TiNxOy films with controllable optical properties have been fabricated by reactive mid-frequency magnetron sputtering from titanium nitride target. The optical and electrical properties were studied as a function of the reactive gas flow and were correlated with the film stoichiometry. The results showed that the behavior of TiNxOy films can be adjusted from metallic to dielectric by increasing oxygen content, which is of great significance to their extensive applications. Owing to the accurate control of optical properties, a TiNxOy based solar selective absorbing coating has been designed and prepared with the aid of TiO2/Si3N4/SiO2 antireflection layers. Its solar absorbance is as high as 97.5% and thermal emissivity is 4.3% with total thickness of 230 nm. The solar absorbance can maintain above 90% for a broad incident angle range from 0° to 65°.


A mechanistic understanding of biological function requires a quantitative determination of macromolecular subunit architecture and interaction. Optical microscopy and spectroscopy provide a noninvasive method to characterize the stoichiometric ratios of molecular complexes. Though target-bound fluorescence labeling techniques can help to detect single molecules, counting molecules in a molecular complex remains challenging. In solution, diffusion limits the observation times of single molecules and, thus reduces the number of detectable photons. Current methods have limited resolving power or are constrained by a complex experimental configuration. Therefore, they are not able to precisely quantify the number of labeled fluorophores. In this dissertation, I first explore the ability of photon antibunching to probe molecular stoichiometry in solution. The underlying theoretical model is elucidated and subsequently applied to samples of different labeling stoichiometry. It enables determining the average number of emitters per molecular complex. In the second part of my thesis, to obtain the full distribution of species with a particular number of fluorescent labels, another method is developed. It is based on molecular brightness analysis using imaging-based photon counting histograms. This is assisted by a nanofluidic device that enables direct imaging of diffusing molecules with extended observation time. I performed a systematic study of the experimental conditions which guarantee an optimal performance of this method. The capability of correctly determining distributions of stoichiometries of molecular mixtures is verified by both simulation and measurements of small molecules. The nanofluidics system allows both single-molecule detection and manipulation under microscopic imaging, which is simple and implementation-friendly.


Algorithms are presented for extracting the critical area associated with extra and missing material soft faults of an integrated circuit from the mask layout. These algorithms have been implemented within the Edinburgh Yield Estimator (EYE) tool which permits efficient extraction of the critical area from an arbitrary mask layout. Accurate estimates of device critical area of even the largest devices can be obtained in a reasonable time using the sampling version of the tool. The application of these algorithms to defect related reliability is explored and results reported that compare the susceptibility to soft faults before and after layout modifications intended to enhance manufacturing yield. These results suggest that yield enhancement techniques can have a significant impact on defect-related device reliability.


This chapter provides a critical approach to place-branding, firstly by analysing its instabilities and secondly by developing an account of how design activism generates alternative identities and processes of identity formation. The research is underpinned by Julier's work on design-led urban regeneration and his practical experience as director of Leeds Love It Share It, a community interest company set up to research and design new scenarios for Leeds in the context of long-term economic recession and climate change. This collective brought together human geographers from the University of Leeds, Bauman Lyons Architects, the Permaculture Association, and Media and Arts Partnership, undertaking research for Yorkshire Forward, Leeds City Council and the Local Enterprise Generation Initiative. The research involved a fine grain mapping of social networks, undervalued enterprise and underutilised spaces in Leeds' Richmond Hill, an area of high deprivation. From this action research, design and social innovation processes were developed in collaboration with its community assets. The findings were published in a co-authored peer-reviewed article for Cityjournal ('Building resilience and well‐being in the margins within the city', 2011) and in a full report for Yorkshire Forward. Bringing together design, human geography, urbanism, permaculture thinking and community development, this cross-disciplinary and cross-professional/academic project resulted in the prototyping of low-cost regeneration approaches. In this chapter Julier considers the findings of this project in the context of place-branding, arguing for new approaches that focus upon social inclusion. Stemming from the development of this framework and in partnership with Bauman Lyons Architects, Julier has gone on to develop research approaches for Yorkshire Forward to look at processes of change for distinctive rural towns.


Five widely consumed species of freshwater fish in Malaysia were investigated to determine their thermophysical properties due to their handling need for food industry sector from the viewpoint of the heat transfer calculations. These properties encompassed thermal conductivity, specific heat and thermal diffusivity. The species under study were black tilapia, red tilapia, catfish, yellowtail catfish and red pomphret. The major components (moisture, fat, protein, carbohydrate and ash contents) of the fish muscle were determined for each species in a fresh state. Mathematical formulae, which correlate between the components' values and the thermophysical properties were used to calculate these properties and their variation with temperature. The results were compared with the existing literature of other fish. Slight differences were noticed, however, the results were still within the common range of fish thermophysical values. The differences may be attributed to the different cultural and growing conditions. A logistic model correlated between the thermal diffusivity and temperature variation was developed in this work. It represents the basic requirement to the solution of heat transfer equation by which the thermal processing problems could be solved.


We examine how entrepreneurial entry by diversifying and de novo firms in new industries leads to different levels of performance. We propose that the two types of firms differ in their dynamic capabilities, which enable them to overcome growth impediments and, ultimately, transition to incumbency in the industry. Diversifying firms have already adapted firm knowledge and people to enter the targeted industry, making them better-equipped to tackle the challenges of impediments to growth, which arise at larger sizes, older tenure levels in industry, and due to technological discontinuities. Meanwhile, de novo firms, ostensibly tailor-made for the targeted industry, are more likely to stumble over these growth challenges, and will eventually lag behind their competitors with pre-entry experience. We find support for our hypotheses using a near census of firms in the US wireless telecommunications industry over the 1983-2004 period.


This paper introduces occupational therapists to ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and outlines factors that guide the process of designing a project. EMA methodology is a research methodology that uses electronic devices and specially designed software, or Apps, to collect real-time data. This methodology may enhance the ecological validity of research by collecting data about daily occupations in situated contexts. EMA data collection provides access to highly detailed and specific data and has the potential to reveal longitudinal patterns of change over a short period of time. It is valued as a means to examine events, precursors, and consequences. EMA methodology presents an innovative approach to explore occupation, thus maximizing existing technology and software. It can also be a useful method for evaluative assessment, given its responsiveness to detecting change over time.


Oman, which is located on the Southern East of Arabian Peninsula, classified as holding a semi-arid climate with an average annual rainfall of 100 mm. Therefore, agricultural production in Oman is fully dependent in irrigation. More than one third is supplied by the ancient aflaj (sing. Falaj), which provide 680 x 106 m3 of water per year and irrigate of an area of 26,500 ha. There is two commonly known definition of the aflaj; the locally defined from the classic Arabic root as to divide the water among its shareholders. In addition, the modern technical definition as trenches and tunnels, which are dug in the ground, to convey the accumulated rainfall water table to the irrigated area in the villages. This study explore some of the existing institutional arrangements found within Falajdaris, at the waliyat (city) of Nizwalocated in the Dakhillya governmental, Sultanate of Oman. This study uses mainly face-To-face interviews with local administrative falaj agents to explore and discuss the most operated mechanized of the institutional arrangements. The study concluded that there is strong relationship between FalajDaris institutional arrangements development and physical water variability. Int. J. Soc. Sc. Manage. Vol. 5, Issue-1: 31-42


The manner in which we design and build our communities can affect our physical and mental health. When we think about urban planning, we reflect on the form and arrangement of community, of urban, city and town planning. Urban form looks at the integration of land use and explores a complex range of the built and social environment: the environment, infrastructure, people, form and economics. The research recognizes cultural behaviours and activity patterns that affect air quality and environmental conditions; a lack of physical activity, community cohesion, highlights safety issues, and places individuals at risk for health illness. The research evaluates the built form of the neighbourhood community and asks 'What are the attributes of a healthy community'? The research will verify the extent to which the neighbourhoods selected in the study replicate these attributes and focus on how these neighbourhoods could be improved from a 'healthy city' perspective. Key urban form features related to healthy communities focus on the relationship between land use mix, network connectivity and street design, site design, and density. Sustainable planning of communities and efficient land use planning are relevant to healthy communities with the trend towards increasing population density. While the research reinforces the connection between built form and public health planning, it also provides future direction for urban form policy; with improvements towards street connectivity, non-motorized transportation, expansion of regional trail and cycle networks, increasing transit access, encouraging mixed land use and greater land density to shorten travel distances. The research provides a basis for future studies in Canadian growth policy and healthy neighbourhood form, with significance as a Southwestern Ontario study.


Within a decision-making group, such as the monetary-policy committee of a central bank,group members often hold differing views about the future of key economic variables. Such differences of opinion can be thought of as reflecting differing sets of judgement. This paper suggests modelling each agent's judgement as one scenario in a macroeconomic model. Each judgement set has a specific dynamic impact on the system, and accordingly, a particular predictive density – or fan chart – associated with it. A weighted linear combination of the predictive densities yields a final predictive density that correctly reflects the uncertainty perceived by the agents generating the forecast. In a model-based environment, this framework allows judgement to be incorporated into fan charts in a formalised manner.


We study the effect of X-Stream, the new trading platform of the Colombian Stock Exchange since February 2009, on the quality of the stock market. Contributing to the literature on market quality, this paper provides novel evidence of the effect of reforms on market design, trading rules and operational capabilities on a small and low liquidity emerging stock market. Starting from a proprietary database of transactional and order data from BVC, we use several econometric models to measure the effect of the new platform on daily and intraday volatility, liquidity (proportional bid-ask spread and price impact), and trading activity. The evidence suggests that X-Stream improved the liquidity and reduced the volatility of the overall market, especially of the most liquid stocks. These results support the investment on more sophisticated trading systems in Emerging Markets.


A critical objective in achieving effective legal protection against discrimination based on health conditions has been the development of an adequate definition of the category of health conditions that are deemed deserving of legislative protection. Generally, this definition attempts to exclude health conditions of a trivial or inconsequential nature, while, at the same time, the condition need not be so severe as to render the individual unqualified for the program or workplace in question. Beginning with the enactment of the Rehabilitation Act in 1973, federal legislative efforts have been directed at the development of a statutory definition of "disability" as a means of defining this concept. Under these federal laws, "disability" is defined as an impairment that substantially limits a major life activity. The definition, however, does not reference any specific health condition, nor does it define "substantial limitation" or "major life activity." The prohibition of discrimination based on Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) status was a specific goal of more recent enactments such as the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). Nevertheless, understanding in what sense "asymptomatic" HIV infection is a disability - it presents no apparent limitations on everyday activities - is invaluable in comprehending the purpose of federal disability nondiscrimination law in general and in assessing alternative approaches, such as those adopted by some states. Although federal nondiscrimination laws such as the ADA were initially deemed by the courts to be inclusive of HIV as a disability, in several more recent cases that view was disputed, including, most notably, the Supreme Court's 1998 decision in Bragdon v. Abbott. More recent decisions of the Supreme Court have given additional consideration to the federal statutory definition of disability. The authors conclude that most, if not all, individuals with HIV infection are protected under federal law, although determining whether such an individual is protected is a potentially complex inquiry in some cases, depending on the facts. Although many states have incorporated the federal disability definition into state nondiscrimination statutes, many states have adopted alternative standards. These include HIV-specific statutes, which explicitly reference the protected health condition (e.g., HIV infection). Other states use a generic disability definition that is either broader or narrower than the federal disability definition. Additionally, many states impose limitations on the use of HIV testing or the use of HIV test results for discriminatory purposes. The authors present a fifty-state survey of HIV-specific statutes, as well as more general state disability statutes. These laws are reviewed both descriptively and analytically, and whether they provide protection for HIV status independent of federal law is assessed, as is the extent of the protection offered. An appendix to the article provides a table summarizing significant features of state laws, and a separate compilation provides a state-by-state summary of the disability definition as it relates to HIV infection.


Competing in a global, open and dynamic ecosystem of firms, SMEs require a strategic management tool to manage co-evolution with dynamic environments. To sustain their competitive advantages, SMEs must enhance the capacity of orchestrating and integrating resources/capabilities to adopt/shape their chosen ecosystem and meet the emergent market needs. Drawing from existing literature and preliminary interviews it has been found that SMEs need a simple but holistically comprehensive strategic management tool to help the executives implement entrepreneurial practices that have the capacity to quickly identify new resource configuration to align with the changing environments. In particular we develop a multi-disciplinary Business Architecture Reference Model (BARM) for SMEs to help SMEs create value in an open and dynamic ecosystem. Derived from SMEs' internal and external strategic requirements, we revisit conceptual model for the SME BARM by integrating diverse but interrelated disciplines including; IS, strategic management, organization, architecture and service sciences. Theoretically grounded from these diverse disciplines, the BARM provides SMEs with a new holistic approach to orchestrate their socio-technical resources/capabilities and manage their co-evolution within the dynamic ecosystem. The proposed BARM for SMEs comprises architectural components and metamodel that helps SMEs plan, articulate and execute their business strategies, resulting in a business-aligned configuration of resources to attain evolutionary fitness with the competitive environments. By incorporating organisation and strategic management theories in the BARM conceptual model, the paper also contributes to the theoretical foundation of architecture science – accentuating the socio-technical (capability-based) nature of architecture. The preliminary BARM's efficacy and usability has been validated through interviews with industry experts and SME executives.


Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in circulating insulin-like growth factor type 1 (IGF-1) concentrations in hyperthyroid cats, before and after thiamazole treatment. Methods Thirty-four hyperthyroid cats were retrospectively included. Plasma free thyroxine (fT4) and IGF-1 concentrations were measured at diagnosis and 3 months after initiating antithyroid drug therapy. Results Median fT4 significantly decreased (P <0.001) after treatment (from 78 pmol/l [range 43–122 pmol/l] to 31 pmol/l [range below assay limit of detection to 88 pmol/l]), whereas IGF-1 values significantly increased (P <0.001) after treatment (from 117 ng/ml [33–341 ng/ml] to 221 ng/ml [36–865 ng/ml]). fT4 and IGF-1 concentrations were significantly negatively correlated both at diagnosis (r = −0.43, P = 0.01) and after treatment (r = −0.51, P = 0.002). Conclusions and relevance In cats, IGF-1 concentrations appear to be inversely proportional to the severity of hyperthyroidism and significantly increase after treatment with thiamazole.


In the previous paper [1], we have evaluated the secondary electron spectrum in the upper atmosphere using our direct measurements of atmospheric gamma-ray spectrum in the 30 GeV10 TeV energy range. We have solved the simultaneous equations of electron and gamma-ray spectrum using the cascade shower theory combined by the gamma-ray production rate in the atmosphere. In this paper we present more precise solutions taking into account some nuclear decay modes, particularly, Dalitz decay mode which produces pair electrons directly from neutral pions, contributing about 10% to the secondary spectrum. The analytic results solved exactly are compared with those of the Monte Carlo simulation(MC), and the secondary electron/gammaray ratio shows the good agreement with each other. The contribution of Dalitz electrons increases the importance at the higher altitude, and cannot be negligible in the TeV electron balloon measurements. Our observed atmospheric gamma-ray spectrum is 20% higher than the results of MC as indicated previously [2], so that the estimates of secondary electrons become higher than 20% than those of MC. Although the discrepancy still remains, for the correction of primary electron spectrum we use the secondary spectrum obtained from the measured gamma-ray spectrum, because it does not include uncertainties of nuclear interaction models of MC.


In many countries of the world child labour persists despite the existence and implementation of laws and regulations to eliminate the problem. In many instances children are preferred as workforce because they are easier to manipulate, intimidate, abuse and exploit due in part to their inexperience and relative immaturity. There are many reasons why children work. However, their labour participation means that they are denied or deprived of their right to education, which is crucial to their future prospects, personal development and directly or indirectly to the development of a country. They are not attending school as they should or are not spending enough time on educational development. A study was conducted in 2007-2008 in Tawau, Sabah, Malaysia to determine if the working children are aware of their right to education and if they feel deprived not attending school. It is also to identify reasons they work and if they would return to school if given the opportunity to do so. A total of 26 child labourers aged 9 – 18 years were sampled and interviewed for the purpose. This paper discusses the findings of the study. From the study it can be concluded that there are many reasons that caused many children to work, which in turn have deprived them of their education. Without education their future would be bleak. This is because only education can help change and improve their lives and their future.


The study examined the performance of pilot scale vertical flow constructed wetland in phytoremediation of primary sewage lagoon effluent generated from a tertiary institution. The experimental layout consists of four units, with each unit composed of three cells connected in series. Three of the units were vegetated while non-vegetated units serve as control.  The cells are rectangular plastic beds of 1.2m x, 0.9m x 0.4m. Treatment areas were packed with gravel of 40, 10 - 25 and 2-10mm diameter respectively. Three cells were each planted with Rhynchospora corymbosa (RC) and, Coix lacryma-jobi (CL) while the third cell contains a mixture of the two plants. The fourth cell was left unplanted and serves as a control. All the cells were operated at hydraulic retention times of 4, 7, and 10 days. High reduction of COD, NH3, NH3-N and NH4 were observed in all the units. The unit with the lowest removal efficiency for these parameters was the control thus demonstrating the effectiveness of phytoremediation. Removal efficiency for the parameters considered range from 40 to 50% for RC and 50 - 53% for Coix.  A TSS influent concentration of 6800 mg/1 was reduced by 86.1% to 268 mg/1 for HRT of 7 days and a further reduction of 96.3% for HRT of 10 days. Treatment efficiency as high as 76 to 100% was observed with increase in HRT from 4 to 10 days, for particulate phosphorus, PO4, NH4-N, NH4 and COD. The removal rate for most parameters increased with longer HRT. Results indicate that the combination of the two plants in the same reactor was not as effective as single plant in individual cells. Rhynchospora corymbosa and Coix lacryma-jobi plants reduced the pollutants in sewage, hence these could be effectively used in wetlands for the treatment of primary sewage.


The k-means clustering algorithm has a long history and a proven practical performance, however it does not scale to clustering millions of data points into thousands of clusters in high dimensional spaces. The main computational bottleneck is the need to recompute the nearest centroid for every data point at every iteration, aprohibitive cost when the number of clusters is large. In this paper we show how to reduce the cost of the k-means algorithm by large factors by adapting ranked retrieval techniques. Using a combination of heuristics, on two real life data sets the wall clock time per iteration is reduced from 445 minutes to less than 4, and from 705 minutes to 1.4, while the clustering quality remains within 0.5% of the k-means quality. The key insight is to invert the process of point-to-centroid assignment by creating an inverted index over all the points and then using the current centroids as queries to this index to decide on cluster membership. In other words, rather than each iteration consisting of "points picking centroids", each iteration now consists of "centroids picking points". This is much more efficient, but comes at the cost of leaving some points unassigned to any centroid. We show experimentally that the number of such points is low and thus they can be separately assigned once the final centroids are decided. To speed up the computation we sparsify the centroids by pruning low weight features. Finally, to further reduce the running time and the number of unassigned points, we propose a variant of the WAND algorithm that uses the results of the intermediate results of nearest neighbor computations to improve performance.


An experiment on guava propagation as affected by different layering methods and growth regulators was conducted at the Horticulture Farm, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, from February 2002 to January 2003. The two factor experiment consisting of three layering methods viz, mound, trench and air layerings and ten growth regulator treatments viz. 2000, 2500 and 3000 ppm IAA; 2000, 2500 and 3000 ppm IBA; 200, 300 and 400 ppm GA3 and a control was laid out in the Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with 4 replications. Methods of layering showed significant effect on success of rooting, survivability and most of the growth parameters. The highest percentage of success in rooting (84.23%) was obtained from mound layering. Trench layering showed the highest percentage of (87.82%) survivability and also showed the best performance regarding all growth parameters except number of shoots per plant. Among the three methods, air layering showed the poorest performance. Growth regulator treatments had significant effect on almost all parameters. Maximum number of shoots/plant (5.75), highest success in rooting (94.83%), maximum number of roots (40.00) per layer, longest roots (21.64cm), maximum fresh (37.49g) and dry (18.96g) weights and the highest survival percentage (95.35%) were recorded when IBA (2500 ppm) was used. Combinedly, trench method of layering treated with 2500 ppm IBA gave the best result incase of number of shoots per plant, fresh and dry weights of roots. The highest percentage of success in rooting and the highest survival percentage were recorded when 2500 ppm IBA was used in both trench and mound layerings.


The anatomy lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp by Rembrandt (1632) and the findings during dissection of the forearm of a cadaver: anatomical discrepancies Objective. To compare The anatomy lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp by Rembrandt (1632) with the findings during dissection of the forearm of a cadaver. Design. Descriptive. Method. The left forearm of a 41-year-old white male cadaver was dissected, photographs being taken at every stage of dissection. The anatomical structures in the original painting and during dissection were described and compared. At dissection, several structures were displaced in an attempt to reproduce the anatomical structures as shown in the painting. Results. Dissection revealed four anatomical differences in comparison with Rembrandt's painting: (a) the muscle belly seen at the proximal ulnar side of the forearm in the painting was not seen on dissection; section of the insertion of the M. flexor carpi radialis and transposition of this muscle to the location of the muscle belly created the possibility of lifting up the M. flexor digitorum superficialis and reproducing the muscle belly; (b) in the painting, Tulp lifted only the M. flexor digitorum superficialis, but the amount of muscle tissue found in the forceps was increased in the painting compared with the dissection; (c) the positions of the bellies of the M. flexor digitorum superficialis to the index finger and 5th digit and to the 3rd and 4th digits were found to be reversed; (d) the longitudinal white structure situated in the ulnar part of the 5th digit in the painting was not found on dissection. This may have been an anatomical variant of the ulnar nerve. Conclusion. The anatomical characteristics of the painting could not be reproduced by dissection of the forearm of a cadaver. Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd. 2006;150:2756-65


Iron oxyhrdroxide exist in a range of crystallinities and subsequent bioavailabilities with the poorly crystalline Fe oxyhrdroxide, ferrihydrite, considered the most bioavailable. Yet, as a result of the instability ferrihydrite it quickly ripens and/or transforms to more thermodynamically stable end-members bringing into question its importance in supporting long-term Fe(III)-reducing microbial communities. Furthermore, while a wide phylogenetic diversity of microorganisms capable of reducing ferrihydrite have been isolated, these organisms show diminished abilities to reduce more stable and dominant crystalline Fe phases. Therefore to address the questions of which microorganisms and what microbial processes are responsible for controlling the reduction of diverse Fe(III) minerals phases, cultivation based approaches using both batch and column-type reactors were employed. Using geochemical and phylogenetic analysis it was revealed that the Fe oxide substrate was important in dictating the mechanisms of Fe(III) reduction, and the structure of the microbial communities. While model dissimilartory Fe reducing microorganisms were capable of reducing ferrihydrite when acetate was provided as a carbon source these organisms did not enrich and were incapable of reducing crystalline Fe(III) oxides. Instead, in enrichments where crystalline Fe(III) oxides were reduced, organisms associated with fermentation and sulfate respiration dominated, this despite using freshwater media low in sulfate (less than 200 !M). In addition, these non-model Fe reducers dominated in ferrihydrite enrichments when carbon compounds other than acetate were given. Interestingly, a Dissertation Advisor: Professor Colleen M. Hansel Christopher J. Lentini iv strong negative correlation between Fe(III) and sulfate respiration was observed with the canonical thermodynamic view that ferrihydrite should precede sulfate as a terminal electron acceptor being challenged. Further experiments with pure cultures of Desulfovibrio putealis indicated that a catalytic sulfur cycle may be responsible for greater than expected Fe(II) values under low sulfur conditions. These findings, have broad implications in predicting microbially mediated electron flow to oxidized substrates which will dictate the pathways and degree of carbon mineralization and subsequent carbon sequestration within sediments and soils. Further, given the importance of Fe(III)-reducing communities and Fe(II) in the sequestration of both inorganic and organic contaminants, these findings will have direct bearing on contaminant mitigation and remediation.


The Venezuelan population in the United States has grown over 90% in the past decade. Many of these arrivals have settled in South Florida, already home to a number of Venezuelan enclaves and a center for Spanish-language media. The context of departure and arrival of these immigrants presents an opportunity to investigate the role of the media in the ability of immigrants to live transnational lives. This study employs a series of semi-structured interviews with members of this community; the results are analyzed in order to draw out, describe, and explore the themes that emerge. The goal is a better understanding of the role of the media as these immigrants adjust to life in their new country while remaining attached to that which was left behind.


This appendix lists addresses, Web sites, and phone and fax numbers of commercial suppliers that have been recommended for particular items used in Current Protocols procedures. These suppliers have been specified because the particular brand has been found to be of superior quality, or the item is difficult to find in the marketplace. Consequently, this compilation may not include some vendors of biological supplies.


Bill Moyer observed that there are eight stages in a social movement: seeming normal, exposing injustice, ripening conditions, taking off, losing heart, winning the majority, reaping success and consolidating achievement. For more than 30 years, Hong Kong people have been striving for democracy. Applying Moyer's model, Hong Kong should be now at a stage close to reaching its ultimate goal of establishing a genuine democratic system in the territory after years of work, especially the triggering event in September 2014 and the occupation during the Umbrella Movement. However, Moyer's model cannot be mechanically applied to the case of Hong Kong in light of the unique situation faced by Hong Kong people. Hong Kong's authoritarian sovereign holds the final key to Hong Kong's door to democracy. Unless there is a significant shift in the balance of powers in the Chinese polity, Hong Kong's democracy may be so near and yet so far.


The bronze phase transformations during the heat treatment of two multifilamentary internal tin Nb3Sn wires for high field applications made by Luvata are investigated and compared with some model single core wires. Non-uniform bronze profiles, non-uniform Sn distributions in different bundles, and Sn concentration gradient inversion were observed. Their possible formation mechanisms and consequences are discussed in relation to crystal orientation, Ti addition and microstructure. Wire manufacturing processes such as wire drawing impart preferred orientations on the components. The effect of wire texture on Cu-Sn interdiffusion and non-uniform bronze formation was investigated and believed not to be the cause of the non-uniform bronze profiles. 3-dimensional X-ray microtomography is applied to explain the non-uniformity in different bundles by analyzing the porosity formed during reactive diffusion of the low-melting phases. Ti is often added as a ternary addition, either in the Sn core or as Nb-Ti. In the Luvata wires investigated, Ti is present in Sn as the intermetallic compound Ti6Sn5. Its dissolution through a ternary CuSnTi phase, possibly via reaction with CU3S11, has been observed. EDS mapping of the Ti distribution suggests that it is likely to be responsible for the inversion of the Sn concentration gradient. The potential advantage of adding Ti in Sn over using Nb-Ti alloy is discussed. Critical temperature measurements were performed to relate superconducting properties to the phase transformations, composition changes and non-uniform bronze formation.


Background and Purpose: Fusarium species are avid producers of secondary toxic and carcinogenic metabolites such as fumonisin. Contamination of food and feed products with fumonisin can be hazardous to the health of humans and animals and may lead to agricultural loss. Accordingly, in this study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of Candida parapsilosis on the growth and fumonisin production of Fusarium species. Materials and Methods: Mycelial growth rate of 26 Fusarium isolates, including F. verticillioides (n=6), F. proliferatum (n=18), F. solani (n=1), and F. oxysporum (n=1), in the presence of 42 C. parapsilosis strains was investigated by pour-plate method. The decline in fumonisin production was measured in co-cultured fungi in coarsely ground maize after four weeks of incubation in the dark at 22°C, using ELISA technique. For data analysis, paired t-test was performed, using SPSS version 20. Results: The mycelial growth and fumonisin production of Fusarium isolates significantly decreased in the presence of C. parapsilosis in comparison with the control cultures (P<0.05). The percentage of mycelial growth inhibition ranged from 56.36% to 74.54%. The minimum and maximum decline in total fumonisin production was 12% and 78%, respectively. F. oxysporum and F. solani were found to be minor fumonisin producers among the studied Fusarium species. On the other hand, a decline was reported in the growth of Fusarium species and fumonisin production in the presence of C. parapsilosis. Conclusion: C. parapsilosis showed notable inhibitory activities against Fusarium isolates. Therefore, this fungal species could be considered as a biocontrol agent against the growth and fumonisin production of toxigenic Fusarium species in the future.


Flow inside drains may experience transitions between free surface and pressurized conditions. These transitions are complex and difficult to model. This research aims to model complex transient hydraulic phenomena occurring in drains using Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH). An Explicit Incompressible SPH (EISPH) was applied to transition flows in conduits. The main contributions of this research are: (i) the establishment of EISPH as a viable method to model transition flows in closed conduits and (ii) the development of methods to deal with inflow boundary conditions when available data are in the form of flow and water depths.


Understanding dispersal traits and adaptive potential is critically important when assessing the vulnerability of freshwater species in highly modified ecosystems. The present study investigates the population genetic structure of the Murray crayfish Euastacus armatus in the southern Murray–Darling Basin. This species has suffered significant population declines in sections of the Murray River in recent years, prompting the need for information on natural recruitment processes to help guide conservation. We assessed allele frequencies from 10 polymorphic microsatellite loci across 20 sites encompassing the majority of the species' range. Low levels of gene flow were observed throughout hydrologically connected waterways, but significant spatial autocorrelation and low migration rate estimates reflect local genetic structuring and dispersal limitations, with home ranges limited to distances <50-km. Significant genetic differentiation of headwater populations upstream of barriers imposed by impoundments were also observed; however, population simulations demonstrate that these patterns likely reflect historical limitations to gene flow rather than contemporary anthropogenic impacts. Dispersal limitations, coupled with its biological traits, suggest that local populations are vulnerable to environmental disturbance with limited potential for natural recolonisation following population decline. We discuss the implications of these findings in the context of managing the recovery of the species.


ABSTRACT

Ambient fine aerosols and their sources were evaluated in an eastern Indian megacity, Kolkata (KOL), from September 2010 to August 2011. A submicron aerosol sampler (SAS) with two stage stacked filter units (SFU) was devised for simultaneous but discrete collection of water-soluble inorganic ions (WSII) and carbonaceous aerosols (CA; elemental carbon (EC) and organic carbon (OC)). Characteristics of the WSII and CA were identified using ion chromatography and an OC-EC analyzer, respectively, adopting the Interagency Monitoring of PROtected Visual Environments (IMPROVE-A) protocol. The mean annual concentrations of the WSII showed a predominance of cations (anions), consisting of Ca2+, Mg2+, and Na+ (Cl–, NO3–, and SO42–), with secondary aerosols (NH4+, NO3–, and SO42–) and Ca2+ each constituting 25% and 30%, respectively, of the total WSII (TWSII). The highest mean monthly concentration of SO42– and NO3– was observed during the winter month of February and the summer months of March and May, respectively. A pronounced peak in the monthly mean for the non-sea salt-K+ (nss-K+) concentration was noticed during October and April, implying the strong influence of biomass burning emissions during these months. Among the sea salt (SS), anthropogenic (AN), and dust (DT) sources of the TWSII, a predominant contribution from DT in August and from AN in November, April, and May was inferred. The mean annual concentration of OC was three times higher than that of EC, with 43% of it being secondary OC. Whereas the major sources of OC were inferred to be paved dust, coal combustion, and biomass burning, those of EC were industrial and motor-vehicle non-exhaust emissions, coal combustion, and motor vehicle exhaust.


How does a country's mineral wealth affect the transparency of the government's budget? Among democracies, a country's mineral wealth is not convincingly related to the transparency of its government. But among autocracies, greater oil wealth is correlated with less fiscal transparency, while greater non-fuel mineral wealth is paradoxically associated with greater transparency. Explaining this pattern is a challenge: there is no prima facie evidence that it is driven by either membership in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, or by the need to attract foreign investment. There is some evidence that among autocracies, oil reduces transparency because it helps dictators stay in power.


Identifying success criteria for computer programmers can help improve training and development programs in academic and industrial settings. In the present research, we interviewed college faculty members and obtained a list of success criteria for both individual and group programming settings. Then, faculty and industry members rated the importance of these characteristics in each setting. The two settings showed both common and unique success criteria. Shared criteria included being creative and conscientious and enjoying problem solving. Important characteristics found for programming alone included cognitive and technical skills and being introverted. Important characteristics for programming in a group included interpersonal cooperation skills and personal maturity. Faculty and industry agreed on what constituted importance characteristics in both settings. Implications for programmer training and selection are discussed.


Micro-fabricated sensor arrays have immense potential to become an accurate, quantitative and high-throughput analysis tool for chemical and biological sensing. In the recent years, several microcantilever sensors using surface stress transduction principle have been developed to address this need [1]. However, the design of these sensors is limited by the high mechanical rigidity of the silicon based materials used in fabrication. The cantilever geometry also has limitations in liquid media, which is common in biological applications, because of non-specific adsorption on the back side of the cantilever. The optical detection methods used for measuring the microcantilever deflection are also not amenable to miniaturization. In this paper we demonstrate a novel parylene micro-membrane sensor that exploits the low mechanical stiffness of polymers and addresses the above issues. The concept of a polymer micro-membrane surface stress sensor was first presented by the authors using parylene as the membrane material [2] and later by Rodriguez et al using PDMS membranes [3]. The salient features of the sensor are that it: (i) is label free; (ii) is a universal platform - suitable for both chemical and biological sensing, (iii) uses electronic (capacitive detection) readout; (iv) has integrated microfluidics for addressing individual sensors on the chip (v) is capable of handling both liquid and gas samples; (vi) is made using standard low temperature microfabrication processes (< 120 C); and (vii) can readily be scaled and multiplexed.Copyright © 2005 by ASME


Corn is the second food comodity after rice and a source of calories or food instead of rice. Demand of corn will be increased every year, so it is necessarry to increase rate of production. Focus of this study is to determine the net income, corn farming efficiency of corn farmers, families income, and to find out the related issues. This research was conducted in the Dosroha village, Simanindo district, Samosir regency, North Sumatera. Take about three months from August-October 2013. This study was performed by using census method,where respondents are 26 active corn  farmers Dosroha village. Survey results showed that the average of corn production is 5,688 kg/ha/cropping season with an average of selling price is Rp 2,062/kg. The average of gross income is Rp 8,091,538/land area/cropping season or Rp 11,726,867/ha/cropping season. The average of net income received by farmers was Rp 2,992,925/cultivation area/cropping season or Rp 4,334,653/ha/cropping season. The average of families income is Rp 3,474,005/land area or Rp 5,031.87/ha/cropping season with an average of land area is 0.69 ha. Based on  the efficiency analysis, efficiency of corn farmers in Dosroha village is 1.57,  means that for every Rp 100 of expense farmers will make a profit is Rp 0.57, so we can say that the corn farmer in Dosroha village already efficient in RCR term. Keywords: Produce mize, Income, profit, farming


The next major advance in the Web?Web 3.0?will be built on semantic Web technologies, which will allow data to be shared and reused across application, enterprise, and community boundaries. Written by a team of highly experienced Web developers, this book explains examines how this powerful new technology can unify and fully leverage the ever-growing data, information, and services that are available on the Internet. Helpful examples demonstrate how to use the semantic Web to solve practical, real-world problems while you take a look at the set of design principles, collaborative working groups, and technologies that form the semantic Web. The companion Web site features full code, as well as a reference section, a FAQ section, a discussion forum, and a semantic blog.


A significant class of failures in interactions with data base query systems are attributable to misconceptions or incunplete knowledge regarding the danain of discourse on the part of the user. This paper describes several types of user failures, namely, intensional failures of presumptions. These failures are distinguished fran extensional failures of presumptions since they are dependent on the structure rather than the contents of the data base e A knowledge representation has been developed for the recognition of intensional failures that are due to the assumption of non-existent relationships between entities. Several other intensional failures which depend on more sophisticated knowledge representations are also discussed. Appropriate forms of corrective behavior are outlined which would enable the user to formulate queries directed to the solution of his/her particular task and compatible with the knowledge organization.


The purpose of this ethnographic study is to describe the effects of the Trump Administration's change in immigration policies on Romanian H-2B workers in South Florida. The effects of administration change on the H-2B program is generally defined within three themes that emerged from my research: The change in the concept of cultural space and how enforcement plays a role in the creation of boundaries; how policy change has an influence on migrant workers' concept of identity and belonging; and lastly, how the program and outlying forces create a culture of uncertainty and fear. The article is based on three months of participant-observation, data from interviews and surveys, and analysis of this qualitative data in relation to the anthropological literature in particular as well as other sources pertaining to the immigration debate. The study of the experiences of this specific population, may help inform policies on foreign migrant workers within the H-2B program particularly, given the current political climate for NGOs involved in the support of immigrant communities; encourage further research within academic realms, and foster an understanding of the experience of this specific population within the visa program.


Neural networks are a powerful class of functions that can be trained with simple gradient descent to achieve state-of-the-art performance on a variety of applications. Despite their practical success, there is a paucity of results that provide theoretical guarantees on why they are so effective. Lying in the center of the problem is the difficulty of analyzing the non-convex loss function with potentially numerous local minima and saddle points. Can neural networks corresponding to the stationary points of the loss function learn the true target function? If yes, what are the key factors contributing to such nice optimization properties?
In this paper, we answer these questions by analyzing one-hidden-layer neural networks with ReLU activation, and show that despite the non-convexity, neural networks with diverse units have no spurious local minima. We bypass the non-convexity issue by directly analyzing the first order optimality condition, and show that the loss can be made arbitrarily small if the minimum singular value of the "extended feature matrix" is large enough. We make novel use of techniques from kernel methods and geometric discrepancy, and identify a new relation linking the smallest singular value to the spectrum of a kernel function associated with the activation function and to the diversity of the units. Our results also suggest a novel regularization function to promote unit diversity for potentially better generalization.


As extremely large time series data sets grow more prevalent in a wide variety of settings, we face the significant challenge of developing efficient analysis methods. This dissertation addresses the problem in designing fast, scalable algorithms for the analysis of time series.
The first part of this dissertation describes the framework for high performance time series data mining based on important primitives. Data reduction transform such as the Discrete Fourier Transform, the Discrete Wavelet Transform, Singular Value Decomposition and Random Projection, can reduce the size of the data without substantial loss of information, therefore provides a synopsis of the data. Indexing methods organize data so that the time series data can be retrieved efficiently. Transformation on time series, such as shifting, scaling, time shifting, time scaling and dynamic time warping, facilitates the discovery of flexible patterns from time series.
The second part of this dissertation integrates the above primitives into useful applications ranging from music to physics to finance to medicine.
StatStream. StatStream is a system based on fast algorithms for finding the most highly correlated pairs of time series from among thousands of time series streams and doing so in a moving window fashion. It can be used to find correlations in time series in finance and in scientific applications.
HumFinder. Most people hum rather poorly. Nevertheless, somehow people have some idea what we are humming when we hum. The goal of the query by humming program, HumFinder, is to make a computer do what a person can do. Using pitch translation, time dilation, and dynamic time warping, one can match an inaccurate hum to a melody remarkably accurately.
OmniBurst. Burst detection is the activity of finding abnormal aggregates in data streams. Our software, OmniBurst, can detect bursts of varying durations. Our example applications are monitoring gamma rays and stock market price volatility. The software makes use of a shifted wavelet structure to create a linear time filter that can guarantee that no bursts will be missed at the same time that it guarantees (under a reasonable statistical model) that the filter eliminates nearly all false positives.


This thesis considers the financial development of the Catholic Church in Scotland between 1772 and circa 1890. In 1772, the Church was heavily reliant on external, normally insufficient sources of income. The dangers of this over-reliance became clear when the progress of the French Revolution destroyed the Church's foreign financial bases and saw the loss of its continental colleges. Consequently, and for the first time, the Church turned to the Catholic laity for financial support. This represented a significant cultural shift for a community which was unaccustomed to providing such support. But recognising the Church's financial needs, the laity responded generously to this appeal and in many places raised additional funds to support their priests. Very quickly this financial necessity was subsumed into a larger narrative of religious duty and idealism, so that to financially support the Church was now also crucial to an individual's spiritual and temporal well-being. By the early decades of the nineteenth century, financial voluntarism was well embedded in the Catholic community and ordinary Catholics had assumed responsibility for financing many of the Church's activities. As the century progressed, and as the Church responded to new pressures caused by famine migration, the bishops began to exert greater control over the Church's financial life. The rise of ultramontanism within the Church, with its focus on the parish church, ensured that the local church also became the locus for many of these new fundraising efforts. A sign of the Church's increasing maturation came in 1878 when Rome restored the episcopal hierarchy, which had a number of financial implications as the bishops sought to come to terms with ordinary ecclesiastical government something that had been lacking for nearly three centuries. By c. 1890, most of the difficulties of these years had been resolved and the Church had put in place financial infrastructures that, in many ways, remain in place


The purpose of this study was to analyze characteristics of online learning environments. Data collected using the Distance Education Learning Environments Survey (DELES) were used to explore the relationship between student satisfaction and the following predictor variables: instructor support, student interaction and collaboration, personal relevance, authentic learning, active learning, and student autonomy. The participants of this study were 917 undergraduate students at an Anatolian university in Turkey. Results of the regression analysis show that four of the six DELES scales, namely, personal relevance, instructor support, active learning, and authentic learning, were significantly and positively related to student satisfaction. These results provide valuable feedback to institutions offering online classes and to educators evaluating satisfaction of their students.


Drawing on empirical evidence from 11 CDU–Green coalitions in large German municipalities, this article investigates the determinants of formation and termination of black–green minimal winning coalitions. Such coalitions are likely to be formed if the mayor is a party member of either the CDU or the Greens, if one of the two parties dominates the local party system, and if the SPD suffers from severe vote losses. Furthermore, the results indicate that CDU–Green coalitions are primarily formed if neither the CDU nor the Greens have gained a parliamentary majority with their 'usual' coalition partners. Ideological connectivity, however, does not play a major role. Regarding coalition stability, Christian Democrats and Greens are able to govern successfully for an entire legislative term in most of the cases. If a coalition is terminated early, however, this is due to a party breaking the coalition agreement by voting on specific policies together with the SPD in the local council.


"We are a professional society whose mission is to promote the study of history through the encouragement of research, good teaching, publication and the exchange of learning and ideas among historians. We seek to bring students, teachers and writers of history together for intellectual and social exchanges, which promote and assist historical research and publication by our members in a variety of ways." ---Phi Alpha Theta Mission Statement ---www.phialphatheta.org


Abstract Background: In clerkships, students are expected to self-regulate their learning. How clinical departments and their routine approach on clerkships influences students' self-regulated learning (SRL) is unknown. Aim: This study explores how characteristic routines of clinical departments influence medical students' SRL. Methods: Six focus groups including 39 purposively sampled participants from one Dutch university were organized to study how characteristic routines of clinical departments influenced medical students' SRL from a constructivist paradigm, using grounded theory methodology. The focus groups were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and were analyzed iteratively using constant comparison and open, axial and interpretive coding. Results: Students described that clinical departments influenced their SRL through routines which affected the professional relationships they could engage in and affected their perception of a department's invested effort in them. Students' SRL in a clerkship can be supported by enabling them to engage others in their SRL and by having them feel that effort is invested in their learning. Conclusions: Our study gives a practical insight in how clinical departments influenced students' SRL. Clinical departments can affect students' motivation to engage in SRL, influence the variety of SRL strategies that students can use and how meaningful students perceive their SRL experiences to be.


The lacustrine ecosystems located in the Andes Mountains in the Atacama desert and in the Chilean Southern Patagonia are characterized by their high levels of salinity, the zooplankton in these sites are characterized by a marked predominance of calanoid copepods at low or intermediate salinity levels, and at high salinity levels pratically only the genus Artemia is dominant. Data on levels of salinity and zooplanktonic composition in both regions were collected in field work and from published data. Statistical analysis showed a marked inverse association between salinity and species richness that was notoriously significant for Andes Mountains (R = -0.8193; p = 0.0037), whereas for Southern Patagonia there were observed weakly similar results, caused by lack of data between 5.0-15.0 g/l. Both zones observed calanoid dominance at low and moderate salinity levels between 3-51 g/l and 1-16 g/l for Andes Mountains and Southern Patagonia, respectively, and Artemia genus was dominant at salinities above 100 g/l for Andes Mountains and 20 g/l for Southern Patagonia. Ecological and biogeographic effects, and comparison with zooplankton assemblages of Australian saline lakes are discussed in the present study.


Gene expression is controlled by a variety of proteins that interact with the genome. Their precise organization and mechanism of action at every promoter remains to be worked out. To better understand the physical interplay among genome-interacting proteins, we examined the temporal binding of a functionally diverse subset of these proteins: nucleosomes (H3), H2AZ (Htz1), SWR (Swr1), RSC (Rsc1, Rsc3, Rsc58, Rsc6, Rsc9, Sth1), SAGA (Spt3, Spt7, Ubp8, Sgf11), Hsf1, TFIID (Spt15/TBP and Taf1), TFIIB (Sua7), TFIIH (Ssl2), FACT (Spt16), Pol II (Rpb3), and Pol II carboxyl-terminal domain (CTD) phosphorylation at serines 2, 5, and 7. They were examined under normal and acute heat shock conditions, using the ultrahigh resolution genome-wide ChIP-exo assay in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Our findings reveal a precise positional organization of proteins bound at most genes, some of which rapidly reorganize within minutes of heat shock. This includes more precise positional transitions of Pol II CTD phosphorylation along the 5′ ends of genes than previously seen. Reorganization upon heat shock includes colocalization of SAGA with promoter-bound Hsf1, a change in RSC subunit enrichment from gene bodies to promoters, and Pol II accumulation within promoter/+1 nucleosome regions. Most of these events are widespread and not necessarily coupled to changes in gene expression. Together, these findings reveal protein–genome interactions that are robustly reprogrammed in precise and uniform ways far beyond what is elicited by changes in gene expression.


Since the existence of a discrete unit of heredity was first proposed by Gregor Mendel, scientific concepts of the "gene" have undergone rapid evolution. Beyond obvious epistemic and operational importance to the scientific community, changing gene concepts have exerted strong effects on institutions such as medicine, the biotechnology industry, politics, and the law. A particularly rich example of this is the interplay between gene concepts and patent law. Over the last century, biology has elaborated gene concepts that variously emphasized genes as discretely material, genes as information, and genes as extremely complex. By contrast, patent law has steadily adhered to a simpler, more stable concept of the gene since the advent of gene patents in the late 1970s. In fact, while the biology community has increasingly engaged in vigorous internal debate regarding the gene's complexity and uncertainty, it has tended simultaneously to emphasize the simplicity and certainty of the gene to constituencies outside the biology community, most notably the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the Federal courts. Rather than allow gene concepts to become contested by constituencies outside biology, the biology community appears to have used its authority to maintain a portrayal of the gene that facilitates the appropriation of rents from genes through the patent system. This use of "gene talk" has undergirded the growth of biotechnology into a powerful industry that has economically rewarded investors, academic institutions, and biologists. Not only may gene talk have facilitated the patenting of genes, but the prominence of gene patents describing a relatively simpler gene concept may have fed back into biological science to promote a simpler, and more patentable, concept of the gene even among members of the biology community.


The use of electroencephalogram (EEG), an electrophysiological monitoring method for recording the brain activity, for authentication has attracted the interest of researchers for over a decade. In addition to exhibiting qualities of biometric-based authentication, they are revocable, impossible to mimic, and resistant to coercion attacks. However, EEG signals carry a wealth of information about an individual and can reveal private information about the user. This brings significant privacy issues to EEG-based authentication systems as they have access to raw EEG signals.
This thesis proposes a privacy-preserving EEG-based authentication system that preserves the privacy of the user by not revealing the raw EEG signals while allowing the system to authenticate the user accurately. In that, perceptual hashing is utilized and instead of raw EEG signals, their perceptually hashed values are used in the authentication process. In addition to describing the authentication process, algorithms to compute the perceptual hash are developed based on two feature extraction techniques. Experimental results show that an authentication system using perceptual hashing can achieve performance comparable to a system that has access to raw EEG signals if enough EEG channels are used in the process. This thesis also presents a security analysis to show that perceptual hashing can prevent information leakage.


The main objective of this thesis is realising a non-planar III-V Tunnel-FET for low power device applications. The differentiating aspect of this work is based around clustered inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etch and atomic layer deposition (ALD) tools. This approach was intended to mitigate native oxide formation on etched III-V surfaces prior to gate stack deposition by ALD. The use of a cluster tool also offers the benefit of cleaning III-V surfaces "in-situ" using low damage plasma based approaches. In addition, activity on scaling the equivalent oxide thickness of the gate stack and evaluating different heterostructures are explored in this work for the realisation of high performance TunnelFET.

Initially, gate stacks on both p- and n- (110)-oriented In0.53Ga0.47As were examined to understand the basic electrical properties of these interfaces, important for non-planar device architectures. An optimised process, based on ex-situ sulphur-based passivation before ALD of gate dielectrics, and forming gas annealing (FGA) after gate metal deposition, is demonstrated for the first time to show significant Fermi level movement through the bandgap. Quantitatively, interface state density (Dit) values in the range of 0.87-1.8 × 1012 cm-2eV-1 around the midgap energy level were obtained. The lowest Dit value is estimated to be 3.1 × 1012 cm-2eV-1 close to the conduction band edge showing the combination of sulphur passivation and (FGA) is effective is passivating the trap states in the upper half of the bandgap on Al2O3/In0.53Ga0.47As (110) MOSCAPs. Furthermore, by analysis of CV hysteresis biasing at 1.1 V beyond the flatband voltage, the border trap density on n-type MOSCAPs was observed to reduce, after FGA from 1.8 × 1012 cm-2 to 5.3 × 1011 cm-2. The result observed in p-type MOSCAPs is in contrast, with increasing border trap density from 7.3 × 1011 cm-2 to 1.4 × 1012 cm-2 under the similar bias condition, i.e. the FGA process is not as effective in passivating states close to the valence band. In addition, the analysis undertaken in this thesis determined the value of the conduction band offset at the Al2O3/In0.53Ga0.47As (110) to be is 1.81eV – the first report of this parameter.

The non-planar devices of this work also require low damage etching processes for fin/wire formation. Therefore, the performance of in-situ deposited gate stacks to In0.53Ga0.47As (100)- and (110)-oriented substrates which had been subjected to a CH4/Cl2/H2 based ICP etch chemistry, which forms vertical InGaAs sidewall profiles, were assessed. Based on CV and IV, and X-ray Photo-Spectroscopy (XPS) spectral analyses, the performance of gate stacks deposited on (110)-oriented In0.53Ga0.47As subjected to a ICP dry etch suffers more damage compared to gate stacks on (100)-oriented In0.53Ga0.47As. To minimise the etching damage, cyclic TMA/plasma gas pretreatment prior to ALD is introduced on both (100)- and (110)-oriented surfaces. The interface trap density of gate stacks on (110)-oriented In0.53Ga0.47As with TMA/H2 gas pre-treatment improves from 6 × 1011 cm-2eV-1 to 2.8 × 1011 cm-2eV-1 close to the conduction band edge.

Based on this in-situ gate stack process, a gate stack with reduced capacitor equivalent thickness (CET) on both (100) and (110) oriented surfaces are achieved by using a TiN layer deposited in-situ by ALD before ex-situ gate metal deposition. The lowest CET was around 1.09 nm for a HfO2/TiN stack deposited on (100)-oriented In0.53Ga0.47As.

This optimised gate stack was included in an InGaAs-based tunnel-FET process flow using p-n, p-i-n, and p-n-i-n heterostructures. Comparing with p-n Tunnel-FETs, the pi-n structure provides better electrical characteristics for In0.53Ga0.47As with a subthreshold swing (SS) of 120 mV/dec at the condition of VDS = 0.05V. The peak transconductance peak of the p-i-n Tunnel-FET at the condition of VDS = 0.3V is around 6 uS/um. Next, an inserted n-pocket p-n-i-n Tunnel-FET was studied. In addition to providing comparable on current with the p-i-n Tunnel-FET of 1.1 uA/um at the bias condition of VDS = 300mV, the subthreshold swing of the p-n-i-n devices improves by 46% due to the lower leakage floor from the n-pocket layer incorporation. Most importantly, the non-planar configuration of the p-n-i-n Tunnel-FET improves both the SS and on-current to 152 mV/dec at the bias condition of VDS = 300mV and 1.3 uA/um at the bias condition of VDS = 500mV and VGS = 900mV, respectively. Above these aspects and benchmark, all this data implies that a non-planar p-n-i-n InGaAs TunnelFET is a promising candidate for future generations of low power applications.


The present study investigates patterns of distribution of macroalgal coralligenous assemblages in relation to depth and evaluates the role of different environmental conditions on these patterns. Two depths (30 and 40 m) were investigated off small islands and off continental coasts in order to select two different environmental conditions. Results showed differences between depths in the structure of assemblages around islands, while along the continental coasts these patterns were not evident. Moreover, differences between assemblages related to different environmental conditions were more evident in the shallower zone of distribution of the coralligenous habitat. This correlative study did not allow us to identify any cause-effect relationship, but patterns we detected agree with those of other studies, suggesting that alterations in the environmental conditions may be the cause of the decrease in differences among assemblages developing at different depths and may lead to a higher spatial homogenization and an impoverishment of the whole subtidal system.


Background & Objectives: Numerical and structural chromosomal abnormalities are known to be associated with predisposition to hematologic malignancies development and even different response to treatment. Both diagnostic and prognostic values of cytogenetic analysis of chromosome rearrangements are helpful for better therapeutic decision in management of hematologic malignancies. On the other hand, the study of chromosomal rearrangement in patients with leukemia has led to the identification of the relationship between chromosomal abnormalities and the prognosis of the disease. This study aimed at determining the incidence of structural and numerical chromosomal abnormalities in patients with hematologic malignancies and their correlation with prognostic factors. Material & methods: Cytogenetic analysis was performed on 59 bone marrow samples from patients who were referred to genetics laboratory of Alzahra University-Hospital of Isfahan Medical University. Results: Karyotype analysis of these 59 patients showed chromosomal abnormalities in 16 (27.1%) patients and the remaining 43 (72.8%) patients had normal karyotype. Conclusion: The results suggest that conventional karyotype analysis can be used as an effective method for diagnosis and prognosis in patients with hematological malignancies.


The study is intended for geotechnical engineers who deal with the construction of deep foundations using driving piles with the implementation of seismic cross-hole technique to estimate the accompanying increase (or decrease) in soil shear strength. The study concluded that there is a direct relation between the increases in soil undrained shear strength with yield stress ratio and reverse relation with moisture water content and void ratio. The increase in undrained shear strength is observed in the clay soil layer at 35 m in depth with low moisture content and void ratio due to the effect of time. While at depth of 1-3 m, the reverse was noticed, this decrease is attributed to the upward displacement of the soil due to shear force from driven pile and then leading to increase the soil moisture content and void ratio. The study also concluded that an increase in undrained shear strength and yield stress ratio causing a decrease in void ratio and moisture content due to the effect of aging factor. The present results have provided good overall views of the shear strength increases and their distributions and the estimated values are also of the right sizes.


Background: Osteoarthrosis (OA) of the knee afflicts millions worldwide. Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) is common, but associated with substantial cost and morbidity. Prior studies of intra-articular injection of fat, bone marrow aspirate (BMA), and platelet rich plasma (PRP) have shown clinical benefit. We hypothesized that injection of autologous adipose tissue, BMA, and PRP would provide significant benefit for patients with moderate knee OA resulting in avoidance of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in most, with discontinuance of NSAIDs and other drugs. Methods: 42 TKA candidate patients (47 knees) with moderate (Kellgren-Lawrence 2 and 3) knee OA who had failed conservative treatment had autologous adipose tissue, BMA, and PRP injection as an alternative to TKA in office using only local anesthetic. Patients had discontinuance of all nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines (NSAIDs) and other analgesics, except acetaminophen, prior to treatment. Patients were evaluated with Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score Physical Shortform (KOOS-PS), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), and Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation (SANE) prior to treatment, and at 6 months, 1, and 2 years after treatment. Results: Follow up exceeded 80% at all time points. There were no significant adverse events. TKA was avoided in 97% at one and 86% at two years after treatment. Mean SANE, KOOS-PS, and WOMAC scores significantly improved at 6 months, 1, and 2 years post-treatment. WOMAC and SANE scores were higher at two versus one year post-treatment. Conclusions: Combined fat, BMA, and PRP injection is a safe and effective treatment for moderate knee OA, with reliable avoidance of TKA and possible continued improvement at two year follow-up.


Legal scholarship portrays women as reproductive decision makers in conflicting ways. The distinctions between depictions of infertile women and women considering abortion are particularly striking. A woman seeking infertility treatment, even one who faces no legal obstacles, is often portrayed as so emotionally distraught and desperate that her ability to give informed consent is potentially compromised. Yet, the legal academy has roundly rejected similar stereo-types of pregnant women considering abortion, depicting them as confident and competent decision makers. This Article argues that legal scholars' use of a "desperate woman" stereotype denies women's ability to critically assess the health risks and life benefits of fertility treatments, particularly when similar stereotypes have been met with scorn in the abortion context. These constructions perpetuate emotional paternalism; undermine the dignity, autonomy, and capacity of infertile women; and justify restrictions on decision making in the Assisted Reproductive Technology context. Infertility may well produce emotional distress; however, the construction of infertile women as governed by desperation unnecessarily impugns their capacity for autonomous decision making. To these ends, this Article examines the contributions that emotion can make to autonomous decision making, and the need for a more relational model of autonomy that acknowledges the socially embedded nature of treatment decisions. Because current constructions of "desperate" infertile women ignore available clinical research and have serious ideological and practical consequences, it is crucial to unmask and reframe them to prevent them from being incorporated into jurisprudence or legislation.


Current translation studies do not present a clear distinction between 'translationese' and 'interlanguage', giving rise to conceptual and terminology confusion. To disentangle these two concepts, we start with a relatively conservative working definition of translationese, then find it necessary to first differentiate between direct and inverse translations, according to whether the translator's L1 equals to TL or not. Taking Zhuangzi (a Daoist classic) as a case, we made both inter- and intra-speaker comparisons among Lin Yu-tang's inverse translation, James Legge's direct translation, and the two translators' creative works in English, with well-established language complexity metrics and quantitative methods. Results show that: (1) Inverse and direct translations are remarkably different in terms of complexity; (2) Inverse translation demonstrates both features of interlanguage and translationese, with the former mostly at lexical level and the latter at syntactic level; (3) Similar patterns are also discovered in Lin's other inverse translated works, suggesting our quantitative comparative method proposed may be reliable to some extent. Such results support our proposal that translationese and interlanguage should and can be differentiated for both theoretical and practical purposes.


Information extraction systems have been recently proposed for organizing and exploring content in large online text corpora as information networks. In such networks, the nodes are named entities (e.g., people, organizations) while the edges correspond to statements indicating relations among such entities. To date, such systems extract rather primitive networks, capturing only those relations which are expressed by direct statements. In many applications, it is useful to also extract more subtle relations which are often expressed as meta statements in the text. These can, for instance provide the context for a statement (e.g., "Google acquired YouTube on October 2006"), or repercussion about a statement (e.g., "The US condemned Russia's invasion of Georgia"). In this work, we report on a system for extracting relations expressed in both direct statements as well as in meta statements. We propose a method based on Conditional Random Fields that explores syntactic features to extract both kinds of statements seamlessly. We follow the Open Information Extraction paradigm, where a classifier is trained to recognize any type of relation instead of specific ones. Finally, our results show substantial improvements over a state-of-the-art information extraction system, both in terms of accuracy and, especially, recall.


Many countries suffer from persistently high unemployment rates. The scope for labour market reforms is often limited to measures that hurt neither shareholders nor workers. This paper develops a policy proposal, which allows the government to reduce wage costs without changing the income positions as determined in the process of wage negotiations. It is shown that the introduction of public profit sharing, i.e., substituting profit shares for social security contributions, can boost employment both in the short run and the long run. Calibrating the model and comparing the results with recent empirical findings about the impact of labour taxation confirm the theoretical findings.


Technology transfer or knowledge exchange? Which one of the two expressions better identifies the possible modes of interactions between Universities, market and firms? The paper addresses this question in the light of the advancements in the economic literature on the topic. It emerges that channels of interaction go far behind the technology transfer, including traditional output of university - scientific publications and graduates - and a variety of channels ranging from research in cooperation to consultancy. Moreover, it emerges that different channels are often complementary: a fact that has important implications for innovation policies and university long term strategies. The problem of the possible negative feed back of cooperation with private entities on production of open science by academics and on the traditional role of universities is the main concern of a growing stream of literature. Until now the results point, in a large majority, to a complementarity between academic research and market activities. Nonetheless, given the heterogeneity of academic production, and the possible different kinds of production functions, the conclusion can not be easily generalized.


The research was carried out within a major public company. It sought to implement an approach to strategic planning which accounted for organisational values as well as employing a holistic value-free analysis of the firm and its environment. To this end, an 'ecological' model of the firm was formulated. A series of value-free strategic policies for its development were generated. These policies were validated by the company's top-management.They compared favourably with their own planning outcomes. The approach appeared to be diagnostically strong but lacked sufficient depth in the context of finding realistic corrective measures. However, feedback from the company showed it to be a useful complementary process to conventional procedures, in providing an explicitly different perspective. The research empirically evaluated the company's value-systems and their influence on strategy. It introduced the idea of an organisational 'self-concept' pre-determining the acceptability of various strategies.The values and the "self-concept' of the company were identified and validated, They appeared to have considerable influence on strategy. In addition, tho company's planning process within the decentralised structure was shown to be sub-optimal. This resulted from the variety of value systems maintained by different parts of the organisation. Proposals attempting to redress this situation were ofJered and several accepted. The study was postured as process-action research and the chosen perspective could be succinctly described as a 'worm's-eye view', akin to that of many real planners operating at some distance from the decision-making body. In this way, the normal strategic functionings of the firm and any changes resulting from the researcher's intervention were observed and recorded. Recurrent difficulties of the planning process resulting from the decentralised structure were identified. The overall procedure suggested as a result of the research aimed to increase the viabiIity of planning and the efficiency of the process. It is considered to be flexible enough to be applicable in a broader context.


The distinguishing characteristic of a business model is the way in which the type of product or service is linked to a particular group of customers using a specific communication and delivery method. The authors argue that the distinctive characteristic of BGs of foreign sales from the outset, or very quickly afterward, may be due to differences in their business models and their ability to adapt them to foreign markets. In contrast to other internationalization theories, the business model approach focuses on the holistic view of the firm's core activities in which business model innovation plays a pivotal role to gain competitive advantages. Thus, a business model is a strategic and dynamic value-creation process that is adapted to foreign markets - a main accelerator of the rapid internationalization of BGs.


The cell surface metalloproteinase CD10/neutral endopeptidase 24.11 (NEP) hydrolyzes a variety of peptide substrates and reduces cellular responses to specific peptide hormones. Because CD10/NEP modulates peptide-mediated proliferation of small cell carcinomas of the lung (SCLC) and normal fetal bronchial epithelium, we evaluated the enzyme's expression in non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLC). Bronchoalveolar and large cell carcinoma cell lines had low levels of CD10/NEP expression whereas squamous, adenosquamous, and adenocarcinoma cell lines had higher and more variable levels of the cell surface enzyme. Regional variations in CD10/NEP immunostaining in primary NSCLC specimens prompted us to correlate CD10/NEP expression with cell growth. In primary carcinomas of the lung, clonal NSCLC cell lines and SV40-transformed fetal airway epithelium, subsets of cells expressed primarily CD10/NEP or the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). Cultured airway epithelial cells had the lowest levels of CD10/NEP expression when the highest percentage of cells were actively dividing; in addition, these cells grew more rapidly when cell surface CD10/NEP was inhibited. NSCLC cell lines had receptors for a variety of mitogenic peptides known to be CD10/NEP substrates, underscoring the functional significance of growth-related variability in CD10/NEP expression.


The corporate world today is changing fast. To survive firms must be competitive, ready for changes, exploiting opportunities presented by globalization, finding finance when crisis hits, and, generally, to be able to adapt to new challenges more rapidly than possibly ever before in corporate history. Given all this, it is no wonder that ownership changes are accelerating, that entrepreneurs sell out more quickly, and that families suffer in the second and third generations more than before. The pace of business plan and ownership changes has possibly never been faster. In such a changing world, it is amazing to see some family firms continue to prosper and survive even when the same family has remained at the helm for centuries. Some families continue to pass ownership from generation to generation and continue to groom new talents that can manage and develop the firms into their 10th generation or more. The Henokiens present possibly the most extreme continuity in the constellation of firms and family firms.


Abstract This article traces multinational extraction companies' social and security policies in the 'community belt' next to their operations. A comparison between mining companies in the DRC in the early twentieth century and in the period post-2000 shows remarkable continuities in corporate community interventions. It demonstrates how contemporary participatory practices have partly replaced techniques of discipline and coercion seen in the colonial past. However, the discourse of ownership and participation runs alongside exclusionary forms of exercising power that have an old history. The liberal claim of self-determination is compromised by the recourse to indirect rule in order to secure stable working conditions.


Colleges and universities across the world continue to shift degree programs from learning in physical spaces to asynchronous and synchronous learning in virtual spaces. Students, who have access to brick and mortar libraries at their academic institution are sometimes unable to utilize resources because of time constraints and responsibilities outside of the classroom. Reference and information services must evolve to meet the needs of students who are unable to access the brick and mortar library physically. Facilitated by a science librarian who created a framework to deal with these issues, this workshop offers participants the opportunity to explore new methods of outreach for both distance learning students and non-traditional students and find solutions that can be implemented in their institutions. The focus of this session is library services for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. However, attendees will learn that the framework can be applied to any subject area. Within the framework, librarians and information professionals investigate traditional library services and potential roadblocks both distance learning, and non-traditional students encounter when library services become a necessity for their collegiate success. Additionally, participants learn how to migrate existing library services and identify and implement new services into virtual spaces. We look at usability tools and methods that help identify student needs that the library service supports, evaluate cloud applications and collaborative tools essential for facilitating the transition and discuss what new skills current professionals must ascertain, and what topics library and information science schools should consider integrating into the curriculum to prepare future professionals. The session begins with a discussion on how a software engineering workshop and plagiarism school service was virtualized for the benefit of distance learning students. Participants work in groups with scenarios to analyze and provide virtual solutions for specific library services.


This is the first palaeoecological and taphonomical study of the Recent marine ostracods from the Azores. The aims of this work were to address the following questions: i) to establish the typical ostracod assemblages from the shallow waters of the Azores; ii) to determine the bathymetric ranges for each ostracod species; iii) to investigate the time span and depth in which significant transport occurs; iv) to quantify the amount of out of habitat transport between sandy beaches, tide pools and the sublittoral; v) to determine distinctive taphonomic features that can be used to recognize the amount of temporal resolution in ostracod assemblages. Fifteen species were recovered, representing 8 families and 12 genera (Loxoconcha, Neonesidea, Xestoleberis, Aurila, Urocythereis, Heterocythereis, Carinocythereis, Callistocythere, Leptocythere, Semicytherura, Lanceostoma and Cylindroleberis). The living assemblages are dominated by specimens of the Loxoconchidae, Xestoleberidae and Hemicytheridae, whereas the dead assemblages are dominated by specimens of the Loxoconchidae, Hemicytheridae, Bairdiidae, Xestoleberidae and Trachyleberidae. The shift from life-dominated assemblages in the shallower depths to death-dominated assemblages at greater depths is a consequence of significant transport downwards. The abundance of ostracods is higher in the first 10-20 m depth, especially in fine to medium sandy substrates. Considerable differences among islands were supported by the Bayesian model, as a consequence of the physical and hydrodynamic factors that differently affect each of the Azorean islands. Large-scale (sea-surface currents, Holocene relative sea-level, storms) and small-scale processes are responsible for shaping the Azorean Recent marine ostracod communities. No living specimens were found in the samples collected at the beach faces, thus reinforcing former interpretations of one of the authors (S. Avila) that advocate that at a global scale, sandy beaches in oceanic islands located at temperate latitudes are almost or even completely devoid of life due to historical reasons related with the sea level changes.


This paper investigates the impact of the financial crisis on investment decisions in innovative versus non-innovative firms. Firms are defined as being innovative if they have introduced a new product to the market. The empirical test is based on data for the years before and after the recent financial crisis. Probit estimations show that innovative firms are more likely to suffer from the financial crisis and to reduce their investment expenditures in general. To some extent these reductions are due to problems in the acquisition of external capital. Using difference-in-differences methods, it turns out that innovative firms realize the same reduction in growth rates in turnover, but a stronger reduction in investment growth than non-innovative firms.


A solo exhibition. The exhibition opens with the five short texts of Le Lever, torn from a from an auction catalogue description of an engraving after a painting by Pierre-Antoine Baudouin, the son-in-law of Boucher, who, like his father-in-law, depicted the voluptuous eroticism of the ancien regime, transformed into chapters. The servant girl kneels before her mistress, holding her satin mule. Stuffed animals (aristocratic greedy squirrels who take everything from themselves, a mob of stoats, sporting Phrygian bonnets, cunning radical foxes who have read Marx) proliferate. In La Forme-valeur, Marx's Capital is read, chapter three on exchange-value, in an attempt to find a woman speaking, yet all is found is an object speaking in the charming voice of a commodity in the chorus of goods going to market. Scent bottles (Allure and Chanel No. 5) might become Molotov cocktails, the material that may be soaked and ignited is French wedding tulle, which is rather expensive. The repetitive (and as the artist is the first to admit, dull and amateur) films of Mes coquetteries follow silk-clad bodies while a voiceover recalls the radio transmissions of the Resistance and from the Underworld via the car radio of Cocteau's film Orphee. In Encore un effort a banner carries the breathless descriptions of the new fashions for 1968, when anything goes and details place the accent on this or that part of the body and its adornment: a pair of shoes that have come off in a struggle, for example, the heel of one snapped off; a checked shirt, with two buttons undone; a light-coloured trench coat (perfect for a May day); a blouson- style jacket that allows easy freedom of movement; pale casual slacks worn with an ankle boot. Beauty is in the streets as fashion becomes democratic (or so say the houses of haute couture), while the philosopher of the boudoir extorts us once again to take action. To an assembled crowd of sensitive men and women, which petit-maitre or dangerous man of principles would suggest that the only moral system to reinforce political revolution is that of libertinage, the revenge of nature's course against the aberrations of society? The exhibition included an outpost of Artwords Bookshop, with selected titles, the installation of part of Kivland's library with artist Chris Gibson as weekly librarian-in-residence, a reading room, the screening of the full-length version of Peter Watkin's film La Commune (Paris 1871) at Sands Fims, an agit-disco by Stefan Szczelkun, a performance at the opening by fourteen women, and a publication.


We use the new version of the GTAP-W model to analyze the economy-wide impacts of enhanced irrigation efficiency. The new production structure of the model, which introduces a differentiation between rainfed and irrigated crops, allows a better understanding of the use of water resources in agricultural sectors. The results indicate that a water policy directed to improvements in irrigation efficiency in water-stressed regions is not beneficial for all. For water-stressed regions the effects on welfare and demand for water are mostly positive. For non-water scarce regions the results are more mixed and mostly negative. Global water savings are achieved. Not only regions where irrigation efficiency changes are able to save water, but also other regions are pushed to conserve water.


Bringing together the work of literary critics, social scientists, activists, and creative writers, this edited collection explores the complex relationships between environmental change, political struggle, and cultural production in the Caribbean. It ranges across the archipelago, with essays covering such topics as the literary representation of tropical storms and hurricanes, the cultural fallout from the Haitian earthquake of 2010, struggles over the rainforest in Guyana, and the role of colonial travel narratives in the reorganization of landscapes. The collection marks an important contribution to the fields of Caribbean studies, postcolonial studies, and ecocriticism. Through its deployment of the concept of 'world-ecology', it offers up a new angle of vision on the interconnections between aesthetics, ecology, and politics. The volume seeks to grasp these categories not as discrete (if overlapping) entities, but rather as differentiated moments within a single historical process. The 'social' changes through which the Caribbean has developed have always involved changes in the relationship between humans and the rest of nature; and these changes have long been entangled with the emergence of new kinds of cultural production. The contributors to this collection provide a series of unique insights into the relationship between aesthetic practice and specific ecological processes and pressure-points in the region. More than ever Caribbean writers and artists are engaging explicitly with environmental concerns in their work; this volume responds to that trend by bringing literary and cultural criticism into sustained dialogue with debates around local, national, and regional ecological issues.


Summary

1
Algal assemblages have been included in biological monitoring in a number of national, large-scale and long-term biological monitoring and assessment programmes of streams, lakes and wetlands. However, there has been no substantial investigation of alternative enumeration strategies.

2
We compared the sampling efficiency of the common periphyton subsampling strategies of counting 300 cells by strip counts or random fields and measuring 10 cells per taxon for biovolume, with line-intercept sampling (LIS), using samples collected from four streams differing in canopy cover and discharge. We also simulated the optimum ratio of cells tallied to cells measured for biovolume for all approaches.

3
LIS was 1·6–5·5 times more efficient at estimating algal taxa biovolume than the 300-cell count methods. LIS performed best relative to conventional 300-cell count methods in streams with high biovolume, although efficiency gains were still noticeable in low biovolume streams. In addition, LIS tended to detect more taxa than the conventional 300-cell target biological assessment methods.

4
In simulations, LIS was more efficient than the conventional methods for nearly all combinations of target cell count and cells measured for biovolume. No single optimal ratio of cells counted to cells measured was found. The target cell count that resulted in the greatest efficiency was higher in assemblages with large variation in cell density. Likewise, assemblages with high variance in taxa biovolume were most efficiently sampled by measuring more cells.

5
Synthesis and applications. An increase in sampling efficiency as a result of greater adoption of LIS sampling may result in more accurate estimation of the relationships between periphyton community composition and environmental factors, and more sensitive detection of impacts using stream periphyton. Additionally, LIS may improve estimates in other ecological research fields employing microscopic counting chambers.