Abstract The article discusses questions concerning the cultural public sphere in relation to empirical material from a media ethnography of young menąs use of extremely violent action and horror films on video, and how the young men's cultural practices, including media reception and film swapping, relates to their cultural production in the form of fanzines and amateur video films. The aim is to analyse this practice of film swapping, fanzine writing and amateur video making, in terms of cultural publicness, in order to shed light on those micro processes of communication that result in the formation of public spheres of various kinds. In the first part of the article some theoretical implications of the concepts cultural and political public spheres are discussed. Then follows a discussion on the internal communicative patterns within this alternative cultural public sphere, organised informally around fanzines and amateur video festivals. The dynamic relation between this alternative public sphere and other public formations, alternative as well as dominating or bourgeois, is then dealt with, and the different approaches among the various individuals is discussed. This is then followed by a discussion on the alternative cultural public's relation to the market and state systems. Lastly, some general conclusions are drawn, covering the need to analytically separate cultural and political public spheres in order not to forget the task of the cultural public in mediating between market system and lifeworld, and thus not to dismiss the political implications of the cultural.


Compressive sensing (CS) is a new approach for the acquisition and recovery of sparse signals and images that enables sampling rates significantly below the classical Nyquist rate. Despite significant progress in the theory and methods of CS, little headway has been made in compressive video acquisition and recovery. Video CS is complicated by the ephemeral nature of dynamic events, which makes direct extensions of standard CS imaging architectures and signal models infeasible. In this paper, we develop a new framework for video CS for dynamic textured scenes that models the evolution of the scene as a linear dynamical system (LDS). This reduces the video recovery problem to first estimating the model parameters of the LDS from compressive measurements, from which the image frames are then reconstructed. We exploit the low-dimensional dynamic parameters (the state sequence) and highdimensional static parameters (the observation matrix) of the LDS to devise a novel compressive measurement strategy that measures only the dynamic part of the scene at each instant and accumulates measurements over time to estimate the static parameters. This enables us to considerably lower the compressive measurement rate considerably. We validate our approach with a range of experiments including classification experiments that highlight the effectiveness of the proposed approach.


This paper describes how a typology was developed and used between 2008 and 2010 to investigate three different open educational resources (OER) initiatives in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA). The typology was first developed by careful scrutiny of the many OER and OER-related initiatives both globally and in Sub Saharan Africa. The typology was then both tested and further developed and refined by applying it to the TESSA, Thutong Portal and Rip-Mix-Learn initiatives. The typology uses four main categories - creation, organisation, dissemination and utilisation - and 18 sub categories to examine and analyse each initiative, with each sub category having a number of properties and possible dimensions. This typology was used to distinguish one type of OER initiative from another while grounding each in a wider context. As there are different levels of categorisation the typology is simple at the highest level, with just four elements, for use by practitioners; but is detailed enough at other levels to enable researchers to generate research questions. Furthermore the typology is flexible enough to evolve over time as it is applied to more and more OER initiatives both within and outside Africa and also as existing initiatives change and develop over time and while new initiatives emerge. Keywords: Open educational resources, Sub Saharan Africa, typology, HEIs, OER initiatives


Invasive alien species present a global threat to biodiversity, particularly where pathogens and symbionts are involved. Non-native crayfish species can increase their impact on the host ecosystem through introductions of symbiotic fauna. Conversely, non-native crayfishes could serve as hosts for native epibionts, thus substituting for disappearing native crayfishes as well. Here we report the presence of native branchiobdellids on naturalized populations of non-native crayfish Orconectes limosus and Pacifastacus leniusculus living in sympatry with native Astacus astacus . The native crayfish species probably served as a source of Branchiobdella spp. for non-native crayfishes. Two species of Branchiobdella ( B. parasita and B. pentadonta ) were found on P. leniusculus while only B. parasita was found on O. limosus . The level of colonization of inspected specimens and species was also evaluated. The mean number of branchiobdellids found on P. leniusculus and O. limosus was 26.0±15.9, and 64.8±27.7, respectively. Orconectes limosus was more heavily colonized by Branchiobdella despite being significantly smaller than P. leniusculus . Non-native species were corroborated as suitable to host the native epibionts.


Software project teams are often faced with the potential for changing requirements during software development. Such changes present a significant challenge to software project teams often resulting in cost overruns, missed deadlines, and faulty code. While the phenomenon of requirements changes by itself is not new, the frequency with which such changes occur has increased in recent years. Software project teams continue to be challenged by the uncertainty caused by the potential for such changes. Flexibility has been identified as a desirable characteristic of teams in this type of environment. This dissertation is made up of two essays that examine the processes and governance mechanisms that can potentially enable software project teams to achieve greater flexibility. The first essay provides a team process-oriented view of the problem. Specifically, agile programming practices and boundary spanning activities are argued to enhance software project team effectiveness by receiving customer feedback and incorporating requirements changes on an on-going basis. A longitudinal field study of 56 software development teams provides support for these arguments. The second essay adopts a team governance lens. Specifically, formal and informal control modes are posited to influence software project team effectiveness. Control mechanisms that promote team autonomy and flexibility are argued to positively influence software project team effectiveness. Further, team leader behaviors are also expected to play a critical role in facilitating software project team effectiveness. These arguments are tested and largely supported. Together, the two essays shed light on how software project teams can be designed to have greater flexibility---an important stepping stone for managing software development in the face of requirements uncertainty.


The resistance to extinction of observing behavior was determined by removing the primary reinforcer and presenting only a stimulus associated with reinforcement (S+), only a stimulus associated with extinction (S-), and only a neutral stimulus. In three training conditions of 30 sessions each, lever pressing by rats was reinforced on a mixed random ratio 50 extinction. Each press on a second lever (observing) produced for 5 s an S+ during the reinforcement component and an S- during extinction. After each training condition, rats were exposed to 10 sessions of extinction in which the mixed schedule was discontinued. In each of the three successive extinction conditions, each press on the observing lever produced only the S+, only the S-, or only the neutral stimulus. The order of exposure was different for each rat. Presenting the S+ increased and presenting the S- decreased resistance to extinction relative to the neutral stimulus. These findings suggest that the concept of conditioned reinforcement is still a necessary one in behavior analysis.


Ovarian cancer varies widely in frequency among different geographic regions and ethnic groups, with a high incidence in Northern Europe and the United States, and a low incidence in Japan. The majority of cases are sporadic, and only 5% to 10% of ovarian cancers are familial. The etiology of ovarian cancer is poorly understood. Models of ovarian carcinogenesis include the theory of incessant ovulation, in which a person's age at ovulation, i.e., lifetime number of ovulatory cycles, is an index of her ovarian cancer risk. Excessive gonadotropin and androgen stimulation of the ovary have been postulated as contributing factors. Exposure of the ovaries to pelvic contaminants and carcinogens may play a role in the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer. Epidemiologic and molecular-genetic studies identify numerous risk and protective factors. The most significant risk factor is a family history of the disease. Recent advances in molecular genetics have found mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 tumor suppressor genes responsible for the majority of hereditary ovarian cancer. Additional risk factors include nulliparity and refractory infertility. Protective factors include multiparity, oral contraceptives, and tubal ligation or hysterectomy. With five years of oral contraceptive use, women can cut their risk of ovarian cancer approximately in half; this also holds true for individuals with a family history. Stage at diagnosis, maximum residual disease following cytoreductive surgery, and performance status are the three major prognostic factors. Using a multimodality approach to treatment, including aggressive cytoreductive surgery and combination chemotherapy, five-year survival rates are as follows: Stage I (93%), Stage II (70%), Stage III (37%), and Stage IV (25%).


The options market allows savvy investors to assume risk in a way that can be very profitable, if the right techniques are used with the proper insight. In Trading Options as a Professional, veteran floor trader James Bittman provides both full-time and professional traders with a highly practical blueprint for maximizing profits in the global options market. This peerless guide helps you think like a market maker, arms you with the latest techniques for trading and managing options, and guides you in honing your proficiency at entering orders and anticipating strategy performance. Most importantly, it gives you access to one of the world's leading educators and commentators as he candidly defines the seven trading areas that are essential for successful options traders to master: Option price behavior, including the Greeks Volatility Synthetic relationships Arbitrage strategies Delta-neutral trading Setting bid and ask prices Risk management You will benefit from Bittman's exceptional understanding of volatility, his perceptive examples from the real world, and the dozens of graphs and tables that illustrate his strategies and techniques. Each chapter is a complete, step-by-step lesson, and, collectively, give you the best toolbox of profit-making solutions on the options trading floor. In addition, Trading Options as a Professional comes with Op-Eval Pro, a powerful software that enables you to analyze your trades before you make them by calculating implied volatility, graphing simple and complex options strategies, and saving analyses to review later. Don't be left guessing on the sidelines--trade with the confidence of a market maker by following the road map to higher profits in Trading Options as a Professional.


Transit ridership depends on its quality of service. Many studies have analyzed rider satisfaction surveys to explore important service attributes and/or identify improvement priorities. Importance-performance analysis (IPA) is capable of serving both purposes. However, it assumes that service attributes have a symmetric influence on rider satisfaction. To relax the assumption, this study applies three-factor theory to classify service attributes into basic, performance, and excitement factors. Using the 2013 data of bus, bus rapid transit (BRT), and metro transit riders from Guangzhou, China, it compares the results from two alternative IPA and two applications of the three-factor theory. Explicit IPA and implicit IPA classify service attributes somewhat differently but produce similar improvement priorities. For the three-factor theory, the importance grid yields more plausible results than regression with dummy variables. This study further concludes divergent improvement priorities for different services: comfort while waiting at station/stop and service reliability for bus; safety while waiting, safety while riding, and comfort while waiting for BRT; and spatial coverage for metro transit. If resources are abundant, transit agencies could also improve customer service for bus and comfort while riding for BRT.


Abstract Iran is a very vast country with about 80 million population that they are really fragmented. Providing electricitypower for all the society which is duty of power ministry of Iran according to the resources and facilities. The thesis gives an overview of production of electrical energy in Iran and how the production is divided ondifferent energy sources. At the present time there are 197 power plants are producing electricity to supportthe country that they are combination of 8 kind of different power plants which are thermal power plants, gaspower stations, combined cycles, hydro power plants, biogas plants, wind power stations, solar plants andnuclear power stations. During the last decade Iran took care of renewable energy sources to produce electricitythat cause wind power plants and solar power plants can take a small share from the total production. Althoughthey are not play a serious role yet but the policy of the country is improving these kind of power plants. Foreach source the production principle is described briefly by help of a diagram and also there is a table of allpower plants which are included details of each power plant like: name of power plant, state (location) , year ofinstallation, nominal power, gross power, efficiency, consumption (fuel, water,…) and so on. For each kind ofpower plants there is a bar chart which compares the nominal power of all power plants at a glance and alsothere is a map that the location of each station has been marked on. Total data for production in a year has been presented. Also there is a list of power plants which they are underconstruction and will be ready in future. For transmitting electricity power in the country there are four kind of transmission lines which are: 400 KV, 230KV, 132 KV and 66 KV. The development of each kind of transmission lines since 1963 is presented in a table anda chart. Also Iran has export and import electricity with 8 neighbor countries like: Iraq, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan,Turkmenistan, Turkey, Pakistan, Armenia and Nakhjavan. The range of exchange since 1993 is shown in a tableand a chart.


The family business literature in developing countries suggests that their organizational features inhibit innovations that create niche products. In industrializing Malaysia, where family small- and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) are undergoing a generational shift, there is little research on their capacity to develop the tacit knowledge of the founding generation. This assessment of 29 thriving family SMEs in plastics and food manufacturing evaluates how a new generation has nurtured innovative management, manufacturing, and marketing techniques. By adopting a business history approach that appraises the development of tacit knowledge, this study validates the need for family SMEs to institute organizational reforms to codify knowledge and therefore ensure long-term sustainability.


Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the performance implications of board size, composition and frequency of board meetings on the performance of banks.

Design/methodology/approach

The performance of banks is assessed on various parameters such as return on assets (ROA), Tobin's Q, non-performing asset ratio (NPA ratio) and the net write-off ratio (NWO ratio). The effects of changes in board size and composition and frequency of meetings on the performance of banks are investigated using feasible generalized least square (FGLS) estimation of panel data covering a time span of five years concerning 40 banks incorporated in India. Frequency of board meetings is taken as a proxy for board activity and involvement. The authors have also tested for endogeneity issues in the model.

Findings

A curvilinear relationship was found between the board size and performance of banks. The authors have modelled a cubic form of the relationship for Indian banks. The authors' findings indicate that an increase in board size is associated with better bank performance within both low and high board size ranges. Alternatively, increased board size is negatively associated with bank performance in the intermediate board size range. The study did not find any significant relationship between performance and frequency of board meetings and board composition.

Research limitations/implications

The behavioural variables reflecting the involvement of the board have not been incorporated in the model to determine the impact of board involvement on the performance of banks owing to the availability of data. It is hoped that this paper will be useful for major regulatory bodies such as the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), Company Law Board (CLB) and stock exchanges in India and other emerging economies in devising listing norms and other governance-related aspects.

Originality/value

Non-linear relationships between the board size and performance are not normally prevalent in emerging economies, especially in the banking sector. However, such a relationship exists among the Indian banks. This paper is the first of its kind to identify and address the same.


The knowledge of the worst-case execution time (WCET) of real-time tasks is mandatory to ensure correct timing behavior of real-time systems. However, in practice an exact WCET analysis is often intractable due to limitations in computability and analysis complexity of real-size programs. In this paper we analyze how development guidelines for dependable software support and simplify WCET analysis. We investigate three guidelines and their impact on WCET analyzability. DO-178B as a production guide for avionics software expresses requirements that are relevant for timing analysis. The MISRA guidelines include C programming guidelines that improve the WCET analyzability of software. Finally, ARINC 655, a standard for software architectures of avionic systems, provides examples on how to simplify timing analysis already at the design level as early as in system design. The argument of this paper is that careful system design and programming improves the timing analyzability of real-time systems


This research investigates the potential of design for sustainability in the handicrafts of northern Thailand. It provides an in-depth understanding of the relationship between craft and design for sustainability, and examples of handicrafts and their potential links to design for sustainability, focusing especially on handwoven textiles. Research strategies include a literature review, semi-structured interviews and case studies. Seven main research findings are identified. 1. Handicraft production (including the weaving of the Tai Yuan ethnic group in northern Thailand) is compatible with all the elements in Walker's Quadruple Bottom Line of Sustainability (personal meaning, social responsibility, environmental care and economic viability). 2. Three handicrafts were found to have strong potential for design for sustainability, including textiles, furniture and jewellery. This is based on four critical factors affecting the long-term viability of handicraft enterprises, namely: production capacity, product viability, market feasibility and legislation. 3. There are four areas of design for sustainability that can ensure the long-term viability of handicraft communities and enterprises: (i) product design and development, (ii) design for marketing and sales, (iii) production development and (iv) knowledge transfer and knowledge development. 4. Weaving courses and training are key mechanisms for transferring textile knowledge. Yet these are not sufficiently available, especially to the younger generation. 5. Developments in the handicraft communities lead in one main direction, namely towards the revitalization, preservation and commercialization of handicrafts. It is crucial to explore directions that can better connect handicrafts with the younger generation and enable producers to adopt a more entrepreneurial approach. 6. Chok textiles are available at varying prices and quality in the market. Yet information about the product quality is understated and undifferentiated. More adequate information about the product quality (i. e. production techniques and processes) as well as about the unique identity and cultural heritage, ethical production and fair trade, is required to stimulate purchasing decisions. 7. The supply chain of handwoven textiles in this region falls into three main categories: stakeholders, producers' service areas and trade channels.


ABSTRACT Diva (also called Boo/Bcl-B) is a member of the Bcl-2 gene family and most likely functions during apoptosis. Diva is highly expressed in the ovary, and both pro- and antiapoptotic functions have been ascribed to this protein. To determine the role of Diva during murine development, we used gene targeting to inactivate Diva. The Diva-null mice are born at the expected ratios, are fertile, and have no obvious histological abnormalities, and long-term survival did not differ from littermate controls. Additionally, Diva was not required for apoptosis occurring from genotoxic insult in the ovaries or other organs. Thus, Diva is not critical for the normal development of the ovaries, or in its absence its function is subserved by another protein.


An acoustic echo canceler (AEC) enhances speech quality by removing echoes. An AEC operates by estimating the acoustic path, e.g., transfer function, between a speaker and a microphone. A training sequence of symbols, known a priori, is transmitted to probe the acoustic environment between the speaker and microphone and used to determine the transfer function. The transfer function is used to cancel echoes from the signal produced by the microphone. The performance of an AEC is affected by various factors such as a dynamic acoustic path, multiple acoustic paths, presence of background noise, etc. In certain conditions, the time required for robust estimation of the transfer function can be such that the transfer function changes during the estimation. Repeated transmittal of the training sequence can improve transfer function estimates; however, the training sequence itself occupies bandwidth that can otherwise carry speech payload. Techniques of this disclosure achieve robust AEC performance by transmitting pseudorandom training sequences at spectral regions unoccupied by speech, in a manner imperceptible to the human ear. The transfer function can be estimated and updated nearly continuously and imperceptibly.


The mixing characteristics of coolant air jets with the hot gas exiting the gas turbine combustor's primary zone is of major importance to the combustor exit temperature profile. In the present work, a three dimensional numerical simulation on the basis of the finite volume method was developed. The aim was to investigate the penetration and mixing characteristics of directly opposed rows of coolant jets injected normally into a heated confined cross stream. The ability of the standard and the realizable e-a turbulence models in the prediction of formation of dimensionless temperature profiles, downstream of jets, was evaluated. The effect of jet-to-mainstream momentum flux ratio, in the lower and upper limits of 25.0 and 60.0, at a fixed channel height-to-hole diameter ratio of 12.5 and a periodic distance of adjacent jets of 2 cm, was investigated. Also the effect of periodic distance in the range of 1-3 cm on the temperature profile was studied. Comparisons between the present numerical results on the temperature profiles and the experimental data of Wittig et al. [13] demonstrated reasonable agreement.


Diffuse reflectance Fourier transform infrared (DR-FTIR) spectroscopy was used to investigate the effects of organic and conventional management practices on soil organic matter (SOM) chemistry. We characterized physically and chemically isolated SOM fractions collected from Rodale's Farming Systems Trial (FST) experiment and used ratios of reactive (O-ontaining) and recalcitrant (C, H and/or N) functional group heights to characterize SOM fraction composition. Based on peak ratio comparisons, we determined that humic acid (HA) in the manure-amended organic rotation was more reactive than HA isolated from crop-residue-amended soils. Reactive/recalcitrant (O/R) peak ratios indicated that fulvic acid (FA) and particulate organic matter or light fraction (LF) isolated in April were most reactive in the organic cash-grain-based rotation. By June LF reactivity had changed; O/R ratios of LF and litter (LT) fractions isolated from the conventional and organic cash-grain soils were greater than the manure-amended soil's ratios. We did not draw any conclusions about management impacts on SOM composition from spectra of fine-clay(FC) and sand- (S) sized fractions. Using DR-FTIR we were able rank SOM fraction reactivity; average O/R ratios were FA > LT > HA > LF > FC. No consistent link between SOM fraction O/R ratios and reported C/N ratios or biological availability was made. Humic acid O/R ratios were most consistent with other estimates of overall SOM biological activity. More research is needed to clarify the relationship between the composition of specific SOM fractions and their functional significance in mineral soils.


Trademark law contains important limits that place a range of third party conduct beyond the control of the trademark owner. However, I suggest that trademark law would be better served if several of its limits were explicitly conceptualized as defenses to an action for infringement, that is, as rules permitting unauthorized uses of marks even where such uses implicate the affirmative concerns of trademark law and thus support a prima facie cause of action by the trademark owner. To explore why this distinction between limits and defenses matters, I discuss the different nature of the proscription imposed by copyright and trademark law. And I draw lessons both from case law deriving limits from interpretation of the proscription of trademark law as well as from the development of statutory defenses to dilution. Conceiving of limits as defenses would help ensure that the (often unstated) values underlying socially desirable third party uses are not too readily disregarded if they happen to conflict with confusion-avoidance concerns that are historically powerful drivers of trademark protection. Such an approach would also ameliorate the uncertainties caused by the acceptance of extended (and increasingly amorphous) notions of actionable harm in trademark law. And it would facilitate a more transparent debate about the different forms that limits on trademark rights might take. Some defenses will operate as mechanisms by which to balance competing policy concerns on a case-by-case basis, while others (reflecting more fundamental normative commitments, or driven by more proceduralist concerns) might allow certain values categorically to trump the basic policy concerns supporting liability for trademark infringement. Full development of these defenses will involve courts adopting a conscious understanding of the different jurisprudential nature of defenses and will be made easier by acceptance of the Lanham Act as a delegating statute.


In this paper we present an architecture for an MMSE filter matrix computation unit for signal detection in MIMO-OFDM communication systems. We propose to compute the required matrix inverse based on a Cholesky decomposition, followed by a Gauss-Jordan matrix inversion of the resulting triangular matrix. The high dynamic range required by this approach is traditionally conquered with custom floating-point formats or with fixed-point number representations with a large number of bits. We show in this paper that a block-floatingpoint scheme with only two normalization steps throughout the computation of the MMSE filter matrix is sufficient to achieve a BER performance close to that of a double precision floatingpoint implementation for a MIMO-OFDM systems with 64-QAM modulation. The corresponding circuit complexity is superior to that of a pure fixed-point implementation.


Collecting training images for all visual categories is not only expensive but also impractical. Zero-shot learning (ZSL), especially using attributes, offers a pragmatic solution to this problem. However, at test time most attribute-based methods require a full description of attribute associations for each unseen class. Providing these associations is time consuming and often requires domain specific knowledge. In this work, we aim to carry out attribute-based zero-shot classification in an unsupervised manner. We propose an approach to learn relations that couples class embeddings with their corresponding attributes. Given only the name of an unseen class, the learned relationship model is used to automatically predict the class-attribute associations. Furthermore, our model facilitates transferring attributes across data sets without additional effort. Integrating knowledge from multiple sources results in a significant additional improvement in performance. We evaluate on two public data sets: Animals with Attributes and aPascal/aYahoo. Our approach outperforms state-of the-art methods in both predicting class-attribute associations and unsupervised ZSL by a large margin.


Early in a college undergraduate students may meet with their advisor to discuss and choose a major field of study. Given a lack of decision tools that an advisor can employ, degree choices have commonly been constrained to student personal preference and awareness rather than any objective choice. Previous studies on the determinants of the choice of major have assumed a constant probability of success across majors—all students could be equally successful in any degree program. Our model disregards this restrictive assumption in identifying an optimum degree group based on several non-subjective factors such as performance in previous course work, overall GPA, and demographic factors such as gender, residency, and age. The processes and techniques used in this analysis can, with differing degrees of success, be used to provide students with options to examine rather than a prescription for academic success.


Using a conceptual model of a water supply firm, the necessary conditions for production and market efficiency are derived when renovated wastewater is considered as a potential water resource. The nature and extent of the supply augmentation due to recycled reuse is demonstrated using classical optimization techniques. Three stages of short-run supply corresponding to no recycling, partial recycled reuse and complete recycling of all reclaimable water are identified through appropriate Lagrangian Multipliers as well as graphical techniques. A mathematical programming model is structured to determine the optimal water resource allocation and pricing policy for Salt Lake County. By maximizing the sum of consumer and producer surplus (the difference between total willingness-to-pay and total cost) economically efficient equilibria arc derived. The feasibility of recycled reuse for Illunicipal purposes is examined in a planning context. The impact of higher water quality discharge standards on the attractiveness or water recycling option is studied. To ensure social acceptability of renovated wastewater for culinary purposes, blending restrictions arc imposed, which stipulate that the amount of water for reuse be less than a fixed percentage of the water from other sources. The effect of such a constraint on the prices and water allocation are delineated. The hydrologic uncertainty in water supply is treated using stochastic programming techniques. Application of the concepts of single and joint chance-constrained programming are illustrated. The resulting changes in pricing and allocation policies are discussed.


Dynamics of an ensemble of particles is often studied by tracking a large number of test particles from a chosen initial state to an adequately defined final state. Random distributions of particles over considered parameters are frequently used to describe an initial state of studied ensemble. Randomness of input data insures that there is no overlapping in test particles visualization; however, it hides the dependencies between various input and output parameters. If non-random, uniformly distributed input data is used, relationships between the input and output variables are revealed. Further, mapping of such an input into its output together with an appropriate interpolation scheme contains description of an output corresponding to any desired distribution of input data. A mapping of non-random uniformly distributed input into its output is combined with n -dimensional linear interpolation into a method for studying dynamics of an ensemble of particles. Advantages and efficiency of the method are illustrated using an ion beam interaction with two devices: the four parallel, equally spaced finite wires and the spiral inflector. The method is applicable if interactions between particles within an ensemble are negligible compared to other forces involved.


Abstract Although ordinal rating scales have received much research attention in survey methodology literature, the direction of the rating scales has not been as extensively studied as other design features. Research on scale direction effect has mainly focused on the influence on response distribution, while largely overlooking its impact on latent constructs. This study examines the scale direction effect on extreme and acquiescent response style latent class variables in an experiment embedded in a national probability sample. We found a higher level of acquiescent response style from scales starting with positive adjective words using a web survey. No significant effect of scale direction was detected on extreme response style or in a face-to-face survey (with show cards). This study also demonstrates that scale direction does not affect the substance latent class variables, once the response style latent class variables are included in the model. Implications of these findings and future research directions are discussed.


A VHTR-SSO for electricity, fresh water, and hydrogen production has been conceptually designed. The SSO uses a 600 MWth VHTR to drive the power cycle and generate net electricity, of 176 MWe. In the current configuration, about 100 MWe is sent to the power grid and the rest is used in a hybrid MSF-RO desalination plant to produce fresh water at a rate of 182 400 m³/d. Waste heat from the VHTR power cycle is used to pre-heat inlet seawater streams for the hybrid MSF-RO plant to increase the water-to-power ratio and consequently increase the water production efficiency. Hydrogen is produced at a rate of 1.185 kg/s via HTES that consumes electricity and heat from the VHTR. Hydrogen is produced at an efficiency of ∼50% and is sufficient to fuel approximately 280 000 light vehicles. The VHTR-SSO can be barge-mounted to facilitate its usage in remote costal regions.


Kaela SooHoo Advisor: Xiaoying Rong The purpose of this study was to determine whether HTML5 will replace Flash in the web design industry. Using the information taken from the study, the researcher made a prediction to answer the former question. The researcher looked further into these programs and find information to determine what it is that makes each of these programs unique and possibly replaceable. The researcher also interviewed and surveyed those who used these programs to design or view online websites to gain insight on practicality and current trends in the web design industry. Through research and experimentation, the researcher decided that HTML5 may replace Flash in the web design industry because of the found trends in today's society. HTML5 surely has much more work to go before being completely developed as a useable program, but once it is Flash will slowly disappear from the web. Adobe Flash may have lost its relevance in web design, but it is surely not disappearing completely any time soon due to the several other purposes it serves outside of the web.


Motivating students to read seems to be a near universal problem for teachers. To address that problem, the question for this research synthesis is, what does research say about the relationship between reading incentives and a student's motivation to read? Results of this synthesis indicate that research into motivation and incentives, both generally and for reading, focuses mainly on students in the elementary school age range. For the effects of incentives in general, findings indicate that while tangible extrinsic rewards are used by teachers and schools, the greater impact on motivation and academic performance comes from teacher verbal encouragement and activity selection, and student interests and intrinsic motivation. For the effects of incentives specifically for reading motivation, findings indicate that these effects are similar to effects of incentives generally: that tangible extrinsic rewards are used by teachers and schools but appear to have little impact on student motivation to read, and that the greater impact on reading motivation and academic performance can come from certain types of reading instruction, student access to books, and student intrinsic motivation. These findings are relevant to the professional development of elementary teachers and will therefore be disseminated to them through a professional development video.


Type Ia supernovae (SNIa) have an almost uniform peak luminosity, so that they are used as "standard candle" to estimate distances to galaxies in cosmology. In this article, we introduce our two recent works on SNIa based on data-driven approach. The diversity in the peak luminosity of SNIa can be reduced by corrections in several variables. The color and decay rate have been used as the explanatory variables of the peak luminosity in past studies. However, it is proposed that their spectral data could give a better model of the peak luminosity. We use cross-validation in order to control the generalization error and a LASSO-type estimator in order to choose the set of variables. Using 78 samples and 276 candidates of variables, we confirm that the peak luminosity depends on the color and decay rate. Our analysis does not support adding any other variables in order to have a better generalization error. On the other hand, this analysis is based on the assumption that SNIa originate in a single population, while it is not trivial. Indeed, several sub-types possibly having different nature have been proposed. We used a visual analytics tool for the asymmetric biclustering method to find both a good set of variables and samples at the same time. Using 14 variables and 132 samples, we found that SNIa can be divided into two categories by the expansion velocity of ejecta. Those examples demonstrate that the data-driven approach is useful for high-dimensional large-volume data which becomes common in modern astronomy.


Abstract: Growth of solid tumors and cancer metastases is accompanied by inflammation-assisted remodeling of the tis-sue microenvironment that resembles the physiological process of wound healing. As a consequence, the non-malignant tumor stroma constitutes up to 85% of the tumor volume and is simply not just a passive bystander, but regulates tumor survival, growth and metastatic spread. The importance of the tumor vasculature was first recognized in 1971, when Judah Folkman suggested that neovascularization allows a tumor to exceed its dormant stage and grow beyond a size of 2 mm. This hypothesis was not fully appreciated until three decades later when the outbreak of angiogenesis research was fol-lowed by the first clinical applications of antiangiogenic drugs. Even though the antiangiogenesis paradigm is broadly ac-cepted, the clinical success of new drugs is limited. Different mechanisms of resistance to antiangiogenesis treatments have been proposed, like compensatory action of blood vessel growth factors, lower sensitivity of normalized vessels to the therapy or vessel growth by alternative modes of angiogenesis. In this review we will analyze the known mechanisms of neovascularization, including postnatal vasculogenesis, sprouting angiogenesis, intussusceptive angiogenesis, and loop-ing angiogenesis and their potential effects on tumor vascularization. We will also discuss how the current basic knowl-edge of angiogenic mechanisms translate into limited success of clinical trials utilizing antiangiogenic drugs.


For nearly sixty years, the federal government maintained a policy of preventing or discouraging receipt of welfare by two-parent families. In its massive overhaul of welfare in 1996, Congress reversed course and declared its new policy was to promote marriage for welfare recipients. With great fan fare, the Bush Administration pledged $1.5 billion to support a healthy marriage initiative for recipients of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families. As Professor Nice reveals, however, the marriage promotion policy is not what it seems to be. For example, in the 2005 Deficit Reduction Act, Congress quietly reinstated a marriage penalty by authorizing sanctions against states that failed to meet a thirty-five hour weekly work requirement on 90% of two-parent families as compared to the more lenient 50% work rate for other families. Moreover, most marriage promotion funding has not been allocated toward direct incentives for welfare recipients to marry but instead has supported cheaper advertising and educational campaigns designed to persuade poor Americans to marry and stay married. Professor Nice argues that spending funds on promoting marriage is exactly not what is needed, however, especially considering social science data such as the important study by sociologists Kathryn Edin and Maria Kefalas that found poor women already aspire to marry but feel they cannot afford marriage. Professor Nice further demonstrates that social science data regarding marriage and poverty are insufficient to justify the marriage promotion experiment due to serious weaknesses in methodology of past studies and current gaps in knowledge. She concludes that such flawed experimentation affecting the private lives of welfare recipients is tolerated precisely because of their class.


Web servers are a very important tool when providing users with requested content on the Internet. Usage of the Internet is growing day-by-day, making those software applications essential.
In the first part of the thesis, the web server world will be introduced to the
reader, by giving a brief explanation of some of the available technologies as well as different dynamic protocols. Also, as there are different web servers available in the market, during this report it will be chosen the best performing ones. So, it will be presented a comparative chart between all of them in order to show the most important features of each one.
Defining the scenario and the test cases is mandatory. For this reason, it is described the used hardware and software used to perform those benchmarks.
The hardware is maintained equal during the whole test process, in order to let web server's performance gaps to their internal architecture. Operating system and benchmarking tools are also described and given some examples.
Furthermore, test cases are chosen to show some strengths and weakness of each web server, enabling us to compare the relative performance between them.
Finally, the last part of the report consists on presenting the obtained results
during the benchmark process, as well as presenting some lessons learned during the curse of the whole thesis, summing-up with some conclusions.


This study was conducted in Dar es Salaam and it was a library based study and
interview. Data was collected at The Open University of Tanzania, The University of
Dar es salaam and The Tanganyika libraries. The study was set to analyze literary
devices in selected novels of Severine Ndunguru. Specifically, the study identified
the types of literary devices used by the author, evaluated the employment of
language in the literary devices in four novels of Severine Ndunguru, namely, A
Wreath For Father Mayer, The Lion of Yola, Spared and Divine Providence.
Furthermore, it assessed the usefulness of the literary devices in the novels. The
study adapted a qualitative research design. An intensive reading of the novels was
done by the researcher. An interview was also with the author, Mr. Severine
Ndunguru. Moreover, both primary and secondary data were collected and utilized.
The methods of data collection employed were content analysis and analysis of
written texts. The study revealed that Severine's novels have extensively utilized
literary devices such as allusion, imagery, exclamation, dialogue, repetitions, hubris,
symbolism and personification. Also the writer succeeds in employing the English
language to present these literary devices, and these literary devices show their
usefulness in the thematic part of the novels. The analysis of these works offers a
contribution to the existing knowledge in the way literary devices are analyzed, as
well as promotes Ndunguru's works by making them available for further scrutiny.
In addition, researchers are encouraged to conduct further research focusing on other
aspects in Ndunguru's novels which were not the focus of this study.


Using a commercially available visual graphical analysis tool, the National Science Digital Library (NSDL) has developed techniques to expedite evaluation of large batches of metadata. These techniques allow efficient and thorough review of large quantities of XML metadata, thus enabling the focus of limited resources on evaluation and manipulation tasks that are most important in our context. In the NSDL, metadata is evaluated for aggregation, but these techniques are applicable to any situation where batches of metadata need to be evaluated. This paper discusses the motivations for this approach and the techniques themselves.


We describe a hybrid modeling approach where the parameters of a model are calculated and modulated by another model, typically a neural network (NN), to avoid both overfitting and underfitting. We develop the approach for the case of Hidden Markov Models (HMMs), by deriving a class of hybrid HMM/NN architectures. These architectures can be trained with unified algorithms that blend HMM dynamic programming with NN backpropagation. In the case of complex data, mixtures of HMMs or modulated HMMs must be used. NNs can then be applied both to the parameters of each single HMM, and to the switching or modulation of the models, as a function of input or context. Hybrid HMM/NN architectures provide a flexible NN parameterization for the control of model structure and complexity. At the same time, they can capture distributions that, in practice, are inaccessible to single HMMs. The HMM/NN hybrid approach is tested, in its simplest form, by constructing a model of the immunoglobulin protein family. A hybrid model is trained, and a multiple alignment derived, with less than a fourth of the number of parameters used with previous single HMMs.


OBJECTIVES
Congenital cysts of the mediastinum are an uncommon but important diagnostic group, representing 12 to 30% of all mediastinal masses. The purpose of this study was to review our institutional experience with congenital cysts of the mediastinum, emphasizing the clinical spectrum of the disease.

DESIGN
Retrospective study.

OBJECTIVES
University hospital unit of general thoracic surgery.

METHODS
We retrospectively reviewed the records of 105 patients with cysts of the mediastinum (50 male and 55 female patients) who comprised 13.0% of mediastinal masses over the past 50 years.

RESULTS
There were 10 pediatric patients (< 15 years old) and 95 adult patients. The prevalence of cysts in the adult populations was higher than that in children (14.1% vs 7.7%, p < 0.05). There were 47 bronchogenic cysts, 30 thymic cysts, 12 pericardial cysts, 7 pleural cysts, 4 esophageal duplications, 2 meningoceles, 1 thoracic duct cyst, and 2 others. MRI has become a useful tool for providing supplemental data in combination with CT. Overall, 38 patients (36.2%) with mediastinal cysts were symptomatic, including 39.2% with bronchogenic/esophageal cysts, 40% with thymic cysts, and 15.8% with pericardial/pleural cysts. One hundred patients had complete resection of their masses, 3 patients with pericardial diverticulum received a thoracoscopic fenestration without mortality, and 2 patients refused surgery.

CONCLUSION
Early recognition of these relatively rare lesions would lead to immediate and appropriate surgical intervention. Early surgical intervention is also important because definitive histologic diagnosis can only be established by means of surgical extirpation.


This study investigates the formation of nominal derivatives in Arabic by providing a multi-level analysis in the light of state-of-the-art theories and approaches in modern linguistics. Six types of nominal derivative are described and analyzed: the active participle, the passive participle, the form of exaggeration, the instrumental noun, the qualificative adjective, and the locative noun. The study considers the Form I verb stem as input for forming the six types of nominal derivative (the output). A multi-level approach is employed, involving semantics, syntax, morphology and prosodic phonology.
The study establishes an Arabic verb classification in which 980 Form I verbs are divided into 44 classes from which nominal derivatives are derived. Verbs are allocated to classes according to their semantic features and syntactic behaviour. Semantically, the verbs in each class share related meanings and semantic functions. In addition, semantic relations such as synonyms, antonyms, polysemy and hyponym are taken into consideration. Syntactically, the verbs in each class share syntactic behaviour in terms of their transitivity and syntactic frames (in which all the verbs of a class can be used alternatively).


"The Gymnasium of Virtue" is the first book devoted exclusively to the study of education in ancient Sparta, covering the period from the sixth century B.C. to the fourth century A.D. Nigel Kennell refutes the popular notion that classical Spartan education was a conservative amalgam of "primitive" customs not found elsewhere in Greece. He argues instead that later political and cultural movements made the system appear to be more distinctive than it actually had been, as a means of asserting Sparta's claim to be a unique society. Using epigraphical, literary, and archaeological evidence, Kennell describes the development of all aspects of Spartan education, including the age-grade system and physical contests that were integral to the system. He shows that Spartan education reached its apogee in the early Roman Empire, when Spartans sought to distinguish themselves from other Greeks. He attributes many of the changes instituted later in the period to one person--the philosopher Sphaerus the Borysthenite, who was an adviser to the revolutionary king Cleomenes III in the third century B.C.


This article discusses the disintegrating factors generated by Spanish colonial rule in the Marianas in the early eighteenth century—corruption by colonial officials, ineffective defense against other European powers, precipitous decline in the native population—in a context in which the archipelago's future as a Spanish outpost was debated in religious and political circles in Manila and Madrid. The article focuses on the governorship of Juan Antonio Pimentel, whose immorality as well as oppression of the Chamorros were denounced by the Jesuits. The punishment for Pimentel's corruption and greed was meant to reassert Spain's authority and appreciation for the Marianas as a strategic possession.


The concept of creative learning extends far beyond Arts-based learning or the development of individual creativity. It covers a range of processes and initiatives throughout the world that share common values, systems and practices aimed at making learning more creative. This applies at individual, classroom, or whole school level, always with the aim of fully realising young people's potential. Until now there has been no single text bringing together the significant literature that explores the dimensions of creative learning, despite the work of artists in schools and the development of a cadre of creative teaching and learning specialists. Containing a mixture of newly commissioned chapters, reprints and updated versions of previous publications, this book brings together major theorists and current research. Comprising of key readings in creative education, it will stand as a uniquely authoritative text that will appeal to those involved in initial and continuing teacher education, as well as research academics and policy specialists.


ABSTRACT An attempt to put the horror writer H. P. Lovecraft on the map of psychoanalytical criticism, this analysis examines Lovecraft's use of setting, characters, and narrative mode and structure in "The Call of Cthulhu" (1926) to show how his construction of horror has its ground in psychology, or, more specifically, in ideas of identity and violated boundaries of the self. In addition, brief reflections on Modernist art, its connections with psychoanalysis, and its analogies to Lovecraftian imagery are provided in order to show the echoes of the Zeitgeist in Lovecraft's horrors. Although Lovecraft made claims for the universality of the horror he depicted, the present analysis also maps its specific and time-bound characteristics.


Most laws are ceteris paribus (cp) laws: they say not that all Fs are G but only that All Fs are G all else being equal. Most philosophical accounts of laws, however, have focused on strict laws. This paper considers how some of the standard philosophical problems about laws change when we switch attention from strict to cp laws and what special problems these laws raise. It is argued that some cp laws do not simply reflect the complexity of the world and the limitations of our minds. Correctly interpreted, they reveal the simplicity that underlies the complexity, a simplicity that it is without our cognitive powers to grasp.


My research is in the field of interfacial phenomena. Since all materials are bounded by surfaces or interfaces, the ability to manipulate or tune interfacial properties is broadly important. I am interested in particle-laden fluid interfaces where surface tension plays a dominant role. In particular, I have investigated the effect of particle shape in the interaction and assembly of non-spherical microparticles at interfaces between immiscible fluids, such as the air-water or oil-water interfaces. In the first study, I showed experimentally that geometric features on the surface of the cylindrical microparticles, specifically the sharp edges, have a strong influence on both the capillary interactions and the micromechanics of the particle assembly. In the second study, I used creatively shaped particles to model the effect of surface roughness on the particle and carried out the first numerical and experimental demonstration of near-field capillary repulsion. Lastly, I demonstrated experimentally and analytically that on a curved interface with a gradient along one of the principal axes of curvature, both isotropic and anisotropic microparticles migrate to the region of high curvature. In addition, anisotropic microparticles conform to either an azimuthal or a radial orientation depending on their aspect ratios. My research provides fundamental knowledge for understanding, predicting and modulating the interactions between colloidal particles at fluid interfaces, with immense potential for various applications in which the interface stabilization is vital. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering First Advisor Kathleen J. Stebe


If I were asked to describe as briefl y and popularly as I could, what a University was, I should draw my answer from its ancient designation of a Studium Generale, or "School of Universal Learning." This description implies the assemblage of strangers from all parts in one spot;—from all parts; else, how will you fi nd professors and students for every department of knowledge? and in one spot; else, how can there be any school at all? Accordingly, in its simple and rudimental form, it is a school of knowledge of every kind, consisting of teachers and learners from every quarter. Many things are requisite to complete and satisfy the idea embodied in this description; but such as this a University seems to be in its essence, a place for the communication and circulation of thought, by means of personal intercourse, through a wide extent of country.


This paper provides an analysis of the impact of using machine learning to conduct profiling of individuals in the context of the EU General Data Protection Regulation.We look at what profiling means and at the right that data subjects have not to be subject to decisions based solely on automated processing, including profiling, which produce legal effects concerning them or significantly affect them. We also look at data subjects' right to be informed about the existence of automated decision-making, including profiling, and their right to receive meaningful information about the logic involved, as well as the significance and the envisaged consequences of such processing.The purpose of this paper is to explore the application of relevant data protection rights and obligations to machine learning, including implications for the development and deployment of machine learning systems and the ways in which personal data are collected and used. In particular, we consider what compliance with the first data protection principle of lawful, fair, and transparent processing means in the context of using machine learning for profiling purposes. We ask whether automated processing utilising machine learning, including for profiling purposes, might in fact offer benefits and not merely present challenges in relation to fair and lawful processing.


Background: The Colles' fracture is the most common fracture site in the upper extremity; it causes functional problems and it can result in some disabling complications. Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Low-level laser therapy versus therapeutic ultrasound after Colles' fracture fixation. Method:Fourty patients were assigned randomly into two groups (Group A and Group B) with ages ranged from 18-45ys. Group A consisted of fifteen female patients and five male patients, and received Low-level laser therapy, group B consisted of fifteen female patients and five male patients, and therapeutic ultrasound for 3 times per week for 6 weeks. Patients were evaluated pre and posttreatment for the function of the wrist joint, grip strength, and wrist joint's ROM. Results:When comparing patients in group (A) who received LASER therapy, and patients in group B who received Therapeutic ultrasound, we observed clinical difference but it was only statistically significant in favor of group (A) patients in terms of pain and function. Group (A) had a better score in functional disability but it was statistically significant, also had a better score in grip strength but it was not statistically significant. However group (B) had better scores in the range of motion of flexion, extension, radial deviation, and ulnar deviation but it was not statistically significant and also had lower scores in the patient-reported in grip strength. Conclusion: It can be concluded that both Low-level laser therapy and therapeutic ultrasound after Colles' fractures fixation improved pain, patient hand function, grip strength, and range of motion. Both of similar degrees of improvement, however low-level laser therapy had more improvements than therapeutic ultrasound in the wrist pain and function. Key Word: Colles' fracture, Low-level laser therapy, Therapeutic ultrasound


The legal requirement for an Ecological Reserve established in South Africa's water law is commonly regarded by stakeholders as being in direct competition with the needs of humans. This has resulted in much debate and varying interpretations of the meaning and purpose of the Ecological Reserve. However, the requirement for water that is allocated to sustain ecosystem functions is directly aligned with options for human use arising from rivers to deliver a suite of ecosystem goods and services to society. In this paper, we propose a conceptual approach to support a more constructive debate around the role and function of the Reserve in the sustainable use and protection of a suite of benefits to society. The approach proposes that debate be structured around managing for a dynamic ecological state in rivers that would in turn achieve the desired (albeit dynamic) mix of goods and services to a wide range of stakeholders. These stakeholders come from widely differing socio-economic backgrounds, and their needs may be either for the direct use of water and associated resources located within the macro channels of rivers, or for their use in supporting social and economic activity remote from the river. The paper shows how goods and services concepts can provide an approach that contributes to developing a shared understanding that facilitates decisions on water allocations. The implication is that when water allocations can be evaluated comparatively it creates greater awareness of each other's needs and interdependencies and value is attached to a greater diversity of benefits and costs. This in turn allows for opportunities to achieve more equitable recognition and allocation of the resources associated with rivers. The approach assists in making the conceptual link between goods and services that arise from constructed production systems, and those that arise from natural production systems (i.e. ecosystems). Off-site as well as on-site use of river goods and services (the latter being catered for by the Ecological Reserve) can in this way be brought into debate in a way that promotes wider appreciation of society's diverse uses of river resources. In doing so it promotes interest-based participation as intended by legislation.


Bioplume II, a widely used computer model developed by researchers at Rice University , models the transport of dissolved hydrocarbons in ground water under the innuence of oxygen-limited biodegradation. The model is deterministic, and it was of interest to allow the model to reeect uncertainty in its input variables and to quantify the resulting uncertainty in output contamination estimates. A Monte Carlo interface to the model was developed. This interface gives contaminant concentration information in the form of mean and standard deviation maps. An improved method of estimating contaminant concentrations using this stochastic version of Bioplume II is presented. This method allows contaminant concentration estimates to be obtained for arbitrary spatial locations, not limited to locations at the centers of the cells on the grid used by the model. Additionally, the method allows for calculation of the probability that the contaminant exceeds some user-speciied threshold for any location within the area being modeled.


Zero-shot learning (ZSL) is one of the most promising problems where substantial progress can potentially be achieved through unsupervised learning, due to distributional differences between supervised and zero-shot classes. For this reason, several works investigate the incorporation of discriminative domain adaptation techniques into ZSL, which, however, lead to modest improvements in ZSL accuracy. In contrast, we propose a generative model that can naturally learn from unsupervised examples, and synthesize training examples for unseen classes purely based on their class embeddings, and therefore, reduce the zero-shot learning problem into a supervised classification task. The proposed approach consists of two important components: (i) a conditional Generative Adversarial Network that learns to produce samples that mimic the characteristics of unsupervised data examples, and (ii) the Gradient Matching (GM) loss that measures the quality of the gradient signal obtained from the synthesized examples. Using our GM loss formulation, we enforce the generator to produce examples from which accurate classifiers can be trained. Experimental results on several ZSL benchmark datasets show that our approach leads to significant improvements over the state of the art in generalized zero-shot classification.


This Article examines how technological advances in the field of "Big Data" challenge meaningful individual autonomy (and by extension democracy), are redefining the process of self-formation and the relationship between self and society, and can cause harm that cannot be addressed under current regulatory frameworks. Adopting a theory of autonomy that includes both the exploration process an individual goes through in order to develop authentic and independent desires that lead to his actions, as well as the independence of the actions and decisions themselves, this Article identifies three distinct categories of autonomy challenges that Big Data technologies present. The first is the increasing rise of lots of "little brothers," putting individuals in a state of constant surveillance, the very knowledge of which undermines individual self-determination. In the governmental context, the idea of always being watched has long been established as a threat to freedom of expression, free speech, "intellectual privacy," and associational freedoms. The discussion does not focus on government surveillance per se, but draws from the same reasoning to illustrate how similar dangers are present even when it is not the government or a single entity behind the surveillance. The second is an algorithmic self-reinforcing loop in every aspect of our lives, as in a world where everything is tracked, the "choices" one is given are based on assumptions about him, and these same "choices" are the ones that determine and become the new assumption, thereby creating a constantly fortified self-fulfilling prophecy. The very structure of the algorithms used is based on statistical models trained to ignore outliers, collect (im)perfect information about the past and use that to recreate the future. This is true both on an individual level and for society more generally. The third is the use of persuasive computing techniques, allowing companies to move beyond simply measuring customer behavior to creating products that are designed with the specific goal of forming new habits. Finally, this Article demonstrates the need for the development of a vocabulary to assess the ethical, political, and sociological values of these algorithms, and for a full set of ethical norms that can lay the foundations of democracy on the web.


Serotonin (5-HT) is a neurotransmitter that is thought to play a decisive role in many psychiatric disorders. The present special issue of the journal is composed of a selection of articles using the acute tryptophan depletion (ATD) technique, which is a safe physiological neurodietary method for lowering the synthesis rate of the neurotransmitter 5-HT in the brain. On one hand, studying the effects of a specific neurotransmitter on individuals may be realized by enhancing central nervous system neurotransmission of said neurotransmitter; in the case of 5-HT, administration of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) is one method for accomplishing this task. On the other hand, one may also try to draw conclusions about such effects by decreasing the availability of the neurotransmitter and comparing the resulting data with those gathered at a baseline assessment or from a control condition, an approach somewhat reversed from the first method. The aforementioned ATD method relies upon decreased administration of the essential amino acid tryptophan (TRP), the physiological precursor of 5-HT, to achieve a short-term reduction in brain 5-HT synthesis (1, 2). By assessing changes in behavior (3, 4), physiological parameters (5), brain function (6), and neurochemical properties (2) following ATD administration and comparing the resulting findings to baseline or control conditions, researchers can draw conclusions about the effects of 5-HT on the brain and behavioral characteristics as well as biological variables. In other words, ATD exemplifies the concept of trying to draw conclusions about brain 5-HT function with respect to the effects observed, while subjects are under the influence of a short-term deficit in central nervous system 5-HT synthesis. In this issue of Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, K€ otting et al. (7) present data on the effects of a body weight–adapted ATD protocol in young people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with respect to aggressive behavior. This is the first published study investigating the effects of ATD on aggressive behavior that included female youths with ADHD. The results describe the differential effects of ATD on aggression in female and male youths with ADHD depending upon levels of provocation. Mette et al. (8) describe significant differences in attentional performance (omission errors) found in adult patients with ADHD and controls while subjected to ATD when compared with a control condition. Moreover, the patients' reaction times decreased following ATD when compared with the control condition, whereas the opposite effects were observed in the control group. These observations implicate serotonergic neurotransmission in attentional processes in adults with ADHD – a finding of importance with respect to the still not fully understood pathophysiology of ADHD. Grabemann et al. (9) studied the effects of ATD on affective prosody in adult patients with ADHD, but did not find clear evidence supporting an association of 5-HT with impairments in affective prosody in these patients. Instead, difficulties in accurately processing affective prosody in male adults with ADHD may be associated with significant impairments in their ability to inhibit unwanted stimuli and impulses. Another study (10) examined the effects of ATD on verbal declarative memory in young people with ADHD; no clear effects were identified. Despite such non-significant findings, such information is of scientific value, especially considering that the pathophysiology of ADHD is not entirely understood. Also in this special issue of the journal, van Donkelaar et al. (11) show that changes in central nervous system 5-HT function might not play as important a role as previously thought in acting as a mechanism behind the previously reported ability of phosphodiesterase inhibitors to improve Video podcast available Go to www.actapsychiatrica.com to watch an accompanying commentary by Guest Editor Florian Daniel Zepf.


[1] Robust absorbing boundary conditions are central to the utility and advancement of 3-D numerical wave propagation methods. It is in general preferred that an absorbing boundary method be capable of broadband absorption, be efficient in terms of memory and computation time, and be widely stable in connection with sophisticated numerical schemes. Here we discuss these issues for a promising absorbing boundary method, perfectly matched layers (PML), as implemented in the widely used fourth-order accurate three-dimensional (3-D) staggered-grid velocity-stress finite difference (FD) scheme. Numerical results for point (explosive and double couple) and extended sources, velocity structures (homogeneous, 1-D and 3-D), and different thickness PML zones are excellent, in general, leaving no observable reflections in PML seismograms compared to the amplitudes of the primary phases. For both homogeneous half-space and 1-D models, typical amplitude reduction factors (with respect to the maximum trace amplitude) range between 1/100 and 1/625 for PML thicknesses of 5–20 nodes. A PML region of thickness 5 outperforms a simple exponential damping region of thickness 20 in a homogeneous half-space model by a factor of 3. We find that PML is effective across the simulation bandwidth. For example, permanent offset artifacts due to particularly poor absorption of long-period energy by the simple exponential damping are effectively absent when PML is used. The computational efficiency and storage requirements of PML, compared to the simple exponential damping, are reduced due to the need for only narrow absorbing regions. We also discuss stability and present the complete PML model for the 3-D velocity-stress system.


The Mechanical Engineering Department of Ecole Polytechnique after experimenting for a number of years with a virtual environment option in the Aerospace Master Program, created a new design option in the fourth year of the Mechanical Engineering program. This option is built around a project carried out by a large team working over two semesters where a digital product definition including Product Data Management and Manufacturing Process Management technologies are currently used to foster a concurrent product development process. This orientation contains three courses and the project. A series of laboratory sessions have been developed in each course in order to familiarise the students with the virtual environment and also the various types of analysis that they will have to perform on the product being developed. Professors teaching the three courses participate in the project definition and the project assessment. This approach reinforces the various subjects' knowledge and integrates it into a practical realm close to an industrial environment. The project assessment includes four reviews. A requirements review and a conceptual review are set in the first semester and a preliminary design review and a critical or detail design review in the second semester. At each review, the students prepare a technical report followed by an oral presentation to a jury composed of four professors of the option, engineers from industry and the professor coordinating the SAE Student Formula. At each review, the students have to evaluate the work completed by each participant to the project. This evaluation impacts on the individual assessment of the project. The vision for this project is to integrate practical building and test experiences by coupling the option courses with an already existing lab course in the last semester. A major part of this lab course is oriented for practical team training (3 - 4 students) on a given number of laboratory experiments. It is planned that some of these labs will be focused on the analysis and testing of sub-assemblies already designed and built during the project of the previous or the current year. This goal is in line with our CDIO (Conceive, Design, Implement, Operate) initiative which aims to include in the engineering curriculum a number of design, build and test experiences.


It is clear that maintenance is a crucial and very costly process in a software life cycle. Nowadays there are a lot of software systems particularly legacy systems that are always maintained from time to time as new requirements arise. One important source to understand a software system before it is being maintained is through the documentation, particularly system documentation. Unfortunately, not all software systems developed or maintained are accompanied with their reliable and updated documents. In this case, source codes will be the only reliable source for programmers. A number of studies have been carried out in order to assist cognition based on source codes. One way is through tool automation via reverse engineering technique in which source codes will be parsed and the information extracted will be visualized using certain visualization methods. Most software visualization methods use graph as the main element to represent extracted software artifacts. Nevertheless, current methods tend to produce more complicated graphs and do not grant an explicit, document-like re-documentation environment. Hence, this thesis proposes a document-like software visualization method called DocLike Modularized Graph (DMG). The method is realized in a prototype tool named DocLike Viewer that targets on C-based software systems. The main contribution of the DMG method is to provide an explicit structural re-document mechanism in the software visualization tool. Besides, the DMG method provides more level of information abstractions via less complex graph that include inter-module dependencies, inter-program dependencies, procedural abstraction and also parameter passing. The DMG method was empirically evaluated based on the Goal/Question/Metric (GQM) paradigm and the findings depict that the method can improve productivity and quality in the aspect of cognition or program comprehension. A usability study was also conducted and DocLike Viewer had the most positive responses from the software practitioners.


Hyperproperties, which generalize trace properties by relating multiple traces, are widely studied in information-flow security. Recently, a number of logics for hyperproperties have been proposed, and there is a need to understand their decidability and relative expressiveness. The new logics have been obtained from standard logics with two principal extensions: temporal logics, like LTL and CTL*, have been generalized to hyperproperties by adding variables for traces or paths. First-order and second-order logics, like monadic first-order logic of order and MSO, have been extended with the equal-level predicate. We study the impact of the two extensions across the spectrum of linear-time and branching-time logics, in particular for logics with quantification over propositions. The resulting hierarchy of hyperlogics differs significantly from the classical hierarchy, suggesting that the equal-level predicate adds more expressiveness than trace and path variables. Within the hierarchy of hyperlogics, we identify new boundaries on the decidability of the satisfiability problem. Specifically, we show that while HyperQPTL and HyperCTL* are both undecidable in general, formulas within their $\exists^{*}\forall^{*}$ fragments are decidable.


Environmental concerns and energy security uncertainties associated with fossil fuels have driven the world to shift to renewable energy sources. However, most renewable energy sources with exception of hydropower are intermittent in nature and thus need storage systems. Amongst various storage systems, supercapacitors are the promising candidates for energy storage not only in renewable energies but also in hybrid vehicles and portable devices due to their high power density. Supercapacitor electrodes are almost invariably made of carbon derived from biomass. Several reviews had been focused on general carbon materials for supercapacitor electrode. This review is focused on understanding the extent to which different types of biomasses have been used as porous carbon materials for supercapacitor electrodes. It also details hydrothermal microwave assisted, ionothermal, and molten salts carbonization as techniques of synthesizing activated carbon from biomasses as well as their characteristics and their impacts on electrochemical performance.


Model checking is an automatic formal verification technique for establishing correctness of systems. It has been widely used in industry for analysing and verifying complex safety-critical systems in application domains such as avionics, medicine and computer security, where manual testing is infeasible and even minor errors could have dire consequences. In our increasingly parallelised world, concurrency has become pivotal and seamlessly woven within programming paradigms, however, extremely challenging when it comes to modelling and establishing correctness of intended behaviour. Tools for model checking concurrent systems face severe limitations due to scalability problems arising from the need to examine all possible interleavings (schedules) of executions of parallel components. Moreover, concurrency poses additional challenges to model checking, giving rise to phenomena such as nondeterminism, deadlock, livelock, etc. In this thesis we focus on adapting and developing novel model-checking techniques for concurrent systems in the setting of the process algebra CSP and its primary model checker FDR. CSP allows for a compact modelling and precise analysis of event-based concurrency, grounded on synchronous message passing as a fundamental mechanism of inter-component communication. In particular, we investigate techniques based on symbolic model checking, static analysis and abstraction, all of them exploiting the compositionality inherent in CSP and targeting to increase the scale of systems that can be tractably analysed. Firstly, we investigate symbolic model-checking techniques based on Boolean satisfiability (SAT), which we adapt for the traces model of CSP. We tailor bounded model checking (BMC), that can be used for bug detection, and temporal k-induction, which aims at establishing inductiveness of properties and is capable of both bug finding and establishing the correctness of systems. Secondly, we propose a static analysis framework for establishing livelock freedom of CSP processes, with lessons for other concurrent formalisms. As opposed to traditional exhaustive state-space exploration, our framework employs a system of rules on the syntax of a process to calculate a sound approximation of its fair/co-fair sets of events. The rules either safely classify a process as livelock-free or report inconclusiveness, thereby trading accuracy for speed. Finally, we develop a series of abstraction/refinement schemes for the traces, stable-failures and failures-divergences models of CSP and embed them into a fully automated and compositional CEGAR framework. For each of those techniques we present an implementation and an experimental evaluation on a set of CSP benchmarks.


The conventional wisdom that inflation and unemployment are unrelated in the long-run implies that these phenomena can be analysed by separate branches of economics. The macro literature tries to explain inflation dynamics and estimates the NAIRU. The labour macro literature tries to explain unemployment dynamics and determine the real economic factors that drive the natural rate of unemployment. We show that the orthodox view that the New Keynesian Phillips curve is vertical in the long-run and that it cannot generate substantial inflation persistence relies on the implausible assumption of a zero interest rate. In the light of these results, we argue that a holistic framework is needed to jointly explain the evolution of inflation and unemployment.


The general aim of the PhD thesis, realised at the Department of Animal Science and Food Control (University of Napoli, Federico II, Italy), was to study animal performance and the nutritional characteristics of meat from Buffalo bred in Italy (Italian Mediterranean Buffalo) fed different diets. The importance of this research is to give a contribute to better characterize the buffalo infra vitam performance (i.e. weight gain, feed conversion index, etc.) and meat quality (mainly in terms of fatty acids profile). Moreover, the originality of the investigation into the field was the diet composition.
In particular, in the first experimental study the use of a leguminosae (faba bean, Vicia faba minor L.), as protein source in the diet of buffalo, was compared to the soya bean meal. The second investigation refers the results obtained using a nutraceutical additive (Aloe arborescens) in the dairy cow buffalo diets to study the influence on the colostrums quality and buffalo veal performance in the early period of life.
In the first trial it has been demonstrated that feeding growing buffalo with diet without soybean does not affect either in vivo performances (body weight, daily weight gain and biological efficiency of growth, feed conversion index) or nutritional characteristics of meat. This is very interesting, due to the public concerns about genetically modified feed, as large part of soybean nowadays is. The second trial confirmed the influence of good quality colostrums on the calves growth. Indeed, the addition of Aloe arborescens to the mother's diet during the last period of pregnancy, significantly increased the immunoglobulin content of colostrums. This result, in addition to determine and adequate passive transfer of immunity, very probably also determined the higher growing performances of calves due to the link of IgG to a number of growth and maturation factors able to increase absorption of nutrients from intestine.
Particularly interesting are the results on the fatty acids profile and cholesterol content of buffalo meat. The cholesterol content results lower than those found for the Italian bovine bred specialised for meat production; the contents of myristic, palmitic and stearic acids result significantly lower than those recorded by other authors for young bulls of Chianina bred. To the light of the both high atherogenic and thrombogenic activity of the first two fatty acids and of that only thrombogenic of the stearic acid, we can attribute a favourable judgment to buffalo meat from the dietetic-nutritional point of view. In fact, although the contents of oleic acid and of PUFA of the ω-6 and ω-3 series are not particularly high, both the atherogenicity (AI) and the thrombogenicity (TI) index were very low.


Members of the Ets family of proto-oncogenes encode sequence-specific transcription factors that bind to a purine-rich motif centered around a conserved GGA trinucleotide. Ets binding sites have been identified in the transcriptional regulatory regions of multiple T cell genes including the T cell receptor alpha and beta (TCR-alpha and -beta) enhancers and the IL-2 enhancer, as well as in the enhancers of several T cell-trophic viruses including Maloney sarcoma virus, human leukemia virus type 1, and human immunodeficiency virus-2. T cells express multiple members of the Ets gene family including Ets-1, Ets-2, GABP alpha, Elf-1, and Fli-1. The different patterns of expression and protein-protein interactions of these different Ets family members undoubtedly contribute to their ability to specifically regulate distinct sets of T cell genes. However, previous studies have suggested that different Ets family members might also display distinct DNA binding specificities. In this report, we have examined the DNA binding characteristics of two Ets family members, Ets-1 and Elf-1, that are highly expressed in T cells. The results demonstrate that the minimal DNA binding domain of these proteins consists of adjacent basic and putative alpha-helical regions that are conserved in all of the known Ets family members. Both regions are required for DNA binding activity. In vitro binding studies demonstrated that Ets-1 and Elf-1 display distinct DNA binding specificities, and, thereby interact preferentially with different naturally occurring Ets binding sites. A comparison of known Ets binding sites identified three nucleotides at the 3' end of these sequences that control the differential binding of the Ets-1 and Elf-1 proteins. These results are consistent with a model in which different Ets family members regulate the expression of different T cell genes by binding preferentially to purine-rich sequences that share a GGA core motif, but contain distinct flanking sequences.


The main objective of the study is to find out whether there are any statistically significant differences in the assessment of the selected leadership attributes between managers from the perspective of gender. A differential analysis was conducted on the sample of 129 respondents (55 male managers – 42.6% and 74 female managers – 57.4%) on the basis of the data collected by means of two methodologies for detecting the leadership behavior attributes: Managerial Grid (Blake and Mouton, 1964) and the new original methodology PALEQ (Paternalistic Leadership Questionnaire). The results of the analyses confirmed the existence of statistically significant differences between male and female managers in assessing the individual leadership attributes. Based on these results, it can be concluded that in terms of the assessment of leadership behavior, male managers use the authoritarian forms of leadership more extensively, whereas female managers are more oriented at the lenient, clement leadership behavior, as compared to the male managers.


Throughout Vietnam's long history, the central elite and peripheral farming communities have been legally and culturally divided. This dichotomy was never as complete as the famous injunction that "the emperor's writ stops at the village gate" infers. Initially, during the period of French colonisation and more recently since the introduction of doi moi (renovation) economic reforms, central authorities have attempted to unify land management with universal normative law. This experiment has stimulated widespread non-compliance with land laws in urban centres; in some areas compliance is a fringe phenomenon. In this divided legal geography, pockets of non-compliance give the appearance of autonomy from state legality-suggesting the existence of plural land law sub-systems. But an analysis of case studies concerning land use right applications, squatting, court decisions and compulsory acquisition reveals complex relationships between land occupiers and the state. A myriad of formal and relational connections blurs the interface between state and society, suggesting that the official and unofficial aspects of land management are best understood as two components of the same system. Urban case studies suggest officials and the public share a common culture that sustains relational networks binding state land management and local land practices. In this relational matrix, the legal pluralistic concept of 'non-state legal sub-systems' is difficult to substantiate. Where relational networks are weak, such as between hill tribes and the central state, non-state legal subsytems continue to flourish.


An arsenical admiralty brass (UNS C44300) finned tube in a generator air cooler unit at a hydroelectric power station failed. The unit had been in operation for approximately 49,000 h. The cooling medium for the tubes was water from a river. Air flowed over the finned exterior of the tubes, while water circulated through the tubes. Investigation (visual inspection, leak testing, history review, 100X micrographs etched in potassium dichromate, chemical analysis, and EDS and XRD analysis of internal tube deposits) supported the conclusion that the cause of the tube leaks was ammonia-induced SCC. Because the cracks initiated on the inside surfaces of the tubes and because the river water was not treated before it entered the coolers, the ammonia was likely present in the river water and probably concentrated under the internal deposits. Recommendations included either eliminating the ammonia (prohibitively expensive in cost and time) or using an alternate material (such as a 70Cu-30Ni alloy or a more expensive titanium alloy) that is resistant to ammonia corrosion as well as to chlorides and sulfur species.


Significant progress has been made in the application of low plasticity burnishing (LPB) technology to military engine components, leading to orders of magnitude improvement in damage tolerance. Improved damage tolerance can facilitate inspection, reduce inspection frequency, and improve engine operating margins, all leading to improved military readiness at significantly reduced total costs. Basic understanding of the effects of the different LPB process parameters has evolved, and finite element based compressive residual stress distribution design methodologies have been developed. By incorporating accurate measurement of residual stresses to verify and validate processing, this combined technology leads to a total solutions approach to solve damage problems in engine components. An example of the total solution approach to develop LPB processing of a 1st stage Ti-6Al-4V compressor vane to improve the foreign object damage (FOD) tolerance from 0.002 in. to 0.025 in. is presented. The LPB process, tooling, and control systems are described, including recent developments in real-time process monitoring for quality control. Performed on CNC machine tools, LPB processing is easily adapted to overhaul and manufacturing shop operations with quality assurance procedures meeting military and industry standards, facilitating transition to military depots and manufacturing facilities.© 2006 ASME


Prymnesium neolepis was collected from surface and sub-surface waters of the Southern Indian Ocean. It is characterized by the presence of broad 0.6 ym-1ym, recurved poreless brim (collar), and small sized numerous pores (0.1-0.2ym size, 180-240 pores) in the bulging central area of hat-shaped siliceous scale. It was observed in the subtropical and subantarctic frontal regions (0-110m depth) and in surface waters up to 60°S. It is neither recognizable in the fossil record nor bottom sediments and also shows close affinity with siliceous scales of extant Petasaria heterolepis. Further studies focusing on culture, accessory pigments and phylogenetic-molecular aspects could reveal better understanding of this rare siliceous and other unmineralized scale bearing Haptophyte.


The 2016 US presidential election campaign has rekindled the debate over offshoring—locating business operations and jobs overseas—by US-based multinational corporations (MNCs). Some presidential candidates have assailed investments abroad by US-based MNCs as damaging to economic growth and jobs at home. They have proposed imposing a higher tax on US companies that engage in offshoring and outsourcing. These proposals will not not bring back the lost jobs and plants. Instead they would disrupt global supply chains that link the US economy to the rest of the world and are crucial for US exports and US employment, ultimately harming US competitiveness worldwide and threatening existing jobs. In addition, protectionist efforts to impede trade will likely trigger a backlash from trading partners.


Abstract : This paper presents the analysis of the dynamics of a representative axial flow compressor model emphasizing the influence of two important control parameters. These are a nondimensional parameter B (previously introduced by Greitzer (1976) as a primary determinant of post-stall behavior) and the setting of the throttle line. Greitzer's lumped-parameter model is employed in this study, with a specific choice of compressor and throttle characteristics. Our analysis shows the presence of a rich variety of global as well as local bifurcations as the two control parameters are varied. The analysis leads to a characterization of compressor operation into three major zones: the stalled zone the pre-stall zone, and the normal (unstalled) zone. Simulation results demonstrate the qualitatively different dynamical behaviors within each regime of parameter space.


This major research project explores the extent to which normative and informational influences exerted by core and significant ties differ between social media and in-person contexts. Specifically, it focuses on how such influences persuade recreational athletes to buy sports products. Though normative and informational influences from a variety of personal ties have been studied in online and offline settings, they are seldom explicitly compared and contrasted. Moreover, recreational athletes and sports products have never been the subject of such studies. Based on qualitative interviews with six recreational athletes between the ages of 18 and 30, this study uses a content analysis with open coding to identify significant themes. The findings indicate that although in-person normative influence to buy sports products is easily identifiable, normative influence on social media is more difficult to detect. Yet regardless of the context, normative influence is powered by one's desire for inclusion into a group. On the other hand, informational influence in the form of product recommendations does not differ between the examined settings. Thorough recommendations are more sought after than pithy ones, experts challenge recommendations and those who do not know much about a given product will seek information from experts. However, the findings also indicate that informational influence in the form of observation and analysis is preferred in offline situations compared with online ones. It is therefore clear that separate facets of normative and informational influence each present unique similarities or dissimilarities between in-person and social media settings.