The variation of the shape of the implied volatility function (IVF) has significant predictive power for future performance, above that previously documented for the shape of the IVF itself. We find that standard deviations of IV spreads describing the shape of the IVF over the current month are negatively correlated with next month's realized returns. This effect is strongest during expansionary periods, during contractions this relation becomes weaker. Return predictability is strongest in small firms with the most variable IVFs, but IVF variability yields significant return predictability and cross-sectional variation even with size and liquidity controls. We find support for interpreting the volatility of the IVF as a proxy of heterogeneous beliefs. The realized return relationship we observe is consistent with the Miller (1977) result that divergence of opinions leads to lower expected returns.


The impact of agricultural policies and their reform is of major concern when addressing issues of growth, innovation and consolidation in the food manufacturing sector. Growth is one of the forces fueling the globalization of food manufacturing activities. Market- and policy-driven forces present a myriad of opportunities to influence growth and reorientation of patterns at the nexus where food manufacturing links the food system. The productivity and international competitiveness of the food manufacturing sector must be evaluated in the context of governmental incentives, international standards and the emerging supply- and value-chains.


This paper evaluates, via both analysis and simulation, the end-to-end (e2e) delay performance of aggregate scheduling with guaranteed-rate (GR) algorithms. Deterministic e2e delay bounds for a single aggregation are derived under the assumption that all incoming flows at an aggregator conform to the token bucket model. An aggregator can use any of three types of GR scheduling algorithms: stand-alone GR, two-level hierarchical GR, and rate-controlled two-level hierarchical GR. E2e delay bounds are also derived for the case of multiple aggregations within an aggregation region when aggregators use the rate-controlled two-level hierarchical GR. By using the GR scheduling algorithms for traffic aggregates, we show not only the existence of delay bounds for each flow, but also the fact that, under certain conditions (e.g., when the aggregate traverses a long path after the aggregation point), the bounds are smaller than that of per-flow scheduling. We then compare the analytic delay bounds numerically and conduct in-depth simulation to: 1) confirm the analytic results and 2) compare the e2e delays of aggregate and per-flow scheduling. The simulation results have shown that aggregate scheduling is very robust and can exploit statistical multiplexing gains. It performs better than per-flow scheduling in most of the simulation scenarios we considered. Overall, aggregate scheduling is shown theoretically to provide bounded e2e delays and practically to provide excellent e2e delay performance. Moreover, it incurs lower scheduling and state-maintenance overheads at routers than per-flow scheduling. All of these salient features make aggregate scheduling very attractive for use in Internet core networks.


The aim of the present work was to clarify the mechanisms of hydrogen removal during vacuum degassing. The main reason for this was because the primary source of hydrogen pick-up in steel-making is the moisture in the furnace atmosphere and the raw material charged into the ladle furnace. Previous studies showed that the presence of hydroxyl ions in the ladle slag results in hydrogen transfer from the slag back into the steel bath. The main focus of this thesis was therefore to gain deeper knowledge of the ladle slag and its properties. For this purpose a number of slag compositions were examined in order to clarify whether these slags were single liquids at 1858 K. 14 out of 27 compositions in the Al2O3 CaO MgO SiO2 system was completely melted. These results were in disagreement with the existing phase diagrams. Water solubility measurements were carried out by employing a thermo gravimetric technique. The temperature was found to have negligible effect on the water solubilities. The experimental results showed that the water capacity values varied between 1x103 and 2x103 in the majority of the composition range. However, for compositions close to CaO saturation the water capacity value could reach higher than 3x103. The experimental determined water capacity was further used to develop a water capacity model for the quaternary slag system Al2O3 CaO MgO SiO2. The model was constructed by considering the affects of the binary interactions between the cations in the slag on the capacity of capturing hydroxyl ions. The model calculations agreed well with the experimental results as well as with the literature data. An attempt was made to develop a preliminary process model for dehydrogenation by using the results from CFD calculation. For this purpose industrial sampling was made during vacuum treatment. The hydrogen concentrations decreases fast in the initial stages of the degassing, but is slowed down in the final stage. The model calculations fit the initial stage of the dehydrogenation process well. In the final stage of the process the predicted values are somewhat lower than the plant data. The results from the model prediction showed that a dynamic process model could be satisfactorily constructed using the results from CFD calculation. The present work aimed at determining how big impact hydroxyl ions in the slag have on the final hydrogen concentration in the liquid steel. It was found that the effect is of less importance regarding the final concentration of the metal after the degassing treatment.


Abstract. Froth flotation is a solid-liquid separation technique that uses hydrophobicity as a driving force. Bacteria and other drinking water microorganisms tend to be hydrophobic and can be removed from water using this application. The biggest limitation against using froth flotation in the drinking water industry is the difficulty of producing froth without chemical frothers and holding bacteria in this froth without chemical collectors which deteriorate water taste and odor. Recently, researchers at the University of Sheffield described a method for producing froth using only water and compressed air. This has enabled froth flotation to be studied as an alternative to biocides for the removal of bacteria from drinking water. This work examines the ability of froth, produced by controlling air pumping through a water column, to hold bacteria. Bacteria are moved to the top of the column and collected in the froth. The operating conditions determine the percentage of bacteria removed. At optimum conditions, froth can hold up to 2×108 cfu/ml of bacteria. It has been found that air pumping at 130 l/min in a 20 cm diameter column will give the highest froth bacterial content. Time to reach stable froth bacterial concentration is decreased by increasing other variables.


Led by the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry, IP-intensive manufacturing industries contribute extraordinary economic value to the U.S. economy. Compared to other IP-intensive and non-IP intensive manufacturing industries, the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry had the highest R&D investment over the past decade. Consequently, the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry outperformed other manufacturing industries in all key economic measures, including job creation, wages paid, gross output, net economic contribution, and exports.


Abstract Aim: The majority of post-acute hip fracture rehabilitation in the US is delivered in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). Currently, there are limited guidelines that equip occupational and physical therapy practitioners with a summary of what constitutes evidence-based high quality rehabilitation. Thus, this study aimed to identify rehabilitation practitioners' perspectives on the practices that constitute high quality hip fracture rehabilitation. Methods: Focus groups were conducted with 99 occupational and physical therapy practitioners working in SNFs in southern California. Purposive sampling of facilities was conducted to capture variation in key characteristics known to impact care delivery for this patient population (e.g., financial resources, staffing, and patient case-mix). Questions aimed to elicit practitioners' perspectives on high quality hip fracture rehabilitation practices. Each session was audio-recorded and transcribed. Data were systematically analyzed using a modified grounded theory approach. Results: Seven themes emerged: objectives of care; first 72 h; positioning, pain, and precautions; use of standardized assessments; episode of care practices; facilitating insight into progress; and interdisciplinary collaboration. Conclusions: Clinical guidelines are critical tools to facilitate clinical decision-making and achieve desired patient outcomes. The findings of this study highlight the practitioners' perspective on what constitutes high quality hip fracture rehabilitation. This work provides critical information to advance the development of stakeholder-driven rehabilitation clinical guidelines. Future research is needed to verify the findings from other stakeholders (e.g., patients), ensure the alignment of our findings with current evidence, and develop measures for evaluating their delivery and relationship to desired outcomes. Implications for Rehabilitation This study highlights occupational and physiotherapy therapy practitioners' perspectives on the cumulative best practices that reflect high quality care, which should be delivered during hip fracture rehabilitation. While this study was limited to two professions within the broader interdisciplinary team, consistently occupational and physiotherapy therapy practitioners situated their role and practices within the team, emphasizing that high quality care was driven by collaboration among all members of the team as well as the patient and caregivers. Future research needs to evaluate the (a) frequency at which these practices are delivered and the relationship to patient-centered outcomes, and (b) perspectives of rehabilitation practitioners working in other PAC settings, patients, caregivers, as well as the other members of the interdisciplinary PAC team.


While the Internet provides great opportunities for sharing and accessing information resources globally, there are still many barriers to overcome. In this session, a group of experts will share their research in this area. Vaughan and Thelwall will present their study on national bias of information resources coverage as reflected in commercial search engines. In the area of cross-language information retrieval, although many search engines have the capability to retrieve information in Chinese using English queries, there has not been research on evaluation of the search capabilities and retrieval performances of such search engines. Shaoyi He will fill this gap in his presentation on such evaluations. Finally, Shreve and Zeng will discuss their approach of how to use parallel metadata to provide multilingual / multicultural access to a linguistically heterogeneous collection in an NSF-funded digital library project.


We report herein a facile metal–organic framework (MOF) derived route for the synthesis of carbon embedded CeO2 (CeO2@C) with a pre-designed shape-specific morphology by varying the organic linker and by using PVP as the structure directing agent. It is found that the general morphological features of the parent MOF are mimicked by the derived oxide. Four different linkers have been used to prepare CeO2@C particles with three different shapes – spherical, bar-shaped and thin plate-like. A probable formation mechanism is discussed based on metal–ligand coordination. Influence of the morphology on the electrochemical properties as a lithium-ion battery (LIB) anode has been studied in coin cells vs. Li/Li+. The spherically shaped CeO2@C-14 shows a superior performance with a maximum specific capacity of 715 mA h g−1 at 0.05 mA cm−2, good rate performance (413 mA h g−1 at 0.5 mA cm−2) and cycling stability (∼94% capacity retention after 100 cycles). The present results demonstrate that the major limitations of metal oxide anodes – volume expansion during lithiation/delithiation, rate performance and capacity fading upon cycling – could be overcome to a great extent by adopting the two-way approach of morphology design through the MOF route and in situ embedded carbon matrix.


Real estate appraisal in Republic of Serbia is an a rea where are many unknowns. Fortunately, nowadays in Serbia we have two professional associations of app raisers. As we know there are two types of appraisa l – mass and individual appraisal and both requires standardized reports. This paper presents forms of valuation re ports for individual real estate appraisal with its advantage s and disadvantages. Process of real estate apprais al is complex and consists of several steps described in detail in pa per with emphasis on selection of the method for va luation. Real estate report presents the final step in the proces s of valuation. In order to ensure usage of uniform real estate appraisal reports, national and international assoc iati ns have adopted standards. All standards presc rib the minimum of required contents of report (professiona l st ndards), as well as ethical standards in order to nsure that all appraisers act highly professional, responsible and with integrity, and general conditions. Despit e all measures in standardization there are still many problems in im ple entation, especially in countries where English is not a native language due to the fact that all standards are wri tten in English.


Through readings of Adhir Biswas' memoirs – Deshbhager Smriti [2010. 4 vols. Kolkata: Gangchil] and Allar jomite paa [2012. Kolkata: Gangchil] – as well as Manoranjan Byapari's autobiographical work Itibritte Chandal Jibon (2012), I study the importance of education in the lives of first-generation literate Bengali Dalit immigrants. I evaluate the journey of Biswas and Byapari from being labelled as "chhotolok", towards becoming a part of the bhadralok social group, redefining what it means to belong to either group. I observe how education enables incorporation of these writers into the mainstream elite lifestyle and why this process of assimilation is riddled with difficulties from both ends. By briefly referring to the antagonistic relationship between the subalterns and the landlords in the Indian scenario, I note how traditional social markers of the colonial bhadralok are increasingly challenged in the postcolonial period by the non-bhadralok masses through unconventional counter-narratives. Furthermore, I discuss the role that education plays in legitimizing the position of marginalized people, such as refugees, in post-partition India. How does literacy change the perspectives of Dalit refugees towards their surroundings, and what significance does the act of writing hold for them?


In this research, we aim at profiling the picture description component of theLouvain International Database of Spoken English Interlanguage (LINDSEI)from a variationist perspective by using English as a Foreign Language (EFL)learner and native speaker data. Our aim is to gain further insight into thelinguistic nature of one of the communicative events that is used to assessgeneral 'proficiency': the interview. Our results show that the EFL learnersrepresented in the LINDSEI approach the picture description task in waysthat differ from the native speaker (NS) data set. This research discusses thedifferences in the frequency of use of several linguistic features and attempts toaccount for the impact of this gap between NS and non-native speaker (NNS)uses. From a language testing and assessment (LTA) perspective, our results andresearch methodology can be of use to complement the parameters that ratersand testers usually employ to assess the quality of L2 output.


Abstract. The Carte Rouge is one of the most notorious Hungarian ethnographical maps to date. The map was planned and executed by Count Pál Teleki (1879–1941) in 1918. Teleki, who was the chief secretary of the Hungarian Geographical Society, later served as the prime minister of Hungary twice within his political career. The first edition of this particular map was published on the 21st of February in 1919. Teleki played a central role in arranging, ascribing and allocating Hungarian geographical works for the peace-negotiations following the First World War. The term "Carte Rouge", derives from the French; critiquing the subjective colouring of the map. During this period of time, political correspondents and those in power were responsible for planning such maps in order to support their own political programs with regards to their respective national ties and territorial claims.The red pockets on the map signify areas which designate nationality, ethnicity, and language claims, on the part of both the locals and/or the author of the map. Particularly of note, is that this map was viewed and used by the leading politicians of the Entente-powers.On the 16th of January in 1920, the day on which the Hungarian delegations received the peace terms of the First World War, Albert Aponyi gave a speech of significant weight in front of the Entente representatives in Paris, after the peace terms were received. Aponyi (1846–1933), who was the head of the Hungarian delegation, showed this particular map to those present at this meeting following his speech, as justification and proof of his points. Apponyi sent the map to Teleki and to the members of various delegations. Isaiah Bowman (1878–1950), for example, also had a private copy of the map. Bowman's critique of Teleki's ethnographical map is most significant in this discussion:"This idea has occurred to me since examining a map by Count Teleki which gives altogether a wrong impression of the distribution of Magyars in Transylvania that we ought to keep a fairly good collection of propaganda maps, of which I have here several very striking examples, and sometime after I return I should like to write a little paper on the various types of lies and liars that I met in this form of cartography. It would be good popular education, because so many people regard what appears on a map as gospel truth, and almost none of the people, who print maps, understand map technique sufficiently well to distinguish between the various principles followed in the construction of maps. (…)."It is not certain as to whether Bowman was indeed writing about this particular map, however Teleki had at that point and time-edited no other ethnographical map. Others, for example, the Austrian Randolf Rungaldier (1892–1981) had a very positive opinion about the Carte Rouge.In total, and to the best of my knowledge, the Carte Rouge has 12 editions and 27 various versions.In the following analysis, I will consider how the Carte Rouge can be compared to other, similar international examples of the region, based on archival research I conducted in Paris, London, Budapest and Milwaukee. For instance, Emmanuel de Martonne (1873–1955), who also adopted a critical approach to the Carte Rouge, planned a comparable ethnographical map of Romania. This map used another method of cartographic representation; nonetheless, the various territorial concepts designated by the colour-selection, the borders and the represented (and not represented) territories are facets that have similar features.Later Teleki – as member of the Mossul-Commission – designed an ethnographical map of the Turkish-Iraqi border-area, which afforded him international professional recognition. The method of cartographic representation was the same, as was utilized in the creation of the Carte Rouge.Resultantly, the Carte Rouge inspired the production of other ethnographical maps in Hungary as well as in other countries. In Hungary, Ferenc Fodor (1887–1962) – as the member of the Hungarian Peace-Preparation Office (Béke-előkészítő Iroda) – edited a manuscript map about Central-Europe using the same "representing-method". This map was published under the name of G. Bery in 1938. A part of this map was also reused as a propaganda poster. Later, during the Second World War Imre Jakabffy (1915–2006) continued this form of mapping with a slightly modified version of this method of cartographic representation at the Institute of Political Science (Államtudományi Intézet) in Budapest. Subsequently, other ethnographical maps were edited using this method of cartographic representation by the French and by Romanians.In sum, this map was a typical product of the period, as it supported a particular territorial concept. The opinions about the map – not independent from the political context – were very differential in form. Regardless, this method of cartographic representation had an extended international carrier in the fields of geography and cartography for years to come afterwards.


Purpose: To explore the influence of early application of Simvastatin on high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and fibrinolysis coagulation of unstable angina pectoris patients.
Method: 70 cases of unstable pectoris patients received and treated in our hospital during March 2011-2014 are taken as the research objects, and are divided into two groups randomly, 35 cases in each group. The patients of research group I are treated with simvastatin pills and that of research group II are treated with nitrate types and angiotensin invertase enzyme inhibitor; at the same time, 35 patients with no cardiac diseases are selected as the blank control group. The changes on blood lipid, highsensitivity C-reactive protein and fibrinolysis coagulation of the three groups before and after treatment are observed.
Results: The difference on blood lipid between research group I and research group II has no statistical significance (P>0.05). Compared with that of research group II, the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein of research group I is significantly reduced, with difference with statistical significance (q=9.25, P=0.02<0.05). On the aspect of coagulation fibrinolysis, the plasma blood coagulation factor VII, the fibrinogen and the plasminogen activator inhibitor of research group I are significantly reduced, and they have differences with statistical significance (P<0.05) when compared with that of research group II. At the same time, it has lower tissue-type plasminogen activator than that of research group II (F, P<0.05).
Conclusion: Early application of simvastatin can effectively reduce the blood lipid content and decrease the high-inflammation level of unstable angina pectoris patients; in addition, it can improve the anticoagulation level, helpful to the stability of plaques.


The lights go on in order Grid cells and place cells in the brain function as part of a circuit that helps us figure out where we are in our physical world. Donato et al. examined how that circuit develops in the brains of mice. Expression patterns of doublecortin and parvalbumin revealed that neurons in the circuit mature in the order in which information flows. Maturation of each piece of the circuit depends on excitatory neuronal activity from the preceding portion. Stellate cells, in contrast, follow an endogenous maturation program. The stellate cells are responsible for initiating the circuit's developmental progression. Science, this issue p. eaai8178 The brain circuitry responsible for identification of place develops in a stepwise, cascading fashion tipped off by independent stellate cells. INTRODUCTION Maturation of cortical circuits depends on postnatal excitatory activity that spreads in a bottom-up manner from the sensory organs. Such activity is necessary for the formation and stabilization of computationally efficient synaptic networks. Whether similar activity is required to set up connectivity across the entire cortex, beyond the sensory regions, remains to be determined. In one high-end associative network involving the entorhinal cortex and hippocampus, the spatially tuned firing of place, grid, border, and head direction cells emerges during a protracted period of postnatal life. The appearance of a functional map of self-location in this system may reflect local computations enabled by the gradual maturation of local network topology. RATIONALE If spatial tuning arises as a consequence of specific network topology, then the emergence of functionally specific cell types during development should coincide with network maturation. We investigated microcircuit development during the second to fourth postnatal week in mice when the network of functionally specific cells in the medial entorhinal cortex takes on adult-like firing properties. Network-wide changes in the expression of maturation-related molecular markers (doublecortin, parvalbumin, and bassoon-positive synaptic puncta) were measured across multiple areas to reveal the temporal profile of maturation across subfields of the entorhinal-hippocampal circuit. To determine how circuit development is influenced by excitatory activity across subfields of the network, we used a targeted pharmacogenetic approach by which cells in different regions, with different projection patterns or different birth dates, could be silenced selectively during defined time windows. RESULTS Maturation of the hippocampal-entorhinal network followed a stereotyped sequence, where layer 2 of the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC-L2) was the first area to mature, followed by (in chronological order) CA3, CA1, dentate gyrus (DG), subiculum (SUB), layer 5 of the medial and lateral entorhinal cortex (MEC-L5 and LEC-L5, respectively), and, finally, layer 2 of the lateral entorhinal cortex (LEC-L2). At each stage of the circuit, excitatory activity was necessary for the maturation of downstream areas of the network, pointing to a linear and directional developmental sequence. This sequence originated in MEC-L2, where maturation of stellate cells preceded that of any other excitatory cell type in the circuit. Cell type–specific pharmacogenetic silencing revealed that activity in MEC-L2 stellate cells was necessary for maturation of the rest of the entorhinal-hippocampal network. Maturation of stellate cells themselves was independent of local excitatory activity but depended instead on when the stellate cells were born. Silencing layer 2 pyramidal cells had no effect on circuit maturation. The stellate cell–dependent arrest of maturation was more efficient if the silenced cells were born on the same day, suggesting that isochronic cohorts of stellate cells act synergistically to drive network maturation. CONCLUSION Our data show that the entorhinal-hippocampal circuit matures in a linear sequence that begins with stellate cells in MEC-L2 and propagates sequentially through the subfields of the transverse entorhinal-hippocampal circuit, recapitulating the flow of excitation through the circuit in adult animals. Maturation of stellate cells themselves may be determined intrinsically in a neurogenesis-dependent manner. The dependence on neurogenesis may parcel the stellate network into cohorts of isochronic neurons that act synergistically during development and give rise to independent subnetworks in the circuit. We propose that, during development, stellate cells are the source of an activity-dependent instructive signal that drives maturation of the entorhinal-hippocampal network underlying spatial representation in the brain. A small number of autonomously developing neuronal populations, similar to entorhinal stellate cells, may function as intrinsic drivers of maturation in different regions of the cortex. Superficial layers of the entorhinal cortex have both direct and indirect projections to hippocampal subfields. Indirect projections form a unidirectional loop—the trisynaptic pathway—through the hippocampus. Direct projections reach each subfield. CA1 pyramidal cells in the hippocampus establish connections back to the deep layers of the entorhinal cortex, from where information is relayed up to layer 2 (gray lines). During development, excitatory activity originating from MEC-L2 instructs maturation of the entorhinal-hippocampal circuit in a linear sequence recapitulating excitatory information flow through the adult network (black arrows). Stellate cells are at the top of the developmental hierarchy: Silencing stellate cells, but not pyramidal neurons, is sufficient to arrest the progression of maturation across the remaining entorhinal-hippocampal circuit. The neural representation of space relies on a network of entorhinal-hippocampal cell types with firing patterns tuned to different abstract features of the environment. To determine how this network is set up during early postnatal development, we monitored markers of structural maturation in developing mice, both in naïve animals and after temporally restricted pharmacogenetic silencing of specific cell populations. We found that entorhinal stellate cells provide an activity-dependent instructive signal that drives maturation sequentially and unidirectionally through the intrinsic circuits of the entorhinal-hippocampal network. The findings raise the possibility that a small number of autonomously developing neuronal populations operate as intrinsic drivers of maturation across widespread regions of the cortex.


This essay will examine the interplay between international and national law with regards to investigations of human rights violations. The duty to investigate violations of international law touches upon issues that up until recently were considered beyond the reach of international law. Since its recognition by the European Court of Human Rights in 1995, the procedural aspect of the right to life, i.e. the duty to investigate, has developed rapidly. In turn, also due to the unique legal relationship between the ECtHR and national courts, these developments have affected, and are still affecting, national law. This ongoing process of dialogue between national courts and international tribunals has greatly contributed to the development of the duty to investigate certain violation of international law, and the manner in which these investigations should be conducted.


Over the past 10 years, learning and teaching have benefited from greater use of social constructivist and situated learning, through more widespread adoption of the ideas of Dewey, Piaget, Vygotsky and Bruner (e.g., Lave and Wenger 1991; Brown 2004). However, assessment has consistently failed to follow through these innovations, substantially because it squares the desire for improved constructivist learning against the demand for institutional and external reliability and accountability. Consequently, assessment has not kept pace with these developments and has remained largely transmission orientated in both conception and practice (Knight and Yorke 2003).

This new generation of e-assessment is still in its early days, but its foundations are broader and more solid. No longer the speciality of a technologically-aware few, the pedagogical, social and even political dimensions of the problems of e-assessment are better known. Wide access to the knowledge and tools needed to deploy and develop innovative technology for learning has blurred the boundaries between pedagogical and technical specialists. Institutional support has improved, and open source virtual learning environments are being built by people who know both pedagogy and technology. E-assessment is starting to deliver measurable and successful improvements; but there is still much work to be done.


Drug-induced blockade of the human ether-a-go-go-related gene K(+) channel (hERG) represents one of the major antitarget concerns in pharmaceutical industry. SAR studies of this ion channel have shed light on the structural requirements for hERG interaction but most importantly may reveal drug design principles to reduce hERG affinity. In the present study, a novel library of neutral and positively charged heteroaromatic derivatives of the class III antiarrhythmic agent dofetilide was synthesized and assessed for hERG affinity in radioligand binding and manual patch clamp assays. Structural modifications of the pyridine moiety, side chain, and peripheral aromatic moieties were evaluated, thereby revealing approaches for reducing hERG binding affinity. In particular, we found that the extra rigidity imposed close to the positively charged pyridine moiety can be very efficient in decreasing hERG affinity.


This paper is concerned with the "ordinary" (over the complex numbers) representation theory of finite groups and in particular with matrix groups of the first and second kinds (that is, matrix groups which are similar to real groups or, alternatively, have real character but are not similar to real groups. In the event that the character is non-real, we speak of the third kind.) The purpose of this paper is associate groups with exactly one involution with representations of the second kind, and this we do in two ways: First, by showing that any group possessing an irreducible representation of the second kind involves a non-trivial group with only one involution. Second, by showing that a group with only one involution cannot have a faithful irreducible representation of the first kind. It is well and long known that groups of odd order possess nontrivial irreducible representations of the third kind only, so that evenness of order is a necessity if matrix groups of the first or second kind are to be dealt with.


'Deeply impressive...ancient history: the new rock 'n' roll.' The Times Julian Cope's bestselling modern classic, The Modern Aniquarian, is now released in a beautiful new hardback package. Having sold over 50,000 copies in two highly successful editions. Julian Cope is one of Britain's best known and most-celebrated post-punk visionaries. In this historical masterpiece, he takes us on an unforgettable journey across the British Isles, uncovering the first temples ever built and their myriad descendants, the relics of which can still be seen today. The Modern Antiquarian is the result of an eight-year odyssey in search of the roots of British cultural identity. Of the countless sites visited, Cope has selected over 300 of the very best; photographing their remains and explaining fully their relationships with the landscape. This book shines a powerful light onto the past of a nation hoodwinked into believing that its history began with the Roman conquest. Cope's deft prose examines our prehistoric beginnings through the evidence of megalithic remains and their surroundings, allowing us for the first time to reconcile the tapestry of our past with modern life.


The sport's definitive work, from the game's master instructor. In Bowling Execution, legend and PBA Hall of Fame coach John Jowdy shares his expertise on every aspect of the sport, from developing skills to refining techniques for improved consistency.
 Bowling Execution will show you how to
 - improve each phase of your shot, from stance to follow-through;
 - increase the accuracy of your hook;
 - incorporate the free armswing for smoother mechanics;
 - generate more power behind your shot to create greater pin action;
 - analyze lane conditions and adjust your game accordingly; and
 - develop strategies for achieving your personal best.
 Whether your style is power or finesse, Bowling Execution will raise your game and your scores. It's the bowling resource you will turn to again and again.


A classical example of chatter prone machining is the boring operation. Turning under conditions with high vibrations in the cutting tool deteriorates the surface finish and may cause tool breakage. Severe noise is also a consequence of the high vibration levels in the boring bar. Active control is one possible solution to the noise and vibration problem in boring operations. In boring operations the boring bar usually have vibration components in both the cutting speed and the cutting depth direction. The introduction of the control force in different angles in between the cutting speed and the cutting depth directions have been investigated. Furthermore, control path estimates produced when the active boring bar was not in contact with the workpiece and during continuous cutting operation are compared. Experimental results indicate that the control force should be introduced in the cutting speed direction. Although the vibrations are controlled in just the cutting speed direction the vibrations in the cutting depth direction are also reduced significantly.


Summary The selection criteria for multiphase boosting options remain somewhat subjective and are frequently influenced by the vendors' data, which may mask potential limitations of this emerging technology. Existing literature on multiphase pumping tends to focus on a certain pump type for a specific field application, but does not provide more-generalized criteria for the selection of multiphase boosting solutions from among those available in the market. A comprehensive literature review into the working principles of the major pump types identified the intrinsic advantages and limitations of each technology for subsea and downhole applications. The survey showed that, for subsea application, both the twinscrew pump (TSP) and the helicoaxial pump (HAP) can handle high suction gas volume fraction (GVF) with a fluid recycling system, or flow mixer. Thus, GVF is not a discriminating factor. The positive-displacement principle allows TSPs to work with very low suction pressure, but limits their operating range because of the dependency of flow rate on their relatively low speed. However, these pumps can handle highly viscous fluid. The rotodynamic concept enables the differential pressure of HAPs to self-adjust to any instantaneous change in suction GVF, and to achieve higher flow rate if sufficient suction pressure is maintained. Because HAPs usually run at higher speed, they offer a wider operating range. For subsea application, HAPs appear to be a better option than TSPs because they offer higher operation flexibility and have a better installation track record. For downhole applications, the electrical submersible pump (ESP) and the progressing-cavity pump (PCP) are the outstanding favorites, with the latter being preferred for lifting streams that are viscous or with high sand content. For GVF up to 70%, the rotodynamic pump (RDP) is becoming a popular solution. Although it is claimed that the downhole TSP (DTSP) can handle up to 98% GVF, it is not yet widely accepted in the field.


Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) is a known cause of dementia. It is the only type of dementia which can be treated surgically by pulling a ventriculo-peritoneal shunt to drain excess cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from the ventricles of the brain. In
addition, it is associated with difficulty in walking (which usually precedes dementia) and incontinence (which usually follows dementia). It is important to diagnose this condition properly as there are other dementia types and different neurological conditions which present in a similar way but would not respond to any surgical intervention. A number of different invasive and non-invasive tests are required to differentiate these various conditions from each other and to select the appropriate patients who would respond to shunting. Computerized tomography and simple magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the head are widely used clinically as part of the investigations, but these can not be relied upon completely.
Cine Phase contrast MRI scanning is a more sophisticated technique of examining the flow of CSF through different regions of the brain. This study prospectively investigated the role of cine phase contrast MRI scanning in calculating the various CSF flow variables through the cerebral aqueduct and studied their relationship with the patient selection for shunting. The decision for shunting was based on the usual clinical grounds and the treating physician was blinded by the results of the CSF flow characteristics. For analysis of the results patients were divided into two groups depending on whether they had only one or two MRI scans (the second scan was performed after drainage of two hundred ml of CSF via the lumbar drain). There were seventeen patients in the first group (10 males and 7 females). There was no statistical difference between the peak velocity, average velocity, average flow over range, forward volume, reverse volume and net forward volume between shunted (n=6) and un-shunted patients (n=11). The p values for these parameters were 0.567, 0.621, 0.929, 0.416, 0.449
and 0.948, respectively. The second group comprised of twenty one patients.
Since these patients had two MRI scans each, the differences between the above CSF flow parameters were calculated and studied in relation to shunt status. Again the differences could not reach statistical significance between shunted (n10) and un-shunted (n=11) patients. The calculated p values for differences between peak velocities, average velocities, average flows over range, forward volumes, reverse volumes and net forward volumes between shunted and un-shunted patients were 0.224, 0.116, 0.712.0.608, 0.624 and 0.438, respectively. Using stepwise multiple regression to look at the unique contribution of each variable towards the shunt status, the difference between average velocities, difference between reverse volumes and difference between forward volumes achieved statistical significance in that order.
In the second part of the study, biochemical analysis of the CSF samples collected from NPH patients was carried out. The concentration of total protein and different cations were determined in these samples (n=29) and the differences between
various parameters in shunted and un-shunted patients were studied and compared. The difference in the total protein concentration between shunted (n=15) and un-shunted (n=14) patients reached significance (p0.030). This significant was not sustained when the blood contaminated CSF samples (from both shunted and un-shunted patients) were excluded from comparison. There was no significant difference between the concentrations of Nat K, Ca2 Mg2 and trace elements studied (Fe 2 , Pb2 , Zn 2 , Cu2t Mn2 and Se2 ) in the CSF samples of shunted and un-shunted patients. However, on multiple regression analysis Na was shown to have independent unique contribution on the outcome i.e. the
selection of patients for shunting.
It was concluded that although the present study could not establish the precise role of the cine phase contrast MRI scans in the evaluation of NPH patients but conducting a large scale study is more likely to show the statistical significance of
different CSF flow variables. Furthermore, CSF proteomics might be the way forward to identify the true NPH patients and shunt responders.


This Article argues that the origins of judicial review lie in corporate law. Diverging from standard historical accounts that locate the origins in theories of fundamental law or in the American structure of government, the Article argues that judicial review was the continuation of a longstanding English practice of constraining corporate ordinances by requiring that they be not repugnant to the laws of the nation. This practice of limiting legislation under the standard of repugnancy to the laws of England became applicable to American colonial law. The history of this repugnancy practice explains why the Framers of the Constitution presumed that judges would void legislation repugnant to the Constitution - what is now referred to as judicial review. This history helps to resolve certain debates over the origins of judicial review and also explains why the answer to other controversies over judicial review may not be easily found in the history of the Founding era. The assumption that legislation could not be repugnant to the Constitution produced judicial review, but it did not resolve issues such as departmentalism or judicial supremacy that arose with the continuation of this repugnancy practice after the Constitution.


The NGFIB family of nuclear receptors consists of three members: Nurrl, nur77 and NOR-1. Genes from this family are classified as immediate early genes in that they are rapidly and transiently induced by a variety of stimuli, including neurotransmitters, growth factors, cAMP and fatty acids. Although identified as having no putative ligand binding domain, regulation of these nuclear receptors may be at the level of phosphorylation or RXR heterodimerisation. Nurrl and nur77 are expressed in adipose tissue at levels greater than in liver, spleen, lung and kidney, in both human and mouse tissue. During adipogenesis in both 3T3-L1 cells and primary sub-cutaneous murine preadipocytes, there is induction of Nurrl and nur77 expression between 60 and 120 minutes after which expression subsides. Using different protocols to induce differentiation it was demonstrated that isobutylmethylxanthine (IBMX), a phosphodiesterase inhibitor which elevates intracellular cAMP, was a critical requirement for inducing the transient Nurrl expression as well as adipogenesis. In order to investigate the effect of Nurrl expression in adipogenesis, an adenovirus mediated over-expression system was employed. Over-expression of Nurrl resulted in a decrease in adipogenesis, as well as decreases in the expression of PPARy and C/EBPa. Examination of adipocyte morphology illustrated that cells over-expressing Nurrl had less lipid accumulation, as assessed by Oil red O and by confocal microscopy. Furthermore mRNA analysis of adipocyte markers showed reduced levels of Hormone Sensitive Lipase (HSL), CD36 and Perilipin expression. In addition, the effect on adipocyte function, namely lipolysis and glucose uptake, was also investigated. Results suggest that Nurrl does not significantly alter glucose uptake but does elevate lipolysis. Subsequent to the findings above, microarray analysis has been performed on control and Nurrl over-expressing 3T3-L1 cells at two time points (72hrs and 192hrs), post differentiation. Analysis of the microarray data confirmed the earlier findings on adipogenesis and has identified a number of additional pathways, in which Nurrl would appear to play a role, namely - NO pathway, steroidogenesis and cytokine/prostaglandin regulation. Preliminary work has been performed with siRNA to knock-down the gene expression of Nurrl in order to investigate potential consequences on adipogenesis. In conclusion, a supposed role for Nurrl has been demonstrated in adipogenesis and lipid accumulation and also adipocyte secretory and metabolic function, with implications for insulin resistance at the adipocyte level.


This volume is the first to examine the commercial home from an international perspective, paying attention to the frequently occurring but often neglected forms of commercial accommodation including farmstays, historic houses, and self-catering accommodation. Conceptually, it helps to explain a range of behaviours and practices, for example the importance of setting and the nature of the hostâguest exchange. The idea of home provides a conceptual bridge to related themes, for example identity, gender, emotional management and cultural mobilities whose investigation in a commercial home context offers fascinating insights into hospitality, tourism and society.This book is structured around three themes. The first is dimensions of the commercial home and includes discussion of issues pertaining to forms and characteristics and female entrepreneurship. The second theme considers the commercial home as an investigative lens to examine wider issues of society, hospitality and tourism such as the commercial home as a tool for rural economic development. The third theme, extending the commercial home paradigm, looks at new areas of development, including the Malaysian Muslim home as a site for economic and political action and the use of the home in marketing regional localities.Commercial Homes in Tourism is the first book to give recognition to this distinct, economically important and expanding form of tourism business by bringing together recent, international research on this common form of commercial tourism accommodation. Given the global nature of the commercial home phenomenon, and owing to the originality of its theoretical contributions and practical insights, this book will be of interest across a broad range of subjects and disciplines interested in the examination of the home phenomenon, including students, academics and business practitioners.


The Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region encompasses the largest mountain system in the world extending from Myanmar in the East to Afghanistan in the West and covering the whole or part of Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. The region plays a vital role in providing ecosystem services and is the basis of the livelihoods of over 200 million people. The water and other ecosystem services provided by the HKH forms lifeline for one third of humanity. In the past few decades, human activities and global warming have contributed to environmental degradation in significant portion of the region. Decreasing glacier area, growth in glacial lake size, unprecedented rainfall, changes in land use and land cover, forest degradation, floods and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), landslides, and shortfalls in agricultural crop production are among the many problems brought on by such change. These issues need timely monitoring and supervision if they are to lead to a better understanding of the state of the environment, and the scale of the damages that has already been done. Effective monitoring of the environment, and an improved understanding of the same requires valuable information and data that can be extracted through the application of geospatial technologies such as remote sensing (RS) and geographic information system (GIS). This paper provides an overview of such research conducted in the HKH region. It shows how change assessment has been undertaken in thematic areas such as glacier, glacial lake, land use, land cover, and disaster events like floods, landslides and droughts and how sets of data collected over specific intervals of time are being used to identify and monitor the condition of the environment from the past to the present, and in the long run. Complete database sets and analyses pertaining to these areas are made available online to facilitate access to information. Data formulation and further research are necessary to reduce scientific uncertainty and understand the impacts induced by climate change in the HKH. Scientific analyse made during each individual study can be used by decision makers and planners in environmental protection planning and development.


The topic of this thesis is the study of several stochastic control problems motivated by sailing races. The goal is to minimize the travel time between two locations, by selecting the fastest route in face of randomly changing weather conditions, such as wind direction. When a sailboat is travelling upwind, the key is to decide when to tack. Since this maneuver slows down the yacht, it is natural to model this time lost by a "tacking penalty" which places the problem in the context of optimal stochastic control problems with switching costs. An objective of this work is to propose and to study mathematical models that capture some of the features of a sailing race, but which remain amenable to an explicit rigorous solution that can be proved to be optimal. We consider three different models in which the wind direction is described by a stochastic process. In the first model, we consider a wind that changes randomly only once. In the second model, the wind oscillates between two possible directions according to a continuous-time Markov chain. We exhibit a free boundary problem for the value function involving hyperbolic partial differential equations of Klein-Gordon type. The last model considers the wind direction as a Brownian motion. We prove the existence of a finite value function and exhibit a free boundary problem involving parabolic partial differential equations with non-constant coefficients. In these three models, the optimal solution consists of a partition of the state space into a region where it is optimal to tack immediately and a region where it is optimal to continue on the current tack. The boundaries between these regions are given by one or more "switching curves" and in the cases where we have been able to exhibit them, the optimality of the solution is established by a verification theorem based on the martingale method. We also solve two other control problems in which a player tries to minimize or maximize the exit time from an interval of a Brownian particle by controlling its drift and subject to a switching penalty. In each problem, the value function is written as the solution of a second order ordinary differential equations problem whose unknown boundaries are found by applying the principle of smooth fit. For both problems, we exhibit a candidate strategy as a function of the switching cost and we prove its optimality as well as its generic uniqueness.


The most desirable compound leads from high-throughput assays are those with novel biological activities resulting from their action on a single biological target. Valuable resources can be wasted on compound leads with significant 'side effects' on additional biological targets; therefore, technical refinements to identify compounds that primarily have effects resulting from a single target are needed. This study explores the use of multiple assays of a chemical library and a statistic based on entropy to identify lead compound classes that have patterns of assay activity resulting primarily from small molecule action on a single target. This statistic, called the coincidence score, discriminates with 88% accuracy compound classes known to act primarily on a single target from compound classes with significant side effects on nonhomologous targets. Furthermore, a significant number of the compound classes predicted to have primarily single-target effects contain known bioactive compounds. We also show that a compound's known biological target or mechanism of action can often be suggested by its pattern of activities in multiple assays.


Rewards typically express desirabilities or preferences over a set of alternatives. Here we propose that rewards can be defined for any probability distribution based on three desiderata, namely that rewards should be realvalued, additive and order-preserving, where the latter implies that more probable events should also be more desirable. Our main result states that rewards are then uniquely determined by the negative information content. To analyze stochastic processes, we define the utility of a realization as its reward rate. Under this interpretation, we show that the expected utility of a stochastic process is its negative entropy rate. Furthermore, we apply our results to analyze agent-environment interactions. We show that the expected utility that will actually be achieved by the agent is given by the negative cross-entropy from the input-output (I/O) distribution of the coupled interaction system and the agent's I/O distribution. Thus, our results allow for an information-theoretic interpretation of the notion of utility and the characterization of agent-environment interactions in terms of entropy dynamics.


Foreword The astonishing specter of September 11, 2001, jarred America and, indeed, all free nations, into accepting the previously unthinkable--the world's only remaining superpower is vulnerable to catastrophic attack and asymmetric warfare, even within its own borders. In a few short hours Americans came to realize that, for a fanatical, resourceful, and patient enemy, there are neither ethical bounds nor societal mores to delineate the nature of the target, the weapon of choice, or the scale of the violence. To put it another way, for these enemies there are no rules of engagement and there is no honor. Since September 11, our national sense of vulnerability has steadily risen. We have been in a near-constant state of high alert because of credible threats to our Nation's nuclear installations, power plants, transportation nodes, and other critical national infrastructures. We know that at least nine countries support offensive terrorism programs, and that Al Qaeda--Osama bin Laden's international terrorist organization--has been committed to developing and deploying weapons of mass destruction against U.S. targets. And the possibility that the recent anthrax attacks were perpetrated by a domestic terrorist with access to a Federal Government, academic, or private laboratory that possessed anthrax for legitimate scientific reasons has brought fear to the doorsteps of virtually every home, business, and public institution in the country. We are now also facing up to a less publicized, but potentially devastating threat--terrorism directed against the Nation's food and agricultural infrastructure. As this paper elucidates, American farms, food, and agriculture systems are exceedingly vulnerable to deliberate disruption by hostile interests intent on undermining confidence in food supplies or wreaking havoc on the agricultural sector of the American economy, which accounts for one-sixth of our gross domestic product. Because of its breadth, diversity, and unparalleled success, U.S. agriculture is an inviting target for terrorists. Not only are food supplies vital for feeding our own population and others around the world, and important for the Nation's economic health, but American agriculture is a vivid example of the capabilities of modern scientific farming. Intelligence reports indicate that a number of countries have active research programs that could produce biological agents to threaten crops and livestock. Naturally occurring outbreaks of diseases signal the devastation that could result from a carefully choreographed intentional release. Thus the recent Foot and mouth disease epidemics in Taiwan and Great Britain, or hog cholera in the Netherlands, or the infection of Florida citrus trees with citrus canker, aptly demonstrate the vulnerability of living targets to biological pathogens and the economic chaos that can result from an outbreak--intentional or otherwise. Floyd P. Horn Director for Food, Agriculture, and Water Security Office of Homeland Security Executive Office of the President Introduction The attacks of September 11, 2001, have made Americans acutely aware of their vulnerability to terrorism. Now the Nation is focused on improving defensive measures and rooting out and destroying the global infrastructure of terrorism. In response to the terrorist offensive, the Bush administration has engineered an international coalition against terrorism; dedicated substantial new resources to prevent or deter this blight; undertaken military action against blatant practitioners of terrorism; and established a new Office of Homeland Security, under the leadership of former Pennsylvania governor Tom Ridge, to coordinate the Federal response to terrorism. As America prepares defenses against catastrophes barely conceivable only a few months ago, the threat of bioterrorism in particular looms larger than ever. …


ABSTRACT This study characterizes the photoacclimation and photoregulation mechanisms that allow calcified macroalgae of the genus Corallina (Corallinales, Rhodophyta) to dominate rock pool habitats across the NE Atlantic despite the highly variable irradiance regimes experienced. Rapid light curves (RLCs) were performed with pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) fluorometry in situ across a full seasonal cycle in the UK intertidal with C. officinalis and C. caespitosa. Latitudinal comparisons were performed across the full extent of C. officinalis' range in the NE Atlantic (Iceland–northern Spain), and for C. caespitosa in northern Spain. Ex situ RLCs with dark recovery were further employed to assess the optimal, as compared with actual, photophysiology across seasons and latitudes. Corallina species were shown to photoacclimate at seasonal timescales to changing irradiance, increasing light-harvesting during low-light autumn/winter periods and protecting photosystems during high-light summer conditions. Seasonal photoacclimation was achieved through alteration in the number of photosystem (PS) units (PSII and light harvesting antennae) over time. Non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) served as an important photoregulation mechanism utilized by Corallina to prevent or minimize photoinhibition over shorter time scales (seconds–hours), though the efficiency of NPQ was dependent on the seasonal-acclimated state. With increasing latitude the efficiency of photoregulation decreased, representing potential differential photoadaptation of Corallina across species ranges in the NE Atlantic. In contrast, highly conserved inter-specific patterns in photophysiological responses to irradiance were apparent. This study demonstrates the photophysiological mechanisms allowing Corallina to optimize use of the variable irradiance conditions apparent in rock pool environments, when and how they are employed, and their limitations.


MGA proteins are a family of chromatin remodelers involved in many cellular processes including regulation of gene expression, apoptosis and cell proliferation. They have a crucial role in cell transformation and their overexpression is a constant feature of human malignant neoplasias, representing a poor prognostic index. Sequence analysis of HMGA proteins revealed the presence of a consensus site for ATM phosphorylation, which is highly conserved among different species and the different HMGA family members. Since ATM is the main cellular sensor to DNA damage, we decided to investigate the role of HMGA proteins in the ATM pathway and in the cellular response to DNA-damaging agents. In this study we demonstrate that both members of HMGA family, HMGA1 and HMGA2, interact and are phosphorylated by ATM in response to DNA damage. Interestingly, RT-PCR and Western Blot analysis on Mouse Emrbyonic Fibroblasts (MEFs) lacking Hmga1, Hmga2 or both genes, revealed that, in the absence of HMGA proteins, mRNA and protein levels of ATM are strongly reduced. Moreover, p53 phosphorylation and the consequent activation of p21 transcription, induced by ATM kinase activity, were significantly affected by the absence of HMGA proteins. Consistent with these data, ChIP and luciferase assays demonstrated that HMGA proteins bind and positively regulate the promoter of the ATM gene. Moreover, induction of ATM kinase activity increased HMGA-mediated activation of ATM promoter, suggesting that, following DNA damage, ATM is able to trigger an HMGA-dependent positive feedback loop on its own promoter. Accordingly with the reduced expression of ATM, MEFs lacking both Hmga genes showed a significant impairment of the DNAdamage response. In fact, Hmga1/Hmga2 double knock-out MEFs displayed a reduction in the DNA repair activity and in the stress-induced senescence following the induction of DNA double strand breaks (DSBs), compared to wild-type MEFs. It has been also demonstrated that inhibition of ATM determines cell sensitization to DNA damaging therapies. Thus, we investigated the role of HMGA proteins in cellular sensitivity to genotoxic drugs. On this purpose, we treated transformed thyroid cell lines with antisense oligonucleotides to abrogate the expression of HMGA proteins, and evaluated their response to DNA-damaging agents such as ionizing radiation and UV-light. As expected, down regulation of HMGA proteins reduced cellular levels of ATM. Moreover, following the exposure to DNA-damaging agents, absence of HMGA proteins determined alteration of cell-cycle checkpoints, reduced cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis. Taken together our data indicate that HMGA proteins play a crucial role in the cellular response to DNA damage, and may represent a new target to improve tumour sensitivity to conventional anti-cancer therapies.


Postharvest leaf blackening is a significant limitation to the commercial viability of several Protea cut flower products particularly those undergoing prolonged low temperature storage. Although postharvest carbohydrate supplementation is successfully used to reduce leaf blackening in susceptible Protea cut flowers the problem persists for prolonged storage. The finding that ethanol vapour exerted some control of leaf blackening in Protea 'Pink Ice' stored at 20°C led to the current study to determine whether ethanol vapour could further reduce leaf blackening in 'Pink Ice' (P. susannae × P. compacta), 'Syliva' (P. eximia × P. susannae) and P. magnifica cut flowers under prolonged cold storage (4±1°C). Stems of 'Pink Ice' and 'Sylvia' (pre-pulsed with 10% glucose solution) were exposed to concentrations of 0, 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, 4.5 and 5.5 g ethanol kg fresh weight -1 . Except for the 5.5 g ethanol·kg fresh weight -1 treatment Protea magnifica stems received the same ethanol treatments. 'Pink Ice' was stored for two, three and four weeks, whereas 'Sylvia' and P. magnifica were stored for only three weeks. Upon termination of 15 day vase life assessment, leaf blackening of 'Pink Ice' was lowest (40%) on stems stored for two weeks subjected to 2.5 g ethanol·kg fresh weight - compared to 90% leaf blackening in untreated controls. However, at longer storage periods this beneficial effect on suppressing leaf blackening was not retained. Leaf blackening of 'Sylvia' and P. magnifica was not significantly suppressed by any ethanol treatment.


Abstract Genetic variation within the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) contributes substantial risk for systemic lupus erythematosus, but high gene density, extreme polymorphism and extensive linkage disequilibrium (LD) have made fine mapping challenging. To address the problem, we compared two association techniques in two ancestrally diverse populations, African Americans (AAs) and Europeans (EURs). We observed a greater number of Human Leucocyte Antigen (HLA) alleles in AA consistent with the elevated level of recombination in this population. In EUR we observed 50 different A—C—B—DRB1—DQA—DQB multilocus haplotype sequences per hundred individuals; in the AA sample, these multilocus haplotypes were twice as common compared to Europeans. We also observed a strong narrow class II signal in AA as opposed to the long‐range LD observed in EUR that includes class I alleles. We performed a Bayesian model choice of the classical HLA alleles and a frequentist analysis that combined both single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and classical HLA alleles. Both analyses converged on a similar subset of risk HLA alleles: in EUR HLA‐ B*08:01 + B*18:01 + (DRB1*15:01 frequentist only) + DQA*01:02 + DQB*02:01 + DRB3*02 and in AA HLA‐C*17:01 + B*08:01 + DRB1*15:03 + (DQA*01:02 frequentist only) + DQA*02:01 + DQA*05:01+ DQA*05:05 + DQB*03:19 + DQB*02:02. We observed two additional independent SNP associations in both populations: EUR rs146903072 and rs501480; AA rs389883 and rs114118665. The DR2 serotype was best explained by DRB1*15:03 + DQA*01:02 in AA and by DRB1*15:01 + DQA*01:02 in EUR. The DR3 serotype was best explained by DQA*05:01 in AA and by DQB*02:01 in EUR. Despite some differences in underlying HLA allele risk models in EUR and AA, SNP signals across the extended MHC showed remarkable similarity and significant concordance in direction of effect for risk‐associated variants.


Western Sahara is occupied by Morocco. The referendum on the territory's final status set forth by the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) has repeatedly been postponed and the so far brokered proposals have been rejected by both parties. Since the Moroccan occupation the Saharawis have been continuously repressed through arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and attacks of the civilian population, persecution and oppression of peaceful demonstrations. The violation of fundamental human rights is an ongoing issue. It is argued that these violations may constitute crimes against humanity, further on this article suggests that the international community should act as soon as possible to end Moroccan impunity and to make greater efforts for a just and lasting solution of the question of Western Sahara.


In this paper I want to explore the implications of the rise and fall of Jharkhandi ethnoregionalism from the point of view of tribal policy and tribal politics in Independent India. More especially I want to examine an ideology of tribal economy and society which informs most existing accounts of Jharkhandi politics and which makes the case for a specifically 'tribal' policy. The main propositions of this ideology are recounted in Section One of this paper. They are (1) that the concept of a tribe is given and uproblematical; (2) that the tribals of South Bihar are the original inhaitants of the Jharkhand, where they still predominate (see Figure I); and (3) that tribal politics and tribal policies are effective because individual tribes are themselves undifferentiated, united and geographically concentrated. (A corollary of this third proposition is that any decline in Jharkhandi ethnoregionalism since the mid-1960s must be due to factional disputes within the tribal leadership and/or to inter-tribal clashes, perhaps along denominational lines). These three propositions are examined in Sections Two, Three and Four of the paper, where they are measured against the recent historical experience of India's Jharkhand. The implications of any shortcomings in the ideology of tribal economy and society are taken up in the concluding section of the paper where comments are offered, too, on an alternative 'model' of tribal policy and politics in the Jharkhand.


Background: Intra-arterial therapy (IAT) is increasingly used to treat acute ischemic stroke patients with large vessel occlusions. However, there are minimal consensus guidelines for treatment indications and performance standards. Thus we aimed to gain a better understanding of IAT practice patterns among neurointerventionalists. Methods: An internet-based survey platform (www.iasurvey.net) was launched to address five specific areas of IAT in acute strokes: practice setting, operator background, quality and safety, decision-making and treatment strategies. The survey was distributed electronically to members of the major worldwide neurointerventional societies. Results: Of respondents to date, 67 neurointerventionalists based in North America are included in this analysis: 58% neurologists, 27% radiologists, 15% neurosurgeons. Approximately 81% work in academic setting. Across all institutions, the average yearly volume of IA stroke cases is 52 (median 50). Each neurointerventional radiology (NIR) group consists of an average of 3 attendings, with 94% performing IAT. For 43%, activation of the NIR team is on arrival of the patient to the ED, whereas 18 of the 37 with TeleStroke capabilities are alerted after remote evaluation. IAT decisions are made jointly according to 78%, by the NIR team alone for 13% and by the acute stroke service alone for 9%. The minimum NIHSS score for consideration of IAT ranges from 4-13 (median score 8). Imaging evaluation is with CT/CTA in 85%, and with MRI in 45%. Clinical and imaging selection criteria are used in lieu of time in 40% of anterior circulation strokes and 57% of posterior circulation strokes. Despite the emphasis on imaging selection, there is pronounced variability in the specific criteria always used: noncontrast CT (NCCT) hypodensity Conclusions: We present a comprehensive study examining real-world practice patterns for IAT in acute ischemic stroke patients. While data collection continues, these early results illustrate the significant variation among neurointerventionalists in the use of this treatment modality. Our findings highlight the need for evidence based practice guidelines.


In this thesis, we propose a panoply of tools and techniques to manage inter-agent dependencies in open, distributed multi-agent systems that have significant degrees of uncertainty. In particular, we focus on situations in which agents are involved in repeated interactions where they need to negotiate to resolve conflicts that may arise between them. To this end, we endow agents with decision making models that exploit the notion of trust and use persuasive techniques during the negotiation process to reduce the level of uncertainty and achieve better deals in the long run. Firstly, we develop and evaluate a new trust model (called CREDIT) that allows agents to measure the degree of trust they should place in their opponents. This model reduces the uncertainty that agents have about their opponents' reliability. Thus, over repeated interactions, CREDIT enables agents to model their opponents' reliability using probabilistic techniques and a fuzzy reasoning mechanism that allows the combination of measures based on reputation (indirect interactions) and confidence (direct interactions). In so doing, CREDIT takes a wider range of behaviour-influencing factors into account than existing models, including the norms of the agents and the institution within which transactions occur. We then explore a novel application of trust models by showing how the measures developed in CREDIT ca be applied negotiations in multiple encounters. Specifically we show that agents that use CREDIT are able to avoid unreliable agents, both during the selection of interaction partners and during the negotiation process itself by using trust to adjust their negotiation stance. Also, we empirically show that agents are able to reach good deals with agents that are unreliable to some degree (rather than completely unreliable) and with those that try to strategically exploit their opponent. Secondly, having applied CREDIT to negotiations, we further extend the application of trust to reduce uncertainty about the reliability of agents in mechanism design (where the honesty of agents is elicited by the protocol). Thus, we develop \acf{tbmd} that allows agents using a trust model (such as CREDIT) to reach efficient agreements that choose the most reliable agents in the long run. In particular, we show that our mechanism enforces truth-telling from the agents (i.e. it is incentive compatible), both about their perceived reliability of their opponent and their valuations for the goods to be traded. In proving the latter properties, our trust-based mechanism is shown to be the first reputation mechanism that implements individual rationality, incentive compatibility, and efficiency. Our trust-based mechanism is also empirically evaluated and shown to be better than other comparable models in reaching the outcome that maximises all the negotiating agents' utilities and in choosing the most reliable agents in the long run. Thirdly, having explored ways to reduce uncertainties about reliability and honesty, we use persuasive negotiation techniques to tackle issues associated with uncertainties that agents have about the preferences and the space of possible agreements. To this end, we propose a novel protocol and reasoning mechanism that agents can use to generate and evaluate persuasive elements, such as promises of future rewards, to support the offers they make during negotiation. These persuasive elements aim to make offers more attractive over multiple encounters given the absence of information about an opponent's discount factors or exact payoffs. Specifically, we empirically demonstrate that agents are able to achieve a larger number of agreements and a higher expected utility over repeated encounters when they are given the capability to give or ask for rewards. Moreover, we develop a novel strategy using this protocol and show that it outperforms existing state of the art heuristic negotiation models. Finally, the applicability of persuasive negotiation and CREDIT is exemplified through a practical implementation in a pervasive computing environment. In this context, the negotiation mechanism is implemented in an instant messaging platform (JABBER) and used to resolve conflicts between group and individual preferences that arise in a meeting room scenario. In particular, we show how persuasive negotiation and trust permit a flexible management of interruptions by allowing intrusions to happen at appropriate times during the meeting while still managing to satisfy the preferences of all parties present.


Abstract. Apple trees often produce high amount of fruits, which results in small, low quality fruits. Thinning in apple orchards is used to improve the quality of the apples by reducing the number of flowers or fruits the tree is producing. The current method used to estimate how much thinning is necessary is to measure flowering intensity, currently done by human visual inspection of trees in the orchard. The use of images of apple trees from ground-level to measure flowering intensity and its spatial variation through orchards has been researched with promising results. This research explores the potential of UAV RGB high-resolution imagery to measure flowering intensity. Image segmentation techniques have been used to segment the white pixels, which correspond to the apple flowers, of the orthophoto and the single photos. Single trees have been cropped from the single photos and from the orthophoto, and correlation has been measured between percentage of white pixels per tree and flowering intensity and between percentage of white pixels per tree and flower clusters. The resulting correlation is low, with a maximum of 0.54 for the correlation between white pixels per tree and flower clusters when using the ortophoto. Those results show the complexity of working with drone images, but there are still alternative approaches that have to investigated before discarding the use of UAV RGB imagery for estimation of flowering intensity.


Abstract Under physiological conditions B-form DNA is an exceedingly stable structure. However, experimental evidences obtained through nuclear magnetic resonance and fluorescence anisotropy suggest that the structure of the double helix fluctuates substantially. We describe photoacoustic phase modulation frequency measurements of ethidium bromide (Eb) with calf thymus DNA. As in fluorescence phase modulation measurements, we used an intercalating dye as a probe; however, we monitored the triplet excited state lifetime at different ionic strengths. The triplet lifetime of Eb varied from about 0.30 ms, with no DNA present, to 20 ms (at a DNA:Eb molar ratio of 5). With salt titration, this value falls to about 2.0 ms. This result suggests a strong coupling between the phenantridinium ring of the ethidium and the base pairs because of the stacking movement of the DNA molecule under salt effect. This effect may be understood considering DNA as a polyelectrolyte. The counterions in the solution shield the phosphate groups, reducing the electrostatic repulsion force between them, hence compacting the DNA molecule. The results from Fourier transform infrared demonstrated two important bands: 3187 cm−1 corresponding to the symmetric stretching of the NH group of the bases and 1225 cm−1 corresponding to the asymmetric stretching of phosphate groups shifted toward higher wavenumbers, suggesting a proximity between the intercalant and base pairs and a modification of the DNA backbone state, both induced by salt accretion.


This paper provides evidence on the sources of differences in inequalities in educational scores in European Union member states, by decomposing them into their determining factors. Using PISA data from the 2000 and 2006 waves, the paper shows that inequalities emerge in all countries and in both period, but decreased in Germany, whilst they increased in France and Italy. Decomposition shows that educational inequalities do not only reflect background related inequality, but especially schools� characteristics. The findings allow policy makers to target areas that may make a contribution in reducing educational inequalities.


Studies of biogeographic variation in species abundances are fundamental to understanding and predicting the impacts of invasive exotic species. We quantified the abundance of the introduced and now invasive biocontrol weevil, Rhinocyllus conicus, on a newly adopted native host plant, Cirsium canescens (Platte thistle), across the plant's distributional range. We used regression and structural equation analyses to examine variation in weevil abundance at 92-108 sites over three years in relation to variation in abiotic and biotic parameters hypothesized to be important in insect or plant dynamics and distribution. We found that R. conicus now occurs throughout the majority of the range of C. canescens, even in the center of the native plant's distribution where its coevolved, targeted weed host (Carduus nutans, musk thistle) is absent. In fact, weevil densities were greater in the center of the native plant's distribution in the Sand Hills formation than in peripheral sand patches closer to areas where the targeted 'exotic thistle is common. None of the macroclimatic variables examined were consistent predictors of the large-scale variation in weevil abundance on C. canescens. In addition to biogeographic position, the only other consistent predictor of weevil densities across sites was the number of flower heads per C. canescens plant. These results exclude the "spillover" hypothesis to explain nontarget feeding on this newly adopted native host species. Instead, the results are consistent with the alternative hypothesis that exotic weevil abundance on C. canescens is related to the local availability of native floral resources. Because C. canescens densities have declined with increases in R. conicus at sites central in the plant's distribution, these results suggest that isolated, peripheral populations of C. canescens are likely to be critical for persistence of Platte thistle. More generally, this study suggests that the persistence of a native species that is impacted by an exotic natural enemy may require preservation of populations in habitats outside the optimal portion of the native species' distribution.


The Palaeoproterozoic Hartley Formation in the Olifantshoek Group was deposited in one of the rift-related Waterberg (sensu lato) red bed basins which formed on the Kaapvaal Craton after the 2.05 Ga Bushveld intrusions and coeval thermal event. The age of these basins is not well constrained due to the shortage of directly dateable rock types. The Hartley Formation contains rare quartz-porphyry lavas interbedded with the dominant basalts and these provide the means to date the formation by analyses of zircon. In this work zircon from one sample has been dated by six Th-U-Pb methods, namely Laser Ablation ICP Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry, Laser Ablation ICP High-resolution Mass Spectrometry, Laser Ablation ICP Multicollector Mass Spectrometry U-Pb (also Lu-Hf), Nordsim Ion probe U-Pb and Th-Pb; and Krogh method ID-TIMS. Our precise ages give a combined age of 1915.2 ± 1.1 Ma. Including one published ion probe date from the only other known occurrence of quartz porphyry, the results only agree if the quoted analytical errors are increased by 20%, which gives a combined result of 1915.6 ± 1.4 Ma. This is considered a reliable, precise and accurate age for the Hartley Formation and supersedes the published Kober method 207Pb/206Pb age of 1928 ± 4 Ma.

The new Lu-Hf zircon data, supported by published whole rock Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr data, suggests that both the dominant basalts and the rare quartz porphyries of the Hartley Formation were derived from mafic source rocks which had been in the crustal domain from Archaean times.

By contrast with the intracratonic rifts of the other Waterberg Basins, the Olifantshoek Supergroup reflects the development of a western passive margin as the Archaean Kaapvaal Craton rifted and drifted. This was followed by accretion of the Rehoboth Province along the Kalahari Line, accompanied by the development of the east-vergent Kheis Province thrust complex. This created a larger cratonic block against which the 1.2 Ga collisions of Namaqua-Natal terranes impacted. The Kheis Province now yields ~1.17 Ma cooling ages, reflecting the Namaqua collisions, but the true age of the Kheis event is still enigmatic.


Over the last two decades, the relativist approach has significantly shaped debates about the quality and rigour of qualitative research in sport and exercise psychology (SEP). In the absence of any published critiques of relativism in SEP, this paper problematises its central claims with a focus on the most recent contribution offered by Smith and McGannon (2018. Developing rigor in qualitative research: problems and opportunities within sport and exercise psychology. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 11, 101–121). Despite making valuable contributions to the advancement and acceptance of qualitative research, we argue that the relativist approach encounters numerous problems when attempting to reject the "anything goes" problem due to its fundamental ontological commitment to internal, multiple, mind-dependent realities. This paper then makes a constructive contribution to the field by offering an alternative position grounded in a realist understanding of validity. We first suggest that principles such as ontological plausibility, empirical adequacy and practical utility can re-orient both critical thinking and the use of practical techniques which can reduce threats to validity. Second, we suggest that Maxwell's (1992. Understanding and validity in qualitative research. Harvard Educational Review, 62, 279–301) descriptive, interpretive and theoretical validity could be welcome concepts for qualitative researchers in SEP. The significance of this realist approach for researchers, reviewers and editors is discussed.


The purpose of this thesis is to address some of the uncertainties associated with the key gas phase reactions implicated in atmospheric ozone depletion. Laboratory studies, employing flash photolysis coupled with time resolved UV/visible absorption spectroscopy have been used to investigate the kinetics of several free radical reactions. The spectroscopy incorporated charge coupled device (CCD) technology which facilitated rapid time scale broad band data acquisition giving rise to unequivocal monitoring of multiple absorbing species. Classical or numerical models were used to simulate the experimental data by optimising kinetic parameters. The improvements in both the accuracy and the precision associated with the CCD studies have led to a profound improvement in our understanding of the roles of the free radical reactions studied in the Earth's atmosphere. The focus of the studies in this thesis was the reactions of halogenated species. These species are known to destroy atmospheric ozone through the reaction schemes such as: (1) XO + XO → 2X + O2 (2) X + O3 → XO + O2 Here, species X represents a halogen atom: Cl, Br or I, and this halogen atom is continously regenerated following flux through reactions (1) and (2) promoting further ozone destruction. The relatively high atmospheric abundance of ozone (typically parts per million in the lower stratosphere) compared to halogen atoms and free radicals (parts per trillion) ensures that reaction (1) is the rate determining step in the ozone depletion cycle. Consequently, a knowledge of the rate of reactions of type (1) under appropriate atmospheric conditions is fundamental in assessing the extent of halogen induced atmospheric ozone depletion. This thesis reports results from extensive investigations into three reactions of type (1) (i) BrO + BrO A study at 298 K and 760 Torr (ii) CIO + CIO A study over the ranges 206-320 K and 25-760 Torr, incorporating measurement of the differential CIO absorption cross section over this temperature range. (iii) BrO + CIO A study over the ranges 210-320 K and 100-760 Torr.


An axle-load survey was carried out on the Ankara--Istanbul Expressway in Turkey in April 1975. The objects of this survey were to train a Turkish team to carry out axle-load surveys, to determine the traffic and axle loading on this route which contains a bituminous surfacing experiment undertaken by the Turkish Highway Authority in cooperation with the Transport and Road Research Laboratory and to improve knowledge of the axle-load distribution of vehicle populations in different countries. Initially a five-day 24-hour continuous manual traffic count was carried out to determine the numbers and classification of vehicles using the road. Traffic in each direction was then sampled and weighed, using the TRRL portable weighbridge, for 24 hours a day for five days. The results of the survey showed that the average daily traffic on this road was 14,500, one-third of which consisted of trucks. The mean equivalence factor was 1.4 standard axles per vehicle in the Ankara direction and 1.2 in the Istanbul direction, but there was some evidence to suggest that the true figure for the Ankara direction could be as high as 2.0. Approximately one-third of the vehicle s weighed had axle loads in excess of the legal limit of 8.2 tonnes and it is estimated that these do about 85 percent of the damage to the road pavement. The mean damage per tonne of payload carried compares favourably with that found in other countries in which the Laboratory has carried out surveys.


The current article looks on the hospital admission rates variance for asthma in the years following Romanian admission to EU. For this aim a cross-sectional study for period 2008-2018 was carried out, focused on the activity of Romanian hospitals reporting primary data at the patient level in the DRG National Database. Descriptive and comparative analyses were used in order to identify the profile and trend in number of cases and rate of asthma inpatient stays. For comparison (with a probability of 95%) on Asthma Inpatient Stays Rates, a step of standardization of the crude rate and standardized ratio computation was planned. The results show that in the last ten years there is a clear tendency of decreasing hospital morbidity by asthma in number, crude rate or standardized rate and this descendent trend is statistical significant for all categories of patients related to different patient characteristics such as: age groups, sex, residence, territorial administrative units, etc. In conclusion, asthma represents an important condition for the hospitalized pathology in Romania. Hospital admissions for asthma are an indirect indicator not only for the severe asthma burden, but also for the efficacy of health care system, as good outpatient care can potentially prevent the need for hospitalization; in this respect the significant decrease of asthma hospital episodes in the last 10 years proves the importance of the introduction of the new valid diagnostic and treatment methods, even if they are more expensive initially.


This paper presents an innovative and compact SF6 free switch with shunt vacuum interruption (SVI) technology. To replace SF6 as arc-quenching gas, some alternative fluorinated candidates were identified for medium voltage electrical equipment.
 While their GWP (Global Warming Potential) is low, these gases require specific precautions for handling and end of life management. Indeed, the acute
 toxicity of these gases is high, their carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic characteristics are not known and, when exposed to electrical arcs, they produce numerous toxic by-products.

A smart solution has been designed without breaking in gas. The gas inside the switchgear has only a dielectric function and then any by-products after current breaking is avoided. The dielectric performance is insured by air or HFO 1234zeE at different pressures according to voltage rating. The breaking is ensured by vacuum interrupters whose role consists in shunting the current from the main circuit then breaking during the phase of opening.
 Disconnection is ensured by a gas gap and earthing is done inside the tank.

The operating mode is the same as current SF6 3-positions switch: breaking/disconnecting in one operation and earthing in a second operation. The combination of different devices and their interactions enable to design a compact solution with similar dimensions than SF6 ones.

This solution presents the following advantages: fully environmentally friendly, safe for people, easy to operate, high expecting life and same footprint as current SF6 switchgear.


Ensuring police use their authority justly is a persistent concern. Yet, there is little agreement on the most effective mechanisms for promoting accountability. The present study seeks to contribute to a growing body of research on mediation of police disputes by assessing variation in levels of satisfaction among officers and citizens. Using data collected by the Denver Office of the Independent Monitor, the study assesses the degree to which mediation produced differential levels of satisfaction. The study finds that both police and civilian participants in the mediation program were significantly more satisfied than individuals who participated in traditional complaint processing. In addition, the study finds that mediation is likely to have even stronger effects on satisfaction for Latino complainants, and female police officers. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.


In this protocol, social motivation is measured in mice through a pair of operant conditioning paradigms. To conduct the experiments, two-chambered shuttle boxes were equipped with two operant levers (left and right) and a food receptacle in one chamber, which was then divided from the second chamber by an automated guillotine door covered by a wire grid. Different stimulus mice, rotated across testing days, served as a social stimulus behind the wire grid, and were only visible following the opening of the guillotine door. Test mice were trained to lever press in order to open the door and gain access to the stimulus partner for 15 sec. The number of lever presses required to obtain the social reward progressively increased on a fixed schedule of 3. Testing sessions ended after test mice stopped lever pressing for 5 consecutive minutes. The last reinforced ratio or breakpoint can be used as a quantitative measure of social motivation. For the second paradigm, test mice were trained to discriminate between left and right lever presses in order to obtain either a food reward or the social reward. Mice were rewarded for every 3 presses of each respective lever. The number of food and social rewards can be compared as a measurement of the value placed upon each reward. The ratio of each reward type can also be compared between mouse strains and the change in this ratio can be monitored within testing sessions to measure satiation with a given reward type. Both of these operant conditioning paradigms are highly useful for the quantification of social motivation in mouse models of autism and other disorders of social behavior.


This paper looks at the status and prospects of renewables—with particular emphasis on windpower—in the electric power sector. Although renewables account for a steadily rising share of electricity generation in various countries, their role remains small in absolute terms. In part, this is because of technological progress of and successful competition from fossil-fueled generation—notably, combined cycle gas turbines. While diminishing, subsidies continue to be indispensable to the use of renewables in most places. Viability of renewables-based electricity is undermined by the cost of externalities for which fossil energy combustion is only partially charged. A number of countries (and states in the U.S.) have launched obligatory requirements for renewables-based electricity in the years ahead. This so-called "renewable portfolio standard," while technology-forcing, offers an opportunity for an economically efficient way of promoting greater market penetration of renewables.


When patients are hospitalized, they are usually unhappy. Furthermore, patients in the thoracic surgery ward usually have malignant tumors. Therefore, in addition to dealing with a monotonous and unfamiliar environment, patients often feel depressed. Before the operation, most patients have some degree of anxiety, because they lack comprehensive knowledge about the operation, such as tissue trauma and postoperative conditions. If patients have any questions or worries, they can ask the physician or nurses. The doctors should answer these questions patiently and help patients feel positive about the operation.


The results of a numerical study of both the passive and the active mode-structure properties and far-field behavior of a linear, positive-branch, confocal unstable resonator with a large equivalent Fresnel number in the ideal unaberrated, intracavity phase-aberrated, and intracavity phase-corrected states are presented. A simple, saturable, gain-medium model of a homogeneously broadened CO2–electron-beam discharge laser system is employed in the active cavity study. The active cavity results presented here show that, at least for the level of gain saturation considered, the passive cavity theory of phase-aberration sensitivity remains applicable in this more-physical situation. Furthermore, the ideal correction to phase-tilt and curvature aberrations, derived from passive cavity considerations, remains exact in the presence of saturable gain. Finally, the influence of a multidithered, zonal deformable mirror on the cavity-mode structure and far-field behavior is analyzed in order to account for recent experimental tests of the intracavity adaptive optics concept.


The state of Maryland has made a strong commitment to combating climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This research investigated the state of practice of innovative contracting solutions to reduce emissions from highway construction activities. Implementation methods and challenges were identified and reported. Specifically, the report presents a framework of green performance contracting (GPC) that includes four levels of strategies, namely material related strategies, equipment and energy efficiency related strategies, green life-cycle strategies, and clean energy development strategies. A total of 19 GPC strategies and their application procedures and cases were identified and documented. An optimization model based on the Data Envelopment Analysis was developed to assist state highway agencies in selecting appropriate green performance contracting strategies in accordance with environmental performance, organizational readiness, cost effectiveness, and other criteria. Implementation recommendations were provided to tackle climate change at the project level.