The establishment of the European External Action Service (EEAS) was the latest organisational innovation aimed at bridging the disjuncture between EU external relations and foreign policy structures. Almost immediately after its creation, it attracted wide-spread criticism of its functioning by the very same actors who had created it. This thesis develops a three-stage bureaucratic-institutionalist framework in order to explore the political contestation of this new organisation and its impact on the organisation and functioning of the EEAS. Inception, establishment and consolidation are the three phases of the organisation s life cycle under scrutiny.

The thesis begins with the inception of the EEAS during the Convention on the Future of Europe from 2002-2003. Through the lens of rational choice historical institutionalism it analyses the positions of various actors in the Convention and the options that were considered during this phase. It then shows how disagreements between integrationist and more sceptical groups led to a vague compromise on the EEAS and its organisational design. The thesis continues with an analysis of the establishment phase, i.e. the negotiation process leading to the EEAS decision of 2010, throughout which the political conflict continued between the EU institutions on central design elements of the service such as status, scope and staffing. Theoretically, this conflict is captured through the politics of Eurocratic structure approach. In the final consolidation phase, the EEAS started to operate as a new administrative actor, but was heavily influenced by political and bureaucratic contestation. Bureaucracy theory helps to predict the organisational behaviour of the EEAS to a degree, but the thesis shows how the organisation was also shaped by bureaucratic politics between EU institutions and member states.

The thesis concludes that a bureaucratic-institutionalist approach explains why the EEAS is a strongly contested bureaucracy and how the processes of contestation at the EU level hindered institutional design throughout the organisation s life cycle of inception, establishment and consolidation. It reveals limitations of this approach, such as the persistence of actors, the weight of decision precedent and the permeability of organisational development phases.


Organic semiconducting materials such as conjugated polymers have many important industrial applications. Understanding the process of charge transport is crucial in order to improve their overall efficiency. The transport of charges in devices made of organic conjugated polymers is a complex process. For example, in organic photovoltaic cells (commonly called solar cells), many steps are involved between the points of absorbing light energy and of ultimately generating a photocurrent; they include the exciton formations followed by their dissociations leading to charge-separated states where the holes and electrons are free to move along the polymer chains (forming polarons or bipolarons) and/or between molecular constituents of the device and finally the collection of charges at the electrodes. The part of the process where the hole and electrons are free to move independently of each other is typically referred to as charge mobility. In this thesis we focus primarily on two aspects of charge mobility. Namely, in the first part of the thesis we study the motion of a bipolaron as a function of the electric field strength since this subject is still relatively controversial and unresolved. In the second part of the thesis we propose a multi-step approach that allows for a calculation of charge mobility (that is primarily due to polarons hopping from site to site) as a function of molecular and morphological structure of the organic materials. -- The motion of a bipolaron is investigated in heterocyclic conjugated polymers such as polythiophene (PT) (Part I of the thesis). In their intrinsic state, heterocyclic conjugated polymers form organic semiconducting materials. When doped, they can become conductors. One of the main goals of studies involving doped conjugated polymers is to describe the transport mechanisms of their charge species when an electric field is applied. We employ the extended Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) theoretical model to study the transport properties of bipolarons in conjugated polymers in the presence of an electric field. This model involves the solution of coupled equations which include the time-dependent Schrodinger equation and the classical motion equation for the lattice displacement which are solved numerically in a self-consistent way. Our theoretical investigation finds that the bipolaron (when formed in polymers such as PT) moves with little change of its shape along the chain backbone in a weak electric field. However, in the presence of a strong electric field, the bipolaron dissolves and free charges become the main charge carriers. The energy trends of the doped polymer with increasing strength of the electric field provide further support for this conclusion. In addition, we apply the SSH model with electron-electron (e-e) interactions to PT. The parameters employed in the computations are determined by requiring a good agreement between the theoretical and experimental values for PT band gap and bond lengths. We find that, within the extended SSH model, e-e interactions in comparison to electron-phonon coupling do not significantly affect the nature of bipolaron transport in polymers such as PT. -- Recently, organic solar cells, because of their light weight, low cost and processing flexibility, have attracted considerable attention in the field of photovoltaic cells. In Part II of the thesis, the charge mobility of conjugated organic polymers (mostly fluorene and carbazole based) primarily used in the construction of the organic solar cells is investigated using a multi-step computational approach. The proposed approach employs the use of the density functional theory (DFT), semiempirical (ZINDO) and Monte Carlo (MC) theoretical methods to determine transfer integrals, reorganization energies, transfer rates and mobilities of conjugated organic polymers. We find that, in organic polymers, the transfer integrals and the reorganization energies are equally important factors in determining charge transport rates and that the one dimensional (ID) approach to estimating trends in mobilities gives reasonable results, i.e. is in good agreement with experimental trends, provided their relative intermolecular distances can be obtained with some accuracy. However, a greater understanding of the mobilities must take into account the three dimensional (3D) structure and/or the inherent disorder that is present in the organic thin films. We illustrate this requirement with some calculations, for example, the computation of an electron mobility in poly(9,9-di-n-octylfluorene-alt-benzothiadiazole)'s (F8BT's) where their 3D structure is known from x-ray diffraction experiments. The proposed approach illustrates that theoretical computations/simulations based on chemical structure and known morphology of organic semiconductors is an important and reliable approach to studying charge mobility in organic materials used in devices such as solar cells.


Spray drying plays a crucial role in the processing of pharmaceutical products such as pills, capsules, and tablets as it is used to convert drug containing liquids into dried powdered forms. Nano spray drying is in particular used to improve drug formulation by encapsulating active ingredients in polymeric wall materials for protection and delivering the drugs to the right place and time in the body. The nano spray dryer developed in the recent years extends the spectrum of produced powder particles to the submicronand nanoscale with very narrow size distributions and sample quantities in the milligram scale at high product yields. This enables the economical use of expensive active pharmaceutical ingredients and pure drugs. The present paper explains the concept of nano spray drying and discusses the influence of the main process parameters on the final powder properties like particle size, morphology, encapsulation efficiency, and drug loading. Application results of nano spray drying for the formulation and encapsulation of different drugs are reviewed.


Observations at X/Ka-band are motivated by their ability to access more compact source mor- phology and reduced core shift relative to observations at the historically standard S/X-band. In addition, the factor of four increase in interferometer resolution at Ka-band should resolve out some extended source structure. Given these motivations, an X/Ka-band (8.4/32 GHz) celestial reference frame has been constructed using a combined NASA and ESA Deep Space Network. In 176 observing sessions we detected 678 sources covering the full 24 hours of right ascension, α, and the full range of declinations, δ. The resulting XKa median precision is now 67 μas in αcosδ and 95 μas in δ.
Comparison of 529 X/Ka sources in common with the S/X-band (2.3/8.4 GHz) ICRF3 produced wRMS agreement of better than 165 μas. There is evidence for systematic errors at the 100 μas level. Known errors include limited SNR, lack of phase calibration, troposphere mismodelling, and terrestrial frame distortions. Actions are underway to reduce all of these errors. In particu- lar, a collaboration between NASA and the ESA deep space antenna in Malargue, Argentina is reducing weaknesses in the southern hemisphere. By comparing coordinate estimates, we probe the accuracy limits of current celestial frames in an effort to understand the advantages of each frame.


Laser photoacoustic spectroscopy (LPAS) has been used to simultaneously measure scattered light and absorbed light with the use of a single piezoelectric transducer detector. Samples of Ludox™ colloidal silica, with and without added potassium chromate, were illuminated with pulses of 308 or 355 nm light. Signals were measured with a 1 MHz ultrasonic transducer clamped to the side of the cuvette. The resulting oscilloscope tracing shows a pattern of signals originating from light scatter and light absorption that is consistent with experimental geometry and the speeds of light and sound, and linear with incident laser pulse energy. The absorbed light signals are independent of the distance of the laser beam from the transducer, while the scattered light signals are strongly distance-dependent. The absorbed light signals are more indicative of true sample absorbance than are readings from a standard spectrophotometer. A spectrophotometer sums contributions from scattering and absorbance to give an optical density reading, while LPAS separates scattering from absorbance to give quantitative information on each function. Scattered light and fluorescent light behave very similarly in the LPAS technique. Our experiments were done with well-characterized colloidal silica samples, but the technique is readily extended to larger, more heterogeneous, and photochemically complex biological and environmental samples.


This article employs panel data on more than 1000 US public colleges and universities to investigate the effect of private giving on state government funding. Government free riding is at question and is found to be active in that private donations partially displace state government funding at the rate of 83 cents on the dollar. That compares to the 45 cents political substitution of the 1960s but is much diminished from the $1.07 of the 1980s. Those are aggregate comparisons for all public institutions. A disaggregated approach in this article additionally reveals that doctoral granting research universities are somewhat lesser victims of crowd out in experiencing a 71 cents cut. At master level colleges and universities and associate 2 year degree granting colleges, crowding out is estimated to be on the order 87 cents and $1.10, respectively. Relative to the academic year 2000 to 2001, publicly controlled colleges and universities are found to experience significant reductions in state appropriated funding in 2003 to 2004 and 2006 to 2007. Even accounting for changes in the business cycle and changes in possible government spending priorities over time, the overall findings support the persistent effect of this brand of crowding out.


This work examines the General Adaptation Syndrome like a suitable framework to explain motor learning processes. Human motor behaviour is viewed like a complex system continuously interacting in the environment. Motor learning is proposed as an adaptation process to the tasks constraints. Training loads and practice load are also considered analogous. Practice is the vehicle of learning, but it must be applied with the enough amount of load to produce an adaptation to a new level of performance. The principles of sport training are presented related to motor learning topics. Common principles are proposed to explain the learning of motor skills, regardless of the level of complexity, and level of the performer, and providing


This article provides a historical background on how AAAI came into existence. It provides a rationale for why we needed our own society. It provides a list of the founding members of the community that came together to establish AAAI. Starting a new society comes with a whole range of issues and problems: What will it be called? How will it be financed? Who will run the society? What kind of activities will it engage in? and so on. This article provides a brief description of the considerations that went into making the final choices. It also provides a description of the historic first AAAI conference and the people that made it happen.


Background: Percutaneous techniques for the revascularization of symptomatic lower limb arterial chronic total occlusions (CTOs) remain suboptimal due to difficulty in safely and reliably crossing these heavily calcified lesions using standard guidewire and balloon technology. Objectives: The objective of this prospective study was to evaluate the technical success and safety of controlled blunt microdissection (CMD) for the treatment of resistant peripheral CTOs. Methods: This series enrolled 36 patients (26 men; mean age 67 6 12 years), with 44 symptomatic CTOs (2 terminal aortic, 24 iliac, 16 femoral, and 2 popliteal), which had previously failed conventional percutaneous revascularization. CMD was carried out using a specialized prototype catheter. Actuation of the hinged jaws of this CMD catheter created a channel within the occluded arterial segment for guidewire passage, and subsequent angioplasty and stenting using standard procedures. The problem of subintimal CMD catheter passage, creating an eccentric channel, was addressed using a second novel device, the truelumen reentry (LRE) catheter, which allowed reentry into the downstream lumen. Results: Procedural success, evaluated angiographically, was achieved in 40 (91%) of the 44 CTOs. Fourteen (35%) of these 40 successful recanalizations required guidewire redirection, using the LRE catheter for lesion traversal. There were no complications related to CMD per se; although one patient experienced acute in-stent thrombosis, managed successfully with intra-arterial thrombolysis. Conclusions: We therefore conclude that CMD can be used safely and successfully to facilitate recanalization of resistant CTOs in the pelvic and lower limb arteries. ' 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.


Many Japanese students come to the U.K. to study. In general, studying is their primary aim but some have additional reasons such as personal development through exposure to another culture. As a result of the homogeneity of Japanese society, Japanese people are not necessarily used to other cultures especially if they have only lived within Japan. Due to the vast differences between Japanese and British cultures, many students have difficulties in adapting to British society (Nippoda, 2011). This article presents some culturally specific factors that affect students' adaptation based on research (Nippoda, 1993). It focuses on four main points arising from clinical work: the language barrier, differences in communication styles and educational systems, the individual's motivation and external pressure, and the effects of students' insecure status in the host country. Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. This article is available in Online Readings in Psychology and Culture: http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/orpc/vol8/iss1/5


The aim of this paper is to offer a nuanced study of 'compassion' in the context of the Pauline Letters. The Letters are considered within the socio-political context of imperial Rome. 'Compassion' is a complex emotion; therefore, it has been necessary to include, in my analysis, cognate sentiments such as patience, kindness, gentleness, and perseverance. Since this is a semantic study, the Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains, compiled by Louw and Nida (L-N), is used extensively. A dictionary provides a potential meaning, but it is the context of the sentence, the sentence within a larger unit of the text as a whole considered within the prevailing social conditions, that influences meaning. This method reveals that Paul envisages 'compassion' as the means to establish communities, not enslaved by the values of 'the world', nor grasping things for themselves at the expense of others. In Paul, 'compassion' is expansive and inclusive, where the good of the whole community is valued. His paradigm is the sacrifice of Christ.


 Abstract—Today's modern interconnected power system is highly complex in nature. In this, one of the most important requirements during the operation of the electric power system is the reliability and security. Power and frequency oscillation damping mechanism improve the reliability. Because of power system stabilizer (PSS) low speed response against of major fault such as three phase short circuit, FACTs devise that can control the network condition in very fast time, are becoming popular. But FACTs capability can be seen in a major fault present when nonlinear models of FACTs devise and power system equipment are applied. To realize this aim, the model of multi-machine power system with FACTs controller is developed in MATLAB/SIMULINK using Sim Power System (SPS) blockiest. Among the FACTs device, Static synchronous series compensator (SSSC) due to high speed changes its reactance characteristic inductive to capacitive, is effective power flow controller. Tuning process of controller parameter can be performed using different method. But Genetic Algorithm (GA) ability tends to use it in controller parameter tuning process. In this paper firstly POD controller is used to power oscillation damping. But in this station, frequency oscillation dos not has proper damping situation. So FOD controller that is tuned using GA is using that cause to damp out frequency oscillation properly and power oscillation damping has suitable situation. Keywords—Power oscillation damping (POD), frequency oscillation damping (FOD), Static synchronous series compensator (SSSC), Genetic Algorithm (GA).


Viscous heating is investigated using high-resolution direct numerical simulations. Scaling relations are derived and verified for different values of the Reynolds and Prandtl numbers. The scaling of the heat fluctuations is shown to depend on Lagrangian correlation times and on the scaling of dissipation-rate fluctuations. The convergence of the temperature spectrum to asymptotic scaling is observed to be slow, due to the broadband character of the temperature production spectrum and the slow convergence of the dissipation-rate spectrum to its asymptotic form.


BACKGROUND Ventilators compatible with magnetic resonance imaging machines are not universally available. However, the lack of such equipment should not preclude magnetic resonance imaging. We have developed a method by which a critically ill patient requiring mechanical ventilation can safely undergo such imaging without compatible equipment. METHOD By using extended ventilator tubing and calculating volume lost due to tubing compliance, safe and reliable mechanical ventilation can be achieved from a distance without impairing scan quality. RESULTS We devised a method to calculate volume lost due to mechanical compliance of the tubing with ventilator circuits employing 20, 30, and 50 feet of tubing. We added the estimated loss of volume to the set tidal volume of 700 mL to give a delivered volume of 700 mL. Twenty breaths were evaluated for each length of tubing. The evaluation of the 20- and 30-foot lengths of tubing demonstrated 10- and 52-mL discrepancies, respectively, between predicted and measured volumes. The 50-foot length showed a 121-mL discrepancy between predicted and measured volumes. CONCLUSIONS Our method appears to be clinically accurate for predicting volume lost due to tubing compliance for lengths of ventilator tubing less than or equal to 30 feet. We have found this technique to be a safe and effective way to ensure patient safety and scan quality in patients requiring mechanical ventilation during magnetic resonance imaging.


Little is known about the genes and enzymes involved in sulfur assimilation in Bacillus subtilis, or about the regulation of their expression or activity. To identify genes regulated by sulfur limitation, the authors used two- dimensional (2D) gel electrophoresis to compare the proteome of a wild-type strain grown with either sulfate or glutathione as sole sulfur source. A total of 15 proteins whose synthesis is modified under these two conditions were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight (MALDI TOF) mass spectrometry. In the presence of sulfate, an increased amount of proteins involved in the metabolism of C(1) units (SerA, GlyA, FolD) and in the biosynthesis of purines (PurQ, Xpt) and pyrimidines (Upp, PyrAA, PyrF) was observed. In the presence of glutathione, the synthesis of two uptake systems (DppE, SsuA), an oxygenase (SsuD), cysteine synthase (CysK) and two proteins of unknown function (YtmI, YurL) was increased. The changes in expression of the corresponding genes, in the presence of sulfate and glutathione, were monitored using slot-blot analyses and lacZ fusions. The ytmI gene is part of a locus of 12 genes which are co-regulated in response to sulfur availability. This putative operon is activated by a LysR-like regulator, YTLI: This is the first regulator involved in the control of expression in response to sulfur availability to be identified in B. subtilis.


In this study, the epidemiologic and demographic data on cholera cases obtained from Sarawak for the ten years period from 1994 to 2003 and the factors associated with the emergence and spread of cholera and its control were reported. In addition, this study also evaluates and differentiates the molecular characteristics of toxigenic Vibrio cholerae isolated during the recent cholera outbreaks in Sarawak and Peninsula Malaysia. A total of 32 strains were examined for their antibiotics sensitivity, RAPD-PCR fingerprinting and the presence of ctx gene. Thirteen of the strains were V. cholerae 01 isolated from Miri division, seven from 1999 outbreak in Samarahan Division, 10 from 2001 outbreak in Selangor and two V. cholerae 0139 from 2002 outbreak in Penang. In the ten years period (1994-2003), 1672 cholera patients were recorded in Sarawak. High incidence of cholera was observed during and just after the unusually strong El Nino years of 1997 to 1998 when a very severe and prolonged drought occurred in Sarawak. Large outbreaks occurred in northern part of Sarawak (Bintulu, Miri, and Limbang) rather than the central (Kapit, Sarikei, Sibu) and southern region (Kuching, Samarahan, Sri Aman). The Orang Ulu, Iban and the Malays were the three most infected ethnic groups in Sarawak. Data analysis showed a high incidence of cholera among low-income laborers and rural house wives as opposed to the well-paid workers from government and private sectors. Infants and non-school children made up 15% of the cases. This suggested that household transmission occurs widely. The majority of the patients were the active adult group from 19 to 59 years. This finding was typical of many food-borne outbreaks where adults gathered to attend festive parties or funeral feasts. Various intervention activities and preventive measures such as surveillance, quarantine, treatment, monitoring and improving community sanitation, and health education of poor communities were performed by the Health Department and the local authorities during and after the major 1997 - 1999 epidemics. These measures effectively prevented the emergence and spread of further epidemics. All the isolates, except V. cholerae 0139, were highly sensitive to most of the twenty-one antibiotics tested. All the isolates (100%) were sensitive to ampicillin, piperacin, cephalothin, cefuroxime, cefotaxime, ceftazidime, tetracycline, nadilic acid, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin and netilmicin; 94% of the isolates were sensitive to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, ampicillin/sulbactam, trimethoprim, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole combination, chloramphenicol, and rifampin; 38% sensitive to streptomycin and sulfamethoxazole. However, all the strains were resistant to metronidazole and teicoplanin. All the 32 V. cholerae strains also expressed the ctx genes, which almost exclusively present in the 01 and 0139 serotypes only. The ctx genes distinguish these epidemic serotypes from the non-01 serotypes. Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis was used to analyze the genetic relatedness of all the 32 V. cholerae strains. Two primers that is GEN 1-50-03 and GEN 1-50-08 generated polymorphism in all 32 strains, producing type able and reproducible results. From the dendrogram generated, using RAPDistance software (Version 1.04),. two main groups were observed which were subdivided into two clusters each. The Selangor's isolates and the 0139 strains formed one group whereas the Sarawak's isolates made up the other group, thus defining their different sources of origin. The Sarawak's isolates generated five types of profile (S1-S5) in which three of the profiles (S1, S4, S5) were specific to Miri outbreak while the other two profiles (S2 and S3) were common to both Miri and Samarahan outbreaks delineating their clonal relatedness.


Abstract. Vegetation reconstructions from pollen data for the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), 21 ky ago, reveal lanscapes radically different from the modern ones, with, in particular, a massive regression of forested areas in both hemispheres. Two main factors have to be taken into account to explain these changes in comparison to today's potential vegetation: a generally cooler and drier climate and a lower level of atmospheric CO2. In order to assess the relative impact of climate and atmospheric CO2 changes on the global vegetation, we simulate the potential modern vegetation and the glacial vegetation with the dynamical global vegetation model ORCHIDEE, driven by outputs from the IPSL_CM4_v1 atmosphere-ocean general circulation model, under modern or glacial CO2 levels for photosynthesis. ORCHIDEE correctly reproduces the broad features of the glacial vegetation. Our modelling results support the view that the physiological effect of glacial CO2 is a key factor to explain vegetation changes during glacial times. In our simulations, the low atmospheric CO2 is the only driver of the tropical forests regression, and explains half of the response of temperate and boreal forests to glacial conditions. Our study shows that the sensitivity to CO2 changes depends on the background climate over a region, and also depends on the vegetation type, needleleaf trees being much more sensitive than broadleaf trees in our model. This difference of sensitivity leads to a dominance of broadleaf types in the remaining simulated forests, which is not supported by pollen data, but nonetheless suggests a potential impact of CO2 on the glacial vegetation assemblages. It also modifies the competitivity between the trees and makes the amplitude of the response to CO2 dependent on the initial vegetation state.


The Indian Ocean (44° S–30° N) plays an important role in the global carbon cycle, yet it remains one of the most poorly sampled ocean regions. Several approaches have been used to estimate net sea–air CO 2 fluxes in this region: interpolated observations, ocean biogeochemical models, atmospheric and ocean inversions. As part of the RECCAP (REgional Carbon Cycle Assessment and Processes) project, we combine these different approaches to quantify and assess the magnitude and variability in Indian Ocean sea–air CO 2 fluxes between 1990 and 2009. Using all of the models and inversions, the median annual mean sea–air CO 2 uptake of −0.37 ± 0.06 PgC yr −1 is consistent with the −0.24 ± 0.12 PgC yr−1 calculated from observations. The fluxes from the southern Indian Ocean (18–44° S; −0.43 ± 0.07 PgC yr−1 are similar in magnitude to the annual uptake for the entire Indian Ocean. All models capture the observed pattern of fluxes in the Indian Ocean with the following exceptions: underestimation of upwelling fluxes in the northwestern region (off Oman and Somalia), overestimation in the northeastern region (Bay of Bengal) and underestimation of the CO 2 sink in the subtropical convergence zone. These differences were mainly driven by lack of atmospheric CO 2 data in atmospheric inversions, and poor simulation of monsoonal currents and freshwater discharge in ocean biogeochemical models. Overall, the models and inversions do capture the phase of the observed seasonality for the entire Indian Ocean but overestimate the magnitude. The predicted sea–air CO 2 fluxes by ocean biogeochemical models (OBGMs) respond to seasonal variability with strong phase lags with reference to climatological CO 2 flux, whereas the atmospheric inversions predicted an order of magnitude higher seasonal flux than OBGMs. The simulated interannual variability by the OBGMs is weaker than that found by atmospheric inversions. Prediction of such weak interannual variability in CO 2 fluxes by atmospheric inversions was mainly caused by a lack of atmospheric data in the Indian Ocean. The OBGM models suggest a small strengthening of the sink over the period 1990–2009 of −0.01 PgC decade −1 . This is inconsistent with the observations in the southwestern Indian Ocean that shows the growth rate of oceanic pCO 2 was faster than the observed atmospheric CO 2 growth, a finding attributed to the trend of the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) during the 1990s.


Aim/Purpose The purpose of this systematic grounded theory study was to generate a model explaining how grit and a growth mindset develop and influence persistence in doctoral completers. Since doctoral attrition has historically plagued institutions of higher learning, with conflicting explanations reported in the literature, program leaders will benefit by understanding factors associated with persistence. Background Although the initial literature regarding doctoral persistence relied on the more traditional student involvement and integration models of higher education, the changing landscape of doctoral education—a steep increase in the number of distance education programs, as well as students' time and energy constraints— calls for a closer look at individual student factors over engagement efforts. Methodology The systematic approach of grounded theory was adopted to fulfill the purpose of constructing a model explaining the process of grit and growth mindset development in doctoral students who persist to completion. Both quantitative data from a total population of 51 completers, in the form of the Short Grit Scale instrument and Dweck's Mindset Instrument, as well as qualitative data from interviews and reflective journals of a sample of 12 doctoral completers were analyzed to produce the Grit Growth Model suggested by the findings. Contribution The Grit Growth Model contributes empirical evidence of the antecedents of the characteristics of grit and growth mindset, which has been limited in the literature to date. A unique contribution of this study is the suggestion of a departure from the typical approach of leaders in post-graduate institutions from a Growing Grit to Produce Doctoral Persistence 706 student-integration/engagement approach, to a more direct personal development strategy, with specific direction given by the Grit Growth Model, as well as the additional Student Development Model of Doctoral Persistence. Findings The findings produced the Grit Growth Model, which revealed sub-themes of expectations, engagement, service, and personal loss in the life experiences of the doctoral completers, as well as values surrounding religious faith and passion. Personal characteristics of flexibility and shame resilience were identified, and findings confirmed prior persistence literature that acknowledged the imminent value of personal and academic relationships. The central theme of personal and social responsibility (PSR) carries theoretical, empirical, and practical implications for doctoral or any other leaders who wish to develop grit in others, as well as individuals seeking to develop the trait within themselves. Recommendations for Practitioners Given the findings of this study, doctoral program leaders should make a concerted effort to add a direct student development focus to their portfolio of strategies to support student persistence, as visualized in the Student Development Model of Doctoral Persistence. Programmatic elements, such as direct provision of grit, growth mindset, and PSR resources through doctoral student communication platforms, could deliver persistence support by means of advancing student metacognition of these principles. Additionally, modules that introduce and inspire growth in these areas using the quantitative instruments for grit and a growth mindset, followed by reflective journaling, direct instruction videos, and post-tests, are suggested. Recommendations for Researchers Future researchers in any field can build upon this model by replacing doctoral persistence with their own long-term goals or achievements and representing their findings by adjusting the model accordingly. In this way, the significance of the Grit Growth Model lies in its adaptability to future inquiry, providing a meaningful template to illustrate confirmatory or alternative findings. Impact on Society For educators at any level or individuals who wish to develop grit and a growth mindset within themselves or others studying the array of categories of experiences and beliefs on the Grit Growth Model will illuminate multiple paths to follow on this quest. Accessing resources from Duckworth's Character Lab (https://characterlab.org/), Dweck's mindset works© website (https://www.mindsetworks.com/default), or the AAC&U's Personal and Social Responsibility site (https://www.aacu.org/core_commitments) are suggested concrete starting points. Future Research In subsequent research along these same lines, it would be desirable to solicit a follow-up interview to dig deeply into more nuanced life experiences that may not emerge in the initial interview. Additionally, due to the limitations of snowball sampling, future confirmatory research should focus on samples from a wider population who completed at a more diverse group of universities. Finally, although the interview sample size of 12 participants produced findings with theoretical saturation, a larger sample from a wider variety of disciplines and demographics, including unmarried doctoral completers, may paint a more complete picture of the common experiences and values of completers from a broader range of personal and professional backgrounds.


Chapter 1: The Pattern Approach. Patterns at a Glance. No Pattern is an Island. Patterns Everywhere. Humans are the Target. Patterns Resolve Problems and Shape Environments. Towards Pattern Languages. Documenting Patterns. A Brief Note on The History of Patterns. The Pattern Community and its Culture. Chapter 2: Security Foundations. Overview. Security Taxonomy. General Security Resources. Chapter 3: Security Patterns. The History of Security Patterns. Characteristics of Security Patterns. Why Security Patterns? Sources for Security Pattern Mining. Chapter 4: Patterns Scope and Enterprise Security. The Scope of Patterns in the Book. Organization Factors. Resulting Organization. Mapping to the Taxonomy. Organization in the Context of an Enterprise Framework. Chapter 5: The Security Pattern Landscape. Enterprise Security and Risk Management Patterns. Identification & Authentication (I&A) Patterns. Access Control Model Patterns. System Access Control Architecture Patterns. Operating System Access Control Patterns. Accounting Patterns. Firewall Architecture Patterns. Secure Internet Applications Patterns. Cryptographic Key Management Patterns. Related Security Pattern Repositories Patterns. Chapter 6: Enterprise Security and Risk Management. Security Needs Identification for Enterprise Assets. Asset Valuation. Threat Assessment. Vulnerability Assessment. Risk Determination. Enterprise Security Approaches. Enterprise Security Services. Enterprise Partner Communication. Chapter 7: Identification and Authentication (I&A). I&A Requirements. Automated I&A Design Alternatives. Password Design and Use. Biometrics Design Alternatives. Chapter 8: Access Control Models. Authorization. Role-Based Access Control. Multilevel Security. Reference Monitor. Role Rights Definition. Chapter 9: System Access Control Architecture. Access Control Requirements. Single Access Point. Check Point. Security Session. Full Access with Errors. Limited Access. Chapter 10: Operating System Access Control. Authenticator. Controlled Process Creator. Controlled Object Factory. Controlled Object Monitor. Controlled Virtual Address Space. Execution Domain. Controlled Execution Environment. File Authorization. Chapter 11: Accounting. Security Accounting Requirements. Audit Requirements. Audit Trails and Logging Requirements. Intrusion Detection Requirements. Non-Repudiation Requirements. Chapter 12: Firewall Architectures. Packet Filter Firewall. Proxy-Based Firewall. Stateful Firewall. Chapter 13: Secure Internet Applications. Information Obscurity. Secure Channels. Known Partners. Demilitarized Zone. Protection Reverse Proxy. Integration Reverse Proxy. Front Door. Chapter 14: Case Study: IP Telephony. IP Telephony at a Glance. The Fundamentals of IP Telephony. Vulnerabilities of IP Telephony Components. IP Telephony Use Cases. Securing IP telephony with patterns. Applying Individual Security Patterns. Conclusion. Chapter 15: Supplementary Concepts. Security Principles and Security Patterns. Enhancing Security Patterns with Misuse Cases. Chapter 16: Closing Remarks. References. Index.


Academic libraries are demonstrating an increased commitment to transforming the scholarly publishing industry by becoming publishers themselves. As publisher, the library can take direct action to foster the growth of Open Access publishing as a viable alternative to the traditional publishing model. The University Library System (ULS), University of Pittsburgh has developed an innovative program to support journal publishing services for partners worldwide. Moving beyond support for the home institution, the ULS now offers its services to partners anywhere who share a commitment to Open Access for high-quality peer-reviewed scholarly content. By subsidizing OA publishing, libraries can provide real material support to the principle of Open Access to scholarly research and incentivize scholars worldwide to join in this commitment. To ensure sustainability of its program, the ULS has developed an efficient process and suite of tools with the Public Knowledge Project's Open Journal Systems (OJS) software as a foundation to work with new publishing partners and encourage them to become nearly self-sufficient in publishing new peer-reviewed content. Thus, each new journal can be added with only very small incremental costs. Strategies to uphold the quality and sustainability of the program include careful selection of publishing partners, the formation of a Publication Advisory Board and the planned introduction of modest cost recovery mechanisms to sustain future growth.


Heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G proteins) couple activation of G protein-coupled receptors on the cell surface to modulation of a large array of diverse biological effects. The subunits of the G proteins interact with effectors to bring about such responses. A member of the Gα subunit family, Gαo, when mutated to remain constantly in an active form (Gαo*), causes transformation of NIH 3T3 cells. Ram et al. explored the signaling pathways that mediate this effect of Gαo. They find that Stat3 (for signal transducer and activator of transcription 3) is activated in cells expressing Gαo* and appears to be necessary for the growth-promoting action of Gαo*. Stats are transcription factors activated by tyrosine phosphorylation in response to cytokine receptors (which are not coupled to G proteins). In this case, however, Gαo seems to stimulate the tyrosine kinase c-Src, which in turn activates Stat3 and contributes to abnormal cellular proliferation. Ram, P.T., Horvath, C.M., and Iyengar, R. (2000) Stat3-mediated transformation of NIH-3T3 cells by the constitutively active Q205L Go protein. Science 287: 142-144. [Abstract] [Full Text]


Background: Although Emergency Medicine has existed as a recognized specialty in Alexandria University since 1970 a recent shining as a highly competitive specialty since 2003 through an Egyptian Fellowship Training program granting a professional and not an academic degree. Emergency Medicine is still in its development phase as a practice. Five public universities are offering postgraduate degrees in Emergency Medicine. These degrees when obtained by trainees, in addition to a varying number of years of experience, enable doctors to climb up the medical hierarchical ladder, which begins with a resident post till Senior consultant one. Methods: We describe the development of Emergency Medicine as a separate specialty in Egypt highlighting the history, challenges we faced, collaborations and recommendations for future improvement of Emergency Medicine training in Egypt. Results: As of August 2015, there are five Emergency Medicine educational programs in Egypt, which are primarily based upon the British model of obtaining a masters or higher degree. The largest of these, the Egyptian Fellowship program, is supported by the Ministry of Health and Population (MOHP) and is the country's most formalized and acknowledged training program. Currently, there are more than 300 specialists graduated with 32 registered consultants. However, the majority of the qualified graduated physicians capable of leading the field of Emergency Medicine had left Egypt due to financial, social and economic stresses. Conclusion: Although, the fast developing field of Emergency Medicine, Egypt still need an urgent well-structured system supported by Ministry of Health and population. There needs to be creation of an Emergency Medicine committee by Egyptian board certified emergency physicians to monitor and improve the training and exams done by universities, and holding of regional conferences to enhance Emergency Medicine in Egypt and the Middle East region.


A Strategy in Decline? One of the major dilemmas faced by American policy-makers today is how to treat the countries that the United States now refers to as 'rogues.' America's European and Asian allies have traditionally dealt with these countries by engaging them with commercial and diplomatic contacts. In contrast, the United States has generally pursued policies of containment, where economic and diplomatic isolation of the target country has been virtually inevitable. As evidenced by recent US conciliatory gestures toward franas well as the statements of some presidential candidates, business leaders, and many congressional members--enthusiasm for unilateral sanctions has waned considerably. Before jettisoning this tool, which has been the mainstay of containment strategies, it is useful to evaluate the record of US unilateral sanctions in dealing with these so-called rogues. Have unilateral sanctions failed? If so, what policy options are more promising? What Makes a Rogue? Castigating countries that oppose US interests as outlaws or pariahs is certainly nothing new. However, the concept of a "rogue" state has been popularized in the post-Cold War era in response to the changing nature of threats facing the United States and, many have argued, in an attempt to fill the void that the demise of the Soviet Union and international communism created. Regard-less of whether the threats posed by these "rogue" nations require the resources and coordination that containment of the Soviet Union demanded, the concept of "rogue" states continues to influence the debates amongst American foreign-policy thinkers and the decisions of America's highest officials. Despite the prominence of "rogue" rhetoric in the American political system, there is no real consensus on what makes a "rogue." This absence of a checklist of characteristics is not surprising, as the concept of "rogue" states has been used more to garner domestic political support for punitive policies than to provide analytical guidance for sound policies. Nevertheless, the frequent of use of the term has produced a group most commonly associated with the label: Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, and North Korea. By all considerations, "rogue" states are ones which America accuses of four "wrongdoings": pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, support for terrorism, reprehensible treatment of their own citizens, and vocal animosity toward the United States. With the exception of Cuba-- whose inclusion on any register of "rogues" is much more a reflection of domestic politics in the United States than any external criterion--a country must be guilty in all four departments in order to be classified as a "rogue" in Am erican politics. Other countries that may be associated with one or more of the offensive behaviors, but not all of them, seem largely to escape the label of "rogue." In this way, Syria, Serbia, China, and Sudan, while certainly problem regimes, have fallen short of full-fledged "rogue" status. Similarly, Afghanistan (or the Taliban) remains outside this classification for the time being, although it may very well be a "rogue" in the making. Sanctioning Rogues In each of the cases of Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, and North Korea, US policymakers would surely welcome the replacement of the current regime with a more democratic one favorably disposed to the West. However, regime change has not always been the sole aim of US policy. Ideally, America would like each "rogue" to discontinue its offensive conduct, either as a result of regime change or because of moderation of the current government. But barring this type of progress, US policy has sought to keep these regimes from acquiring the resources needed to pursue the behavior that America judges to threaten its security. In pursuing these objectives, the United States has relied largely on policies that isolate or punish the offending "rogue." Punitive tools, such as military force, covert action, and the strengthening of a regime's neighbors or rivals, have sporadically played important roles in America's quest to marginalize or replace "rogue" regimes. …


Hamid Naficy is one of the world's leading authorities on Iranian film, and A Social History of Iranian Cinema is his magnum opus. Covering the late nineteenth century to the early twenty-first and addressing documentaries, popular genres, and art films, it explains Iran's peculiar cinematic production modes, as well as the role of cinema and media in shaping modernity and a modern national identity in Iran. This comprehensive social history unfolds across four volumes, each of which can be appreciated on its own.

In Volume 3 , Naficy assesses the profound effects of the Islamic Revolution on Iran's cinema and film industry. Throughout the book, he uses the term Islamicate, rather than Islamic, to indicate that the values of the postrevolutionary state, culture, and cinema were informed not only by Islam but also by Persian traditions. Naficy examines documentary films made to record events prior to, during, and in the immediate aftermath of the revolution. He describes how certain institutions and individuals, including prerevolutionary cinema and filmmakers, were associated with the Pahlavi regime, the West, and modernity and therefore perceived as corrupt and immoral. Many of the nation's moviehouses were burned down. Prerevolutionary films were subject to strict review and often banned, to be replaced with films commensurate with Islamicate values. Filmmakers and entertainers were thrown out of the industry, exiled, imprisoned, and even executed. Yet, out of this revolutionary turmoil, an extraordinary Islamicate cinema and film culture emerged. Naficy traces its development and explains how Iran's long war with Iraq, the gendered segregation of space, and the imposition of the veil on women encouraged certain ideological and aesthetic trends in film and related media. Finally, he discusses the structural, administrative, and regulatory measures that helped to institutionalize the new evolving cinema.

A Social History of Iranian Cinema Volume 1: The Artisanal Era, 1897–1941Volume 2: The Industrializing Years, 1941–1978Volume 3: The Islamicate Period, 1978–1984Volume 4: The Globalizing Era, 1984–2010


Droughts, which are difficult to predict, are a natural feature of the hydrology in most regions. Climate change, however, has the potential to increase the frequency and magnitude of future droughts. While the lack of water availability during droughts is widely publicized, there are equally severe water quality impacts that occur during and after droughts as well. Recent droughts have led to water quality implications for drinking water supplies including turbidity, taste and odor, pathogen concerns, and challenges in managing disinfection byproducts (DBPs). This paper presents the results from a series of case studies prepared for a Water Research Foundation study on the effects of extreme weather on drinking water quality in order to help utilities prepare for vulnerabilities under future climate change. A key finding from the case studies is that droughts can fundamentally alter nutrient cycling and biota within both watersheds and reservoirs that influence water quality for months or years after the event. A few of the critical management actions for responding to degraded water quality related to droughts include awareness of potential impacts, increased monitoring during and after the event, and capacity to quickly adjust treatment processes.


The development of clinical skills and judgment is a key area of learning for undergraduate paramedic students but they typically find translating theory to practice a daunting prospect not least because they practice their developing clinical skills in front of others. This paper documents the rationale and outcomes of a peer mentoring program in which selected third year paramedic students took
on the role of mentors within a second year clinical practice subject. The second year students reported that the program had resulted in positive changes, including an improvement in their clinical skills. Mentors reported benefits such as forming effective relationships with their mentees, enhanced positive relationship with the staff and support from their fellow mentors. Comments from staff and
future directions are discussed.


A major challenge in applying machine learning to automated theorem proving is the scarcity of training data, which is a key ingredient in training successful deep learning models. To tackle this problem, we propose an approach that relies on training purely with synthetically generated theorems, without any human data aside from axioms. We use these theorems to train a neurally-guided saturation-based prover. Our neural prover outperforms the state-of-the-art E-prover on this synthetic data in both time and search steps, and shows significant transfer to the unseen human-written theorems from the TPTP library, where it solves 72\% of first-order problems without equality.


Change in cropping practices is required to address the food security issues in Africa. Yet, testing of the performance of such changes, in particular at large scales, often needs significant investments. Crop models are widely used tools to quantify the effects of agronomic decisions on cropping systems and to identify the most promising areas for their advancement and implementation. Here in this study we quantify the impacts of individual and combined change in management scenarios including changes in (i) rates of nitrogen application, (ii) supplementary irrigation and (iii) new cultivar (with higher radiation use efficiency) on maize cropping systems over Africa based on 30 years (1980-2010) of climate, soil and management information obtained from global datasets at 0.5° x 0.5° spatial resolution. The crop model SIMPLACE was used in this study and it was tested against FAO statistics to evaluate the model performance under the current management conditions with traditional cultivars and average nitrogen application rates of <10 kg N ha-1. The model results showed that the combined changes in crop management could improve the range of maize yield from 1.2 t ha-1 to 2.9 t ha-1 over the study period in Africa. The magnitude of the yield improvement is country and scenario specific. The largest maize yield improvements were obtained in the combined innovations rather than individual practices in particular for the supplementary irrigation. We conclude that it is essential to implement combined technology packages to fill the gap between attainable and current yield in Africa and that will require appropriate incentives, and investment in extension services, fertilizer distribution networks and farmer capacity strengthening. We also need to combine the results with a robust economic model to evaluate the benefits and risks of the required investments for such changes in crop management.


Deep mutational scanning is now used in directed evolution experiments to quantify the change in frequency of a cellular variant in a mixed population. A key concern is the extent to which the enrichment of a variant in a population corresponds to a fitness metric like relative growth rate or survival percentage. We present here analytical equations converting the enrichment of a variant to fitness metrics for plate-based selections. Using isogenic and mixed cultures we show that growth rates and survival percentages correlate for antibiotic plate-based selections. These results are important for proper interpretation of data resulting from deep sequencing.


BACKGROUND
A variety of skin simulators are available on which to practice procedures; however, choice of a suboptimal substitute compromises realism and productive practice.

OBJECTIVE
Skin simulators for basic dermatological procedures are reviewed.

METHODS
The authors' anecdotal experience with various skin simulators for different procedures is shared.

RESULTS
The following simulators are suggested:  an unripe banana for elliptical excision, pork belly for undermining, pork belly for simple interrupted and buried suture, capped needle on a human shoulder for intramuscular injection, ripe tomato or hotdog with skin for intradermal injection, eggplant for shave biopsy, pork belly for punch biopsy, plastic tape over a dark surface for cryosurgery, and beef liver for electrosurgery.  Flaps are best practiced with foam sandwiched between foam tape or artificial anatomical models created specifically for this purpose.

LIMITATIONS
The utility of one simulator over another was not compared in a controlled study.

CONCLUSION
Efficient, realistic skin simulators are readily available for practice, which should enhance the safety of the practitioner and improve outcomes of novices.


"What are your assumptions (implicit as well as explicit) about the most effective way to manage people?" So began Douglas McGregor in this 1960 management classic. It was a seemingly simple question he asked, yet it led to a fundamental revolution in management. Today, with the rise of the global economy, the information revolution, and the growth of knowledge-driven work, McGregor's simple but provocative question continues to resonate-perhaps more powerfully than ever before. Heralded as one of the most important pieces of management literature ever written, a touchstone for scholars and a handbook for practitioners, The Human Side of Enterprise continues to receive the highest accolades nearly half a century after its initial publication. Influencing such major management gurus such as Peter Drucker and Warren Bennis, McGregor's revolutionary Theory Y-which contends that individuals are self-motivated and self-directed-and Theory X-in which employees must be commanded and controlled-has been widely taught in business schools, industrial relations schools, psychology departments, and professional development seminars for over four decades. In this special annotated edition of the worldwide management classic, Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld, Senior Research Scientist in MIT's Sloan School of Management and Engineering Systems Division, shows us how today's leaders have successfully incorporated McGregor's methods into modern management styles and practices. The added quotes and commentary bring the content right into today's debates and business models. Now more than ever, the timeless wisdom of Douglas McGregor can light the path towards a management style that nurtures leadership capability, creates effective teams, ensures internal alignment, achieves high performance, and cultivates an authentic, value-driven workplace--lessons we all need to learn as we make our way in this brave new world of the 21st century.


1. The strength of binding of 64 Cu to the following was determined by dialysis against solutions of buffered sodium chloride with and without EDTA, penicillamine and sodium glycocholate. (a) Human albumin, serum and bile labelled in vitro from patients with and without Wilson9s disease, (b) Rat bile labelled in vivo and in vitro. 2. Serum and albumin were found to bind copper comparatively weakly. 3. Bile from all sources contains a non-diffusible fraction with a very strong binding affinity for copper. 4. Bile from patients with Wilson9s disease binds copper as strongly as normal bile.


The adaptive immune system is orchestrated by CD4+ T cells. These cells detect peptides presented on Major Histocompatiblity Complex (MHC) class II molecules, which are loaded in late endosomes with products of lysosomal proteolysis. One pathway by which proteins gain access to degradation in lysosomes is macroautophagy. We recently showed that constitutive macroautophagy can be detected in cells relevant for the immune system, including dendritic cells. In these antigen presenting cells, autophagosomes frequently fused with MHC class II antigen loading compartments and targeting of Influenza matrix protein 1 (MP1) for macroautophagy enhanced MHC class II presentation to MP1-specific CD4+ T cell clones up to 20 fold. Our findings indicate that macroautophagy is a constitutive and efficient pathway of antigen delivery for MHC class II presentation. We suggest that this pathway samples intracellular proteins for immune surveillance and induction of tolerance in CD4+ T cells, and could be targeted for improved MHC class II presentation of vaccine antigens. Addendum to: MHC Class II Antigen Loading Compartments Continuously Receive Input from Autophagosomes Dorothee Schmid, Marc Pypaert and Christian Münz Immunity 2006; In press


Citizen Havel (2008) Citizen Havel (2008) Directed by Pavel Koutecky and Miroslav Janek Distributed, with subtitles, by Aerofilms www.aerofilms.cz 120 min. The direct cinema doc Citizen Havel covers the decade long rein of the Czech Republic's first president, Vaclav Havel. The film attempts to show how Havel creates a job and builds a country but too often uses charade to keep interest. Authence boredom prevails as the film sits entrenched in Czech-only issues and deep politics. The film's breadth requires oft-unfinished short story lines; the film also drags along the unnecessary story of another politician to potentially influence current Czech politics. The film has fascinating construction but ultimately fails to construct a cohesive story with wide appeal. Vaclav Havel is a famed Czechoslovak playwright turned dissident who was imprisoned for five years and led the successful anti-communist revolution, but you wouldn't know that by watching this film. The film commences with a stocky middleaged Havel diverging from conversation of his future presidency to an anecdote of accidentally eating dog food. As he greets crowds, the jovial president hears "Long live Havel" and "We live only for you." With only the filmic knowledge, and not knowing Havel's policies or previous actions, these loving statements seem unsubstantiated and misplaced. At best, Citizen Havel shows fleeting moments of Havel's greatness. He is an idealist who refuses to fib even though it seems politically wise: "I am the president of truth, not the president of lies." One questions whether the camera's presence influenced Havel's actions but just as camera cover was consistent, so were Havel's actions rendering speculation historically unimportant. Historically, Havel's greatest presidential success killed the Warsaw Pact and brought his country into NATO. The film abashedly covers these endeavors. Havel remarks that he will run for a second term to pursue these two goals, yet the scene of Havel actually signing the NATO treaty has no mention of that act's importance. Rather the scene uses the setting to show Havel's disdain for American food - Havel's greatest action takes a backseat to his humorous taste buds. The portrayal of Havel solely as goofball is a disservice to the man and the people he led, even if he was a goofball. The hyper film mocks the man instead of praising the hero. A combination of both would have been fitting, but this mockery without praise when praise is deserved is sheer manipulation. The Czech Republic is small. With 10.2 million people, it has roughly the same population as Michigan. The film has international aspirations, as signified both by its Berlinale screening and by statements from director Miroslav Janek. But, much of the film is heavily entrenched in "Czech-only" issues. Czech journalist Terza BrdeDkova watched the film's authence in Berlin and said she "could feel from one moment to another that there was a sort of- not boredom - but something like misunderstanding amongst this foreign authence" Although Citizen Havel is the most successful Czech documentary ever, due to the country's size, the film's greatest authence will be foreigners. Foreigners will be lost in the politics and situations facing the Czech Republic as many as sixteen years ago. …


The control exerted by some invertebrates on the calcium carbonate polymorph produced is intriguing but not understood. Mytilus edulis shells, with the abrupt polymorph switch within their valves from an outer calcite to inner aragonite layer, are excellent examples of this phenomenon. Detailed crystallography of intact valves using Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) is considered in the context of quantitative chemical analyses by electron microprobe. Apart from the outer 40 μm, individual crystals that comprise the calcite layer of M. edulis differ from each other in terms of misorientation by less than 10°. Similar uniformity occurs in the inner aragonite layer with notable 'mineral bridging' between tablets of aragonite nacre. The first-formed aragonite laminae are sub-micron thickness and the subsequent laminae of uniform 1 μm thickness.

Variations in chemical composition through the two valves correspond in part with the distribution of the two polymorphs. Magnesium is present in notably higher concentrations within calcite than aragonite. However, the Mg2+ concentration in calcite is not uniform and increases with growth before decreasing at the polymorph switch. Sodium concentrations decrease steadily through the calcite layer. The aragonite layer is compositionally more uniform. Sulphur is not a good proxy for organic content in this system because it does not reflect the higher organic content of the aragonite. Sector zoning is not responsible for the element distribution seen here while differences in crystal size and association with organic components remain as possible explanations.


Ancestry played a continuous role in the construction and portrayal of Roman emperorship in the first three centuries AD. Emperors and Ancestors is the first systematic analysis of the different ways in which imperial lineage was represented in the various 'media' through which images of emperors could be transmitted. Looking beyond individual rulers, Hekster evaluates evidence over an extended period of time and differentiates between various types of sources, such as inscriptions, sculpture, architecture, literary text, and particularly central coinage, which forms the most convenient source material for a modern reconstruction of Roman representations over a prolonged period of time.

The volume explores how the different media in use sent out different messages. The importance of local notions and traditions in the choice of local representations of imperial ancestry are emphasized, revealing that there was no monopoly on image-forming by the Roman centre and far less interaction between central and local imagery than is commonly held. Imperial ancestry is defined through various parallel developments at Rome and in the provinces. Some messages resonated outside the centre but only when they were made explicit and fitted local practice and the discourse of the medium. The construction of imperial ancestry was constrained by the local expectations of how a ruler should present himself, and standardization over time of the images and languages that could be employed in the 'media' at imperial disposal. Roman emperorship is therefore shown to be a constant process of construction within genres of communication, representation, and public symbolism.


The transfer of research results into production systems requires, among other things, to make these results explicit and understandable for stakeholders. Many researchers have been studying means to favour knowledge acquisition on the behalf of stakeholders using not only scientific papers. In fact, scientific papers have limitations in the transferability and reusability of knowledge owing to: size limitations that do not permit all the necessary knowledge to be exploited; structure and contents heterogeneity that could cause conflicts; and redundancy and incoherence between papers dealing with same topic. We therefore propose the concept of the Knowledge Experience Package (KEP) that contains both the conceptual "model(s) of the research results which make up the innovation, including all the necessary documentation ranging from papers or book chapters, and the" [42] appropriately structured experience acquired from the business processes. The KEP conceptual model has been implemented in a Knowledge Experience Base (KEB) called PROMETHEUS. The principal goal of this work is to assess whether the knowledge transferred by a KEP, and delivered by PROMETHEUS, adds comprehensibility to the knowledge transferred by scientific papers. A controlled experiment was therefore carried out with 14 IT professionals contracted in projects led by the Alarcos research group at the University of Castilla-La Mancha (Spain), all of whom have degrees in Computer Science. The comprehension of the knowledge transferred was analyzed from three different perspectives: semantic comprehension, retention and transfer. The evidence collected permits us to state that the structure of the KEP increases the ability to retain knowledge in a significant manner than occurs with scientific papers only. The results have encouraged us to carry out further studies in order to refine the KEP structure, although we are conscious that the results should be considered as preliminary.


Using drones as flying base stations is a promising approach to enhance the network coverage and area capacity by moving supply towards demand when required. However deployment of such base stations can face some restrictions that need to be considered. One of the limitations in drone base stations (drone-BSs) deployment is the availability of reliable wireless backhaul link. This paper investigates how different types of wireless backhaul offering various data rates would affect the number of served users. Two approaches, namely, network-centric and user-centric, are introduced and the optimal 3D backhaul-aware placement of a drone-BS is found for each approach. To this end, the total number of served users and sum-rates are maximized in the network-centric and user-centric frameworks, respectively. Moreover, as it is preferred to decrease drone-BS movements to save more on battery and increase flight time and to reduce the channel variations, the robustness of the network is examined as how sensitive it is with respect to the users displacements.


In this paper, I present a framework for analyzing city competition that clarifies the different dimensions along which cities can compete with one another for people and firms. I contend that current urban development strategies are largely based on a "hydraulic" approach to development and discuss an alternative that focuses on policies and the amount of local government impediments to urban development that exist across cities. Using a sample of 381 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) and an MSA economic freedom index from an article by economist and policy analyst Dean Stansel, I find that MSAs with fewer government impediments experienced more per capita income growth from 2002 to 2005 and from 2002 to 2011. I also find that MSAs with more tax freedom experienced more population growth from 2002 to 2011 and from 2002 to 2015. These findings are evidence that government impediments to economic activity can affect local intensive and extensive economic growth, and they are consistent with several country- and state-level studies.


Milk composition and the rates of milk consumption by pouch young were examined in free-living allied rock-wallabies, Petrogale assimilis. Milk solids concentrations were approximately 16% (w/w) at 70 days post-partum and increased to about 22% by 170 days when young first left the pouch. By permanent pouch emergence (about 200 days), concentrations had declined and stabilised at about 19%. Milk carbohydrate peaked at 12% (w/v) at 150 days; lipid concentrations averaged 8% (w/w) at 200 days. The subsequent decline in carbohydrates was the main cause of the fall in milk solids. Protein concentrations increased gradually from about 3% (w/v) at 70 days to plateau at 5.5% at about 200 days. Milk consumption rates were measured from 72 to 159 days post-partum with 22Na turnover. Milk consumption, about 3 mL day- 1 initially, increased to an average of about 15 mL day-1 by 150 days. The mass gained by a pouch young between 72 and 159 days for each millilitre of milk consumed was not correlated with lactational stage and averaged 0.21 ± 0.014 (s.e.) g mL-1.


The topology optimization (TO) of structures to be produced using additive manufacturing (AM) is explored using a data-driven constraint function that predicts the minimum producible size of small features in different shapes and orientations. This shape- and orientation-dependent manufacturing constraint, derived from experimental data, is implemented within a TO framework using a modified version of the moving morphable components (MMC) approach. Because the analytic constraint function is fully differentiable, gradient-based optimization can be used. The MMC approach is extended in this work to include a "bootstrapping" step, which provides initial component layouts to the MMC algorithm based on intermediate solid isotropic material with penalization (SIMP) topology optimization results. This "bootstrapping" approach improves convergence compared with reference MMC implementations. Results from two compliance design optimization example problems demonstrate the successful integration of the manufacturability constraint in the MMC approach, and the optimal designs produced show minor changes in topology and shape compared to designs produced using fixed-radius filters in the traditional SIMP approach. The use of this data-driven manufacturability constraint makes it possible to take better advantage of the achievable complexity in additive manufacturing processes, while resulting in typical penalties to the design objective function of around only 2% when compared with the unconstrained case.


Since the Canada – Renewable Energy/FIT Program (2013) dispute at the World Trade Organization (WTO), it has become almost conventional wisdom in the literature that a clash exists between international climate change mitigation goals and WTO law, with a growing consensus (if not anxiety) that WTO subsidy rules ought to be reformed in order to safeguard 'policy space' for government support to renewable energy. It is contended here that, in several ways, such a call for reform has been misconceived and needs to be recalibrated. This is mainly because the case for reform has been seldom evaluated in light of State practice beyond that particular WTO dispute, nor informed by an in-depth assessment of how different green energy subsidies will fare under existing WTO subsidy disciplines. Our aim here is to fill this gap in the existing literature. In particular, our analysis shows that the main problem is neither feed-in tariffs per se, nor the multilateral disputes that have been brought before the WTO dispute settlement bodies. For this reason, we argue that the applicability of Article XX GATT to the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (SCM Agreement), which has been often suggested in the scholarship, is not the solution towards ensuring greater supportiveness between international trade and climate change regimes. In fact, such an avenue will provide no legal shelter for those climate-friendly energy subsidies that have actually been at a higher risk under current WTO rules (i.e., through unilateral remedial action). Conversely, the other common proposal of introducing a specific exemption into the SCM Agreement for certain 'good' RE subsidies appears most effective from a mutual supportiveness perspective, but faces considerable political and practical hurdles at the present junction.


Today, China is the only one of five original nuclear weapon states that is increasing its nuclear arsenal. According to some estimates, the country could "more than double" the number of warheads on missiles that could threaten the United States by the mid-2020s. Earlier this year, China published a defense white paper, which repeated its nuclear policies of maintaining a minimum deterrent with a no-first-use pledge. Yet China has yet to define what it means by a minimum deterrent posture. This, together with the fact that it is deploying four new nuclear-capable ballistic missiles, invites concern as to the scale and intention of China's nuclear upgrade. The authors estimate that China has a total inventory of approximately 240 nuclear warheads. Reviewing one of the world's most opaque nuclear forces, they assess the country's land-based missiles, submarines and sea-based missiles, and cruise missiles.


A 43-year-old male presented with sudden onset of painless, blurred vision in his left eye. Dilated fundoscopic examination showed signs consistent with the diagnosis of a combination of central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) and cilioretinal artery occlusion (CLRAO). He received daily 2-h sessions of hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT), 253 kPa for 14 days. At the end of the HBOT course, the patient's left visual acuity had improved from 20/200 to 20/20. Dilated fundoscopic examination showed that the intra-retinal haemorrhages in the entire retina and the retinal whitening along the course of the CLRA seen at presentation had completely resolved. The combination of CLRAO and CRVO comprises a discrete clinical entity. Even though there are many hypotheses concerning this condition, it is most likely the result of elevated intraluminal pressure in the retinal capillaries due to CRVO that exceeds the pressure in the CLRA. HBOT may be an effective treatment for CRVO-associated CLRAO.


For $r\geq 2$, $\alpha \geq r-1$ and $k\geq 1$, let $c(r,\alpha ,k)$ be the smallest integer $c$ such that the vertex set of any non-trivial $r$-uniform $k$-edge-colored hypergraph ${\cal H}$ with $\alpha ({\cal H})=\alpha$ can be covered by $c$ monochromatic connected components. Here $\alpha({\cal{H}})$ is the maximum cardinality of a subset $A$ of vertices in $\cal{H}$ such that $A$ does not contain any edges. An old conjecture of Ryser is equivalent to $c(2,\alpha,k)=\alpha (r-1)$ and a recent result of Z. Kiraly states that $c(r,r-1,k)=\lceil \frac{k}{r}\rceil$ for any $r\ge 3$. Here we make the first step to treat non-complete hypergraphs, showing that $c(r,r,r)=2$ for $r\ge 2$ and $c(r,r,r+1)=3$ for $r\ge 3$.


Offshore production of oil and natural gas with high carbon dioxide content and high gas-to-oil ratio entail stringent processing conditions that require innovations and first-of-a-kind designs, which bear uncertainties derived from the scarcity of commercial-scale projects, hindering to move along technology learning curves. Consequently, unpredicted scenarios and unachieved specifications cause economic and environmental losses. Such uncertainties force offshore plants to be designed under stochastic factors seeking best statistical performance. The Monte Carlo Method is suitable to such finality. This work proposes a computer-aided engineering framework 'MCAnalysis' automatically applying a probabilistic environmental assessment of offshore gas processing. 'MCAnalysis' integrates HYSYS simulator with 'Waste Reduction Algorithm' to assess potential environmental impacts, whose most relevant categories were identified via Principal Component Analysis. An offshore plant processing natural gas with high carbon dioxide content was submitted to probabilistic raw gas flow rate under two scenarios of carbon dioxide content. The higher carbon dioxide content scenario presented the highest probabilistic potential environmental impacts, being the atmospheric category the most relevant.


Fisheries have always been in a state of change, even though it is an activity rooted in long tradition and with a strong culture. Though many fishermen come from fishing families, most do not work as their fathers did either in capture methods, nor target species nor market strategies. In fact, the changes in fishing practices have resulted in the overharvest of many traditional species and international problems of depleted stocks and industry overcapacity. Fishery managers and scientists are constantly changing too and in some cases, the overharvesting problem is beginning to be addressed. In the Northeastern U.S., New England groundfish have been under intense fishing pressure for more than 30 years, but in the past two years, management changes have been enacted which have finally reduced the harvest rate on many groundfish stocks to a level which is already leading to the beginnings of a recovery. This change gives some insight into how the fishery may look in the future. The following features are those that I see emerging out of the current climate: 1) fishing enterprises, large and small, will become generalists rather than specialists; 2) full access control will be implemented for all marine resources and will include addressing the participation of all user groups; 3) with property rights will come responsibility for conservation. The tools for change are new monitoring systems including satellite tracking and increased dockside monitoring, using access as a means of ensuring compliance with conservation measures, and the use of a precautionary approach to management decisions. Though optimistic, given the history of resource management, these changes are both inevitable and can lead to sustainable resource use in the next century.


FTIR smog chamber experiments were performed to investigate the atmospheric fate of E- and Z-CF3CH = CHCF3 (1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluoro-2-butene). The experiments were performed to study reactions of E-CF3CH = CHCF3 or Z-CF3CH = CHCF3 with Cl atoms, OH radicals, and O3 in 700 Torr of N2/O2 diluents at 296 ± 2 K. The study determined the Cl atom, OH radical, and O3 kinetics and the mechanism of the atmospheric oxidation of E- and Z-CF3CH = CHCF3. The main atmospheric fate for both compounds is reaction with OH radicals. Atmospheric chemistry of the reaction of Z-CF3CH = CHCF3 with OH and OD radicals were investigated by Baasandorj et al. in 2011, no other previous studies are available. The results of the present study are compared to the findings of Baasandorj et al. assessing the atmospheric impact of E- and Z-CF3CH = CHCF3. Infrared spectra were recorded, and the atmospheric lifetimes, the radiative forcings and global warming potentials (GWP) of the two butenes were calculated. This study provides a comprehensive description of the atmospheric fate of E- and Z-CF3CH = CHCF3. We present here the first results on the atmospheric chemistry of E-CF3CH = CHCF3 and of the Cl- and O3-initiated chemistry of Z-CF3CH = CHCF3.


This paper investigates the determinants of profit change over the period 1991-2008 for the Water and Sewerage Companies (WaSCs) in the English and Welsh water and sewerage industry. We firstly apply an input oriented profit decomposition approach following the approach of De Witte & Saal (2010). Then, we make allowances for differences in the quality of output, by decomposing the output effect into high quality and low quality output effect. We decompose profit changes into various factors such as quantity and price effect, technical change, efficiency change, resource mix, product mix and scale effect, without and after controlling for quality. In both cases, the positive impact on profit changes came from substantial improvements in technical change, the cost efficient allocation of resources by substituting labour with capital and small improvements in efficiency gains. The input price and scale effect had a significant negative impact on profit changes. This technique is of great interest for regulators to evaluate the effectiveness of regulation and companies to identify the determinants of profit change and improve future performance, even if sample sizes are limited.


Over the the past two decades there has emerged a new term in the discussion of authoritarian and illiberal regimes, one known as the deep state. In spite of its increasing use, the utility of this concept is limited by its lack of clarity, often appearing to mean little more than tenacious military rule. This paper is an attempt to delineate the concept of the deep state and assess its value in understanding certain aspects of authoritarian and illiberal politics. I define the deep state as a set of coercive institutions, actors and relationships beyond those formally charged with defense, intelligence and policing. Driven politically by a logic of tutelage and exercising a high degree of autonomy, the deep state justifies itself through the need to defend the nation against purported existential threats. I begin the paper by expanding on the term, discussing which elements are central to the concept of the deep state and which are not. Second, I relate the deep state to a number of other concepts in comparative politics. Third, I briefly consider these elements to address the contexts in which a deep state may emerge. Fourth, I look at cases of deep states in Turkey, Pakistan, and Iran. Finally, I conclude the paper by discussing political transition and the deep state, and how the latter can prove a particular obstacle to democratization.


The goal of endodontic treatment is to obtain effective cleaning and decontamination of the smear layer, bacteria and their byproducts within the root canal system. Clinically, traditional endodontic techniques use mechanical instruments as well as ultrasonic and chemical irrigation in an attempt to shape, clean and completely decontaminate the endodontic system, but still fall short of successfully removing all of the infective microorganisms and debris. Laser-activated irrigation is a powerful endodontic treatment for removal of the smear layer, bacteria, and debris from the root canal. Numerous studies have shown that photon-induced photoacoustic streaming using SSP-activated Er:YAG laser irrigation has significantly higher efficacy compared to traditional methods such as syringe or ultrasonic needle irrigation. This is attributed to extremely rapid opto-dynamic phenomena during SSP-assisted activation. In this study, root canal pressure measurements were carried out in order to further optimize the fiber tip geometry for SSP endodontics. Recently, a newer SWEEPS® Er:YAG laser modality was introduced with the goal to enhance the disinfecting and activating efficacy of SSP laserassisted endodontic procedures by enabling primary and secondary shock waves to be generated throughout the complex root canal system. As is shown in this paper, the SWEEPS modality significantly enhances the efficacy of the removal of debris and medicaments from the root canal system. The complementary combination of the SSP and SWEEPS® technologies in most recent Er:YAG dental laser devices thus represents a unique solution for modern endodontics.


DB2 pureXML Cookbook Master the Power of the IBM Hybrid Data Server Hands-On Solutions and Best Practices for Developing and Managing XML Database Applications with DB2 More and more database developers and DBAs are being asked to develop applications and manage databases that involve XML data. Many are utilizing the highly praised DB2 pureXML technology from IBM. In the DB2 pureXML Cookbook, two leading experts from IBM offer the practical solutions and proven code samples that database professionals need to build better XML solutions faster. Organized by task, this book is packed with more than 700 easy-to-adapt recipe-style examples covering the entire application lifecyclefrom planning and design through coding, optimization, and troubleshooting. This extraordinary library of recipes includes more than 250 XQuery and SQL/XML queries. With the authors hands-on guidance, youll learn how to combine pureXML ingredients to efficiently perform virtually any XML data management task, from the simplest to the most advanced. Coverage includes pureXML in DB2 9 for z/OS and DB2 9.1, 9.5, and 9.7 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows Best practices for designing XML data, applications, and storage objects Importing, exporting, loading, replicating, and federating XML data Querying XML data, from start to finish: XPath and XQuery data model and languages, SQL/XML, stored procedures, UDFs, and much more Avoiding common errors and inefficient XML queries Converting relational data to XML and vice versa Updating and transforming XML documents Defining and working with XML indexes Monitoring and optimizing the performance of XML queries and other operations Using XML Schemas to constrain and validate XML documents XML application developmentincluding code samples for Java, .NET, C, COBOL,PL/1, PHP, and Perl


This master thesis deals with the effect of interoperability between architectural and structural BIM software in the case of a Mall project. The research and most of the work was performed on a BIM model of the Mall project that was modeled using Tekla BIM software.
Since there is still a lack of investigations addressing interoperability issues in the structural engineering domain, this thesis pretends to show the collaboration between architectural and structural BIM software, taking into account a real and complex project.
A general overview and research regarding building information modeling (BIM) and interoperability issues were done in this project. Various case studies were conducted, where the entire BIM model and partial models of the Mall project were transferred from BIM to FEM software using different data exchange methods. Structural analysis and design in the case of the relevant partial models of the Mall project were performed with the help of Dlubal-Structural Engineering Software for Analysis and Design. Such analyses were made in the structural analysis program RFEM, to investigate if those partial models are imported correctly.
The general conclusion based on the used case studies is that data exchange between BIM and FEM software can be useful, but the ease of use depends on both the data exchange method and the way how the relevant model has been created in Tekla BIM software. Referring to these case studies, the most successful data exchange was achieved by using the direct link between BIM and FEM software.


In this paper we introduce a new underlying probabilistic model for principal component analysis (PCA). Our formulation interprets PCA as a particular Gaussian process prior on a mapping from a latent space to the observed data-space. We show that if the prior's covariance function constrains the mappings to be linear the model is equivalent to PCA, we then extend the model by considering less restrictive covariance functions which allow non-linear mappings. This more general Gaussian process latent variable model (GPLVM) is then evaluated as an approach to the visualisation of high dimensional data for three different data-sets. Additionally our non-linear algorithm can be further kernelised leading to 'twin kernel PCA' in which a mapping between feature spaces occurs.


Over the last decade, the visual effects industry has embraced physics simulations as a highly useful tool for creating realistic scenes ranging from a small camp fire to large-scale destruction of whole cities. While fluid simulations are now widely used in the industry, it is still inherently difficult to control large-scale simulations, and there is a constant struggle to increase visual detail.
 This course approaches these problems using turbulence methods. Turbulent detail is what makes typical fluid simulations look impressive, and the underlying physics motivate a powerful approach for control; they allow for an elegant split of large-scale motion and small-scale turbulent detail. The result is a two-stage work flow that is highly convenient for artists. First, a rough, fast initial simulation is performed, then turbulent effects are added to enhance detail.
 After reviewing the basics of fluid solvers and the popular wavelet turbulence approach, the course presents several powerful methods for capturing advanced effects such as boundary layers and turbulence with directional preferences. It also explains the difficulties of liquid simulations and presents an approach to liquid turbulence that is based on wave dynamics.
 Full source code for all of the methods covered in the course is available to attendees. Instructors outline convenient starting points for navigating the code.


In this study, the moderating effect of turnover intention on the relationship between careerism and compulsory citizenship behaviors was investigated. The purpose of the study is to determine the effect of careerism, as an individual level orientation, on the compulsory citizenship behaviors, and the moderating effect of turnover intention on this relationship. Accordingly, the study was conducted on the 330 bankers, who work in private banks in Istanbul. Data were gathered by using convenient sampling method with survey technique. The data were analyzed with exploratory factor analysis, correlation analysis, and hierarchical regression analysis by using SPSS along with PROCESS which is a macro for examining different levels of moderator variable, developed for the test of complex relations among the multiple variables. Findings indicate that careerism is one of the positive and statistically significant predictors of compulsory citizenship behaviors. Moreover, the moderating effect of turnover intention on the careerism-compulsory citizenship behaviors relationship is also statistically significant, such that the positive effect of careerism on the compulsory citizenship behaviors is stronger when the level of turnover intention is low. Managerial and practical implications, as well as further research directions, are provided which will be deemed as useful both for academicians and industry professionals.


Purpose: This paper aims to expand the emerging field of symbolic green consumer behavior (GCB) by investigating the impact of anticipated conspicuousness of the consumption situation on consumers' choice of organic products. In addition, the paper also explores whether self-monitoring ability and attention to social comparison information (ATSCI) influence GCB in situations of anticipated high conspicuousness.Design/methodology/approach: Two experiments test the study's hypotheses.Findings: The results of both experiments show that the anticipation of conspicuousness has a significant effect on GCB. Moreover, in Experiment 2, this effect is moderated by consumers' level of ATSCI but not by their self-monitoring ability.Research limitations/implications: Because ATSCI significantly interacts with green consumption because of the anticipation of a conspicuous setting, although self-monitoring ability does not, we conclude that social identification is an important determinant of green consumption.Practical implications: Marketers who focus on building green brands could consider designing conspicuous consumption situations to increase GCB.Social implications: Policymakers could enact change by making the environmental unfriendliness of non-eco-friendly products visible to the public and thus increase the potential for GCB.Originality/value: The results validate the emerging understanding that green products are consumed for self-enhancement, but also expand the literature by highlighting that a key motivating factor of GCB is the desire to fit in.


Self-assembly is a key coordination mechanism for large multi-unit systems and a powerful bottom-up technology for micro/nanofabrication. Controlled self-assembly and dynamic reconfiguration of large ensembles of microscopic particles can effectively bridge these domains to build innovative systems. In this perspective, we present SelfSys, a novel platform for the automated control of the fluidic self-assembly of microparticles. SelfSys centers around a water-filled microfluidic chamber whose agitation modes, induced by a coupled ultrasonic actuator, drive the assembly. Microparticle dynamics is imaged, tracked and analyzed in real-time by an integrated software framework, which in turn algorithmically controls the agitation modes of the microchamber. The closed control loop is fully automated and can direct the stochastic assembly of microparticle clusters of preset dimension. Control issues specific to SelfSys implementation are discussed, and its potential applications presented. The SelfSys platform embodies at microscale the automated self-assembly control paradigm we first demonstrated in an earlier platform.


Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has in later years gained increased awareness and the business environment has become more international where multinational corporations (MNCs) are encountering many different national cultures. Along with this development, it has become important for MNCs to take the cultures of the foreign markets into consideration when deciding on what strategy approach to adopt towards CSR as different cultures have different expectations on corporations. Among the various aspects of CSR, this thesis has only focused on the labour issues, which are typically addressed by companies through establishing voluntary Codes of Conduct with the aim of improving the working conditions and labour standards.The purpose of this thesis is to examine the national cultural differences between Sweden and East China, and analyse if these differences influences whether Swedish MNCs take an adaptation, standardization or glocalization strategy towards CSR in regards to the labour policies when operating in Sweden and East China respectively. By gathering secondary data and primary data through an in-depth, qualitative interview with Company Red, the purpose of this thesis was fulfilled. The results show that Company Red applies a standardisation strategy when implementing their labour policies, while small additions are still allowed in some cases when operating under different cultural contexts. Moreover, the results point to the conclusion that adaptation of labour policies may be more in terms of adapting the way of communicating and implementing the policies to the needs and expectations of the host country, rather than adaptation of the actual Code of Conduct itself.


Abstract A kinetic model has been derived for the reduction of oxide spent nuclear fuel in a radial flow reactor. In this reaction, lithium dissolved in molten LiCl reacts with UO2 and fission product oxides to form a porous, metallic product. As the reaction proceeds, the depth of the porous layer around the exterior of each fuel particle increases. The observed rate of reaction has been found to be dependent only upon the rate of diffusion of lithium across this layer, consistent with a classic shrinking core kinetic model. This shrinking core model has been extended to predict the behavior of a hypothetical, pilot-scale reactor for oxide reduction. The design of the pilot-scale reactor includes forced flow through baskets that contain the fuel particles. The results of the modeling indicate that this is an essential feature in order to minimize the time needed to achieve full conversion of the fuel.


The effect of solid-state phase transformation at low temperatures on residual stresses in butt welded ferritic thin steel plates has been examined employing a finite element (FE) code. An algorithm considering the solid-state phase transformation has been developed and implemented in a thermo-elastic-plastic analysis of an in-house FE code developed at JWRI Osaka. A number of analyses have been conducted to examine the effect of Martensite start (Ms) temperature on residual stresses. It has been shown that solid-state phase transformation at low temperatures has a profound effect on residual stress state in welded thin steel plates.