The study of the hydrologic cycle is physically focused on the analysis of the interactions between the soil surface (and specifically the soil water content, linked with precipitation) and the low atmosphere, which occur mainly through the mediation of the soil itself, the vegetation and the turbulent and radiative energy transfers which take place on the Earth's surface. In recent years, the hydrologic research has evolved towards a comprehensive theory describing the mass, energy and motion-quantity exchanges between surface and atmosphere at several scales. The practical aims of this efforts are: (1) to improve the mid- and long-term hydrologic forecasts; (2) to increase our capability of describing the impacts deriving from changes in the soil use and in the climate on the hydrologic cycle and on the Earth's ecosystems. The paper illustrate the implementation of GEOTOP, a distributed model of the hydrologic cycle which is meant to give a scientific contribution in this direction. GEOTOP is a terrain-based model, i.e. it is based on the employment of DEMs (digital elevation models); it is a distributed model, since all the simulated variables are returned for each pixel in the basin; it is a model of the hydrological cycle, in the sense that it simulates all the elements of the hydrological cycle, and not only the mass balance but also the energy balance: in fact the two balance equations are coupled by the evapotranspiration terms and by the soil temperature, which controls the soil hydraulic conductivity and the snow cover accumulation. As to the soil-atmosphere interaction, GEOTOP follows the treatment initially developed by Deardorf, and then implemented, with numerous changes, in land surface models either at global scale like BATS, NCAR-LSM, NOAH-LSM - or at larger scales like the VIC or at basin sclae like the DHSVM. The model adopts original solutions for the discharge calculation. In particular, it differs from the TOPMODEL, because it does not assume any stationeries conditions in the subsurface flows.


Although participatory design (PD) is currently the most acceptable and respectful process we have for designing technology, recent discussions suggest that there may be two barriers to the successful application of PD to the design of digital games: First, the involvement of audiences with special needs can introduce new practical and ethical challenges to the design process. Second, the use of non-experts in game design roles has been criticised in that participants lack skills necessary to create games of appropriate quality. To explore how domain knowledge and user involvement influence game design, we present results from two projects that addressed the creation of movement-based wheelchair-controlled video games from different perspectives. The first project was carried out together with a local school that provides education for young people with special needs, where we invited students who use wheelchairs to take part in design sessions. The second project involved university students on a game development course, who do not use wheelchairs, taking on the role of expert designers. They were asked to design concepts for wheelchair-controlled games as part of a final-year course on game design. Our results show that concepts developed by both groups were generally suitable examples of wheelchair-controlled motion-based video games, but we observed differences regarding level of detail of game concepts, and ideas of disability. Additionally, our results show that the design exercise exposed vulnerabilities in both groups, outlining that the risk of practical and emotional vulnerability needs to be considered when working with the target audience as well as expert designers.


Broadly speaking, courts and commentators have offered two theories to explain the relationship between the literal scope of a patent claim and after-arising technology (AAT), i.e. technology that is not discovered until after a claim has been filed. The fixation theory asserts that claim scope is and/or should be fixed on the date a claim is filed and that this fixation makes it impossible for the claim to encompass AAT because a claim must grow in some sense after the filing date in order to encompass AAT. In stark contrast, the growth theory argues that literal claim scope does and/or should encompass AAT on a routine basis and that literal claim scope therefore cannot be fixed on the date of filing.Finding neither of these theories satisfying, either descriptively or normatively, this Article rejects them. More specifically, it rejects a logical premise that both theories share, namely that simultaneous fixation of and growth in literal claim scope is a logical impossibility. The concept of the literal scope of a claim is ambiguous in several ways. Courts can-and routinely do-fix one concept on the date of filing to achieve certain goals, such as furthering public notice, while at the same time allowing a distinct concept to grow and absorb AAT to achieve other goals, such as providing sufficient incentives. Every time a court addresses whether AAT falls within the literal scope of a valid patent claim, it necessarily constructs the things claimed by a patent and defines the nature of the meaning that permits the claiming language to describe those things. Literal claim scope can remain fixed and yet literal claim scope can grow to encompass AAT at the same time (in different senses of the concept of literal claim scope, of course) provided that a court makes tactical decisions in the course of constructing things and defining meaning.


Long ago, God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.


Corruption in Indonesia is very worrying. On the other hand, the efforts to combat corruption have not shown optimal results. On one side, there is the law on corruption, but on the other hand corruption persists. One of the efforts taken is through education that is considered strategic for prevention. Based on the decision letter of Kopertais Region II of West Java and BantenNo.002/Kep.II/SK-1/IX/2011, the Facultyof Islamic Studies of Singaperbangsa State University of Karawang taken anti-corruption education courses as a compulsory subject. The focus of the problem in this study is internalization modelof Anti-corruption value in Faculty of Islamic Studies of Singaperbangsa State University of Karawang. The specific aim of this study is to have a concept of internalization model of anti-corruption value through teaching in Islamic Higher Education properly and appropriately. The general aim of this study is to have a concept of internalization model of anti-corruption with Islamic worldview basic which can be implemented in Islamic Higher Education. The method used in this research is to use the mixed method, a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches. The firstmethod is qualitative descriptive approach, it was taken because this study used interviews, observation, and documentation as the primary data source. The quantitative data was analyzedusing descriptive statistic with the technique of SEM (Structural Equation Modelling) application and validity test. Results of research on the anti-corruption lessons in Faculty of Islamic Studies shows that learning activities are held is limited to the transfer of the knowledge (cognitive). It yet emphasis on character formation (affective) and the moral consciousness in the resistance (psychomotor) against corruption. Model internalization of effective Anti-Corruption will appear if the learning patterns lead to pattern formation of student habits (habit formation) and modelling (role model). In addition, the model also should include learning objectives aimed at the establishment of Anti-corruption personality on students' personal and the applicationofAnti-corruption values in daily activities of life. The subject matter of the Anti-corruption education directed at theori of Hubud Hazards associated with the world, ascetic morality and honest or trustworthy. Methods and techniques used Qudwah learning and habituation. Evaluation of learning techniques directed at non-verbal and writing of the absorption of the material (matter avoid memorizing concepts or more materials are digging of opinion) and affective tests. Tests were carried out on a model of internalization of Anti-corruption shows the evidence of the questionnaire with an average positive impact and significance of 75% and 25% are influenced by other variables. Therefore, based on the research that the model can be used with various limitations Keyword: Anti korupsi, internalisasi nilai, perguruan tinggi


This article responds to current literature, which unitarily advocates for a UNSC reform solution to the Responsibility to Protect (R2P ) deadlock, particularly in the context of the situation in Syria. This article argues, contra the consensus, that a reformed UNSC would hinder the crystallization of R2P as a customary norm and its application to humanitarian crises. Part I of this article argues that the interaction between R2P and the newly advanced concept of Responsibility Not to Veto (RN2V) can be examined under two hypotheses: one substantive and one procedural. The substantive hypothesis treats RN2V as a corollary obligation to R2P explicating that the concept of R2P necessitates two separate State obligations: (1) the obligation to respond to grave violations of human rights; and (2) the obligation to, at a minimum, refrain from obstructing other States' efforts to employ R2P. I argue that the substantive hypothesis, though not necessarily conceptually problematic, does not offer the same practical and pragmatic value that the procedural hypothesis does. By viewing RN2V as a procedural mechanism to facilitate R2P's invocation, R2P has a higher likelihood of being crystallized into a rule of customary international law. Part II of this article analyzes empirical data to show that the often-proposed UNSC reform measure would be ineffective. I utilize the proposed models of UNSC expansion, advanced by the current academic literature, to examine the past and current practice of potential new permanent members towards the concepts of RN2V and R2P. By comparing this practice to that of the current permanent UNSC members I conclude that the resulting UNSC composition would, at the aggregate, include more states that are not traditionally in favor of R2P. Despite hopes of a UNSC reform making the Council more effective in governing the use of force, this article argues that in cases of R2P, a reformed UNSC is likely to face greater difficulty in reaching a consensus. Instead, the most effective way to promote the development of the R2P norm is through acknowledging RN2V's procedural role, and the assertion that RN2V functionally implements, or particularizes, R2P.


This article seeks to critically assess the recently dominant financialized model of corporate law and governance and its contribution to the creation of the "asocial corporation" geared only to the enhancement of shareholder value. This article places corporate law in a wider context of national and international legal developments that, together, create a framework for the financialization of transnational corporate activity. This article shows that a new approach to transnational corporate governance is emerging from a number of sources. These predate the crisis but have been given impetus by it. In particular, three important phenomena are examined: the rise of activist litigation against the parent companies of multinational enterprises (MNEs) for the actions of overseas subsidiaries; the new framework for human rights and business developed by the U.N. Special Representative of the Secretary General; and the increased role of the state as an owner, controller, and regulator of enterprise as a result of the financial crisis and the rise of state-owned and -controlled MNEs from newly industrialized countries. Together, these developments contribute to a reconsideration of the enhanced shareholder value model and the development of a more socially rooted appraisal of the corporation and of corporate law and governance. In addition, new approaches to international economic law instruments and institutional activities can further enhance this reform process, and examples of existing and potential changes are given in the final part.


What impact does the act of sketching have on thought processes? How may knowledge through sketching be reflected and lead to new epistemic insights? The workshop addresses these theoretical and methodological questions on the basis of specific drawing experiments. During the workshop the experimental use of sketches as a reflective tool in thinking and design processes is introduced. Experimental sketching is a participatory investigation about how knowledge is gained by drawing and how this process can be methodically, theoretically and practically reflected.


The reverberation time is one of the most prominent acoustical qualities of a physical room. Therefore, it is crucial that artificial reverberation algorithms match a specified target reverberation time accurately. In feedback delay networks, a popular framework for modeling room acoustics, the reverberation time is determined by combining delay and attenuation filters such that the frequencydependent attenuation response is proportional to the delay length and by this complying to a global attenuation-per-second. However, only few details are available on the attenuation filter design as the approximation errors of the filter design are often regarded negligible. In this work, we demonstrate that the error of the filter approximation propagates in a non-linear fashion to the resulting reverberation time possibly causing large deviation from the specified target. For the special case of a proportional graphic equalizer, we propose a non-linear least squares solution and demonstrate the improved accuracy with a Monte Carlo simulation.


The aim of this paper is to show how international standards dealing with library statistics and indicators (ISO 2789, ISO 11620 and others projects which are still under development) can be used as reference documents and strategic tools in a performance assessment process. The task is not an easy one, because it requires linking up somewhat complex entities such as the standardization work characteristics, the capacity of statistics to account for reality and, lastly, the variety and speed of libraries' advancement. Nevertheless, ISO 2789 (International Library Statistics) and ISO 11620 (Performance indicators for libraries), which are based on an international consensus of experts, take into account, as much as possible, the recent evolutions in library structures and services. In addition, they are related to classical and shared assessment models. So, although their aim is not to draw up an assessment framework, they reveal themselves useful for basic operations in such a framework: to define objects and services, and to classify, count and build appropriate indicators. Moreover, as the issue of quantifying and promoting intangible assets becomes a concern in the public sector, these standards can be seen as a first attempt to define library resources and services as such intangible assets. Finally, the challenge of forthcoming evolutions of these standards is the ability to stay up-to-date in a very quickly evolving context. More precisely, the increase in the usability of these standards must be based on an ongoing search for more consistent data and relevant indicators. The question of improvement of the general design of the statistics and indicators standards family should also be addressed.


This paper uses comprehensive high-quality panel data from official statistics for exporting enterprises to investigate the micro-structure of the recent export collapse in manufacturing industries in Germany during the crisis of 2008/2009. Almost all of the decline in exports was due to negative changes of exports in firms that continue to export (i.e. at the so-called intensive margin) while the decrease of exports due to export stoppers (at the so-called extensive margin) was tiny. It is shown that Idiosyncratic shocks to very large firms played a decisive role in shaping the export collapse.


Superresolution is the process of combining information from multiple subpixel-shifted low-resolution images to form a high-resolution image. It works quite well under ideal conditions but deteriorates rapidly with inaccuracies in motion estimates. We model the original high-resolution image as a Markov random field (MRF) with a discontinuity adaptive regularizer. Given the low-resolution observations, an estimate of the superresolved image is obtained by using the iterated conditional modes (ICM) algorithm, which maximizes the local posterior conditional probability sequentially. The proposed method not only preserves edges but also lends robustness to errors in the estimates of motion and blur parameters. We derive theoretically the neighborhood structure for the posterior distribution in the presence of warping, blurring, and downsampling operations and use this to effectively reduce the overall computations. Results are given on synthetic as well as real data to validate our method.


In procedural content generation, one is often interested in generating a large number of artifacts that are not only of high quality but also diverse, in terms of gameplay, visual impression or some other criterion. We investigate several search-based approaches to creating good and diverse game content, in particular approaches based on evolution strategies with or without diversity preservation mechanisms, novelty search and random search. The content domain is game levels, more precisely map sketches for strategy games, which are meant to be used as suggestions in the Sentient Sketchbook design tool. Several diversity metrics are possible for this type of content: we investigate tile-based, objective-based and visual impression distance. We find that evolution with diversity preservation mechanisms can produce both good and diverse content, but only when using appropriate distance measures. Reversely, we can draw conclusions about the suitability of these distance measures for the domain from the comparison of diversity preserving versus blind restart evolutionary algorithms.


Acantharian cysts were discovered in sediment trap samples from spring 2007 at 2000 m in the Iceland Basin. Although these single‐celled organisms contribute to particulate organic matter flux in the upper mesopelagic, their contribution to bathypelagic particle flux has previously been found negligible. Four time‐series sediment traps were deployed and all collected acantharian cysts, which are reproductive structures. Across all traps, cysts contributed on average 3–22%, and 4–24% of particulate organic carbon and nitrogen (POC and PON) flux, respectively, during three separate collection intervals (the maximum contribution in any one trap was 48% for POC and 59% for PON). Strontium (Sr) flux during these 6 weeks reached 3 mg m−2 d−1. The acantharian celestite (SrSO4) skeleton clearly does not always dissolve in the mesopelagic as often thought, and their cysts can contribute significantly to particle flux at bathypelagic depths during specific flux events. Their large size (~ 1 mm) and mineral ballast result in a sinking rate of ~ 500 m d−1; hence, they reach the bathypelagic before dissolving. Our findings are consistent with a vertical profile of salinity‐normalized Sr concentration in the Iceland Basin, which shows a maximum at 1700 m. Profiles of salinity‐normalized Sr concentration in the subarctic Pacific reach maxima at ≤ 1500 m, suggesting that Acantharia might contribute to the bathypelagic particle flux there as well. We hypothesize that Acantharia at high latitudes use rapid, deep sedimentation of reproductive cysts during phytoplankton blooms so that juveniles can exploit the large quantity of organic matter that sinks rapidly to the deep sea following a bloom.


This review updates the recent advances and applications of three prominent synchrotron radiation techniques, microprobe X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy/imaging, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and infrared microspectroscopy, and highlights how these tools are useful to the medicinal chemist. A brief description of the principles of the techniques is given with emphasis on the advantages of using synchrotron radiation-based instrumentation rather than instruments using typical laboratory radiation sources. This review focuses on several recent applications of these techniques to solve inorganic medicinal chemistry problems, focusing on studies of cellular uptake, distribution, and biotransformation of established and potential therapeutic agents. The importance of using these synchrotron-based techniques to assist the development of, or validate the chemistry behind, drug design is discussed.


We implanted satellite transmitters to track Northern Common Eiders Somateria mollissima borealis from breeding grounds in West Greenland and eastern Arctic Canada, and from their wintering grounds in SW Greenland. We compared distances moved, timing, duration, and patterns of movement between migration flyways and between spring and autumn migration. Common Eiders used two wintering areas linked by three routes. Eiders tracked from a NW Greenland breeding colony (n = 10) migrated south along the coast to winter exclusively in west and southwest Greenland. Breeders from Arctic Canada wintered in two distinct areas with a tendency to segregate by sex. Some eastern Canadian Arctic Eiders from a colony near Southampton Island, migrated through Hudson Strait along the Labrador and Newfoundland coasts, to winter in Atlantic Canada. However, 60% (n = 25) originating from this colony crossed the Davis Strait to winter in SW Greenland, returning in spring to breed in Canada, linking the two north-south flyways. Seven of 8 Eiders implanted in SW Greenland in winter crossed the Davis Strait into Arctic Canada in spring to breed. Apparently more females than males from the Canadian colony (14/18 females and 1/6 males) followed the shorter east-west flyway in fall. Spring migration was initiated later in the Canadian Arctic. Tracked movements ranged from sedentary birds that nested within 45 km of their wintering area in SW Greenland, to migration routes that exceeded 2000 km. Spring migration speeds averaged c. 60 km d -1 , less than half that during moult migration (142 km d -1 ) and autumn migration (190 km d -1 ). This suggests that Eiders must stop to feed whilst travelling to breed, are constrained by sea ice conditions, or both. Climatic and sea ice conditions differ between the eastern Arctic Canada and west Greenland which influence wintering sites, timing and routes of spring migration.


The purpose of this study was to propose a research model by utilizing the consumer usage knowledge and purchasing convenience to explore the relationship among service satisfaction and purchase intention. Consumer of household machine need to obtain professional knowledge for purchasing process, which could facilitate purchase convenience and then increase purchase intention for consumer. Therefore, the consumer usage knowledge was utilized as theoretical basis in this study, and purchasing convenience and consumer attitude was also considered: (i) the consumer usage knowledge whether increases consumer purchasing intention and service satisfaction; (ii) the purchasing convenience whether positively affects consumer service satisfaction and purchasing intention. Structure Equation Model (SEM) was utilized to analyze the structural relationship between measured variables and latent constructs. The study found that (i) consumer usage knowledge of household sewing machine positively affected consumer household sewing machine purchasing convenience, and consumer purchasing intention; (ii) consumer purchasing convenience positively affected purchasing intention for household sewing machine; (iii) consumer attitude after service satisfaction positively affected purchasing convenience. Study revealed that the consumer usage knowledge could increase the consumer's purchasing convenience and purchasing intention; hence, convenient purchasing can improve consumer attitude for satisfaction and purchasing intention.


The most commonly used dietary supplements are micronutrients. The antioxidant properties of several dietary micronutrients are of particular interest to athletes due to the support of the body's endogenous antioxidant defence systems that allows free radicals to be neutralised to help decrease oxidative damage. Dietary antioxidants include vitamin C, vitamin E, carotenoids (mainly β-carotene), polyphenols (eg, flavonoids), selenium, glutathione and coenzyme Q10 (see part 3 of this series for an excellent overview of antioxidants). Due to the enhanced interest of the role of flavonoids in exercise, both in the media and scientific research, we have dedicated this issue to the topic: the very large number of flavonoids means that an exceptional number of citations is required. In this short review the potential bioactive effects of flavonoids and their efficacy as performance aids and countermeasures to exercise-induced oxidative stress, inflammation, delayed onset of muscle soreness (DOMS) and immune dysfunction are summarised.

### D C Nieman

Phytochemicals are chemicals produced by plants, and include tannins, lignins and flavonoids. The largest and best studied polyphenols are the flavonoids, with more than 6000 identified and classified into at least six subgroups: flavonols, flavones, flavanones, flavanols (and their oligomers, proanthocyanidins), anthocyanidins and isoflavonoids (table 1).1 Flavonoids are widely distributed in plants and function as plant pigments, signalling molecules and defenders against infection and injury.

View this table:

Table 1
Flavonoid subgroups and food sources

Dietary intake of flavonoids ranges from 50 to 800 mg/day depending on the consumption of fruits and vegetables and the intake of tea.2 3 In the USA, total flavonoid intake averages 210 mg/day,2 and in Spain 313 mg/day,3 with important sources including tea, citrus fruit and juice, beers and ales, wines, melon and berries, apples, onions and bananas.

A high intake of fruits and vegetables has been linked in numerous studies to a reduced …


Office blood pressure measurement has been the basis for hypertension evaluation for almost a century. However, the evaluation of blood pressure out of the office using ambulatory or self-home monitoring is now strongly recommended for the accurate diagnosis in many, if not all, cases with suspected hypertension. Moreover, there is evidence that the variability of blood pressure might offer prognostic information that is independent of the average blood pressure level. Recently, advancement in technology has provided noninvasive evaluation of central (aortic) blood pressure, which might have attributes that are additive to the conventional brachial blood pressure measurement. This position statement, developed by international experts, deals with key research and practical issues in regard to peripheral blood pressure measurement (office, home, and ambulatory), blood pressure variability, and central blood pressure measurement. The objective is to present current achievements, identify gaps in knowledge and issues concerning clinical application, and present relevant research questions and directions to investigators and manufacturers for future research and development (primary goal).


AIM: To determine the efficacy of Ceramir, a modified glass ionomer cement and a surfactant mono-n-dodecyl phosphate in remineralization of dentin around root caries restorations. MATERIALS & METHODS: 45 permanent intact teeth were embedded in self-cured dental acrylic resin to expose buccal or lingual surfaces. The buccal/lingual surfaces were wet ground with carbide paper, final polishing were accomplished with aluminum to obtain highly polished dentin surface. Baseline Knoop micro hardness values were recorded. All specimens were then etched using 37% phosphoric acid for 5 seconds to demineralize dentin and to expose dentin collagen. The Knoop indenter micro hardness measurements were again performed for each sample four indentations in dentin surface within an area of 75 μm. The mean of Knoop microhardness was calculated. Cavities, 6.35 mm width and 3 mm depth were prepared within the etched area of each tooth with round carbide bur. Samples were divided into 4 groups: 2 samples used as control with no restoration, 13 samples were restored with plain Ceramir, 13 sample were restored with Ceramir containing 2% mono-n-dodecyl phosphate restoration and 13 samples were restored with Ceramir containing 5% mono-n-dodecyl phosphate. Samples were stored in SBF a 37° C incubator. Knoop micro hardness values were recorded at a distance of 75 um from the margins of the restoration at 10,20 and 38 day intervals. RESULTS: Knoop hardness of dentin (KHN) was reduced by 33.7% after etching. Knoop hardness of dentin around Ceramir restorations returned to pre-etching levels after 10 days of restoration. There was no statistically significant difference in Knoop micro-hardness (KHN) between the plain Ceramir compared to the Ceramir with surfactant after 10 days. Also, there was no statistically significant difference between the plain Ceramir and Ceramir with 2% surfactant after 20 days. Knoop hardness around cavities restored with Plain Ceramir and Ceramir with 2% Surfactant were significantly higher than around cavities restored with Ceramir with 5% surfactant after 20 and 38 days. CONCLUSIONS: The result of this study shows that Ceramir restorations of dentin lesions lead to remineralization of dentin around the restoration margins in the area of 75 μm where the micro-indentations performed. It shows that addition of 2% surfactant to Ceramir tend to increase the remineralization over time. Toward the end of the observation period samples restored with Ceramir containing 2% surfactant appeared to remineralize at a faster rate than plain Ceramir. On the other hand addition of 5% surfactant was not beneficial as it led to a decrease in the remineralizing effect of Ceramir.


In this work, we propose to use out-of-distribution samples, i.e., unlabeled samples coming from outside the target classes, to improve few-shot learning. Specifically, we exploit the easily available out-of-distribution samples to drive the classifier to avoid irrelevant features by maximizing the distance from prototypes to out-of-distribution samples while minimizing that of in-distribution samples (i.e., support, query data). Our approach is simple to implement, agnostic to feature extractors, lightweight without any additional cost for pre-training, and applicable to both inductive and transductive settings. Extensive experiments on various standard benchmarks demonstrate that the proposed method consistently improves the performance of pretrained networks with different architectures.


A wide−reaching, student−centred evaluation model was designed, aimed at appraising the quality of students learning experiences after the introduction of a virtual learning environment in two UK institutions. A central part of the model was to examine the individual differences of students and how these interact with their perceptions of this new way of working. The individual differences chosen for exploration included motivational orientation, cognitive style, time management practices, and IT ability. This paper explores the findings of the evaluation with respect to these individual differences and their interaction with perception of learning through VLEs. In this aim, it is divided into 3 parts. First, a summary of the evaluation model and a rationale for including the selected individual differences is offered. Second, details of the data collection process and results are discussed. Finally, the implications for future use and curriculum development are considered.


Background: Intake of tree nuts and peanuts is associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes. However, no studies have been published on beliefs, attitude, perceived barriers and benefits, and knowledge regarding tree nuts and peanuts among individuals with or at risk for these conditions.
Methods: The objective of this study was to assess the beliefs, attitude, perceived barriers and benefits, and knowledge regarding tree nuts and peanuts intake among 85 Caucasian and African Americans (mean age 63 years) individuals with or at risk for CVD and/or diabetes. A survey questionnaire was utilized to collect date from to healthcare facilities in a small town in southeastern United States.
Results: About 32% were unaware of the hypocholesterolemic effects of nuts and an additional 21% disagreed that nuts exhibit such effects. Fifty-three percent agreed or strongly agreed that eating tree nuts and peanuts would help them to be healthier. Most participants (63%) strongly agreed or agreed with the statement, "I would eat nuts on most days of a week if my doctor recommended me to do so." About one-third of the participants strongly agreed, agreed, or neither agreed/disagreed with the statement, "I should not eat nuts on most days of the week because I would gain weight." The majority of participants answered all five knowledge questions concerning the nutrient content of tree nuts and peanuts incorrectly
Conclusions: The results indicate that the beliefs and knowledge of individuals with or at risk for CVD and/or diabetes are largely inconsistent with the scientific findings. The results also indicate that the best way to change attitude, perceived barriers and benefits could be accomplished by physicians.


Western governments are increasingly trying to stimulate citizens to 'co-produce' public services, among others, by offering them financial incentives. However, there are competing views on whether financial incentives stimulate co-production. While some argue it increases citizens' willingness to co-produce, others suggest that it would decrease their willingness (i.e., crowding-out). To test these competing expectations, we designed a set of experiments that offered subjects a financial incentive to assist municipalities in helping refugees to integrate. First, we conducted an experiment among university students (n=160) within a laboratory setting. Second, we replicated and extended initial findings among a general adult sample (n=1,359). Results suggest that small financial rewards have no effect: they neither increase nor decrease people's willingness to co-produce. When the offered amount is increased substantially (from 2 to 10 Euro/hour), willingness to co-produce only increases marginally. Hence, financial incentives are not a very cost-efficient instrument to stimulate co-production.


The biomedical literature has consistently highlighted that long-term elevation of glucocorticoids might impair immune functions. In wild animals, patterns are less clear. Here, we re-explored the stress-immunity relationship considering the potential effects of behavioural profiles. Thirteen captive roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) were monitored over an eight-week period encompassing two capture events. We assessed how changes in baseline faecal cortisol metabolite (FCM) concentrations following a standardised capture protocol and vaccination affected changes in thirteen immune parameters of the innate and adaptive immunity, and whether behavioural profiles were linked to changes in baseline FCM levels and immune parameters. We found that individuals showing an increase in baseline FCM levels also exhibited an increase in immunity and were characterised by more reactive behavioural profiles (low activity levels, docility to manipulation and neophilia). Our results suggest that immunity of large mammals may be influenced by glucocorticoids, but also behavioural profiles, as it is predicted by the pace-of-life syndrome hypothesis. Our results highlight the need to consider co-variations between behaviour, immunity and glucocorticoids in order to improve our understanding of the among-individual variability in the stress-immunity relationships observed in wildlife, as they may be underpinned by different life-history strategies.


The French Revolution has long depended on social factors to explain its causes, course, and consequences. In particular, Marxist explanations held sway throughout the first three-quarters of the twentieth century. In the last twenty years or so, linguistically driven works pushed the social aside and became the leading viewpoint. However, a current wave of scholarship suggests a differing approach in which the social returns but significantly altered. First, it arrives linked to cultural or ideational factors. Second, bourgeois class consciousness emerges from commercial links, not from the precise social position of individual entrepreneurs.


Employment relationships are frequently affected by altered circumstances of either companies or unions occasioned by sale, transfer, merger or shift in allegiance from a bargaining representative. At such time, doubt may surround the status of an existing collective bargaining agreement and the applicability of administrative directives. The nature and the extent of the change may have important relation to the obligations of resultant transferees and successors. Successor liability has been of two general kinds. Implementation of labor legislation is the primary source. Further consequences of successorship arise under collective agreements. With a view to distinguishing those factors which have led to the imposition of responsibility, instances of liability of successor employers and labor unions either for the acts of their predecessors or because of their status as successor will be analyzed within these categories.


Many students enter Hunter College's developmental mathematics program committing errors (mis)leamed years earlier. These errors typically persist into the adult years and it is important to correct them specifically; simply reteaching concepts is not sufficient. Furthermore, there is a strong correlation between completion rate and student perception of the instructor's concern. To address both factors, we developed and tested an instructional technique to see whether giving detailed feedback to students about their errors would facilitate progress through the course. We found that the use of the feedback method had a clear positive effect on women; while for men, complex age by sex interactions and a smaller male sample size made the results less clear.


ABSTRACT

Purpose:
This paper explores and discusses why women purchase and wear lipstick and the behaviours associated with its use.
Design/methodology/approach:
A study of 300 female lipstick users were interviewed using a semi structured questionnaire.
Findings:
The study indicated that women use lipstick in a significant way to transform and present themselves; using it to reflect their daily fluctuations in moods and identity. Although lipstick is a mainstream fashion discourse, Western Australian society (where the study was located) maintains strict codes of conduct in applying and using the product. Behaviours associated with lipstick use are steeped in ritual and cultural customs.
Research limitations/ implications:
The data was collected within the one geographical area. While the consumption behaviour of lipstick and the driving motivating for using lipstick remain constant as a fashion artefact it is susceptible to changing trends, particularly colours and packaging.
Social implications;
For centuries lipstick has been scorned, shunned and embraced. Lipstick facilitates life transitions as consumers undergo a period of liminality. The codes associated with the use of this artefact are steeped in ritual with rigid codes and cultural customs that are acceptable within society forming strong societal practices.
Value: The value of this study is that it explores everyday appearance; lipstick has a valuable role to play in constructing self-identity and providing understanding in how women experience appearance in their daily lives. For this reason lipstick will always be more than a fashion trend.


Internet protocol TV (IPTV) is one of the most important multimedia applications for next-generation networks. IPTV provides triple-play services that require high-speed access networks with the functions of multicasting and quality of service (QoS) guarantees. Among access networks, Ethernet passive optical networks (EPONs) are regarded as among the best solutions to meet higher bandwidth demands. In this paper, we propose a new architecture for multicasting live IPTV traffic in EPONs. The proposed mechanism involves assigning a unique logical link identifier to each IPTV channel. To manage multicasting, a table in the optical line terminal (OLT) and in each optical network unit (ONU) is constructed. These tables are maintained in the reconciliation sublayer to deliver the IPTV traffic. We extend the message passing of the original real-time streaming protocol (RTSP), called the extended RTSP (ERTSP), to handle the IPTV requests. A mechanism is proposed to handle the IPTV requests as intra traffic in the ONU without sending the request to the OLT. Handling the live IPTV channel as intra traffic can save bandwidth in the feeder fiber and increase the system throughput. Simulation results show that our proposed architecture can improve the system performance and QoS metrics in terms of packet delay, jitter, system throughput, and packet loss.


If you have yet to successfully make a single dollar in ClickBank, this book will help you to achieve that... and more! The following are some of the highlights you will learn in this book: Make money with ClickBank without a domain and hosting. Create squeeze page that gets people to subscribe to your mailing list. How to choose the right clickbank products to promote. Clickbank products that you should avoid promoting. Best traffic source for marketing ClickBank products. How KC got over $70 in sales with only $4 investment! And other bonus materials and videos! This book was written after KC receives numerous testimonials from his students after they implemented his teachings. The following are some of them: Hi KC I got my 1st sales in 2 days (16 clicks). Thank you for this course, It is the easiest for newbie to make money fast. - Phyllis Tang "Thank you KC for being such an effective and quality on-line trainer. I found that all the tips you had given were practical and I benefited from them. I worked through them and within 2 weeks, I already had sales and more than 890 clicks for two products." - Wincom Download this book now and start implementing the techniques today!


A unique conjunction of factors during the 1980s made Lhasa an ideal place for the development of a new literature. The revival of Tibetan culture and beliefs at the end of the Cultural Revolution (1966 to 1976), the eagerness of a generation of oppressed intellectuals to find new ways of expression, and the coincidental gathering in Lhasa of a group of charismatic Tibetan and Hart intellectuals, led to the creation, for the first time in Tibetan history, of a corpus of modern secular literature. (l) Nevertheless, decades of Chinese occupation had already altered the cultural landscape of Tibet. (2) The madness of the Cultural Revolution led to the systematic destruction of cultural and religious books and objects, as well as the prohibition on teaching Tibetan culture and language in many schools. When better times came and Tibetans felt the need to express themselves through literature, some writers had to do so in Chinese because they were illiterate in their own language. For writers who were able to write in Tibetan, language proved to be a divide difficult to cross since they did not want their works associated with literature written in Chinese. This paper explores how the use of Tibetan and Chinese affected the literary choices of these writers, their sense of ethnic identity, and the perception of their ethnicity by others. THE BIRTH OF A MODERN LITERATURE IN TIBET The visit of the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Hu Yaobang to Tibet in May 1980 marked the beginning of a new era of Chinese policies towards Tibet. During that visit, Hu gave a speech at a gathering of 5,000 cadres in Lhasa in which he summarized the main points of the reform he envisioned for Tibet: to promote an economic recovery; to develop Tibetan science, culture, and education; to establish the University of Tibet; and to exercise national autonomy in the region. The reform program Hu proposed gave the Tibetan people a great deal of confidence in the future of Tibet. The reformist spirit of the new Chinese government ushered in a series of regulations on religious and cultural freedom. Temples, shrines, and monasteries were rebuilt, and Tibetan classics were reprinted. The local government was given a higher degree of autonomy in dealing with religious, cultural, and educational issues. The living standard of the Tibetan people improved considerably as well, due to the liberalization of the economy and to the number of infrastructure and development projects carried out by the Chinese authorities. In 1977, the first modern literary journal of Tibet, the Chinese-language Literature and Arts from Tibet (Ch. Xizang wenyi) was published. Three years later, a Tibetan language journal under the same name (Tib.Bod kyi rtsom rig rgyud tsal) was published as well, and in 1984, to avoid the confusion of shared names, the Chinese journal was renamed Literature from Tibet (Ch. Xizang wenxue). Both the Chinese and the Tibetan language journals played a key role in the literary and cultural revitalization of Tibet. Two groups of Chinese writers and editors who arrived in Tibet after the Chinese occupation also played an active role in the birth of a modern literature in the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR). The first one, many of whose members were with the People's Liberation Army (PLA), arrived in Tibet right after 1959. They were sent to Tibet to write for propaganda and educational purposes (3) and were mostly of Han nationality, although there were also some Chinese-educated Tibetans from other parts of China. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the second wave of Han educated youth arrived in Tibet. Many of them requested to be sent there because of the spirit of adventure and romanticism Tibet inspired in them. Some--such as the female writer Ma Lihua, the painter Han Shuli, and the writer Ma Yuan--would later become very famous in China for their long-lasting intellectual and emotional association with Tibet. …


Inkjet technology has been recognized as one of the most successful and promising micro-system technologies. The wide application areas of printer heads and the increasing demand of high quality prints are making ink consump- tion and print see-through important topics in the inkjet technology. In the present study we investigate numerically the impact of ink droplets onto a porous material that mimics the paper structure. The mathematical framework is based on a free energy formulation, coupling the Cahn-Hilliard and Navier Stokes equations, for the modelling of the two-phase flow. The case studied here consists of a multi- phase flow of air-liquid along with the interaction between a solid structure and an interface. In order to characterize the multiphase flow characteristics, we investi- gate the effects of surface tension and surface wettability on the penetration depth and spreading into the paper-like structure.


The genes/enzymes involved in supplying carbon to the developing head in wheat are not well characterized. The activities of cell wall invertases (IVR1s) are known to be important in supplying sugars to pollen during the early stages of head development. Recently multiple IVR1 isoforms were identified on the wheat genome (Webster et al 2012; Funct Plant Biol 39: 569 - 579; GRDC-GRS10028) and were found to be located on a number of chromosome arms. These findings in addition to the existence of IVR1 inhibitors, provides evidence to suggest a complex regulatory network exists, which controls the flow of sugars to maturing pollen. A reduction in supply of sugars to pollen in response to water stress during the early stages of maturation leads to sterility. A large water stress experiment was carried out to analyse the transcriptome using RNASeq and RNA from developing wheat heads. RNASeq performed on tissues extracted from developing heads, extending from immature floret formation through to anthesis, enabled temporal profiling of transcript expression in response to water stress and non-limited water conditions. The IWGSC wheat genome survey sequence data was used as the reference to assign chromosome arm locations of those transcripts showing expression in the RNASeq data. Mapping individual transcripts to an IWGSC survey sequence contig facilitated downstream functional and biological characterisation to identify key genes involved in the supply of carbon to developing wheat heads.


Accumulation of amyloid (Abeta) peptides has been suggested to be the primary event in Alzheimer's disease. In neurons, K+ channels regulate a number of processes, including setting the resting potential, keeping action potentials short, timing interspike intervals, synaptic plasticity, and cell death. In particular, A-type K+ channels have been implicated in the onset of LTP in mammalian neurons, which is thought to underlie learning and memory. A number of studies have shown that Abeta peptides alter the properties of K+ currents in mammalian neurons. We set out to determine the effects of Abeta peptides on the neuronal A-type K+ channels of Drosophila. Treatment of cells for 18 h with 1 microM Abeta1-42 altered the kinetics of the A-type K+ current, shifting steady-state inactivation to more depolarized potentials and increasing the rate of recovery from inactivation. It also caused a decrease in neuronal viability. Thus it seems that alteration in the properties of the A-type K+ current is a prelude to the amyloid-induced death of neurons. This alteration in the properties of the A-type K+ current may provide a basis for the early memory impairment that was observed prior to neurodegeneration in a recent study of a transgenic Drosophila melanogaster line over-expressing the human Abeta1-42 peptide.


Since Carol Gilligan published her masterpiece, In a Different Voice, many scholars, especially feminist scholars in various fields, including moral theory, philosophy, and political and legal theory, have been inspired to establish a more inclusive approach to social injustice as well as sexual inequality. The purpose of this article is to explore the depth and expanse of the ethics of care for its potential as a political philosophy. To pursue this end, the article analyzes first the main claims of care ethics by responding to its typical counterarguments, which criticize the ethics of care as being too dependent on gender differences, particularism, and essentialism. The second section examines three challenges that care ethics poses to the male-oriented mainstream of political philosophy, especially the theory of justice. The ethics of care provides us with a new approach to moral and political issues because it focuses responsively on social injustice, proposes a new idea of relational self and takes the social connection model to justice. With these three perspectives proposed by the ethics of care in mind, the article turns its eyes to global implications of care ethics by referring to the issue of the "comfort women" of Japanese troops during the Second World War.


In this study, informed by social constructionist approaches to self and identity and LGBTQ psychology, 300 profiles posted by gay men on the dating website gaydar.co.uk were analysed in terms of the narrative and interpretative resources used to construct an online gay identity. The analysis found evidence of a very active engagement with communication technology, with several profiles inviting the viewer to chat or send a message or photographs. Many profile owners professed to be 'genuine'. Distancing themselves from the alleged shallowness of the majority of other website members. A widely used discursive strategy for constructing the self and the type of person(s) sought was the expression 'straight acting,' with an attendant rejection of camp and derogation of a 'visibly gay' style – a concerning finding that points to the policing of (self) presentation along exclusionary lines. While many profiles celebrated the site as a locus of new possibilities for sexual expression, website users mainly looking for a relationship constructed the website's perceived emphasis on sex as commodification. As this was an exploratory study, future research could consider more websites, specialized (e.g., fetish) sites and emphasise their photographic/multimedia and interactive possibilities.


We consider the problem of optimal channel access to provide quality of service (QoS) for data transmission in cognitive vehicular networks. In such a network, the vehicular nodes can opportunistically access the radio channels (referred to as shared-use channels) which are allocated to licensed users. Also, they are able to reserve a channel for dedicated access (referred to as exclusive-use channel) for data transmission. A channel access management framework is developed for cluster-based communication among vehicular nodes. This framework has three components: opportunistic access to shared-use channels, reservation of exclusive-use channel, and cluster size control. A hierarchical optimization model is then developed for this framework to obtain the optimal policy. The objective of the optimization model is to maximize the utility of the vehicular nodes in a cluster and to minimize the cost of reserving exclusive-use channel while the QoS requirements of data transmission (for vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-roadside communications) are met, and also the constraint on probability of collision with licensed users is satisfied. This hierarchical optimization model comprises of two constrained Markov decision process (CMDP) formulations - one for opportunistic channel access, and the other for joint exclusive-use channel reservation and cluster size control. An algorithm is presented to solve this hierarchical optimization model. Performance evaluation results show the effectiveness of the optimal channel access management policy. The proposed optimal channel access management framework will be useful to support mobile computing and intelligent transportation system (ITS) applications in vehicular networks.


Dynamic obstacle avoidance on quadrotors requires low latency. A class of sensors that are particularly suitable for such scenarios are event cameras. In this paper, we present a deep learning based solution for dodging multiple dynamic obstacles on a quadrotor with a single event camera and on-board computation. Our approach uses a series of shallow neural networks for estimating both the ego-motion and the motion of independently moving objects. The networks are trained in simulation and directly transfer to the real world without any fine-tuning or retraining. We successfully evaluate and demonstrate the proposed approach in many real-world experiments with obstacles of different shapes and sizes, achieving an overall success rate of 70% including objects of unknown shape and a low light testing scenario. To our knowledge, this is the first deep learning – based solution to the problem of dynamic obstacle avoidance using event cameras on a quadrotor. Finally, we also extend our work to the pursuit task by merely reversing the control policy, proving that our navigation stack can cater to different scenarios.


Thailand introduced state subsidies for political parties for the first time in 1997. The Political Parties Development Fund (PPDF) was intended to reinforce the internal coherence of parties and encourage their democratic functions. Designers hoped that this party financing would be an effective means of curbing illicit fundraising, particularly during electoral campaigns. However, the PPDF has not led to strong party organizations. While the state provides a great amount of financial support for political parties every year, many parties receiving funding are still weak and unable to compete effectively in elections. Utilizing data from focus groups and extensive interviews with politicians, election commission officers, and party members, I demonstrate that financial deficiencies and a weak system of public finance allocation encouraged many small political parties—particularly those without parliamentary representation—to access these new state resources. Instead of helping to sustain the development of small and medium-sized-parties, the PPDF became an alternative source of income for those parties. Parties have intensified their efforts to exploit such funding using questionable means. Consequently, public party financing has contributed to an increase in corrupt practices in Thai party politics rather than strengthening party organizations as well as the party system.


Selection bias under multiple testing is a serious problem. From a practitioner's perspective, failure to disclose the impact of multiple tests of a proposed investment strategy to clients and senior management can lead to the adoption of a false discovery. Clients will lose money, senior management will misallocate resources, and the firm may be exposed to reputational, legal, and regulatory risks. From the perspective of academic journals that publish evidence supporting an investment strategy, the failure to address selection bias under multiple testing threatens to invalidate large portions of the literature in empirical finance. In this article, the authors propose a template that practitioners should use to fairly disclose multiple tests involved in an alleged discovery when pitching strategies to clients and senior management. The same template could be used by contributors to academic journals so that referees, and ultimately readers, can assess the strategy. By disclosing this information, those who are charged with making the final decision about a discovery can evaluate the probability that the purported discovery is false.


This paper concerns the use of sequential Monte Carlo methods (SMC) for smoothing in general state space models. A well-known problem when applying the standard SMC technique in the smoothing mode is that the resampling mechanism introduces degeneracy of the approximation in the path space. However, when performing maximum likelihood estimation via the EM algorithm, all functionals involved are of additive form for a large subclass of models. To cope with the problem in this case, a modification of the standard method (based on a technique proposed by Kitagawa and Sato) is suggested. Our algorithm relies on forgetting properties of the filtering dynamics and the quality of the estimates produced is investigated, both theoretically and via simulations.


Proof mass electrical charge management is an important functionality for the ST-7-LTP technology demonstration flight and for LISA. Photoemission for charge control is accomplished by using deep ultraviolet (UV) light to excite photoelectron emission from an Au alloy. The conventional UV source is a mercury vapour lamp. We propose and demonstrate charge management using a deep UV light emitting diode (LED) source. We have acquired selected AlGaN UV LEDs, characterized their performance and successfully used them to realize charge management. The UV LEDs emit at a 257 nm central wavelength with a bandwidth of ∼12 nm. The UV power for a free-space LED is ∼120 µW, and after fibre coupling is ∼16 µW, more than sufficient for LISA applications. We have directly observed the LED UV light-induced photocurrent response from an Au photocathode and an Au-coated GRS/ST-7 proof mass. We demonstrated fast switching of UV LEDs and associated fast changes in photocurrent. This allows modulation and continuous discharge to meet stringent LISA disturbance reduction requirements. We propose and demonstrate AC charge management outside the gravitational wave signal band. Further, the megahertz bandwidth for UV LED switching allows for up to six orders of magnitude dynamic power range and a number of novel modes of operations. The UV LED based charge management system offers the advantages of small-size, lightweight, fibre-coupled operation with very low power consumption.


The invention relates to a method for the selection of a pozzolana such as a metakaolin, intended to be coupled with glass fibre-reinforced cement. According to the invention a pozzolana is selected which has a lime-fixing capacity in the Chapelle test at 90 DEG C which is higher than 700 mg of CaO per gram of pozzolana, a lime-fixing capacity in the Chapelle test at 50 DEG C higher than 200 mg of CaO per gram of pozzolana and a relationship between the quantity of CaO fixed in the Chapelle test at 50 DEG C and the specific surface of the pozzolana which is higher than of the order of 10 mg of CaO per m of pozzolana. The composite material obtained is employed in building to produce, for example, facade components which must satisfactorily resist aging.


The results of two experiments support the idea that cognitive dissonance is weakened following misattribution, suggesting a role for experience in the development of dissonance. The first experiment placed people in an essay-writing, induced compliance situation and replicated the finding that people who misattributed their arousal to an external source did not show evidence of dissonance arousal. The second experiment involved the same participants and placed them in a different dissonance arousing situation. The data showed that participants who had previously misattributed their dissonance showed very little evidence of dissonance arousal despite not having a stimulus to which they could misattribute their arousal. The results are discussed in terms of the possibility that we may learn to experience dissonance. The implications of these results for the role of dissonance in an emerging self-system are also discussed.


Article history: Received 14 Feb 2014 Received in revised form 24 February 2014 Accepted 29 March 2014 Available online 14 April 2014


The Thrace Basin is the largest and thickest Tertiary sedimentary basin of the eastern Balkans region and constitutes an important hydrocarbon province. It is located between the Rhodope-Strandja Massif to the north and west, the Marmara Sea and Biga Peninsula to the south, and the Black Sea to the est. It consists of a complex system of depocenters and uplifts with very articulate paleotopography indicated by abrupt lateral facies variations. Its southeastern margin is widely deformed by the Ganos Fault, a segment of the North Anatolian strike-slip fault system .
 Most of the Thrace Basin fill ranges from the Eocene to the Late Oligocene. Maximum total thickness, including the Neogene-Quaternary succession, reaches 9.000 meters in a few narrow depocenters. This sedimentary succession consists mainly of basin plain turbiditic deposits with a significant volcaniclastic component which evolves upwards to shelf deposits and continental facies, with deltaic bodies prograding towards the basin center in the Oligocene.
This work deals with the provenance of Eocene-Oligocene clastic sediments of the southern and western part of Thrace Basin in Turkey and Greece. Sandstone compositional data (78 gross composition analyses and 40 heavy minerals analyses) were used to understand the change in detrital modes which reflects the provenance and geodinamic evolution of the basin.
Samples were collected at six localities, which are from west to est: Gokceada, Gallipoli and South-Ganos (south of Ganos Fault), Alexandroupolis, Korudag and North-Ganos (north of Ganos Fault). Petrologic (framework composition and heavy-mineral analyses) and stratigraphic-sedimentologic data, (analysis of sedimentologic facies associations along representative stratigraphic sections, paleocurrents) allowed discrimination of six petrofacies; for each petrofacies the sediment dispersal system was delineated. The Thrace Basin fill is made mainly of lithic arkoses and arkosic litharenites with variable amount of low-grade metamorphic lithics (also ophiolitic), neovolcanic lithics, and carbonate grains (mainly extrabasinal). Picotite is the most widespread heavy mineral in all petrofacies.
Petrological data on analyzed successions show a complex sediment dispersal pattern and evolution of the basin, indicating one principal detrital input from a source area located to the south, along both the Izmir-Ankara and Intra-Pontide suture lines, and a possible secondary source area, represented by the Rhodope Massif to the west.
A significant portion of the Thrace Basin sediments in the study area were derived from ophiolitic source rocks and from their oceanic cover, whereas epimetamorphic detrital components came from a low-grade crystalline basement. An important penecontemporaneous volcanic component is widespread in late Eocene-Oligocene times, indicating widespread post-collisional (collapse?) volcanism following the closure of the Vardar ocean. Large-scale sediment mass wasting from south to north along the southern margin of the Thrace Basin is indicated (i) in late Eocene time by large olistoliths of ophiolites and penecontemporaneous carbonates, and (ii) in the mid-Oligocene by large volcaniclastic olistoliths. The late Oligocene paleogeographic scenario was characterized by large deltaic bodies prograding northward (Osmancik Formation). This clearly indicates that the southern margin of the basin acted as a major sediment source area throughout its Eocene-Oligocene history.
 Another major sediment source area is represented by the Rhodope Massif, in particolar the Circum-Rhodopic belt, especially for plutonic and metamorphic rocks. Considering preexisting data on the petrologic composition of Thrace Basin, silicilastic sediments in Greece and Bulgaria (Caracciolo, 2009), a Rhodopian provenance could be considered mostly for areas of the Thrace Basin outside our study area, particularly in the northern-central portions of the basin.
In summary, the most important source area for the sediment of Thrace Basin in the study area was represented by the exhumed subduction-accretion complex along the southern margin of the basin (Biga Peninsula and western-central Marmara Sea region). Most measured paleocurrent indicators show an eastward paleoflow but this is most likely the result of gravity flow deflection. This is possible considered a strong control due to the east-west-trending synsedimentary transcurrent faults which cuts the Thrace Basin, generating a series of depocenters and uplifts which deeply influenced sediment dispersal and the areal distribution of paleoenvironments.
The Thrace Basin was long interpreted as a forearc basin between a magmatic arc to the north and a subduction-accretion complex to the south, developed in a context of northward subduction. This interpretation was challenged by more recent data emphasizing the lack of a coeval magmatic arc in the north and the interpretation of the chaotic deposit which outcrop south of Ganos Fault as olistoliths and large submarine slumps, derived from the erosion and sedimentary reworking of an older melange unit located to the south (not as tectonic melange formed in an accretionary prism).
 The present study corroborates instead the hypothesis of a post-collisional origin of the Thrace Basin, due to a phase of orogenic collapse, which generated a series of mid-Eocene depocenters all along the Izmir-Ankara suture (following closure of the Vardar-Izmir-Ankara ocean and the ensuing collision); then the slab roll-back of the remnant Pindos ocean played an important role in enhancing subsidence and creating additional accommodation space for sediment deposition.


Adoption of innovation plays a crucial role in the transformation of the countryside towards a knowledge economy. However, rural SMEs experience various obstacles that hinder the adoption of innovation. The aim of this paper is to identify the main challenges and opportunities for the introduction of innovation in rural SMEs. The evidence is drawn from relevant literature and stakeholder discussions covering six European countries (Bulgaria Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Latvia and Slovenia). The main challenges in adopting innovation in rural SMEs are shortcomings in the environment for innovation, inappropriate innovation policies and support measures, lack of knowledge and skills within companies, difficulties to hire a new skilled work force and low competitiveness compared to urban counterparts. Consequently, policy recommendations are proposed for promoting innovation in rural SMEs by focusing on cooperation and networking, information and training, innovation support programmes, marketing and sales promotion and availability of workforce. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ppaa.18.1.23134


Terrestrial Gamma-ray flashes (TGFs) are bursts of gamma-rays initiated in the Earth's atmosphere by atmospheric lightning. The Terrestrial Gamma-ray flashes discussed in this work were detected at ground level between 2014 and 2018, by the Telescope Array Surface Detector (TASD), a lightning mapping array installed in 2013, and a broadband interferometer and fast sferics sensor installed in 2018. The TASD is a 700 square kilometer ultra high energy cosmic ray detector in the southwestern desert of Utah, U.S.A. It is composed of 507 (3 square meter) plastic scintillator detectors on a 1.2 km square grid. In 2013, a Lightning Mapping Array (LMA) detector and a Slow antenna (SA) were installed at the TASD site. The LMA is a three-dimensional total lightning location system, comprised of nine stations located within and around the TASD array. The SA records the electric field change in lightning discharges. The TASD has become one of the world leading instruments for detection of TGFs from the ground. The downward Gamma-ray showers observed by the TASD detector were all confined to the first 1-2 ms of intracloud and cloud to ground discharges, spanning an overall duration of several hundreds of microseconds. We hypothesize that the observed TGFs are similar to those detected by satellites, but that the TASD ground-based observations are able to detect both the temporal distribution at the source and the full footprint of the gamma shower on the ground. More importantly, the gamma ray bursts observations suggest that the TGFs were produced by one or two particularly energetic leader steps at the initial breakdown pulse (IBP) stage. To confirm such correspondence, an interferometer (INTF) and a fast antenna were installed a few kilometers east of the TASD detector on July 2018. With these additional lightning detection instruments in concert with the TASD cosmic ray observatory, LMA, and SA, we are able, to present, for the first time, observations of the TGFs clearly associated with the IBPs of downward cloud-to-ground flashes and intracloud flashes. This result sheds new light on the origins of Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flashes.


Serious injuries result from motorcycle crashes among adolescents (Cassell et al., 2006). Psychological and social factors that might explain the likelihood of motorcycle use and motorcycle related injuries among early adolescents are relatively unexplored particularly within the Australian context. In this study an ecological approach was taken to understand such factors including individual characteristics, perceived peer behaviour, relationships with parents and connection to school. These risk and protective factors were examined in relation to on-road motorcycle riding and injuries related to general motorcycle use by 13-14 year olds. In the study of more than 500 Grade 9 South-East Queensland students, sixteen percent indicated that in the past three months they rode a motorcycle on the road. Further sixteen percent of the entire sample also indicated that they had been injured while riding a motorcycle in the previous three months. The aim of this study was, from an ecological perspective, to examine factors that explained on-road motorcycle use and factors that explained injuries related to general motorcycle use. The results are discussed in terms of the implications and directions for future regarding research and policy, in particular with regard to interventions. That one-eighth of the sample engaged in this illegal and dangerous behaviour indicates a timely need to understand motorcycle use among adolescents.


Built environments are the structures that humans create to shelter from the outdoors and provide spaces for living, working, playing, and getting places. Along with humans, pets, pests, and house plants, built environments house a range of microbes. Preliminary studies indicate that indoor spaces have distinct microbial communities, influenced by building materials, ventilation and airflow, moisture, and human and animal activity. The Academy convened a colloquium in September 2015 to examine the role of complex microbial ecosystems found in built environments, including their effects on building chemistry and human health. Studying the microbiology of built environments can change the ways we design, build, operate, occupy, and clean our indoor spaces.


The aim of this paper is to find out how ethnicity and Estonian language skill affect labour market entry in Estonia. This paper focuses on the quality of the first job of ethnical Estonians and non-Estonians in the years 1991–1997 and 2001–2006. The main question is to what extent ethnicity and Estonian language
skill influence the occupational attainment of youth in their first job. The data to be used are taken from Estonian Labour Force Surveys conducted in the years 1995, 1997 and 2002–2006. Results from linear regression analysis indicate that although the investment in country-specific human capital gives some advantages to non-Estonian youth, still Estonian language proficient non-Estonians are less successful labour market entrants compared to ethnic Estonians. Thus both ethnicity and Estonian language skill have a significant effect on the occupational status in the first job. Although education
is important in shaping labour market opportunities of the youth, it appears that returns from education differ between ethnic groups. In addition, the investment in Estonian language skills gave higher returns in terms of occupational status in the period 1991–1997, whereas in the years 2001–
2006 Estonian proficient non-Estonians reached considerably lower occupational status in their first job than Estonians.


During 2000 and 2001 and at the beginning of 2002, current meters were deployed at 25, 50 and 110 m water depths along two transects: one offshore of San Sebastian and the other offshore of Hondarribia. At the same time, hydrographical cruises and the collection of sediment samples were undertaken over the coastal section. The aim of the study was to improve the knowledge of seasonal changes in the coastal water circulation. The main results obtained are three-dimensional measurements of water flow, a description of the seabed sedimentology between 50 and 90 m depth, and an improved description of the effect of the circulation patterns on the dispersion of pollutants. Two different patterns of surface water circulation were identified, related to oceanographic and meteorological conditions in autumn-winter and spring-summer. Analyses undertaken on three-dimensional current meter data also improved the understanding of seasonal variations in marine currents. All the field data were incorporated into a numerical model for the simulation of currents. This numerical model contributed, together with the field measurements, to the improvement of the description of general seasonal variability patterns in the currents. The effect of this circulation on the dispersion of pollutants was also analysed.


Abstract Suzuki-type cross-coupling of enantiomerically enriched O-(α-bromoacyl) cyanohydrins with aromatic boronic acids substituted with electron-withdrawing or electron-donating groups gave the expected coupling products in high yields without racemization. These substrates exhibit higher reactivities than analogous substrates lacking the nitrile function, probably as a result of π-coordination of the nitrile to palladium. Reduction of the nitrile group of the products, with accompanying intramolecular acyl transfer, provides access to biologically interesting N-acylated β-amino alcohols.


Abstract In nanocatalysis, clusters deposited on solid, well-defined surfaces play an important role. For the detection of size effects it is, however, important to prepare samples consisting of deposited clusters of a single size, as their chemical properties change with the exact number of atoms in the cluster. In this paper, the experimental tools are presented to prepare such model systems. The existence of monodispersed clusters is confirmed by various experimental findings. First, the carbonyl formation of deposited Nin clusters shows no change in the nuclearity when comparing the size of the deposited clusters with one of the formed carbonyls. Second, scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) studies show that fragmentation of Sin clusters upon deposition can be excluded. In addition, the adsorption behavior of CO on deposited Pd atoms points to the existence of single atoms on the surface. Furthermore, CO oxidation results on Aun clusters confirm the existence of monodispersed clusters trapped on well-defined adsorption sites. Finally, we use Monte-Carlo simulations to define the range of clusters and defect densities, for which monodispersed clusters can be expected.


ABSTRACT Little is known about the experiences of people ageing with impairments; social gerontology has largely focused on those ageing into disability rather than those ageing with disability. This paper synthesises existing knowledge to determine what is known about the experiences of those ageing with deafblindness. A comprehensive literature search was undertaken between April 2013 and May 2014. The review method was informed by systematic review principles. A total of 24 references were identified for inclusion. No studies examining deafblind people's experience of ageing and old age specifically were found, suggesting that those ageing with deafblindness are an under-studied sub-group within the deafblind population. However, deafblind people describe ageing experiences in studies exploring their lives generally, and in personal accounts of living with the impairment. Practitioner-authored material also explores the topic. Similarities in experience were identified between those ageing with deafblindness and those ageing with other impairments: ongoing change and consequent need for adaptation; a particular relationship between ageing and impairment; a sense that whilst one can learn adaptive strategies having lived with impairment for many years, it does not necessarily get easier; and a particular relationship with care and support services. These experiences illustrate the unique nature of ageing with impairment, and challenge gerontologists to engage in further research and theorising in the field of disability in later life.


Supervised topic models are often sought to balance prediction quality and interpretability. However, when models are (inevitably) misspecified, standard approaches rarely deliver on both. We introduce a novel approach, the predictionfocused topic model, that uses the supervisory signal to retain only vocabulary terms that improve, or do not hinder, prediction performance. By removing terms with irrelevant signal, the topic model is able to learn task-relevant, interpretable topics. We demonstrate on several data sets that compared to existing approaches, prediction-focused topic models are able to learn much more coherent topics while maintaining competitive predictions.


Vibration and flutter analyses have been performed for stiffened composite laminated plates considering thermal effect. The FSDT (First order Shear Deformable plate Theory) and Timoshenko beam theory are used for the finite element modeling of a skin panel and stiffeners, respectively. The von Karman nonlinear strain-displacement relation is adopted to consider a large deflection due to the thermal buckling loads and severe aerodynamic loads. The first order piston theory is used for the modeling of aerodynamic loads. The temperature distribution is assumed to be constant over the surface and has a thermal gradient through the thickness of the plate. It is assumed that a degradation of the elastic properties of the constituent materials is a function of the temperature field itself. Guyan reduction method is employed to reduce the problem size and computational time. Newton-Rhapson iteration method is used to obtain the postbuckled deflection. Complex eigenvalue solver with LUM/NTF approximation method is used to obtain vibration and flutter characteristics. The effects of various parameters, such as ply orientation, temperature gradient, material property degradation and the stiffening scheme on flutter characteristics are investigated through some numerical examples. The degradation of material properties affects the aero-thermo-postbuckled deflection, vibration characteristics and flutter boundary. The selection of proper stiffening scheme results in great improvements of flutter characteristics of laminated panels without introducing considerable weight penalty.


About productive transformation policies Increasingly, national and local economies must adapt and innovate by diversifying and upgrading their productive capacity. They must avoid stagnation in context of evolving economic, social and environmental circumstances. Cities benefit from more inclusive patterns of growth, greater resource efficiency, reduced environmental degradation, and enhanced social stability and inclusion. National and local governments play vital roles in facilitating the transformation process, in part due to their influence over the business environment and their potential to steer investment decisions in more productive, equitable and sustainable directions. Productive transformation policies (PTP) are defined as public programmes and instruments designed to create jobs and achieve sustainable growth through higher productivity and promotion of competitive sectors. PTP often focus on cluster and value chain development, agglomerations, foreign investment, business environment, and skills development. PTP involve dialogue between the public and private sector to ensure equity through prudent approaches to urban planning, city design, financing and governance.


As relationships and service become increasingly pivotal in business, the profitability of customers is becoming more important than the profitability of products. In this environment, marketing success will be equivalent to generating maximum profits from a firm's total set of customers. Doing so requires allocating managerial resources to the groups of customers that can be cultivated most efficiently by a firm. This article presents a management methodology called the "Customer Pyramid" that enables a firm to supercharge its profits by customizing its responses to distinct customer profitability tiers. The Customer Pyramid provides a tool for managers to strengthen the link between service quality and profitability and to determine the optimal allocation of often scarce resources to maximize profitability. Product and service strategies, customized for each customer tier, become more closely aligned with an individual customer's underlying utility functions. This results in more effective, efficient, and profitable strategies for serving the customer. The article also provides numerous examples and practical guidelines for improving firm profits by moving customers "up the Customer Pyramid."


In areas where markets for natural water are lacking, information on its marginal value can be an important tool for proper pricing to achieve efficient allocation of the resource. This article investigates the marginal value of natural water (rainwater used as a proxy) in agricultural crop production in the suburbs of Mekelle City, Ethiopia, by econometricaly estimating individual value functions for three selected crops: wheat, barley, and teff (a staple food crop in Ethiopia). Results show that, on average, an additional 0.30 birr (birr = Ethiopian currency: 1 euro - 23 birr) worth of output is generated for each exgtra cubic meter of rainwater used. This result provides the marginal value (shadow price) of water crop production at a certain point of the water cycle. It thus provides useful policy information for efficiently pricing water resources based on full-cost recovery, implying that the current tap water prices should be increased at least by 0.30 birr/m3 if the scarcity value of natural water is to be accounted for. The marginal value of natural water turned out to be the highest in teff production, suggesting that producing this crop would be the most water-efficient decision in the area.


This paper studies changes in wage differentials accross education groups for full-time male workers in the French private sector, from 1976 to 2004. We apply quantile regressions to Mincer-type equations to disentangle between- and within-education group wage inequalities, and we describe separately their evolutions. We use a matched dataset of administrative data and Census information, which contains yearly data. Our main results are: (1) the overall wage inequality was stable from 1976 to 1992 and slightly decreased from 1995 to 2004. (2) Within-education group wage inequalities increase with education and are higher across non-vocational degrees than vocational ones. (3) Between-education group wage inequalities increase with experience. (4) The within-education group wage inequalities were rather stable from 1976 to 1992 and decreased between 1995 and 2004, strongly for low levels of experience. (5) The between-education group wage inequalities decreased all over the period, due to decreasing education premiums, particularly for low levels of experience. These results are related to the dramatic evolutions of the French labor market during this period: older cohorts gradually replaced by more educated ones, unemployment and minimum wage rises.


With the digital availability of social data helping reshape ethnographic research and thus broadening the mainstream understanding of ethnography, this research proposes a set of strategies to overcome current limitations in doing ethnography. Based on a two-year online and offline ethnographic project on social media use in later life, insights are provided into how the practices and meanings of ethnography are being reconstructed and negotiated in response to the explosion of digital social data and through team practices. This paper reviews how collaborative and interdisciplinary ethnographic reflection is sustained and extended by digital tools, creating a live source of data that can be analysed within the framework of ethnography. As a contribution to current debates on the 'Social Life of Methods', it also reviews epistemic issues associated with digital data and team ethnography, such as the role of the ethnographer(s), the field(s) and computational data analysis. The article reaches the conclusion that digital team ethnography is a viable option for undertaking thick and descriptive studies about the use of social media, which in turn favours a collaborative, non-hierarchical and dialogue-driven knowledge production process.


The aprotic lithium–oxygen cell is based on the reversible reduction of oxygen on a cathode host to form lithium peroxide, and has received much attention in the last few years owing to its promise to offer increased electrochemical energy density beyond that provided by traditional Li-ion batteries. Carbon has been extensively utilized as a host, but it reacts with Li2O2 to form an insulating layer of lithium carbonate resulting in high overpotentials on charge. Establishing a stable, and conductive interface at the porous cathode is a major challenge that has motivated a search for non-carbonaceous cathode materials. Very few suitable materials have been discovered so far. Here we report on the synthesis of the metallic Magneli phase Ti4O7 with a crystallite size between 10–20 nm, and show that a cathode fabricated from this material greatly reduces the overpotential compared to carbon. Oxidation of lithium peroxide on charge starts just above 3 V, comparable to gold and TiC, and the majority (∼65%) of oxygen release occurs in the 3–3.5 V window vs. Li+/Li as determined by on-line electrochemical mass spectrometry. Ti4O7 is much lighter and lower cost than gold, easy to prepare, and provides a controlled interface. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements show that a conductive, self-passivating substoichiometric metal oxide layer is formed at the surface which is important for stability.


Background Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin and synthesized in the skin from 7-dehydroxy cholesterol during exposure to ultraviolet B. Vitamin D is essential for calcium homeostasis, bone growth, and immune regulation. Vitamin D deficiency causes rickets, osteomalacia, osteoporosis, and muscle weakness. Vitamin D deficiency is associated with cancers, cardiovascular diseases, schizophrenia, wheezing illness, and autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes mellitus, multiple sclerosis, Crohn's disease, psoriasis, vitiligo, and chronic urticaria. Objective The main objective of this study was to analyze the 25-hydroxy vitamin D status of patients with psoriasis in comparison with controls without psoriasis. Patients and methods This study included 30 patients (age-matched and sex-matched controls) from the Outpatient Department of Narayana Hospital Dermatology Department in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh. All patients and controls were studied during the 4-month period from July 2015 to October 2015. Results Serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels were significantly lower in psoriatic patients than in controls even after adjusting for confounding factors in a multivariate analysis. Low 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels were positively associated with psoriasis and BMI in multiple linear regression analysis. Psoriatic patients with BMI greater than or equal to 27 kg/m2 had a higher risk for 25-hydroxy vitamin D insufficiency. Limitations Further studies with larger numbers of patients are required to analyze the pathogenic mechanisms underlying the relationship between 25-hydroxy vitamin D deficiency and psoriasis. Conclusion The 25-hydroxy vitamin D values are significantly lower in psoriatic patients than in controls. Low 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels are positively associated with psoriasis and with obesity.


This work provides a systematic study of the impact of communication performance on parallel applications in a high performance network of workstations. We develop an experimental system in which the communication latency, overhead, and bandwidth can be independently varied to observe the effects on a wide range of applications. Our results indicate that current efforts to improve cluster communication performance to that of tightly integrated parallel machines results in significantly improved application performance. We show that applications demonstrate strong sensitivity to overhead, slowing down by a factor of 60 on 32 processors when overhead is increased from 3 to 103 µs. Applications in this study are also sensitive to per-message bandwidth, but are surprisingly tolerant of increased latency and lower per-byte bandwidth. Finally, most applications demonstrate a highly linear dependence to both overhead and per-message bandwidth, indicating that further improvements in communication performance will continue to improve application performance.


The SKX 3498 triquetrum from Member 2 at Swartkrans Cave, South Africa is the only hominin triquetrum uncovered (and published) thus far from the early Pleistocene hominin fossil record. Although SKX 3498 was found over two decades ago, its morphology has not been formally described or analysed, apart from the initial description. Furthermore, the taxonomic attribution of this fossil remains ambiguous as both Paranthropus and early Homo have been identified at Swartkrans. This analysis provides the first quantitative analysis of the SKX 3498 triquetrum, in comparison to those of extant hominids (humans and other great apes) and other fossil hominins. Although the initial description of the SKX 3498 triquetrum summarised the morphology as generally human-like, this analysis reveals that quantitatively it is often similar to the triquetra of all hominine taxa and not necessarily humans in particular. Shared hominid-like morphology between SKX 3498 and Neanderthals suggests that both may retain the symplesiomorphic hominin form, but that functional differences compared to modern humans may be subtle. Without knowledge of triquetrum morphology typical of earlier Pliocene hominins, the taxonomic affiliation of SKX 3498 remains unclear.


Well-known examples of shears bands in the nuclei 198Pb and 199Pb are investigated within tilted axis cranking relativistic mean-field theory. Energy spectra, the relation between spin and rotational frequency, deformation parameters and reduced $M1$ and $E2$ transition probabilities are calculated. The results are in good agreement with available data and with calculations based on the phenomenological pairing plus-quadrupole-quadrupole tilted-axis cranking model. It is shown that covariant density functional theory provides a successful microscopic and fully self-consistent description of magnetic rotation in the Pb region showing the characteristic properties as the shears mechanism and relatively large B(M1) transitions decreasing with increasing spin.


In this dissertation the linearized dynamics and stability of a two-craft Coulomb tether formation are investigated. With a Coulomb tether the relative distance between two satellites is controlled using electrostatic Coulomb forces. A charge feedback law is introduced to stabilize the relative distance between the satellites to a constant value. Compared to previous Coulomb thrusting research, this is the first feedback control law that stabilizes a particular formation shape. The two craft are connected by an electrostatic virtual tether that essentially acts as a long, slender near-rigid body. Inter-spacecraft Coulomb forces cannot influence the inertial angular momentum of this formation. However, the differential gravitational attraction can be exploited to stabilize the attitude of this Coulomb tether formation about an orbit nadir direction. Stabilizing the separation distance will also stabilize the in-plane rotation angle, while the out-of-plane rotational motion remains unaffected. The other two relative equilibriums of the charged 2-craft problem are along the orbit-normal and the along-track direction. Unlike the charged 2-craft formation scenario aligned along the orbit radial direction, a feedback control law using inter-spacecraft electrostatic Coulomb forces and the differential gravitational accelerations is not sufficient to stabilize the Coulomb tether length and the formation attitude. Therefore, hybrid feedback control laws are presented which combine conventional thrusters and Coulomb forces. The Coulomb force feedback requires measurements of separation distance error and error rate, while the thruster feedback is in terms of Euler angles and their rates. This hybrid feedback control is designed to asymptotically stabilize the satellite formation shape and attitude while avoiding plume impingement issues. The relative distance between the two satellites can be increased or decreased using electrostatic Coulomb forces. The linear dynamics and stability analysis of such reconfiguration are studied for all the three equilibrium. The Coulomb tether expansion and contraction rates affect the stability of the structure and limits on these rates are discussed using the linearized time-varying dynamical models. These limits allow the reference length time histories to be designed while ensuring linear stability of the virtual structure. Throughout this dissertation the Coulomb tether is modeled as a massless, elastic component and, a point charge model is used to describe the charged craft.


Computer-generated holograms (CGH's) synthesized by the iterative direct-binary-search (DBS) algorithm yield lower reconstruction error and higher diffraction efficiency than do CGH's designed by conventional methods, but the DBS algorithm is computationally intensive. A fast algorithm for DBS is developed that recursively computes the error measure to be minimized. For complex amplitude-based error, the required computation for an L-point CGH is reduced by a factor of (L/log2L)1/2. The fast intensity-based algorithm is substantially more complicated, and modifications are considered in order to make the algorithm more efficient. An acceleration technique that attempts to increase the rate of convergence of the DBS algorithm is also investigated.