tests, physician's services and other diagnostic tests. There is a reasonable degree of homogeneity in coverage policies for procedures for which an NCD has been issued: 82% are exactly the same. Most of the differences took the form of exclusions from LCDs, but not from NCDs. For each state, I computed the number of times that LCDs were issued and the number of times that LCDs differed from NCDs and searched for possible linear or exponential correlation models. The following factors were initially hypothesized to account for these differences: number of Schools of Medicine, number of physicians, GDP per capita by state, state ranking according to number of Level 1 and Level 2 Trauma Centers and the profile of MEDCAC members. At a national level, I found no correlation between the number of LCDs issued or the number of differences between LCDs and NCDs and any of these variables. However, on a sub-analysis at a local level, in some regions I found a positive correlation (r2 >.94) between the following three variables: 1) number of Schools of Medicine, 2) number of physicians, and 3) state ranking according to the number of Level 1 and Level 2 Trauma Centers and the following two parameters: 1) the level of LCD issuing activity, and 2) the number of times that LCDs differ from NCDs. The correlations shown by the performed sub-analysis within regions may imply that more LCDs are issued to restrict coverage when there is a local need to control the excessive demand partially driven by the higher number of hospitals and physicians that are active in pursuing their interests. The fact that these correlations were shown only at a regional level may indicate that when local factors are disregarded, the original hypothesized factors do influence LCD activity, however, at a national level, other hypothetical local factors may have a greater influence on LCD activity and policy discrepancies. In order to have a better understanding of my results and the factors that could account for the differences between NCDs and LCDs, I interviewed four Contractor Medical Directors (CMDs). These interviews indicated that other factors could account for these differences, including the following: a history of abuse and fraud, contractor's budgets, the CMD's special interests and experience, data analysis capabilities, the number of claims and the novelty of the procedure. The impact of these variables on the differences between national and local coverage policies can be an interesting topic for future research on the subject. To my wife Luisa: thanks for your infinite love and daily support; to my parents, Norah and Rafael, who have nurtured me with a great education, human values and love; and to the ones, alive or passed away, who have influenced my thinking and passion for science through their ideas and courage to search for the truth.


PT. XYZ is part of the steel industry that focuses on the automotive sector which is very possible to increase business capacity. The decline in profit ratio in the last four years has triggered the development of a business model. The research aims to (1) identify the business model canvas of PT. XYZ, (2) analysis of the influence of internal and external factors for the company, and (3) create a business development strategy. The research was conducted using descriptive methods utilizing business model canvas, SWOT, and Blue Ocean Strategy analysis tools. Research analysis techniques based on primary and secondary data collected in February 2019 - June 2019 through the method of observation, interviews, questionnaires, and literature studies. Respondents were selected by purposive sampling technique, which is the technique for determining respondents who are considered experts and understand the situation of PT. XYZ both internal and external. The business development strategy is carried out through the development of the company's current business model canvas with a combination of blue ocean strategy perspectives based on the direction of the company's business development, evaluation of business model elements, environmental analysis. According to the research results obtained two business model development strategies where the first strategy is the improvement of cost structure elements by reducing the purchase of imported raw materials and creating components of local suppliers in the key partner elements to reduce the cost of purchasing materials. The second strategy is to improve the elements of key activities by develop business operating sistems and develop customer segments, which targets companies that manufacture two-wheeled vehicle components.
Keywords: business model canvas, blue ocean strategy, automotive, SWOT, steel


June 12-14, 1995, San Francisco The first international conference on multiagent systems is organized as a joint effort of the North American Distributed Artificial Intelligence community, the Japanese Multiagent and Cooperative Computing community, and the European Modeling Autonomous Agents in a Multiagent World community, with support from AAAI and sanctioned by ECCAI. The Proceedings cover a broad spectrum of perspectives including artificial life, communications issues, and negotiation strategies.Topics cover :- Agent Architectures.- Artificial Life (from a multiagent perspective).- Believable Agents.- Cooperation, Coordination, and Conflict.- Communcation Issues.- Conceptual and Theoretical Foundations of Multiagent Systems.- Development and Engineering Methodologies.- Distributed Artificial Intelligence.- Distributed Consensus and Algorithms for Multiagent Interaction.- Distributed Search.- Evaluation of Multiagent Systems.- Integrated Testbeds and Development Environments.- Intelligent Agents in Enterprise Integration Systems and Similar Types of Applications.- Learning and Adaptation in Multiagent Systems.- Multiagent Cooperative Reasoning from Distributed Heterogeneous Databases.- Multiagent Planning and Planning for Multiagent Worlds.- Negotiation Strategies (in both competitive and cooperative situations).- Organization, Organizational Knowledge, and Organization Self-Design.- Practical Applications of Multiagent Systems (enterprises, robotics, sensing, manufacturing).- Resource Allocation in Multiagent Systems.- Social Structures and their Signfiicance in Multiagent Systems.- User Interface Issues for Multiagent Systems.Distributed for AAAI Press


To the Editor: Establishing reliable noninvasive methods for diagnosis of malaria has been a challenge. Lukianova-Helb et al. should be applauded for developing such a method on the basis of hemozoin (Hz) detection (1). The authors reported a proof of principle and are preparing for "large-scale studies in humans" (2). Such large endeavors should be based on firm evidence, so it is surprising that the results presented were from a single patient, remarkable for the unusual quadruple drug treatment (2). In such a scenario, to compensate for the limited data, the results should be of convincing scientific quality. However, the case described raises several doubts that could have been addressed, such as the reliability of the diagnosis if only a thin film and a rapid test were used (co-infection excluded) and why parasitemia was not determined at the time of the device test (instead of 4 hours before and 9 hours after). What developmental stages were the parasites in at the time of the evaluation (for example, already early trophozoites containing Hz or Hz-rich gametocytes)? Why was the patient not re-evaluated to find out if repeated measurements would become appropriately negative (test-of-cure)? The methods and results used in the study contrast with the extraordinary numbers for the limit of detection (LOD): 0.0001% in human blood and 0.00034% in a rodent model (1,2). However, the LOD is a virtual, inferred parasitemia rate based on the detection of free Hz added to uninfected blood (1). An LOD can be obtained from serially diluted cultures or samples (3). In rodent models, detection of Hz tends to be much easier (4). Moreover, in Plasmodium falciparum infections, only immature forms have been observed, with little or no detectable Hz (5). The prospects of a noninvasive test for malaria are exciting. However, in times of cost restraints, any diagnostic test or intervention should provide sufficiently convincing results before consideration of resource-intensive large-scale trials.


The Washington Manual of Nephrology Subspecialty Consult has been thoroughly updated and covers inpatient and outpatient management of nephrology with the same clinical practicality as the widely-popular Washington Manual [trademark] of Medical Therapeutics. It has been written by the residents, fellows, and attending physicians of the distinguished Washington University School of Medicine and is tailored for residents performing inpatient consults, students working on an inpatient medicine service, and specialists seeking fast-access information on the management of common renal diseases. Organized for quick and easy access to information, this handbook includes sections on general approaches to kidney disease, electrolyte and acid-base disorders, acute kidney injury and continuous renal replacement, causes of kidney disease, pregnancy and nephrolithiasis, and chronic kidney disease. Appendices include dosing adjustments for antimicrobials and antiretrovirals and a listing of red flag drugs that may cause renal impairment. Don't miss the other key topics in The Washington Manual [trademark] Subspecialty Consult Series: Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology; Gastroenterology; Hematology and Oncology; Infectious Disease; and; Rheumatology. The Washington Manual [trademark] is a registered mark belonging to Washington University in St. Louis to which international legal protection applies. The mark is used in this publication by LWW under license from Washington University.


Current institutional repository software provides few tools to help metadata librarians understand and analyze their collections. In this article, we compare and contrast metadata analysis tools that were developed simultaneously, but independently, at two New Zealand institutions during a period of national investment in research repositories: the Metadata Analysis Tool (MAT) at The University of Waikato, and the Kiwi Research Information Service (KRIS) at the National Library of New Zealand. The tools have many similarities: they are convenient, online, on-demand services that harvest metadata using OAI-PMH; they were developed in response to feedback from repository administrators; and they both help pinpoint specific metadata errors as well as generating summary statistics. They also have significant differences: one is a dedicated tool wheres the other is part of a wider access tool; one gives a holistic view of the metadata whereas the other looks for specific problems; one seeks patterns in the data values whereas the other checks that those values conform to metadata standards. Both tools work in a complementary manner to existing Web-based administration tools. We have observed that discovery and correction of metadata errors can be quickly achieved by switching Web browser views from the analysis tool to the repository interface, and back. We summarize the findings from both tools' deployment into a checklist of requirements for metadata analysis tools.


The recent upsurge in enrollments in computing means that student attrition has a substantial opportunity cost. Admitting a student who leaves both reduces graduation yield and prevents another equally qualified student from enrolling. Professors cannot change the background of students, but they can control many aspects of student experience in the computing major. This paper presents the results of a study to understand strongest predictors of retention in undergraduate computing based on a large-scale survey administered in 14 U.S. institutions. Although some factors have more influence for certain demographic groups, findings from this data set suggest that some teaching practices have more power for predicting retention in computing including: relevant and meaningful assignments, examples, and curriculum; faculty interaction with students; student collaboration on programming assignments; and for male students, pace and workload expectations relative to existing experience. Other interactions such as those that a student has with teaching assistants or peers in extracurricular activities seem to have less value for predicting retention. Faculty would be wise to protect their enrollment investments by inspecting course themes, assignments, and examples for student interest and ensuring that students have many opportunities to interact with faculty both in and outside of class.


The effect of gamma radiation on the shelf life extension of Bananas was studied. Bananas were treated with three gamma radiation doses of 0.30k Gy; 0.40k Gy and 0.50k Gy for 5 mins respectively and stored in a dry place under room conditions (25±2°C/ 80± 5% RH). The physical conditions of the radiation treated and control bananas were observed at every 2 days interval for their organoleptic properties till spoilage. The control bananas ripened within 6 days while the gamma irradiated bananas ripened within 26 days, indicating that the shelf life of banana was extended by 20 days thereby delaying banana ripening. The nutrient contents as well as some important physico-chemical parameters of the irradiated Bananas and the control Bananas were analyzed quantitatively at an interval of 2-4 days throughout the experimental period. A minor decrease in the ascorbic acid content was the only adverse effects observed in irradiated bananas and no other major changes occured in nutritional and organoleptic qualities and the chemical constituents of banana is maintained. A taste-testing panel of 16 panelists determined the acceptability of the fruit. The scores given by the panelists were statistically analyzed and the treated bananas were found to be acceptable up to 26 days at room temperature whereas in the case of control the fruits were spoiled within 6 days. Thus, radiation can be used for the shelf life extension of Bananas and is not harmful to health.   Key words: Banana, gamma-irradiation, shelf life extension.   doi: 10.3329/jbs.v15i0.2202 J. bio-sci. 15: 47-53, 2007


ABSTRACT

Proceeding from Kristin Linklater's approach to voice work as a focus on "removing the blocks that inhibit the human instrument" (7), within this class, I will be integrating physical movement exercises along with the Linklater voice progression in order to encourage students to experience a deeper, kinesthetic mind/body awareness. The physical components of the class will loosely follow the progression laid out in Sarah Hickler's In the Moment, moving through Bartenieff Fundamentals and building to foundational skills in contact improvisation. Through these explorations, I hope to engender an understanding that it is not just what one is doing, but how one is doing it (Hickler, xiii); process is of much more interest to me than product. The primary question guiding the explorations throughout this course is: How will supplementing the imagery based Linklater Voice progression with other physically based (but still grounded in the pyscho-physical precept that movement is an outward expression of inner intent) techniques enhance the concepts that mind and body must learn to cooperate in order for the voice to communicate the actor/human's inner life to the outside world? I believe that it will foster a greater awareness of self, which should translate to a deeper connection with and awareness of others and the world.


The nature of chromatin as regular succession of nucleosomes has gained iconic status. The average nucleosome repeat length (NRL) determined by classical means serves as index for bulk chromatin of a given specimen. However, this value is dominated by regular heterochromatin since nucleosomal arrays are often not regular at individual single copy sequences. To obtain a measure for nucleosome regularity in euchromatin we subjected nucleosome profiles of D. melanogaster embryos to autocorrelation and spectral density estimation. These revealed variation in nucleosome regularity and NRL at different types of euchromatin and yielded a comprehensive catalog of regular phased nucleosome arrays (PNA). The absence of the nucleosome sliding factor ACF1 cor- related with global loss of regularity and increased NRL in euchromatin and specifically compromised phasing at a novel class of PNA. Our approach is generally applicable to characterize the functional diversification of nucleosome remodelers in euchromatin organization.


The constitution of the German Environmental Specimen Bank (ESB) has started in 1985, subsequent to a successful pilot study concerning the feasibility. Since that time, a multitude of technological and methodical standards have been developed, which allow for a high quality of the storage-samples and of the specimen characterization. While the storage-samples are kept for retrospective analysis, by now, already comprehensive data on the material-developing in the environment are available due to a real time monitoring of selected environmental chemicals over a period of up to twenty years. Thus, spatial and temporal trends can be described. Since the state of knowledge on critical tissue concentrations in the sublethal range is extremely low at present, it is however not possible to accomplish a direct assessment of relevancy of the substance concentrations. Hence, within the scope of the German ESB Program, the following strategies on assessment of relevancy are observed: use of biomarkers, histopathological examinations, biometric specimen characterization, use of ecological indicator groups, and development of a reference system with analytical and biometric data. Thus, for example endocrine effects in male breams in the river Saar, which correlate directly to operational discharges from municipal sewage plants, could be detected. By histopathological examinations, fibrotic and necrotic tissue adaptations on the gonads had been ascertained cumulatively, which unambiguously imply a restricted fertility of the male breams. In the river Rhine, an improved growth along the timeline could be described on the basis of biometric characterization of breams, which is regarded as rate for the reaction to all structural and material changes in the water body. Presently, with the development of a reference system based on the data collected in the scope of the Environmental Specimen Bank, a basis for the assessment of monitoring results with accumulation indicators is provided.


[Abstract]
The study explores an approach where professionals work with people in the communities for the development of a parenting education programme for mothers to enhance their early childhood care practices. The focus of the study is the process of generative curriculum development, applying participatory and dialogic pedagogical principles and practices which facilitate empowering and emancipatory learning in the parenting education programmes. Accordingly, the literature review is concerned with two areas: the first is on the concept and practices of early childhood care and development with some highlights on parenting education; and the second on the theory and practice of empowering and emancipatory adult education
with reference to the Generative Curriculum Development approach to blend local knowledge and academic/professional knowledge on early childhood
care and development.

Since the focus of the research is the process for change in child care practices of the mothers as well as the pedagogic practices of the adult educators, participatory action research was considered an appropriate research methodology and participatory action learning as a learning
approach. There were two action learning circles involved in the research: the parenting education action learning circle and the pedagogic action learning circle. Parenting action learning circles dealt with enhancement of early childhood care practices of mothers while the pedagogic action learning circle explored more effective pedagogic practices of parenting educators. Data were collected from both circles and data analysis was done in a continuous and progressive manner, along with the repeated cycles of
participatory action learning using the constant comparative method based on the grounded theory methodology (Glaser & Strauss, 1967).

The findings have indicated that the Generative Curriculum Development process appeared to be a practicable model for participatory development of an education programme while contributing to the progressive understanding of praxis-based pedagogy (Freire, 1970, 1995; Shor, 1992; Vella, 1994) and advancement in related pedagogical principles and practices for empowering and emancipatory education for social change. The research experience has also shown that people have an impressive wealth of knowledge and immense potential to advance their knowledge if the opportunity is provided. It was evident that in order to realise this potential the adult educators had to make an ideological shift from depositing knowledge into the learners towards empowering them to build their competence and confidence in creating their own knowledge. The analysis, on the other hand, enabled a number of recommendations in relation to development programming in
general, and adult education and early childhood care in particular. It is envisioned that these recommendations will enable the development partners in the country to promote greater and genuine participation for empowerment of the people to bring about change.


The behaviour of engineered products is becoming less evident from their outward appearance. Thus many current engineered products have unseen properties that become evident only after protracted investigation, analysis or use. Nevertheless marketing staff, potential users, disposal experts, financiers and so on will wish to make informed decisions about products and commonly their choices will be based on more accessible descriptions, explanations, scenarios and accounts of a products use rather than their direct experience. Engineers usually work with others in enterprises that produce things or provide services. The engineer rarely provides the service or makes the goods but, as a professional, the engineer guides the rest of the enterprise and persuades others to take particular courses of action. It is clear that an engineer's central interest is the artefact. Interestingly the artefact may be in the process of design or the subject of a feasibility study and hence will have no material existence, but it will be circumscribed by a wide variety of texts including specifications, technical reports and standards. Using their specialist language and analytical techniques, the individual engineer will gain assurance about his or her view of the artefact through discussions with fellow engineers, but at some point they will have to convey that view to non-technical specialists. Within the enterprise the engineer will become either an advocate or an adversary of the artefact faced by other individuals or groups who because of their professional or cultural background will value things in different way. The role of the engineer is then as a protagonist or opponent of the artefact within, using Bruno Latour's evocative phrase, a "Parliament of Things". And competent engineers, as competent advocates of artifacts, need fluent linguistic and rhetorical skills as well as analytical proficiency and the knowledge that will give them the confidence to project their views. The paper examines the implications for engineering education.


Long-term fire history reconstructions enhance our understanding of fire behaviour and associated geomorphic hazards in forested ecosystems. We used 14C ages on charcoal from fire-induced debris-flow deposits to date prehistoric fires on Kendrick Mountain, northern Arizona, USA. Fire-related debris-flow sedimentation dominates Holocene fan deposition in the study area. Radiocarbon ages indicate that stand-replacing fire has been an important phenomenon in late Holocene ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) and ponderosa pine–mixed conifer forests on steep slopes. Fires have occurred on centennial scales during this period, although temporal hiatuses between recorded fires vary widely and appear to have decreased during the past 2000 years. Steep slopes and complex terrain may be responsible for localised crown fire behaviour through preheating by vertical fuel arrangement and accumulation of excessive fuels. Holocene wildfire-induced debris flow events occurred without a clear relationship to regional climatic shifts (decadal to millennial), suggesting that interannual moisture variability may determine fire year. Fire-debris flow sequences are recorded when (1) sufficient time has passed (centuries) to accumulate fuels; and (2) stored sediment is available to support debris flows. The frequency of reconstructed debris flows should be considered a minimum for severe events in the study area, as fuel production may outpace sediment storage.


Just about everyone seems to have views about language. Language attitudes and language ideologies permeate our daily lives. Our competence, intelligence, friendliness, trustworthiness, social status, group memberships, and so on, are often judged from the way we communicate. Even the speed at which we speak can evoke reactions. And we often try to anticipate such judgements as we communicate. In this lively introduction, Peter Garrett draws upon research carried out over recent decades in order to discuss such attitudes and the implications they have for our use of language, for social advantage or discrimination, and for social identity. Using a range of examples that includes punctuation, words, grammar, pronunciation, accents, dialects and languages, this book explores the intricate and fascinating ways in which language influences our everyday thoughts, feelings and behaviour.


In this chapter we first address the issue of operational definitions of suicidal and self-harm phenomena in research and clinical practice, followed by consideration of the variety of motives and intentions associated with acts of self-harm in young people and a conceptual model of self-harm and suicide. The rates of suicidal behaviors are presented, in conjunction with a summary of research on risk and protective factors. Clinical assessment issues and possible outcomes following an episode of self-harm are described. Treatment options, including psychological interventions and medication, are reviewed, with particular consideration of the issue of engagement in treatment with young people and their families. Finally, we consider factors that influence help-seeking and describe prevention initiatives.


In order to enhance development processes for multi material vehicle architecture concepts involving composites or hybrid composite-metal material systems a method is presented that aims to rationalize engineering judgements by means of quantifiable criteria for the suitability of a certain hybrid material system for a particular structural application. A number of significant crash load cases for a structure is considered simultaneously by superimposing the output data of several numerical crash simulations and defining criteria to qualify the suitability of a particular hybrid material system. The work introduced here focusses on the analysis of the global anisotropy of the crash loading situation as an indicator for a rather composite- or metal-intensive hybrid material system. The definition of the anisotropy criterion and the implementation of the method into the development infrastructure of automotive engineering is presented. A first step validation using simple flat coupon specimen simulations shows reasonable results and proves the applicability of the method.


Purpose: This study aimed to enhance our knowledge and understanding of switching, as assistive technology, and how it impacts on family caregivers of children with cerebral palsy with GMFCS levels four or five. Methods: A qualitative method using a constructivist approach was adopted. Purposive sampling was used to recruit five caregivers to participants in this study. Framework analysis was applied to the data collection of semistructured interviews conducted with each caregiver. Findings: The three main themes identified were an investment in the future, resulting in joy and hope. The learning process of switching is resource intensive, time consuming and effortful for caregivers. If caregivers do not perceive this as an investment, then they may not experience the joy switching can bring to their child, and in turn the joy, hope, and caregiver satisfaction it can offer for the future. Conclusion: This research indicates that caregivers often have the greatest impact on whether switching will be adopted in the home. The greatest impact on caregivers is related to their perception on the competence of therapists and coordination of services provided. Implications for Rehabilitation Switching has the potential to increase caregiver satisfaction, decrease burden and provide hope for the future. Therapists need to guide family caregivers through the time consuming and resource intensive learning phase of switching. The greatest impact of assistive technology on caregivers is related to the competence of therapists and coordination of services provided.


Rolling resistance because of road roughness is often the largest contributor to energy consumption in the environmental assessment of pavement life cycle. Although fuel consumption of passenger vehicles caused by roadway roughness is well studied, further research is needed for truck fuel consumption models utilizing mechanistic approaches. Existing models estimating trucks' excess fuel consumption because of rolling resistance are based on empirical models or simplified mechanistic models such as the quarter car model. Such approaches may not fully capture the complex dynamic motion of a tractor-trailer. This study suggests a stochastic method utilizing the analytical solution based on a tractor-trailer model to calculate excess truck fuel consumption because of roughness and speed. The illustrative examples show that excess truck fuel consumption tends to increase nonlinearly with roughness; fuel consumption increases with speed but drops after 104 km/h (65 mph) because of a rapid increase in aerodynamic drag at very high speeds. The effect of new generation wide-base tires (NG-WBT) in lieu of the standard dual tire assembly was studied using the introduced model. Results indicate that NG-WBT reduced excess fuel consumption because of roughness by 11% and 8% at 56 km/h and 80 km/h (35 mph and 50 mph), respectively. Finally, Monte Carlo simulation was conducted at two speeds and the simulation results were in agreement with the analytical solution. The results from the developed model and the validation using illustrative examples confirm the impact of roughness and speed on truck fuel consumption in a quantitative manner.


Background: Major causes of mortality in children are diarrhea and pneumonia (25.2% and 15.5%). "Five steps of diarrhea management" is an integrated approach in the management of diarrhea comprising the supplementation of oral rehydration, zinc within 10 days subsequently, breastfeeding and food, selective antibiotics and advice for the mother/family. Zinc supplementation combined with vitamin A and micronutrient on children with the diarrhea had been researchead that result can minimize morbidity, duration and frequency of diarrhea, and the incidence of recurrent diarrhea. Objective: To fi nd out the effect of taburia supplementation (sprinkle) on duration and frequency of diarrhea. Method: The study was randomized controlled trial (RCT) with parallel design. Subject consisted of two groups, the fi rst got therapy of taburia (sprinkle) 1 sachet/day and the second was the control group. Each group got standard diarrhea medication at the health center. Samples consisted of 30 children of 1-5 years old per group and they were obtained by using simple randomization technique. Statistical analysis was performed by using Chi-Square and t-test. Result: Duration of diarrhea of the experiment group was 33.25 ± 18.08 hours (95% CI: 26.49 - 40.00) and the control group was 43.7 ± 19.25 hours (95% CI: 36,50 - 50,89). Frequency of diarrhea of the experiment group was 4.93 ± 3.41 times/day (95% CI: 3,41-3,65) and the control group was 6.33 ± 3.20 times/day (95% CI: 5.13-7.53). The result of statistic test showed that there was effect of taburia supplementation to duration and frequency of diarrhea (p<0.05). Conclusion: Supplementation of taburia (sprinkle) in the standard therapy of diarrhea shortened the duration and minimized the frequency of diarrhea.


For a long time, DNA had been considered as a stabilized, rigid, and "linear" structure, which acts as a platform for molecular regulators to function. However, genome structure in living cells is far more complex than the linear representation of the primary DNA sequence implies. This thesis aims to investigate whether the position of a gene within the genome plays a role in the regulation of its activity. The galactose (GAL) gene family of Saccharomyces Cerevisiae is used as a model. This gene family enables yeast cells to utilize galactose as an alternative carbon source; and it consists of structural and regulatory genes. Structural genes GAL1, GAL10 and GAL7 exist in a cluster on yeast chromosome II. The products of the regulatory genes, GAL3, GAL4, and GAL80, regulate the expression of the GAL structural genes, depending on the availability of carbon sources. Specifically, GAL gene expression is repressed by glucose, paused for induction (noninduced) by glycerol/lactate, and fully induced by galactose. The aim of this project was to study the relative position of the GAL structural genes within the nucleus, and whether any chromosomal interactions at the GAL locus help to regulate their activation. These were tested in accordance with the expression status of the GAL genes (i.e. repressed, noninduced or induced). Followed confirmation of the existence of any chromosomal interactions, protein/protein complexes that mediate these interactions were attempted to identify. The methods applied in this project were Chromosome Conformation Capture (3C) and Circular Chromosome Conformation Capture (4C), which applied in combination to map the positions of the GAL genes in the context of the overall genome structure. The results indicated that the GAL locus on chromosome II was divided into two "interaction zones". DNA loops formed around these interaction zones to form an S-shape structure in a carbon source-independent manner. Two novel inter-chromosomal interactions between chromosomes II and XVI, i.e. SVL3-GAL7 and HOS1-GAL10, were also identified. Although these interactions occurred regardless of the GAL gene activities, it was suggested by real-time PCR that the interaction frequency for SVL3-GAL7 declined as the GAL genes being activated. Unfortunately no protein/protein complexes were identified to play an important role in mediating either intraor inter-chromosomal interactions. Future work will be needed to identify the protein/protein complexes that play a role in mediating the S-Shape structure at the GAL locus and the two inter-chromosomal interactions. Additional works could also focus on the understanding of the functional implication of the interactions between chromosomes II and XVI.


Training on web-scale data can take months. But most computation and time is wasted on redundant and noisy points that are already learnt or not learnable. To accelerate training, we introduce Reducible Holdout Loss Selection (RHO-LOSS), a simple but principled technique which selects approximately those points for training that most reduce the model's generalization loss. As a result, RHO-LOSS mitigates the weaknesses of existing data selection methods: techniques from the optimization literature typically select 'hard' (e.g. high loss) points, but such points are often noisy (not learnable) or less task-relevant. Conversely, curriculum learning prioritizes 'easy' points, but such points need not be trained on once learned. In contrast, RHO-LOSS selects points that are learnable, worth learning, and not yet learnt. RHO-LOSS trains in far fewer steps than prior art, improves accuracy, and speeds up training on a wide range of datasets, hyperparameters, and architectures (MLPs, CNNs, and BERT). On the large web-scraped image dataset Clothing-1M, RHO-LOSS trains in 18x fewer steps and reaches 2% higher final accuracy than uniform data shuffling.


Today, fishing is the dominant source of mortality in most commercially exploited fish stocks. Life-history theory predicts that, under most circumstances, increased mortality at potential ages and sizes at maturation selects for earlier maturation. Indeed, commercially exploited fish stocks often show trends towards earlier maturation. However, another plausible explanation exists: earlier maturation may simply reflect phenotypic plasticity. Because of this ambiguity in disentangling the plastic and evolutionary components of life history changes, understanding the nature of phenotypic changes in exploited fish populations has been difficult so far. A recently developed new method for estimating probabilistic reaction norms for age and size at maturation is now helping to overcome this problem, and, in most of the cases analysed so far, is suggesting that evolutionary components contribute to the observed trends in age and size at maturation. In this paper we give an overview of the probabilistic reaction norm method and describe the resulting progress with empirical case studies.


The Southern Galactic Plane Survey (SGPS) is a project to image the H I line emission and 1.4 GHz continuum in the fourth quadrant of the Milky Way at high resolution using the Australia Telescope Compact Array and the Parkes Radio Telescope. This paper describes the survey details and goals, presents 21 cm continuum data, and discusses H I absorption and emission characteristics of the SGPS test region (325.°5 ≤ l ≤ 333.°5; -0.°5 ≤ b ≤ +3.°5). We explore the effects of massive stars on the interstellar medium through a study of H I shells and the H I environments of H II regions and supernova remnants (SNRs). We find an H I shell surrounding the H II region RCW 94, which indicates that the region is embedded in a molecular cloud. We give lower limits for the kinematic distances to SNRs G327.4+0.4 and G330.2+1.0 of 4.3 and 4.9 kpc, respectively. We find evidence of interaction with the surrounding H I for both of these remnants. We also present images of a possible new SNR G328.6-0.0. Additionally, we have discovered two small H I shells with no counterparts in continuum emission.


Loss of glutamate receptor–dependent synaptic plasticity in the brain is associated with the transition to cocaine addiction. What are the biological mechanisms associated with the transition from occasional drug use to addiction? In rats, like in humans, even after a prolonged period of drug intake, only a limited number of animals develop addiction-like behavior despite the amount of drug taken by all subjects being the same. Kasanetz et al. compared the expression of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)–dependent long-term depression (NMDA-LTD) in the nucleus accumbens of addicted and nonaddicted rats. Initially, once drug self-administration had been learned and consolidated, but before the appearance of addiction-like behavior, LTD was suppressed in all animals independently of their vulnerability to addiction at a later stage. However, after 2 months, when addiction-like behavior appears, LTD was persistently lost in the addicted animals. In contrast, normal NMDA-LTD reappeared in animals that maintained a controlled drug intake without becoming addicted. F. Kasanetz, V. Deroche-Gamonet, N. Berson, E. Balado, M. Lafourcade, O. Manzoni, P. V. Piazza, Transition to addiction is associated with a persistent impairment in synaptic plasticity. Science 328, 1709–1712 (2010). [Abstract] [Full Text]


Electronic dataloggers are integral parts of most weighing lysimeter systems. Dataloggers supply excitation voltages to lysimeter load cells and measure resulting voltage signals. Resolution and accuracy of lysimeter measurements are very much dependent on resolutions and accuracies of the datalogger system. Four common datalogger models were tested with cantilever load cells used within a weighing lysimeter system. The objectives were to determine the effects of numbers of internal data bits used in analog-to-digital signal conversion, and observation sample size on data resolution and accuracy. Consistency of measurements was also tested and is expressed in terms of lysimeter mass changes and data bit band widths. It was found that the number of internal data bits used in internal analog-to-digital conversions within data-loggers most influenced lysimeter accuracy. Large numbers of observations over short time intervals improved measurement resolution to ranges which were less than one bit of band width. Small differences were found to exist among excitation channels and among input channels on dataloggers tested.


We present a linear optical scheme for achieving a unity fidelity teleportation of a two-particle four-component squeezed vacuum state using two entangled squeezed vacuum states as quantum channel. The devices used are beam splitters and ideal photon detectors capable of distinguishing between odd and even photon numbers. Moreover, we also obtain the success probability of the teleportation scheme.


Considering the permeation of various mobile and internet technologies into daily life, their extension into the context of learning and work is unsurprising. With a global push in universities to blend and deepen their learning and delivery methods, effective application of mobile and internet technologies is essential for the promotion of student success.

Technology-Enhanced Formative Assessment Practices in Higher Education is a comprehensive scholarly book that aims to explore the current impact of mobile technologies and the use of video capture via mobile devices on the learning and assessment of students in higher education, particularly where practical performance examples of their work are required as evidence of attaining competence. Featuring a wide range of topics such as course development, teacher evaluation, and higher education, this book is ideal for deans, educators, academicians, educational administrators, curriculum developers, researchers, students, and higher education professionals.


The Second Edition of the Price of Water expands on the coverage of the first edition and ambitiously develops the theme of the proper management of river basins, both with respect to the control of rivers' water quality and the defence of their quantitative flows from source to sea.

Using the hydrosocial balance concept of the first edition, and the grand theory of catchment water deficits, a remarkable breakthrough is made in understanding how river flows are destroyed by human society.

Drawing on extensive empirical research into the Kafue River Basin and the Thames River Basin, it is shown that the exhaustion of river flows that we see on a world-wide scale can be explained by just five measurable 'drivers' to basin surplus and basin deficit. Moreover, by specifying the key drivers and measuring their value, the basis is provided for economic, engineering and land management strategies that will reverse river basin destruction.

Bringing together 20 papers previously published in refereed journals, The Price of Water provides information that many readers would not otherwise have been able to access to through their professional and academic libraries.

The scope of the book is broad, dealing with a diverse range of subjects such as regional and catchment planning and integrated water resources management.

Topics considered include:

This title belongs to OECD Report Series

ISBN: 9781843391777 (Print)

ISBN: 9781780402048 (eBook)


This paper analyzes the test-retest reliability of subjective survival expectations that are elicited on two widely used response scales: an 11-point scale from 0 to 10 and a full percentage scale from 0 to 100. We compare responses of the same individuals in two surveys fielded in the same month. Reliability is evaluated both at the level of reported probabilities and through a model that relates expectations to socio-demographic variables. Test-retest correlations of survival probabilities are between 0.5 and 0.7, similar to subjective well-being. Only 20% of probabilities are equal across surveys, but up to 61-77% are consistent once we account for rounding. Both scales perform similarly in terms on response rates, internal consistency and fifty-fifty answers. Models that analyze all probabilities jointly reveal similar associations between most covariates and the hazard of death in test and retest datasets. Moreover, expectations are persistent at the level of the individual and this unobserved heterogeneity is strongly correlated across surveys (r ≈ 0.8-0.9). Finally, we use a calibrated life cycle model to map survival expectations into wealth and labor supply. Though wealth accumulation is sensitive to expectations, correcting for rounding substantially improves reliability of simulated wealth profiles. Taken together this evidence suggests that the two elicitation scales yield reliable measures of expectations.


The aim of this study is to investigate the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the nineitem Mindfulness Organizing Scale (MOS) in a sample of 654 Italian employees (330 males and 324 females, age range 25-64 years). A confirmatory factor analysis and a reliability analysis were carried out. The results supported the one-dimensional factor structure of the MOS, and the utility of excluding one item to increase the reliability. The validity of the eight-item scale was confirmed by significant correlation with the Perceived Organizational Support Scale, Commitment to Organizational Change, and other scales that evaluate the antecedents and some single dimensions of organizational mindfulness: awareness of potential problems, tendency towards carelessness, complexity of the organization, preoccupation with failure, reluctance to simplify, sensitivity to operations, commitment to resilience, and deference to expertise (Weick & Sutcliffe, 2001). The good psychometric properties of the scale allow for the revised scale to be used in research and assessment.


Objective: In the treatment of tremor and rigidity in patients with Parkinson's disease the nucleus ventralis intermedius of thalamus has been an exquisite target that can be localized easily on ventriculograms. This experimental study is aimed to evaluate the effects of electrical stimulation of vim nucleus on symptoms and signs of Parkinson's disease. Methods: Eleven deep drain stimulators were stereotactically implanted in the nucleus ventralis intermedius of 10 patients who had medically intractable Parkinson's disease. Postoperative evaluations were performed using conventional Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). We also assessed the effects of underlying variables on the surgical outcome. Results: Our patients were followed up for a mean period of 18 months. Considering UPDRS, all patients showed significant improvements in their tremor scores, (mean=75.75%). Thalamic stimulation decreased rigidity scores at a mean of 75.09%. The mean improvement of motor function scores was 53.02% whereas daily life activities ameliorated at a mean of 38.07%. Conclusion: Deep brain stimulation of the nucleus ventralis intermedius has become a promising treatment option for patients with tremor dominant Parkinson's disease that do not respond to medical therapy. Cases with bilateral medically intractable symptoms can be safely treated using bilateral deep brain stimulation. In patients with previous thalamotomy, electrical stimulation can improve ipsilateral and contralateral tremor, avoiding major side effects of bilateral thalamotomy. Neurostimulation may be superior to ablative surgery, given its reversibility and modifiability of stimulation parameters, including no lesion at the stimulated site and the same and comparable outcome with minimal or reversible complications.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to determine the effects of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on wound healing at free gingival graft (FGG) donor sites.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Forty patients requiring FGG were selected for this randomized, controlled, and double-blinded prospective clinical trial. The FGG donor sites were treated with LLLT and compared with an untreated control group. The Wound-Healing Index (WHI), tissue consistency, color match, and H2O2 bubbling test for the evaluation of complete wound epithelialization were recorded on the 3rd, 7th, 14th and 21st days. The pain-burning level, number of analgesics, and bleeding were recorded for 7 days. Donor area soft tissue thickness (TT) was measured at baseline and at the first month.

RESULTS
The prevalence of Complete Wound Epithelization was higher in the LLLT group than in the control group on the 14th day (p < 0.001). The bleeding was lower in the test group than in the control group during the first 2 days (p ≤ 0.001). Higher WHI Scores were observed in the test group relative to the control group at all visits (p ≤ 0.001). Color match scores were higher in the test group than in the control group at the first 3 visits (p < 0.05). The TT changed from 4.62 ± 0.79 to 4.71 ± 0.82 mm in the LLLT group and from 4.23 ± 0.62 to 4.01 ± 0.68 mm in the control group.

CONCLUSIONS
It can be concluded that LLLT enhances FGG donor site wound healing and preserves TT at palatinal donor sites.


The population dynamics of carbon-starved E. coli K12 cultures was
investigated. It was found that less cell lysis occurred when cells were previously grown in low glucose concentrations. Exponential-phase cells grown previously in 0.05% (w/v) glucose had survival rates comparable with their stationary-phase
counterparts, suggesting that the rate of growth is more important in determining the outcome of starvation than the phase of batch culture growth. Long-termstarved cells (18-24 months) showed very little protein, DNA and RNA synthesis. Methionine was shown to alter the de novo synthesis protein profiles of longterm-
starved cells and growth was seen to occur in the presence of methionine.
This suggests that radio-labelling of proteins with 35S-methionine in these cells should be interpreted with care as the cells have been subjected to a nutrient upshift. Radio-labelling of proteins with 3H-leucine did not have the same effect. The ATP content of cells during prolonged incubation was shown to decrease in
the first 48 hours incubation, increase until 5-7 days incubation then decrease after 7-8 days. After 13 days a slow, steady increase occurred. The ATP content of cells incubated for 16 days was higher than that of 48 hour-incubated cells. The physiology of long-term-starved cells was investigated with respect to their permeability to routine bacteriological stains ( e.g. DAPI, saffranin, Geimsa) and
it was found that very few of these dyes were able to penetrate the cells, indicating that a decrease in cell permeability may be an important factor in survival as is seen in endospores of Bacillus species and swarmer cells of Rhodomicrobium vannielii and Caulobacter crescentus. Resistance of long-term starved cells to heat and biocide challenge was increased in comparison with
exponential- and short-term (48 hour) stationary-phase cells and the resistance to biocides was shown to be retained through subsequent generations. Examination of the nucleoids of long-term-starved cells revealed that a more condensed form was present in cultures incubated for over 14 days, suggesting that dehydration of
the DNA had occurred, similar to the situation found in endospores of Bacillus species and suggestive of dormancy. Analysis of outer-membrane proteins and lipopolysaccharide of long-term-starved cells showed that alterations occurred to the surface of the cells and it was demonstrated that hydrophobicity changes occurred. Hydrophobicity reached a maximum after 48 hours incubation then
subsequently declined between days 2 and 3 which corresponded with an increase in cell numbers. Cell surface hydrophobicity was shown to be a potential method for separating heterogeneous, carbon-starved populations into homogeneous subpopulations.
The data suggest that E. coli produces a dormant survival cell type
which is morphologically and physiologically distinct from the parent cell.


Despite the federal government's well known expansive reach in creating and enforcing immigration law, the states retain substantial authority to play an important role in migrants' lives. Through their traditional powers to adopt criminal statutes and police their communities, states can indirectly — but intentionally — inject themselves into the incidents of ordinary life as a migrant. Colorado's human smuggling statute, currently being challenged before the state supreme court, illustrates this type of state regulation of migration. This essay addresses the statute's reach, its shaky constitutional footing, and places it in a broader context in which states criminalize immigration-related activity.


This study applies the O-ring theory to explain the firm-size wage premium. It focuses on the joint role of the division of labor and employee characteristics. Including the firm heterogeneity of occupations in a standard wage regression with individual fixed effect shrinks the size coefficient by a third. Labor productivity follows a similar pattern as wages. The intuition is that individuals who work for large firms focus on a limited number of tasks become more efficient and productive, and earn higher wages. Additional predictions originating from the labor specialization hypothesis receive support from the data.


The analysis component of this dissertation focuses on the pitch world and harmonic language in Martin Bresnick's "My Twentieth Century" for sextet. The surface-level harmony consists solely of major and minor triads, while the underlying structure relies on a pitch-class axis of symmetry.

Bresnick crafts a pitch world that balances diatonicism with pitch symmetry by unifying salient aspects of both. First, he uses a four-note diatonic segment ([0 2 3 5] or tone-semitone-tone) as his primary melodic unit. He then builds chord progressions from such segments using only major and minor triads; this creates phrases that each contain exactly four chords. To derive a harmonic progression for the consequent phrase, he takes the pitch-classes from the initial four-chord phrase and reflects them about a C# - G axis of symmetry. Finally, he adds drone pitches on C# and G, serving as aural reference points and making the axis of symmetry explicit.

By choosing to use reflected pitch structures sequentially rather than simultaneously, Bresnick avoids mirrored melodies in which two voices begin in unison, move equal distances in contrary motion, and return to the starting pitch. (Such melodies are common to the symmetrical structures found in works of Bartok and Ligeti.) Instead, by creating a series of four triads in one phrase and then reflecting those triads in the next phrase, he creates an audible link between the two without simple transposition, inversion, or retrogression.

This paper is an in-depth analysis of "My Twentieth Century," focusing on pitch symmetry and harmonic language. Bresnick's adherence to his plan is so rigorous that the analysis accounts for every pitch in the piece.

The composition component of this dissertation, Meden Agan for chamber ensemble, explores the idea of creating two disparate musical ideas and amalgamating them as the piece unfolds. The title derives from the Ancient Greek idea of balancing the Dionysian (excess) and the Apollonian (moderation). Musically this unfolds by alternating episodes of wild, heterophonic woodwind-led music with calm, exacting polyphony led by the strings. Gradually, each group takes on ideas of the other until they are fused and indistinguishable in the end.


Numerous federal statutes contain legislative entrenchment rules, i.e., provisions that condition the effect of future legislation on the satisfaction of some specified requirement. For example, the War Powers Resolution says that no future statute may authorize war unless the future statute says that it is doing so within the meaning of the War Powers Resolution. Along the same lines, some federal tax statutes say that to amend a provision of the tax code, the amending statute must itself be in the tax code. Statutes outside of the tax code, even if they directly seek to amend the protected provision, are irrelevant. Although the requirements imposed by a legislative entrenchment rule may seem easy to follow, later Congresses have frequently enacted statutes that fail to comply with the requirements imposed by previous Congresses. This raises the issue of whether these later statutes have any legal effect or must instead be disregarded entirely. Scholars and courts have wrestled with this issue, and conflicts involving the Administrative Procedure Act's legislative entrenchment rule have been especially common. This Article analyzes whether legislative entrenchment rules (including the APA's) may categorically control the interpretation of subsequently enacted tax statutes. The Article considers and rejects arguments made by some scholars who favor strict application of legislative entrenchment rules, and also considers some of the political motivations and costs/benefits of these rules.


Diffusion-type problems are described by parabolic partial differential equations; they are defined on a domain involving both time and space. The usual method of solution is to use a finite difference time-stepping process which leads to an elliptic equation in the space variable. The major drawback with the finite difference method in time is the possibility of severe stability restrictions. An alternative process is to use the Laplace transform. The transformed problem can be solved using a suitable partial differential equation solver and the solution is transformed back into the time domain using a suitable inversion process. In all practical situations a numerical inversion is required. For problems with discontinuous or periodic boundary conditions, the numerical inversion is not straightforward and we show how to overcome these difficulties. The boundary element method is a well-established technique for solving elliptic problems. One of the procedures required is the evaluation of singular integrals which arise in the solution process and a new formulation is developed to handle these integrals. For the solution of non-homogeneous equations an additional technique is required and the dual reciprocity method used in conjunction with the boundary element method provides a way forward. The Laplace transform is a linear operator and as such cannot handle non-linear terms. We address this problem by a linearisation process together with a suitable iterative scheme. We apply such a procedure to a non-linear coupled electromagnetic heating problem with electrical and thermal properties exhibiting temperature dependencies.


Biotransfer factors (BTFs) represent the ratio of the concentration of a chemical found in animal tissues such as beef or milk to the animal's daily intake of that chemical. Using currently available citations for BTFs in meat and milk, the use of molecular connectivity indices (MCIs) as a quantitative structure−activity relationship (QSAR) for predicting the BTFs for organic chemicals is evaluated. Based on a statistical evaluation of correlation, residual error, and cross validation, this evaluation reveals that the MCI provides both higher reliability and a fast and cost-effective method for predicting the potential biotransfer of a chemical from environmental media into food. When compared to the use of Kow as a predictor of BTFs, the analysis here indicates that MCI can substantially increase the reliability with which BTFs can be estimated.


In this paper, a bending (flexural) wave mode in a thin plate is excited by tapping gently on the surface. The wave is recorded with single low-cost piezo-electric sensor. Due to the dispersive nature of this wave mode, the shape of the recorded signal depends on the flexural stiffness parameter of the plate. The recorded signal is also affected by the transfer function of the excitation and the sensor. In this paper we show, with simulations and measurements on a thin quartz glass plate, that the effect of the sensor and excitation can be decoupled from the bending wave, and that the flexural stiffness parameter can be estimated using a single sensor.


Objective To report stroke-like symptoms and unusual central nervous system adverse effects in 2 elderly patients receiving ertapenem. Case Summary: TWO patients ≥70 years of age experienced unusual mental status changes while receiving ertapenem. Patient 1 developed garbled speech and miosis 1 week after starting appropriately dosed ertapenem (1 g/day) for sacral osteomyelitis. Symptoms resolved upon ertapenem discontinuation but recurred upon rechallenge. Patient 2. a cachectic male with acute renal insufficiency, became delirious and progressively obtunded 5 days after starting ertapenem 1 g/day. Nine days after initiation of therapy, he required intubation and mechanical ventilation; ertapenem was discontinued at that time. Within 2 days of ertapenem discontinuation, his mental state cleared and the ventilator was removed. Discussion: Carbapenems, including ertapenem, have been implicated in causing central nervous system toxicity, including hallucinations and seizures. However, published reports of other, nonseizure-related central nervous system events are limited. Considerable resources were expended on extensive medical interventions before ertapenem was identified as a potential cause of the delirium in our patients. When applied to our patients, the Naranjo probability scale indicated a highly probable relationship for patient 1 and a probable relationship for patient 2 between the adverse effects and ertapenem use. Conclusions: Clinicians should be cognizant of ertapenem's potential to induce profound changes in mental status that may mimic other conditions in elderly patients.


This paper, a chapter in a forthcoming book on International Law and the Supreme Court, examines the treaty decisions of the Court during the postwar era, up until the second Bush Administration. Three patterns stand in the many (roughly 130) decisions. First, the Court acted as if the immediately preceding period – the New Deal, then the War – created a sharp break with the past, freeing the Court to address many questions as novel rather than rooted in settled practice. Second, the Court largely resisted the invocation of treaties as authority contradicting congressional statutes and executive practice regarding matters of public law, but gave greater effect to treaties that addressed what the Court perceived as matters of private interest – disputes over property ownership, contract enforcement, and liability for torts. Third, the Court did invoke treaty-based rules in cases where it perceived the desire of Congress and the President to draw on international law to fill out the meaning of particular statutes.


Capoeria is a Brazilian art that involves dancing and fighting. Capoeira was invented in the 1800s and it has become a popular activity today. Capoeira is now being used to help street children in Brazil to stay away from trouble. How does it help these children? What do they learn from capoeira?


Within the field of biomedicine, the scope of alginate application is broad and includes: wound healing, cell transplantation, delivery of bioactive agents such as chemical drugs and proteins, heat burns, acid reflux, and weight control applications. Recently the alginate based biomaterials for the treatment of myocardial infarction are entering into the advanced clinical trials stage. The non-thrombogenic nature of this polymer has made it an attractive candidate for cardiac applications, including scaffold fabrication for heart valve tissue engineering. The next pivotal property of alginates is their ability to form films, fibers, beads and virtually any shape in a variety of sizes. Moreover, alginates could form the gels in mild conditions, for example by adding calcium salt to an aqueous solution of alginate. The calcium ions displace the sodium from the alginate, and grasp the long alginate molecules together, resulting in a gel. This property is a base for obtaining the alginate scaffold with complex geometry of the aortic heart valve, in a few easy steps. These steps could be freely adjusted to yield the structure consenting precisely allocated viable cells. Alginate scaffold preparation was carried out by immersing the agarose mold saturated in CaCl2 solution (2% w/w). The calcium ions diffused form the mold and cross-linked alginate, subsequently the mold was removed. Obtained structure closely matched the mold geometry. The mold was made by casting the agarose into the 3d printed form. Moreover by extending the time of mold immersion into the sodium alginate solution, the thickness of scaffold and its composition can be controlled. The details of the process are discussed in this report. The drawback of alginate is that it yields relatively soft mechanically unstable structures. As reported elsewhere, that could improve if the scaffold will be saturated with viable proliferating cells. Alternatively the hydrogel can be reinforced by polymeric yarns.


The focus of this paper is to discuss the use of instructional media in teaching and learning from a Nigerian perspective. The problem with the use of instructional media has existed since the 1970s after the oil boom era. As soon as corruption and mismanagement of the oil resources became more serious, all other sectors including education were no longer properly funded or given the needed attention for national development. As a result, most lecturers and teachers in many Nigerian tertiary institutions now use the lecture method only in teaching their various courses. The use of this type of method as the sole teaching technique can lead to boredom in learners, lack of learner participation, noise factors that can cause communication breakdown during teaching, learners' mixing up of information, and lack of interest in or attention to the subject matter being taught. Some sources where lecturers can select instructional media for teaching their courses are identified and discussed. It is recommended that the Nigerian government should urgently assist teachers, especially at the tertiary level, in the procurement and use of instructional media through training and retraining, workshops, conferences, etc. in order to fit into the new scientific order of addressing the nation's educational problems.


Ecologies of Affect offers a synthetic introduction to the felt dynamics of cities and the character of places. The contributors capture the significance of affects including desire, nostalgia, memory, and hope in forming the identity and tone of places. The critical intervention this collection of essays makes is an active, consistent engagement with the virtualities that produce and refract our idealized attachments to place. Contributors show how place images, and attempts to build communities, are, rather than abstractions, fundamentally tied to and revolve around such intangibles. We understand nostalgia, desire, and hope as virtual; that is, even though they are not material, they are nevertheless real and must be accounted for. In this book, the authors take up affect, emotion, and emplacement and consider them in relation to one another and how they work to produce and are produced by certain temporal and spatial dimensions. The aim of the book is to inspire readers to consider space and place beyond their material properties and attend to the imaginary places and ideals that underpin and produce material places and social spaces. This collection will be useful to practitioners and students seeking to understand the power of affect and the importance of virtualities within contemporary societies, where intangible goods have taken on an increasing value.


The article emphasizes that accounts of European social policy generally present a minimalist interpretation of European Union involvement. The sovereign nation-state allows no relevant role for the EU in social policy. The Union's sphere is market building, leaving social policy to citizen-focused, national welfare state, its sovereignty formally untouched though perhaps endangered indirectly by growing economic interdependency. Three welfare state models (liberal, social-democratic, conservative) are discussed in the article. The author highlights that the welfare states are national states. The article defines and discusses European social model as a set of European Community and member-state legal regulations, but also as a range of practices aimed at promoting a comprehensive social policy in the European Union. The European social model has developed alongside the different steps taken towards European integration, that confirms how this model is related to EU economic and political integration. The common values, that includes European social model, such as democracy, individual rights, free collective bargaining, equality of opportunity for all, and social welfare and solidarity are discussed in the article. The article gives the set of different elements of the European social model major of them labour law on worker's rights, employment, equal opportunities, antidiscrimination, etc., that can be characterized as "European society". The progress of European social model depends on the growth of European economies, the development of knowledge societies, and the modernization of work organization that requires constant adaptation.


 Abstract — South Africa, a water scarce country, experiences the phenomenon that its life supporting natural water resources is seriously threatened by the users that are totally dependent on it. South Africa is globally applauded to have of the best and most progressive water laws and policies. There are however growing concerns regarding natural water resource quality deterioration and a critical void in the management of natural resources and compliance to policies due to increasing institutional uncertainties and failures. These are in accordance with concerns of many South African researchers and practitioners that call for a change in paradigm from talk to practice and a more constructive, practical approach to governance challenges in the management of water resources. A qualitative theory-building case study through longitudinal action research was conducted from 2014 to 2017. The research assessed whether a strategic positioned institutional agent can be parlayed to facilitate and execute WRM on catchment level by engaging multiple stakeholders in a polycentric setting. Through a critical realist approach a distinction was made between ex ante self-deterministic human behaviour in the realist realm, and ex post governance-management in the constructivist realm. A congruence analysis, including Toulmin's method of argumentation analysis, was utilised. The study evaluated the unique case of a self-steering local water management institution, the Impala Water Users Association (WUA) in the Pongola River catchment in the northern part of the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa. Exploiting prevailing water resource threats, it expanded its ancillary functions from 20,000 to 300,000 ha. Embarking on WRM activities, it addressed natural water system quality assessments, social awareness, knowledge support, and threats, such as: soil erosion, waste and effluent into water systems, coal mining, and water security dimensions; through structured engagement with 21 different catchment stakeholders. By implementing a proposed polycentric governance-management model on a catchment scale, the WUA achieved to fill the void. It developed a foundation and capacity to protect the resilience of the natural environment that is critical for freshwater resources to ensure long-term water security of the Pongola River basin. Further work is recommended on appropriate statutory delegations, mechanisms of sustainable funding, sufficient penetration of knowledge to local levels to catalyse behaviour change, incentivised support from professionals, back-to-back expansion of WUAs to alleviate scale and cost burdens, the creation of catchment data monitoring and compilation centres.


From the Publisher:
If you are new to UNIX, this concise introduction will tell you just what you need to get started and no more. Why wade through a 600-page book when you can begin working productively in a matter of minutes? It's an ideal primer for Mac and PC users of the Internet who need to know a little bit about UNIX on the systems they visit.
This book is the most effective introduction to UNIX in print. The fourth edition covers the highlights of the Linux operating system. It's a handy book for someone just starting with UNIX or Linux, as well as someone who encounters a UNIX system on the Internet. And it now includes a quick-reference card.
Topics covered include:
Linux operating system highlights Logging in and logging out Window systems (especially X/Motif) Managing UNIX files and directories Sending and receiving mail Redirecting input/output Pipes and filters Background processing Basic network commands