The exhaustion of natural reserves will lead to new hazards and unanticipated consequences. In The Race fir What's Left: The Global Scramble fir the World's Last Resources, Michael T. Klare envisages a world in which the term "peak soil" becomes as common as "peak oil." Casting contemporary foreign purchases of African farmland as "land grabs," Klare predicts the "New Scramble for Africa," an era of intense global competition for agricultural territory that evokes the conflicts of colonial expansion. Klare questions the sustainability of a system in which food produced in developing nations is flown to the developed world, completely bypassing some of the "hungriest places on the planet." Writing with force and clarity, Klare journeys from the depths of the Arctic Sea to the barren Sahara. He utilizes a case study methodology to provide concrete illustrations of the broader issues at stake. Through the image of a "mini-submarine plant[ing] a titanium replica of the Russian flag on the seabed," Klare conveys the extreme measures that arise from intense international competition and elucidates otherwise theoretical claims of territorial sovereignty. This book is accessible to both academia and the reading public; it provides a wealth of information but still manages to retain a cogent focus on the bigger picture. In his book, mare warns that the world must confront a new global paradigm of rapidly diminishing and ultimately exhaustible resources. Imagining a world depleted of the basic resources--oil, gas, and minerals--that drive so much of global industry, Klare conveys the devastating environmental, economic, and political effects caused by the drive to "gain control over whatever remains of the world's raw materials base." If Klare is correct, the world is already in the throes of a covert race, a race that fosters global rivalry and precipitates a new and dangerous form of international competition. Though the signs may not be apparent at first, "the race for what's left" has already commenced in earnest. For example, Canada, Russia, and the United States are conducting geological research to prove the extent of their continental shelves in an attempt to secure territorial control of "some of the world's largest untapped reserves of oil and natural gas" in the Arctic. Klare makes very clear that the consequences of this competition are significant; he argues that "at stake in this contest is the continuation of the Industrial Age." For Klare, this is not merely a question of gas prices or sovereign wealth, but rather a phenomenon that will shape the course of history. …


Aiming to speak to broader debates about the nature of state power in relation to the economy this thesis concentrates on central bank agency and monetary governability. More specifically, it focuses on a single case: The agency of the European Central Bank (ECB) and the making, unmaking, and re-making of monetary governability in the euro area from 1999 through 2014. This choice is motivated by the euro area representing a unique 'natural experiment' in establishing monetary governability from scratch under conditions of 21st century financialised capitalism. The thesis is divided into two parts. Chapters one and two develop an original analytical and conceptual framework for the study of central bank agency. Starting out from the premise that governability is not a natural feature of the economy but needs to be actively established, I argue that any attempt to answer the question of the ECB's role in that process has to account for the fundamental hybridity of central bank agency both as a central bureaucratic authority and as a bank, as well as for its multidimensionality as it addresses different governability challenges posed by different audiences. It is on the basis of these inductively won observations that I embrace the theoretical vocabulary of performativity, conceptualising governability as a performative effect of the interactions between the ECB and its audiences. The arrangements that govern these interactions are described, using a Foucauldian concept, as 'apparatuses'. On that basis, the second part of the thesis comprises three empirical chapters on the financial apparatus of monetary policy implementation, the communicative apparatus of expectation management, and the ideological apparatus of monetary trust. The sixth chapter brings the analysis of the three apparatuses up to date by focusing on three key episodes from the recent financial and economic crisis.


The TRIPs Agreement was established at the ministerial meeting in Marrakesh in April 1994. Since its establishment, many less developed countries have become dissatisfied with the international intellectual property system. From their perspective, the system fails to take into consideration their needs, interests, and local conditions. The strong protection mandated by the Agreement also threatens their much-needed access to information, knowledge, and essential medicines. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the TRIPs Agreement. It provides an excellent opportunity to assess the Agreement's achievements and shortfalls, in particular its impact on the international community as well as on other areas not related to intellectual property, such as agriculture, health, the environment, education, and culture. As we move into the second decade of this Agreement, it is also appropriate to explore how we can preserve the goals and intentions behind the TRIPs negotiations and to look ahead at the future challenges confronting the international intellectual property system. Published as part of the Symposium on The First Ten Years of the TRIPs Agreement, this article begins by describing the four different narratives used to explain the origins of the Agreement. It contends that while none of these narratives is complete, each provides valuable insight into understanding the context in which the Agreement was created. The article then explores why less developed countries have been dissatisfied with the international intellectual property system and discusses the latest developments in the area, such as the recent WTO debacle in Cancun, the proliferation of bilateral and plurilateral free trade agreements, and the increasing use of technological protection measures. The article concludes by offering suggestions on how less developed countries can reform the international intellectual property system. Instead of calling for a complete overhaul or the abandonment of the TRIPs Agreement, the article takes the position that the Agreement is here to stay and explores, from that standpoint, how less developed countries can take advantage of the Agreement and reform the international intellectual property system.


Trypanosoma brucei, a protist parasite that causes African trypanosomiasis or sleeping sickness, relies mainly on glycolysis for ATP production when in its mammalian host. Glycolysis occurs within a peroxisome-like organelle named the glycosome. Previous work from our laboratory reported the presence of significant amounts of inorganic polyphosphate (polyP), a polymer of three to hundreds of orthophosphate units, in the glycosomes and nucleoli of T. brucei. In this work, we identified and characterized the activity of two Nudix hydrolases (NHs), T. brucei Nudix hydrolase (TbNH) 2 and TbNH4, one located in the glycosomes and the other in the cytosol and nucleus, respectively, which can degrade polyP. We found that TbNH2 is an exopolyphosphatase with higher activity on short chain polyP, while TbNH4 is an endo- and exopolyphosphatase that has similar activity on polyP of various chain sizes. Both enzymes have higher activity at around pH 8.0. We also found that only TbNH2 can dephosphorylate ATP and ADP but with lower affinity than for polyP. Our results suggest that NHs can participate in polyP homeostasis and therefore may help control polyP levels in glycosomes, cytosol and nuclei of T. brucei.


OBJECTIVE Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is one of the most common complications of pregnancy and is associated with a substantially elevated risk of adverse health outcomes for both mothers and offspring. Physical activity may contribute to the prevention of GDM and thus is crucial for dissecting the vicious circle involving GDM, childhood obesity, and adulthood obesity, and diabetes. Therefore, we aimed to systematically review and synthesize the current evidence on the relation between physical activity and the development of GDM. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Medline, EMBASE, and Cochrane Reviews were searched from inception to 31 March 2010. Studies assessing the relationship between physical activity and subsequent development of GDM were included. Characteristics including study design, country, GDM diagnostic criteria, ascertainment of physical activity, timing of exposure (prepregnancy or early pregnancy), adjusted relative risks, CIs, and statistical methods were extracted independently by two reviewers. RESULTS Our search identified seven prepregnancy and five early pregnancy studies, including five prospective cohorts, two retrospective case-control studies, and two cross-sectional study designs. Prepregnancy physical activity was assessed in 34,929 total participants, which included 2,813 cases of GDM, giving a pooled odds ratio (OR) of 0.45 (95% CI 0.28–0.75) when the highest versus lowest categories were compared. Exercise in early pregnancy was assessed in 4,401 total participants, which included 361 cases of GDM, and was also significantly protective (0.76 [95% CI 0.70–0.83]). CONCLUSIONS Higher levels of physical activity before pregnancy or in early pregnancy are associated with a significantly lower risk of developing GDM.


In October 2010, Australia's first saint—Mary MacKillop—was canonized in Rome. The life of this saint has become an important symbol of women's religious agency in colonial Australia, of which there are too few accounts. It is often assumed that religion played only a small, mostly insignificant part in the development of the Australian nation-state. This essay sets out to challenge this view by suggesting that alternative readings of the life of Mary MacKillop expose not only the contribution of religious individuals, groups, and ideas to nation-building but also the ways in which the state appropriated religious discourse for its own secular ends. Exploring saint-making processes allows us to see that women were actively engaged in building nation and church, expressed their own sense of religious authority, and were committed to a faith based on social justice and inclusivity.


In Middle English romances, public and semi-public displays of emotion are used by elite men to strengthen and promote hegemonic masculinity. This article examines how male fainting, as an act witnessed and sometimes replicated by an audience of men, serves to reinforce homosocial bonds, and to highlight the heroic qualities that make these characters capable of such deep, public sorrow. Late medieval patriarchy is dependent upon the homosocial bonding of elite men, and as such lionizes not only friendship between individual men, but also their collective unity as a body bound by social, political, and emotional ties. Fainting, as a performative act, provides a physical representation of both this collective identity and of specific virtues associated with male nobility.


Due to their major role in atmospheric chemistry and secondary pollutant formation such as ozone or secondary organic aerosols, an accurate representation of OH and HO2 (HOX) radicals in air quality models is essential. Air quality models use simplified mechanisms to represent atmospheric chemistry and interactions between HOX and organic compounds. In this work, HOX concentrations during the oxidation of toluene and xylene within the Regional Atmospheric Chemistry Mechanism (RACM2) are improved using a deterministic–near-explicit mechanism based on the Master Chemical Mechanism (MCM) and the generator of explicit chemistry and kinetics of organics in the atmosphere (GECKO-A). Flow tube toluene oxidation experiments are first simulated with RACM2 and MCM/GECKO-A. RACM2, which is a simplified mechanism, is then modified to better reproduce the HOX concentration evolution simulated by MCM/GECKO-A. In total, 12 reactions of the oxidation mechanism of toluene and xylene are updated, making OH simulated by RACM2 up to 70% more comparable to the comprehensive MCM/GECKO-A model for chamber oxidation simulations.


Adaptive capacity is an important element of long‐term adaptation to climate change and is the focus of a rapidly growing body of research. Interdisciplinary growth has the potential to introduce new methods and insights, but it could also cause fragmentation and hamper methodological development or limit transfer of academic insights to climate change adaptation practice. This article uses qualitative content, bibliometric, and citation network analyses to systematically review the scope, methods, and findings of 276 studies on adaptive capacity of social and social‐ecological systems. The review demonstrates that adaptive capacity research is highly interdisciplinary; covers a wide range of sectors, geographic locations, and scales of analysis; and is highly fragmented. The majority of empirical studies are isolated by lack of comparative work and cross‐field citation. Forty‐six percent of studies reviewed do not cite prior works on adaptive capacity: even those on similar topics in the same geographic location. Methods to assess adaptive capacity have proliferated to include more than 64 indicator‐based indices or frameworks and 37 proxy outcome measures. The article argues that lack of either consensus or debate across the literature raises concerns that scientific progress in the field may be constrained and the ability of adaptive capacity research to inform adaptation practice may be limited. To promote consistency and transparency in future work, 158 determinants of adaptive capacity are defined and illustrated with common assessment indicators and examples. Additional opportunities for progress are noted with suggestions for future research.


The aim of the study was to evaluate changes in the gene pool of a dog population during the period of its formation. Pedigree and mtDNA analyses were performed on the Polish population of Hovawart dogs. A total of 192 litters of 93 dams and 115 sires were born between 1988 and 2008. Breeding began using Hovawarts imported mainly from the Czech Republic and Slovakia; however, the role of Western European dogs increased continually throughout the period analysed. No unfavourable effects caused by the limited size of the population were identified because of the constant inflow of new genes from abroad. The continual increase in the gene pool was indicated by all of the pedigree parameters analysed. Two different mtDNA haplotypes were found, and complete agreement between pedigree and molecular data was noted. The results of the analyses permit concluding that the process of formation of the new Hovawart population was also impacted by non-genetic factors that directly influenced the composition of gene pool.


Abstract. Around the perimeter of Antarctica, much of the ice sheet discharges to the ocean through floating ice shelves. The buttressing provided by ice shelves is critical for modulating the flux of ice into the ocean, and the presently observed thinning of ice shelves is believed to be reducing their buttressing capacity and contributing to the acceleration and thinning of the grounded ice sheet. However, relatively little attention has been paid to the role that fractures play in the ability of ice shelves to sustain and transmit buttressing stresses. Here, we present a new framework for quantifying the role that fractures play in the creep deformation and buttressing capacity of ice shelves. We apply principles of continuum damage mechanics to derive a new analytical relation for the creep of an ice shelf that accounts for the softening influence of fractures on longitudinal deformation using a state damage variable. We use this new analytical relation, combined with a temperature calculation for the ice, to partition an inverse method solution for ice shelf rigidity into independent solutions for softening damage and stabilizing backstress. Using this new approach, field and remote sensing data can be utilized to monitor the structural integrity of ice shelves, their ability to buttress the flow of ice at the grounding line, and thus their indirect contribution to ice sheet mass balance and global sea level. We apply this technique to the Larsen C ice shelf using remote sensing and Operation IceBridge data, finding damage in areas with known crevasses and rifts. Backstress is highest near the grounding line and upstream of ice rises, in agreement with patterns observed on other ice shelves. The ice in contact with the Bawden ice rise is weakened by fractures, and additional damage or thinning in this area could diminish the backstress transmitted upstream. We model the consequences for the ice shelf if it loses contact with this small ice rise, finding that flow speeds would increase by 25% or more over an area the size of the former Larsen B ice shelf. Such a perturbation could potentially destabilize the northern part of Larsen C along pre-existing lines of weakness, highlighting the importance of the feedback between buttressing and fracturing in an ice shelf.


ABSTRACT Extensive marine shales and shallow-marine sandstones of the Cretaceous Upper Colorado Group represent one of the last thick, informally named, stratigraphic intervals in the southern part of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. Two regionally-mappable formations in southern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan are introduced: The Carlile Formation (Turonian) overlying the Second White Specks Formation, and the Niobrara Formation (Coniacian-Santonian) underlying the Milk River Formation. Both names are extensions of lithologically-similar and laterally-equivalent strata in adjacent parts of the Interior Seaway in Canada and the United States. The boundary between the Carlile and Niobrara formations is recognized at a distinct zone (3 to 15 m thick) of 17 bentonites in the lower part of the Niobrara Formation, whereof two are argon-argon dated to 89.19 (± 0.51) and 89.40 (± 0.31). Regional variations in lithology, petrophysics and geochemistry of the two new formations make it possible to further subdivide these into formal subunits. The Carlile Formation is subdivided into the informal lower, middle and upper units. The Niobrara Formation is formally subdivided into three mappable members in ascending order: the shaly, non-calcareous Verger Member, the sandstone-rich Medicine Hat Member, and the shaly calcareous First White Specks Member. An outcrop reference section of the Carlile Formation is designated at Deer Creek (east of West Butte) in the Sweetgrass Hills of north-central Montana. The single core cut from the Carlile Formation in southern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan is located at 13-20-17-7W4 and includes twelve metres of the upper part of the formation. It is used as a reference section for the boundary between the Carlile and Niobrara formations. A reference core of the Niobrara Formation is located at 4-16-22-15W4, which also is designated as the type section of the Verger, Medicine Hat and First White Specks members. An outcrop section at the Ghost River Dam Spillway, west of Calgary, serves as the outcrop reference section for the Medicine Hat Member and is correlated to the subsurface using wireline logs and foraminiferal biostratigraphy. End_Page 304------------------------


We constructed a high‐resolution Mg/Ca record on the planktonic foraminifer Globigerinoides sacculifer in order to explore the change in sea surface temperature (SST) due to the shoaling of the Isthmus of Panama as well as the impact of secondary factors like diagenesis and large salinity fluctuations. The study covers the latest Miocene and the early Pliocene (5.6–3.9 Ma) and was combined with δ18O to isolate changes in sea surface salinity (SSS). Before 4.5 Ma, SSTMg/Ca and SSS show moderate fluctuations, indicating a free exchange of surface ocean water masses between the Pacific and the Atlantic. The increase in δ18O after 4.5 Ma represents increasing salinities in the Caribbean due to the progressive closure of the Panamanian Gateway. The increase in Mg/Ca toward values of maximum 7 mmol/mol suggests that secondary influences have played a significant role. Evidence of crystalline overgrowths on the foraminiferal tests in correlation with aragonite, Sr/Ca, and productivity cyclicities indicates a diagenetic overprint on the foraminiferal tests. Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry analyses, however, do not show significantly increased Mg/Ca ratios in the crystalline overgrowths, and neither do calculations based on pore water data conclusively result in significantly elevated Mg/Ca ratios in the crystalline overgrowths. Alternatively, the elevated Mg/Ca ratios might have been caused by salinity as the δ18O record of Site 1000 has been interpreted to represent large fluctuations in SSS, and cultivating experiments have shown an increase in Mg/Ca with increasing salinity. We conclude that the Mg/Ca record <4.5 Ma can only reliably be considered for paleoceanographical purposes when the minimum values, not showing any evidence of secondary influences, are used, resulting in a warming of central Caribbean surface water masses after 4.5 Ma of ∼2°C.


An unselected series is presented of 17 infants born to epileptic mothers and exposed to sodium valproate during pregnancy. Nine infants had minor abnormalities and of these infants five also had major malformations, described as the 'fetal valproate syndrome'. The most frequent malformation was congenital heart disease. Nine of the infants had manifestations of withdrawal, such as irritability, jitteriness, abnormalities of tone, seizures, and feeding problems. Four of these infants had an unrelated hypoglycaemia. The frequency of withdrawal symptoms was significantly related to the dose of valproate given to the mothers in the third trimester, and there was a tendency for both the frequency of the minor abnormalities and the major malformations to be related to the valproate dosage in the first trimester.


This approach paper presents the framework for the evaluation of IDB's regional operations between 2000 and 2011. The objective of the evaluation is to assess the IDB's role in identifying and contributing to the coordinated solution of transnational challenges. In this context, the evaluation will pay special attention to the role of the Regional Public Goods (RPG) Initiative. Since this evaluation comes at a time when the IDB is increasing its financial involvement in regional and global integration, it will focus on distilling lessons from the strategic and operational experience of the IDB. In areas where this experience is scant, the evaluation will be complemented by an analysis of activities of other multilateral development banks. The evaluation will use the standard OECD-DAC criteria of relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability. The desk review analysis of IDB's involvement with RPG suggests that issues of both internal organization and beneficiary demand are recurrent in regional projects. Therefore, the evaluation will consider the additional ad hoc evaluative criterion of "incentives." In addressing sustainability, the evaluation will pay special attention to the role of the IDB in supporting long-term institution building for regional cooperation.


AZ31 and experimental ZMA611 alloys were strip cast into 2 mm thick strips. The as-cast AZ31 alloy strip consists of columnar dendrites. On the other hand, as-cast ZMA611 alloy strip shows equiaxed dendritic structure through the thickness of strip. Strip cast AZ31 alloy in H24 condition has equivalent yield and tensile strengths with similar ductility compared to commercial ingot cast AZ31-H24 alloy, indicating that strip casting is a viable process for the fabrication of Mg alloy strips. The ZMA611 alloy has a large volume fraction of fine dispersoid particles in the microstructure, resulting from the beneficial effect of strip casting on microstructural refinement. It has been shown that the ZMA611 alloy has superior tensile properties compared to commercial ingot cast AZ31-H24 alloy, suggesting the possibility of the development of new wrought Mg alloy sheets by strip casting.


With a narrative that will entertain art lovers of all ages, this new board book is a fun way to introduce young children to fine art. The little ones will love spending A Magical Day with Matisse in a world full of music, color, bobbing sailboats, and tickled toes. Playful rhyming texts accompany the artists timeless paintings in this little masterpiece.


In April, 1934, workers at the Auto-Lite plant went on strike, demanding that their employer recognize their union and engage in collective bargaining with them. Despite the ill effects of the Depression on Toledo and an unemployment rate of over 50%, workers at the Auto-Lite transmission plant risked their jobs and the possibility of employment at other factories for what they believed were fundamental rights - the rights to organize into a union, engage in collective bargaining, and strike. With help from the Toledo Central Labor Union and the AWP, the Auto-Lite workers resisted an injunction and enforced their right to organize on their own through collective action. As of 1934, the Constitution had yet to emerge as a major public issue. Unlike the sit-down strikers in 1936 and 1937, a period in which the courts considered the constitutionality of the NLRA, the Toledo strikers rarely raised constitutional issues. Nevertheless, we conclude that the Toledo strike was one episode in a long-term popular movement for constitutional change. In later interviews, those workers stressed that the deplorable conditions and the way that their employer treated them that led them to strike. While most leaders of the Auto-Lite strike did not mention the Thirteenth Amendment, a number of them invoked opposition to wage slavery in their speeches and leaflets to rally their supporters. In this manner, the workers on the Auto-Lite picket line carried on labor's tradition of recognizing the right to organize as a human right as well as an economic right. This article thus considers an important chapter in the history of American popular constitutionalism, the belief of labor activists that they had a fundamental right to organize into a union, and Congress' codification of that belief in the National Labor Relations Act of 1935.


Background: The objective of the present study was to evaluate the haematological parameters as screening markers for differentiating patients with dengue fever, and non-dengue fever. Methods: This study was a retrospective case-control study in Tak Province, Thailand. All data of patients suspected with dengue infection during January 2013 and December 2015 were retrieved anonymously from computerized medical records included demographic data, medical history, and laboratory results. For statistical analysis, a normal distribution of continuous data was determined using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Continuous variables were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test. Continuous variables were categorized following laboratory or usual cut-off values. Categorical variables were analyzed using Fisher's exact test or chi-square test. All analysis was performed by SPSS v.11.5 Chicago: SPSS Inc. Results: The result showed that among 376 suspected patients with dengue infection, WBCs, neutrophils, monocytes, eosinophil's, MCV, and MCH were significantly lower in patients with DF as compared to patients with non-dengue (p value<0.05). RBCs count were significantly higher in patients with dengue infection (4.99 × 106 /µL vs. 4.91 × 106 /µL; p value=0.039). Platelets count were significantly lower in the patient with dengue infection compared to patients with non-dengue infection (75,000 × 103 /µL vs. 86,000 × 103 /µL; p value=0.042). Conclusion: Alteration of haematological parameters can combine with other clinical and laboratory markers which will help physicians to early diagnosis of dengue fever on the first day of admission to help closely monitoring patients with dengue and prevent developing dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF).


In this paper we introduce a self interference (SI) estimation and minimisation technique for amplify and forward relays. Relays are used to help forward signals between a transmitter and a receiver. This helps increase the signal coverage and reduce the required transmitted signal power. One problem that faces relays communications is the leaked signal from the relay's output to its input. This will cause an SI problem where the new received signal at the relay's input will be added with the unwanted leaked signal from the relay's output. A Solution is proposed in this paper to estimate and minimise this SI which is based upon using a tapped filter at the destination. To get the optimum weights for this tapped filter, some channel parameters must be estimated first. This is performed blindly at the destination without the need of any training. This channel parameter estimation method is named the blind-self-interference-channel-estimation (BSICE) method. The next step in the proposed solution is to estimate the tapped filter's weights. This is performed by minimising the mean squared error (MSE) at the destination. This proposed method is named the MSE-Optimum Weight (MSE-OW) method. Simulation results are provided in this paper to verify the performance of BSICE and MSE-OW methods.


Zanzibar islands, in East Africa, form a semi autonomous part of the United Republic
of Tanzania. From early 1980's, the Zanzibar Government diversified its economy
after realising that its mono-crop economy could not sustain the development
momentum, owing to the decline in clove prices, its main cash crop.
The isles' diversification measures have resulted in massive inflow of foreign direct
investments (FDI). Nominally, it may be remarkable that over 50 percent of the
licensed FDI fan in the tourism industry. The industry employs more than 60 percent
of the investment workforce. However, in order to achieve Zanzibar's immediate goal
of improving development momentum and long-term sustainable growth, it is
necessary to empirically understand the performance of this important segment of the
diversified economy.
The main objective of this study is to explore the general performance
of tourism projects under the Zanzibar Private Direct Investments, and the specific objectives are: (i) to provide alternative measures of productivity in the
selected establishments; (ii) to compare the productivity pattern between local and
foreign owned establishments; and (iii) to measure the contribution of capital and
labour inputs to the discovered pattern.
Economists claim that, there are two prime sources contributing to economic growth
of a nation, employment growth and productivity growth. In exploring the latter, the
study uses two models; while the first employs partial indicators, the second on total
productivity is based on the framework developed by Gollop and Jorgenson (1979).
The results have highlighted the dichotomy of the Zanzibar tourism industry, where
large, and well-managed foreign-owned-projects co-exist with smaller, less funded
10caJly owned ones. Using different aggregation methods produced contradicting
results. Yet, in overall, the foreign projects outshined the locals in many aspects. For
instance, though local projects generated more employment opportunities (59010),
indicating their dependence on labour-intensity in production, the foreign projects
surpassed their local counterparts in cost competitiveness, efficiency and productivity
growth. The results suggest that, more concerted efforts are needed to improve the
performance of local investors.
The scope of study, however, limits the analysis to the above. In depth analysis of the
structure of projects/firms could not be covered due to data constraints.


Climate is a limiting factor for cultivating blueberries in new areas in Brazil, being the commercial production restricted only to the colder and high-altitude regions of the southern states. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of low-chill requirement 'Emerald' and 'Jewel' blueberry cultivars. For that, the stages of vegetative growth, sprouting, flowering fruiting and yield were assessed. The 'Emerald' cultivar has two peaks for both flowering and fruiting, with the main harvest period occurring between August and October, while the 'Jewel' cultivar shows two peaks for budding, but only one flowering peak and only one harvest, which extends from October through January. For both cultivars, the production occurs during the off-season of the internal and external markets, resulting in higher fruit prices. Growing both cultivars is feasible in a subtropical region with no-chill incidence, thus demonstrating that these cultivars have much lower chill requirements than those referred to in the literature, and favoring, this way, the fresh fruit production during the off-season of the main producing countries in the northern hemisphere.


Humboldt County on California's north coast was the furthest region from the 1906 epicenter to suffer significant damage in the 1906 earthquake. This study reassesses the impacts described in the state earthquake investigation commission report (Lawson, 1908) and subsequent intensity studies by examining reports from local newspapers, weather service logs, and the large collection of photographs, journals, and letters collected by local historical societies and museums. The highest intensity (modified Mercalli [MMI] IX) occurred in the Petrolia and upper Mattole Valley. The entire coastal region from Shelter Cove to the Eel River Valley experienced intensities of at least VIII. The most detailed damage descriptions come from Ferndale, where newspaper reports detail the damage to over 40 structures in the downtown area. Fewer than 2% of chimneys survived, both brick buildings were severely damaged, and about 25% of the commercial wood buildings were twisted by the ground shaking. Liquefaction was observed in the Mattole Valley throughout the Eel River Valley and as far north as Fields Landing on Humboldt Bay, which exceeded the aerial extent and scale of any other historic event, including the 1992 Cape Mendocino earthquake ( M w 7.2). In contrast to the isoseismal map published in the Lawson Report, damage in Eureka and the Humboldt Bay region was less than in Ferndale. Based on the severity of damage and scale of liquefaction, the 1906 earthquake was Humboldt County's strongest historic event. Peak intensities likely exceeded the Cape Mendocino earthquake, the intensity VII or larger isoseismal was about twice as large, and peak ground velocity values likely exceeded 50 cm/sec in much of southern Humboldt County. The strong shaking in Humboldt County supports models showing significant slip along the northern segment of the 1906 rupture zone.


The Campanile Campus, otherwise known as the Federal Study Centre, was first used as a religious educational centre and then as a federal language training facility. Today, the federally-recognized modern heritage complex is currently abandoned and awaiting a new purpose. This thesis synthesizes and combines the objectives of architectural conservation, adaptive reuse, and affordable housing to create a new phase for the campus in an effort to prevent its obsolescence. These issues inform a design strategy which proposes the campus be repurposed as a community hub and adaptable neighbourhood that offers a variety of housing types which allows residents to remain in the community they have created. Specifically, the design focuses on the sensitive adaptation of heritage buildings while catering to the surrounding neighbourhood by addressing issues of affordability, density, diversity, and urban infill.


Study of the genetic relationships and evolutionary histories of pupfish populations (Cyprinodontidae: Cyprinodon spp.) from the remnant aquatic habitats of Death Valley was approached by exploring the genetic structure and divergence within and among populations using mitochondrial and nuclear DNA markers. The findings of these studies illustrate the influences of population size and isolation time in the divergence of small, fragmented populations largely via genetic drift. The information revealed in this study has implications for assessing priorities in the conservation of the unique evolutionary heritage among populations of the Death Valley pupfishes. A new retrotransposable element family was identified and characterized. This family of genetic elements was uncovered during a search of the pupfish genome for transposable elements to be used as molecular markers for population analyses. The description of this element family, named "Swimmer 1" (SW1), provides new insights into the evolution of long interspersed nuclear elements (LINEs) in vertebrates. Therefore, a full characterization of the SW1 element family was undertaken in the Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) as well as in the pupfish genome. The Japanese medaka is a model organism widely used for genetic and developmental biology studies.


We study the frictional behavior of small contacts as those realized in the atomic force microscope and other experimental setups, in the framework of generalized Prandtl-Tomlinson models. Particular attention is paid to mechanisms that generate velocity weakening, namely a decreasing average friction force with the relative sliding velocity.The mechanisms studied model the possibility of viscous relaxation, or aging effects in the contact. It is found that, in addition to producing velocity weakening, these mechanisms can also produce aftershocks at sufficiently low sliding velocities. This provides a remarkable analogy at the microscale, of friction properties at the macroscale, where aftershocks and velocity weakening are two fundamental features of seismic phenomena.


This talk will present the current accelerator physics challenges and solutions in designing ERL-based polarized electron-hadron colliders, and illustrate them with examples from eRHIC and LHeC designs. These challenges include multi-pass ERL design, highly HOM-damped SRF linacs, cost effective FFAG arcs, suppression of kink instability due to beam-beam effect, and control of ion accumulation and fast ion instabilities.


BACKGROUND
We examined the effects of a multicomponent, school-based program addressing risk factors for diabetes among children whose race or ethnic group and socioeconomic status placed them at high risk for obesity and type 2 diabetes.

METHODS
Using a cluster design, we randomly assigned 42 schools to either a multicomponent school-based intervention (21 schools) or assessment only (control, 21 schools). A total of 4603 students participated (mean [+/- SD] age, 11.3 [+/- 0.6 years; 54.2% Hispanic and 18.0% black; 52.7% girls). At the beginning of 6th grade and the end of 8th grade, students underwent measurements of body-mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and fasting glucose and insulin levels.

RESULTS
There was a decrease in the primary outcome--the combined prevalence of overweight and obesity--in both the intervention and control schools, with no significant difference between the school groups. The intervention schools had greater reductions in the secondary outcomes of BMI z score, percentage of students with waist circumference at or above the 90th percentile, fasting insulin levels (P=0.04 for all comparisons), and prevalence of obesity (P=0.05). Similar findings were observed among students who were at or above the 85th percentile for BMI at baseline. Less than 3% of the students who were screened had an adverse event; the proportions were nearly equivalent in the intervention and control schools.

CONCLUSIONS
Our comprehensive school-based program did not result in greater decreases in the combined prevalence of overweight and obesity than those that occurred in control schools. However, the intervention did result in significantly greater reductions in various indexes of adiposity. These changes may reduce the risk of childhood-onset type 2 diabetes. (Funded by the National Institutes of Health and the American Diabetes Association; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00458029.)


Anthropogenic alterations in show caves are well documented in scientific literature. One of the main sources of perturbation derives from visitors, acting as carriers of propagules and organic matter in the cave ecosystems. Such perturbation generally results in a significant alteration of the natural subterranean microbiota. In this study, we characterize the mycobiota of the superficial alluvial sediment (0–5 cm) of the Bossea show cave (NW-Italy) over two sampling seasons, aiming to investigate whether anthropogenic rather than natural factors contribute to the colonization and proliferation of alien mycobiota in the cave environment. We placed eighteen sampling plots at different distances from the touristic pathway that crosses the cave. The distance from the touristic pathway was used as proxy to sort the sampling plots in three groups according the degree of anthropogenic disturbance (high: 0–2 m; intermediate 2–40 m; low: >100 m). Moreover, in order to elucidate the potential effect of other factors, we introduced in our analysis the distance from the subterranean river and the distance from the cave entrance. In each plot, we collected two samples of alluvial sediment, in winter and summer. Fungi were isolated from each sample and identified by means of an integrated morphological approach. We observed a rich and diversified fungal community – 63 taxa of Zygomycota and Ascomycota plus several unidentified yeasts – consisting of both native and alien species. Regression analysis points out a decrease of the abundance and the diversity of viable propagules at increasing distances from the touristic pathway rather than the cave entrance or the subterranean river. Accordingly, the exogenous organic materials passively conveyed by tourists, possibly explains the higher proliferation of alien species in the proximity of the touristic pathway. There was also a seasonal variation in the diversity and abundance of propagules, which we interpreted in light of the peculiar microclimate of the cave. In a second step, we used Indicator Species Analysis to identify the most representative species of the different levels of anthropogenic disturbance. In particular, Aspergillus spelunceus was found to be indicator of low disturbance, whereas Mucor corticola and A. asperescens were found to be indicators of intermediate and high disturbance, respectively. Key words: anthropic disturbance, alluvial sediment, alien species, airborne fungi, environmental impact.


The South African sugar industry burns 90% of the crop at harvest while 10% is harvested green. The trend to burn cane at harvest has increased over the past twenty years, despite growing pressure from the public and environmental legislation. This paper explores the influence that public pressure and legislation are having on the practise of burning and examines the actions that the industry has implemented in order to protect the privilege of burning sugarcane at harvest. A communication model and case studies are used to illustrate the interaction between the sugar industry, government and public role players over cane burning. Communication has proved to be a key management tool that has had to be dynamic and on going in order to engage the various role players effectively. It is presumed that the advantages of burning outweigh those of trashing and it is for the nuisance rather than the health factor that the public want cane burning banned on farms adjacent to residential or tourist areas. The government, however, regards agricultural burning as a contributory factor to high air pollution levels during the winter months and expects these levels to be reduced. Will the public be able to force change to the current practice of burning cane at harvest in the South African sugar industry or will the steps taken by the industry provide adequate protection? Although favourable outcomes have been achieved, cane burning remains under pressure from the public and government.


The aim of this thesis is to examine which factors and incentives affect the work motivation of students from technical degree programmes in Sweden and Finland, and how companies can attract graduating students to apply for a job. The study explores also similarities and differences in preferences of work-related incentives and impact of cultural differences in work values. Theoretical framework concentrates on discussing the motivational factors and techniques in the work environment that mostly have an influence in knowledge workers and the young generation, which both are important proportion of work force in these two countries that are specialised in the field of information and communication technology. The data was collected by a questionnaire from two Universities of Technology in Sweden and Finland. The study shows the importance of understanding new factors that graduating students set high scores, which can be used for attracting university students to companies with similar values. Students placed most value for combining work and personal life, career opportunities, possibilities for self-development, interesting and challenging work tasks, followed by benefit and reward programmes of organisations. Flexibility was required in all the organisational structures and functions, not forgetting the guidance and support from the manager.


This thesis is an exploration -- an exploration of a language
extension of the functional programming language Haskell. The extension is called Generic Haskell, albeit the name has been used to refer to different objects over the last several years: Many papers have described different proposals, features, variations, and generations of the language. One purpose of this thesis is to do away with at least part of this fuzziness: everything is described in a common notation and from a single starting point. The other purpose is to simply give a complete overview of the language: we will systematically explain the core features of Generic Haskell, and several extensions, all with motivating examples and details on how
the features can be implemented.

Generic programming gives the user of the programming language the ability to define functions by analysis of the structure of datatypes. Such generic functions are statically checked for type correctness. They are reusable in many contexts, and can adapt easily to changed environments, because they work for all datatypes.

The thesis starts with the presentation of a simple functional core language which is gradually extended with features that allow generic programming. We show how generic programming can benefit from the concept of dependencies, which are a result of the combination and generalization of two approaches to generic functions by Ralf Hinze. Whenever the language is extended, we first motivate the additions using examples, and subsequently discuss implications for the underlying theory.

In the second half of the thesis, several concepts are described that make generic programming more powerful and easier to use: generic abstraction is a simple mechanism to form new generic functions out of existing ones; type inference can help to reduce the notational burden for the programmer quite significantly, default cases allow to define several variations of one generic behaviour quickly. We discuss type-indexed datatypes, which lift the concept of generic programming to the level of types and provide the possibility to define datatypes
that have an implementation based on the structure of a type argument. Multiple views on datatypes allow the definition of generic functions which would otherwise be difficult to define. Finally, we discuss practical issues arising from the embedding into Haskell, such as dealing with type synonyms, or the module system and separate compilation.

All in all, we present a complete and rich language for generic programming, which can, has been, and hopefully will be used for several interesting applications


Modelling human reasoning characterizes the fundamental human cognitive capacity to describe our past experience and use it to form expectations as well as plan and direct our future actions. Natural language semantics analyzes dynamic forms of reasoning in which the real-time order determines the temporal relations between the described events, when reported with telic simple past-tense clauses. It provides models of human reasoning that could supplement ACT-R models.


Transplant recipients have elevated cancer risk, but it is unknown if cancer risk differs across race and ethnicity as in the general population. US kidney recipients (N = 87,895) in the Transplant Cancer Match Study between 1992 and 2008 were evaluated for racial/ethnic differences in risk for six common cancers after transplantation. Compared to white recipients, black recipients had lower incidence of non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) (adjusted incidence rate ratio [aIRR] 0.60, p<0.001) and higher incidence of kidney (aIRR 2.09, p<0.001) and prostate cancer (aIRR 2.14, p<0.001); Hispanic recipients had lower incidence of NHL (aIRR 0.64, p = 0.001), lung (aIRR 0.41, p < 0.001), breast (aIRR 0.53, p = 0.003) and prostate cancer (aIRR 0.72, p = 0.05). Colorectal cancer incidence was similar across groups. Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) measured the effect of transplantation on cancer risk and were similar for most cancers (p≥0.1). However, black and Hispanic recipients had larger increases in kidney cancer risk with transplantation (SIRs: 8.96 in blacks, 5.95 in Hispanics vs. 4.44 in whites), and only blacks had elevated prostate cancer risk following transplantation (SIR: 1.21). Racial/ethnic differences in cancer risk after transplantation mirror general population patterns, except for kidney and prostate cancers where differences reflect the effects of end‐stage renal disease or transplantation.


In this book, Paul Clarke argues that in order to live sustainably we need to learn how to live and flourish in our environment in a manner that uses finite resources with ecologically informed discretion. Education is perfectly placed to create the conditions for innovative and imaginative solutions and to provide the formulas that ensure that everyone becomes naturally smart; but to achieve this, we need to recognise that an education that is not grounded in a full understanding of our relationship with the natural world is no education at all. In other words, a total transformation of schools and schooling is needed.

While acknowledging that the ecological crisis is global in scale, Paul Clarke maintains that many of the solutions are already evident in our local communities. Drawing on innovative sustainable living programmes from around the world, including Sweden's Forest Schools, China's Green Schools programme, the US Green Ribbon Schools programme and his own school-of-sustainability project, Paul Clarke offers practical solutions about how schools and communities can make their contribution.

This book examines how we might proceed to empower and actively develop schools and communities to connect hand, heart and mind for an eco-literate future. It is thought provoking, timely and challenging, and should be read by school leaders, community and business leaders, as well as anyone grappling with the problems of transition from an industrial past to an ecologically sustainable future. (Publisher's description)


This systematic literature review is an exploration of issues for adoptive families throughout the adoption process and into the various phases of the life of the adoptive family. Although there has been much recent research related to adoption, in general, very little adoption literature addresses the often unspoken needs of families who want to adopt or have adopted children with disabilities. These families report lack of good preparation services, post-adoption support, disability specific support, educational support and assistance with managing open adoptions. Children with significant emotional, physical, sensory or mental impairments represent an increased proportion of the population of children who have been adopted. This review of literature related to adoption and disability raises awareness of those involved in adoption processes and in education, of the needs of adoptive parents, which, in turn, will impact on the well-being of families, and waiting and adopted children with disabilities.


Several key enzymes in lignin biosynthesis of Populus have been down-regulated by transgenic approaches to investigate their role in wood lignification and to explore their potential for lignin modification. Cinnamate 4-hydroxylase is an enzyme in the early phenylpropanoid pathway that has not yet been functionally analyzed in Populus . This study shows that down-regulation of cinnamate 4-hydroxylase reduced Klason lignin content by 30% with no significant change in syringyl to guaiacyl ratio. The lignin reduction resulted in ultrastructural differences of the wood and a 10% decrease in wood density. Mechanical properties investigated by tensile tests and dynamic mechanical analysis showed a decrease in stiffness, which could be explained by the lower density. The study demonstrates that a large modification in lignin content only has minor influences on tensile properties of wood in its axial direction and highlights the usefulness of wood modified beyond its natural variation by transgene technology in exploring the impact of wood biopolymer composition and ultrastructure on its material properties.


For a matter of efficiency and robustness, it is often better to use a team of robots instead of a single agent to solve a given problem. A key challenge with multi-robot systems is the collaboration in order to accomplish complex tasks. To coordinate them, we can pre-compute their behavior. However, this method might not be robust to some events such as modification of environment or robots team. To overcome this issue, an adaptive decentralized coordination framework is needed for heterogeneous multiple robot systems.We consider a team of two robots NAOs which can only exchange information when they are close to each other, or via symbols grounded to each embodiment. They are initially in a room a few meters away from each other. The goal is to make them meet and then perform an action such as exchanging an object or some information.In this thesis, we study first robots specifications and adopt tools used for robot control. A tracking method in a simple situation is then described. The robots' strategy is structured and improved adding obstacles limiting the two agents' motion.The achieved robust framework allows two humanoid robots to meet, even if one has a problem and can not move.


We have been working on a design for an authentication service for a distributed system. The design has three goals that we fed have not been met simultaneously by any previous design. First, the service must be able to grow to cover an arbitrarily large physical area, arbitrarily many administrative organizations, and arbitrarily many users (million or billions); the service must be suitable for a long lifetime. Second, the system must not be monolithically trusted: it must be possible to achieve authentication even if there exist untrusted parts of the system. Third, these goals must be met in such a way that each party to the authentication knows precisely what agencies the party must trust in order to accept the authentication.


you are required to split your attention between multiple sources of information (2018) presents the players with a stream of auditory cues to which they must respond with specified sounds. The cues regularly switch between different types and are directed at different sub-groups within the two ensembles, requiring the players to think and act very quickly. The piece explores cognitive load and the way we remember associations between cues and responses. Cognitive load is the amount of mental effort needed to remember things in different situations. An example of it in practice is the children's party game where a tray of objects is displayed before being hidden, and then participants are asked to remember as many of the
items as possible. The difficulty of this task is affected by the type and arrangement of the objects. In the piece, moments of ordered information are disrupted by less predictable cue sequences and regular changes of cue type. The cues include samples of real world sounds which induce a range of different responses, as well as text-to-speech computer voices reading extracts from the Harvard Sentences (a set of phonetically balanced texts developed in the 1960s to test artificial voice modelling) and giving other verbal cues. The title is adapted from Mousavi, Low and Sweller's 'Reducing Cognitive Load by Mixing Auditory and Visual Presentation Modes' (1995) in which they investigate the split-attention effect and its impact on cognitive load. They argue that if subjects 'are required to split their attention among multiple sources of information that must be mentally integrated before they can be understood, learning may be inhibited', while suggesting that 'if effective working memory can be increased by having two sources of information presented via different modalities, the negative effects of split attention may be ameliorated.' In the piece, all the cues and responses are aural, requiring
players to negotiate the stream of information in one mode. The increased cognitive load affects the speed of response by players and the variations in time required to complete sound-producing actions on the different instruments, producing an unpredictable trail of sounds after each cue.


This will be the first serious yet sympathetic book by a female biographer to explain the story of how an American divorcee became a hate figure for allegedly ensnaring a British King from his throne. It focuses on the core conflict of her life in the 1930s, with particular reference to her impoverished American childhood as a motivation for her ambition. 'That woman', so called by her sister-in-law the new Queen Elizabeth, was born BessieWallis Warfield in 1896 in Baltimore, and she endured a childhood of relative obscurity which sharpened a burning desire to rise above her circumstances. To win in the game of life was her unequivocal aim. 'That woman' was not only one of the most talked about women of her generation. In death she has become one of the most written about and reviled. But she has also become a symbol of female empowerment as well as a style icon. And yet Wallis Simpson remains an enigma. A witty woman who lived on her wits. 'A woman can never be too rich or too thin' - one of her aphorisms - is all that some people know of her. Neither beautiful nor brilliant, both her assumed as well as her known moral transgressions add to her aura and dazzle. Accused of fascist sympathies and Nazi friends, she is an object of fascination that has increased with the years.


We introduce a value-added full-sky catalogue of galaxies, named as Galaxy List for the Advanced Detector Era, or GLADE. The purpose of this catalogue is to (i) help identifications of host candidates for gravitational-wave events, (ii) support target selections for electromagnetic follow-up observations of gravitational-wave candidates, (iii) provide input data on the matter distribution of the local Universe for astrophysical or cosmological simulations, and (iv) help identifications of host candidates for poorly localized electromagnetic transients, such as gamma-ray bursts observed with the InterPlanetary Network. Both being potential hosts of astrophysical sources of gravitational waves, GLADE includes inactive and active galaxies as well. GLADE was constructed by cross-matching and combining data from five separate (but not independent) astronomical catalogues: GWGC, 2MPZ, 2MASS XSC, HyperLEDA, and SDSS-DR12Q. GLADE is complete up to
dL=37+3−4Mpc in terms of the cumulative B-band luminosity of galaxies within luminosity distance dL, and contains all of the brightest galaxies giving half of the total B-band luminosity up to dL=91Mpc. As B-band luminosity is expected to be a tracer of binary neutron star mergers (currently the prime targets of joint GW+EM detections), our completeness measures can be used as estimations of completeness for containing all binary neutron star merger hosts in the local Universe.


wind power forecasting is one of the key technical issues for a power system integrated with a large amount of wind farms. Based on analysis of the variation characteristics of wind speed, we applied econometrics theory into the modeling of wind speed, since GARCH has an excellent performance to tracing the variation of those fluctuating sequences. Using the wind power curve, the power output of a wind turbine is easily acquired from the forecasted wind speed. In reference to our study case, its wind data are input into the established model to verify its validity of the approach we proposed. Therefore, the estimated wind power curve for the next day becomes a valuable reference for the dispatch department of a power grid. Compared with the ARIMA and a typical ANN model, GARCH demonstrates its advantage in improving the prediction precision. In addition, in order to understand the applicability of the GARCH model, many numerical simulations have been done and we found that GARCH has better forecasting performances to those sequences with high fluctuation.


The current hot debate on biofuels calls for a balanced and realistic long-term strategy for biofuels. The REFUEL project provides several ingredients for such a strategy. Analyses in this project indicate that domestically produced biofuels can cover a significant share of EU fuel demand in the coming decades, with the EU-12 new member states and Ukraine as most promising regions. This potential can be realised with residual streams and on existing agricultural land, without conversion of e.g. nature reserves. Second-generation biofuels are essential for the long-term success of biofuels due to their superior performance in many ways. But generally, the key challenge for the near future would be how to enhance the development of biofuels in a responsible way, i.e. stimulating the production chains with the best performance, and preventing negative impacts e.g., by paying careful attention to possible system impacts of biofuel production such as indirect land use changes and rising food prices. Finally, 2nd generation biofuels require specific policy: the precursor role of 1st generation is overrated, both in technical terms as well as in their role as market precursors. When it comes to synergies, 2nd generation biofuels might benefit more from other developments in the energy sector, such as initiatives in co-firing of biomass for (heat and) power, than from 1st generation biofuels, also because of the public resistance that the latter induce.


The objective of this review is to provide a narrative summary of risk and resiliency in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) over the lifespan. In recent years, much has been learned about risk factors for ASD which include both genetic and environmental mechanisms. Resiliency in ASD is much less studied but examples can be gleaned by exploring studies that allow for heterogeneity in causation and outcome. Possible examples come from the literature on sex difference, infant siblings, and natural history. Exciting translational opportunities can be achieved through a greater focus on understanding protective factors and resiliency in ASD than the field's almost exclusive focus on risk factors and the ability to predict poor outcomes. Although the exact nature of processes that protect in ASD are not yet known, putting a resiliency lens on research and clinical practice may prove illuminating.


The Global and Regional Earth System Monitoring Using Satellite and In Situ Data (GEMS) project is combining the manifold expertise in atmospheric composition research and numerical weather prediction of 32 European institutes to build a comprehensive monitoring and forecasting system for greenhouse gases, reactive gases, aerosol, and regional air quality. The project is funded by the European Commission as part of the Global Monitoring of Environment and Security (GMES) framework. GEMS has extended the data assimilation system of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) to include various tracers for which satellite observations exist. A chemical transport model has been coupled to this system to account for the atmospheric chemistry. The GEMS system provides lateral boundary conditions for a set of 10 regional air quality forecast models and global atmospheric fields for use in surface flux inversions for the greenhouse gases. Observations from both in situ and satellite sources are used as input, and the output products will serve users such as policy makers, environmental agencies, the science community, and providers of end-user services for air quality and health. This article provides an overview of GEMS and uses some recent results to illustrate the current status of the project. It is expected that GEMS will grow into a full operational service for the atmospheric component of GMES in the next decade. Part of this transition will be the merge with the Protocol Monitoring for the GMES Service Element: Atmosphere (PROMOTE) GMES project into the Monitoring of Atmospheric Composition and Climate (MACC) project.


This study evaluated the use of conventional therapy combined with puerarin on ischemic stroke. Eighty patients with ischemic stroke admitted to Tangshan Gongren Hospital from March 2014 to September 2015 were randomly divided into two groups. The control group was treated with conventional therapy. The observation group was treated with an additional puerarin injection of 400 mg/day. The patients in both groups were examined for clinical neurological signs and symptoms. The levels of biochemical markers as well as changes in hemorheology were measured after the intervention and compared among the groups. Our results indicate that the language expression was significantly better in the observation group after the intervention (p<0.05). Additionally, the aphasia quotient was higher (p<0.05), the neurological deficit score was lower (p<0.05), and the functional ability score was higher (p<0.05). The plasma S-100B and NSE levels were lower (p<0.05), the whole blood viscosity and plasma viscosity were lower (p<0.05), and the levels of corticotropin-releasing hormone, corticotropin, cortisol, adrenaline and norepinephrine were lower (p<0.05). Our findings led to the conclusion that the use of puerarin can effectively improve the language function, reduce neurological damage, reduce blood viscosity, reduce stress response and improve quality of life.


We propose a novel approach to fabricating complex 3D shapes via physical deformation of simpler shapes. Our focus is on objects composed of a set of planar beams and joints, where the joints are thin parts of the object which temporarily become living hinges when heated, close to a fixed angle defined by the local shape, and then become rigid when cooled. We call this class of objects Meltables. We present a novel algorithm that computes an optimal joint sequence which approximates a 3D spline curve while satisfying fabrication constraints. This technique is used in an interactive Meltables design tool. We demonstrate a variety of Meltables, fabricated with both 3D-printing and standard PVC piping.


We will report on the production and study of a mixture of Bose and Fermi superfluids. Such a mixture has long been sought in liquid helium where superfluidity was achieved separately in bosonic 4He and fermionic 3He. However due to strong interactions between isotopes, phase separation occurs when the 3He concentration exceeds 6%, which, so far, has prevented reaching simultaneous superfluidity for both species. Using dilute quantum gases where interactions can be tuned, we have produced a Bose-Fermi mixture where both species are superfluid [1]. By exciting center of mass oscillations of the mixture we probe the collective dynamics of the system. Coherent energy exchange between the Bose and Fermi gas is observed with very small damping below a certain critical velocity. We compare this critical velocity for superfluid counterflow to a recent theoretical prediction [2,3]. Finally raising the temperature of the system slightly above the superfluid transition reveals an unexpected phase-locking of the oscillations induced by dissipation.


Currently, 380 000–400 000 occupational exposures to blood-borne pathogens occur annually in the United States. The management for occupational HIV or hepatitis B virus exposures includes postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) when necessary; however, PEP is not recommended for hepatitis C virus (HCV) exposures. Recent approval of HCV direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) has renewed discussions as to whether these therapies could be used to prevent infection after exposure. There are no published studies addressing this question, but the prescribing of DAAs for PEP has been reported. We will discuss the differences in transmission of the 3 most common blood-borne pathogens, the natural history of early HCV infection, and the scientific rationale for PEP. In particular, we will discuss how the low feasibility of conducting an adequately powered clinical trial of DAA use for PEP and the low cost-effectiveness of such an intervention is not supportive of targeting limited resources for such use.


Although the basic morphology of the Ediacaran metazoan Corumbella werneri (the type species of the genus) is well established, little is known about its skeletal tissue. Carbonaceous fragments of this fossil from the Itapucumi Group (Paraguay) reveal details of the ultrastructure of its carapace, providing an unprecedented opportunity to understand a paradigmatic issue of the evolution of skeletogenesis in early metazoans. Corumbella was a sessile predator whose carapace consisted of organic polygonal plates with pores and papillae similar to features observed in some conulariids. Its occurrence with the shelly fossil Cloudina suggests that the acquisition of protective structures in metazoans involved penecontemporaneous processes of biomineralization and secretion of organic walls.


In the present pilot study, an optimized LOPAP instrument (LOng Path Absorption Photometer) for the detection of nitrous acid (HONO) in the atmosphere (DL 0.2 pptV) was tested at the high alpine research station Jungfraujoch at 3580 m altitude in the Swiss Alps under conditions comparable to polar regions. HONO concentrations in the range <0.5–50 pptV with an average of 7.5 pptV were observed at the Jungfraujoch. The diurnal profiles obtained exhibited clear maxima at noon and minima with very low concentration during the night supporting the proposed photochemical production of HONO. In good agreement with recent measurements at the South Pole, it was demonstrated, that interferences of chemical HONO instruments can significantly influence the measurements and lead to considerable overestimations, especially for low pollution level. Accordingly, the active correction of interferences is of paramount importance for the determination of reliable HONO data.


We use an arbitrage-free term structure model with spanned stochastic volatility to determine the value of the deflation protection option embedded in Treasury inflation-protected securities. The model accurately prices the deflation protection option prior to the financial crisis when its value was near zero; at the peak of the crisis in late 2008 when deflationary concerns spiked sharply; and in the post-crisis period. During 2009, the average value of this option at the 5-year maturity was 41 basis points on a par-yield basis. The option value is shown to be closely linked to overall market uncertainty as measured by the VIX, especially during and after the 2008 financial crisis.


This paper deals with the prediction of fracture initiation in square cup drawing of DP980 steel sheet with the thickness of 1.2 mm. In an attempt to consider the influence of material anisotropy on the fracture initiation, an uncoupled anisotropic ductile fracture criterion is developed based on the Lou—Huh ductile fracture criterion. Tensile tests are carried out at different loading directions of 0°, 45°, and 90° to the rolling direction of the sheet using various specimen geometries including pure shear, dog-bone, and flat grooved specimens so as to calibrate the parameters of the proposed fracture criterion. Equivalent plastic strain distribution on the specimen surface is computed using Digital Image Correlation (DIC) method until surface crack initiates. The proposed fracture criterion is implemented into the commercial finite element code ABAQUS/Explicit by developing the Vectorized User-defined MATerial (VUMAT) subroutine which features the non-associated flow rule. Simulation results of the square cup drawing test clearly show that the proposed fracture criterion is capable of predicting the fracture initiation with sufficient accuracy considering the material anisotropy.


This timely overview and synthesis of recent work in both artificial neural networks and neurobiology seeks to examine neurobiological data from a network perspective and to encourage neuroscientists to participate in constructing the next generation of neural networks. Individual chapters were commissioned from selected authors to bridge the gap between present neural network models and the needs of neurophysiologists who are trying to use these models as part of their research on how the brain works.Daniel Gardner is Professor of Physiology and Biophysics at Cornell University Medical College.Contents: Introduction: Toward Neural Neural Networks, Daniel Gardner. Two Principles of Brain Organization: A Challenge for Artificial Neural Networks, Charles F. Stevens. Static Determinants of Synaptic Strength, Daniel Gardner. Learning Rules From Neurobiology, Douglas A. Baxter and John H. Byrne. Realistic Network Models of Distributed Processing in the Leech, Shawn R. Lockery and Terrence J. Sejnowski. Neural and Peripheral Dynamics as Determinants of Patterned Motor Behavior, Hillel J. Chiel and Randall D. Beer. Dynamic Neural Network Models of Sensorimotor Behavior, Eberhard E. Fetz.


The growth of technologies and tools branded as =new media' or =Web 2.0' has sparked much discussion about the internet and its place in all facets of social life. Such debate includes the potential for blogs and citizen journalism projects to replace or alter journalism and mainstream media practices. However, while the journalism-blog dynamic has attracted the most attention, the actual work of political bloggers, the roles they play in the mediasphere and the resources they use, has been comparatively ignored. This project will look at political blogging in Australia and France - sites commenting on or promoting political events and ideas, and run by citizens, politicians, and journalists alike. In doing so, the structure of networks formed by bloggers and the nature of communication within political blogospheres will be examined. Previous studies of political blogging around the world have focussed on individual nations, finding that in some cases the networks are divided between different political ideologies. By comparing two countries with different political representation (two-party dominated system vs. a wider political spectrum), this study will determine the structure of these political blogospheres, and correlate these structures with the political environment in which they are situated. The thesis adapts concepts from communication and media theories, including framing, agenda setting, and opinion leaders, to examine the work of political bloggers and their place within the mediasphere. As well as developing a hybrid theoretical base for research into blogs and other online communication, the project outlines new methodologies for carrying out studies of online activity through the analysis of several topical networks within the wider activity collected for this project. The project draws on hyperlink and textual data collected from a sample of Australian and French blogs between January and August 2009. From this data, the thesis provides an overview of =everyday' political blogging, showing posting patterns over several months of activity, away from national elections and their associated campaigns. However, while other work in this field has looked solely at cumulative networks, treating collected data as a static network, this project will also look at specific cases to see how the blogospheres change with time and topics of discussion. Three case studies are used within the thesis to examine how blogs cover politics, featuring an international political event (the Obama inauguration), and local political topics (the opposition to the =Creation et Internet', or HADOPI, law in France, the =Utegate' scandal in Australia). By using a mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods, the study analyses data collected from a population of sites from both countries, looking at their linking patterns, relationship with mainstream media, and topics of interest. This project will subsequently help to further develop methodologies in this field and provide new and detailed information on both online networks and internet-based political communication in Australia and France.


With the development of improved MR imaging techniques, there has been a resurgence of interest since the early 1980s. Today, MR flow imaging techniques are regarded as important clinical tools for providing detailed in vivo blood flow information. MR phase velocity mapping is a versatile noninvasive flow quantification method that is well suited for analyzing in vivo flow patterns. Since the introduction of quantitative MR velocity imaging methods, clinical and research applications of these techniques have flourished, enabling noninvasive acquisition of detailed quantitative blood flow information. The success of quantitative flow imaging complements recent advances in computational fluid dynamics, which may provide further understanding of cardiovascular mechanics and the genesis and development of cardiovascular disease.


The 1994 Northridge mainshock and its aftershocks show a complex pattern of peak accelerations at stations located in the Los Angeles Basin. The waveforms contain multiples of body-wave phases and extensive surface waves at frequencies mostly below 1 Hz. In particular, for stations at distances greater than 18 km, secondary arrivals show larger accelerations than the direct S-wave arrivals. The mainshock waveforms are further complicated by irregularities of the source rupture. We use 2D finite difference to evaluate the effect of lateral variations in seismic velocity on the amplitude of shear-wave energy and to distinguish the effects of source and propagation path. We model waveforms from one aftershock recorded at nine stations deployed along a 60-km-long profile extending into the Los Angeles Basin. We use a two-dimensional slice through the 3D tomography model of the Los Angeles Basin in the 2D finite-difference calculations. These synthetic waveforms fit the aftershock waveforms significantly better than corresponding waveforms determined from simple 1D velocity models. With the addition of a thin low-velocity surface layer above the tomography model, the finite-difference synthetics reproduce most of the important features of the recorded data, in particular, the large-amplitude arrivals 7 to 10 sec following the direct S arrival. These arrivals correspond to the SS arrival, which is sharply refracted at the basin edge, and the S-wave with multiple legs trapped by the dipping near surface gradient. For large earthquakes located either inside or outside the basin, these phases can be the cause of the largest and hence potentially most hazardous shaking in the Los Angeles Basin.


Samples of La0.4Bi0.6Mn1−xTixO3 have been prepared and their microstructure, composition, and magnetic properties have been investigated for x = 0.05, 0.1, and 0.5.The deviation in the inverse susceptibility behavior from Curie-Weiss law and increase in susceptibility exponent indicates the evolution of the Griffith's phase in La0.4Bi0.6Mn1−xTixO3 around TC. The presence of Griffith's Phase is inferred due to magnetic frustration with increasing Ti concentration. The deviation between field cooled and zero field cooled magnetization curves is observed in these samples and is attributed to the appearance of the spin glass or cluster glass state that arises due to the magnetic anisotropy.


Recent observations of NGC 1068 and other AGN support the idea of a geometrically and optically thick dust torus surrounding the central supermassive black hole and accretion disk of AGN. In type 2 AGN, the torus is seen roughly edge-on, leading to obscuration of the central radiation source and a silicate absorption feature near $10~{\rm\mu m}$. While most of the current torus models distribute the dust smoothly, there is growing evidence that the dust must be arranged in clouds. We describe a new method for modeling near- and mid-infrared emission of 3-dimensional clumpy tori using Monte Carlo simulations . We calculate the radiation fields of individual clouds at various distances from the AGN and distribute these clouds within the torus region. The properties of the individual clouds and their distribution within the torus are determined from a theoretical approach of self-gravitating clouds close to the shear limit in a gravitational potential. We demonstrate that clumpiness in AGN tori can overcome the problem of over-pronounced silicate features. Finally, we present model calculations for the prototypical Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 1068 and compare them to recent high-resolution measurements. Our model is able to reproduce both the SED and the interferometric observations of NGC 1068 in the near- and mid-infrared.


The motion of a classical or quantum-mechanical charged particle in the unit square (with periodic boundary conditions) is investigated under the influence of periodic electromagnetic fields. It is shown that the external fields can be chosen in such a way that the configuration space of the particle is mapped periodically to itself according to Arnold's cat map. The time evolution of the quantum system shows the same degree of irregularity as does the classical time evolution which is completely dominated by the properties of the hyperbolic map. In particular, the eigenfunctions of the Floquet operator are determined analytically, and, as an immediate consequence, the spectrum of quasienergies in this system is seen to be absolutely continuous. Furthermore, spatial correlations decay exponentially. The observed features are in striking similarity to properties of classically chaotic systems; for example, long-time predictions of the future behavior of the system turn out to be extremely sensitive to the specification of the initial state. In other words, the time evolution of the quantum system is algorithmically complex. These phenomena, based on the formation of arbitrarily fine structures in the two-dimensional configuration space, require that the system absorb energy (provided by the external kicks) at an exponential rate.


ABSTRACT ABSTRACT ABSTRACT ABSTRACT In a child who is toilet trained the sudden onset of daytime wetting with frequency or urgency is alarming to the parents. Initially this subject was subdivided into a number of descriptive clinical conditions which led to a lot of confusion in recognition and management. Subsequently, the term elimination dysfunction was coined by Stephen Koff to emphasise the association between recurrent urinary infection, wetting, constipation and bladder overactivity. From a urodynamic point of view, in voiding dysfunction, there is either detrusor overactivity during bladder filling or dyssynergic action between the detrusor and the external sphincter during voiding. Identifying a given condition as a 'filling phase dysfunction' or 'voiding phase dysfunction' helps to provide appropriate therapy. Objective clinical criteria should be used to define voiding dysfunction. These include bladder wall thickening, large capacity bladder and infrequent voiding, bladder trabeculation and spinning top deformity of the urethra and a clinically demonstrated Vincent's curtsy. The recognition and treatment of constipation is central to the adequate treatment of voiding dysfunction. Transcutaneous electric nerve stimuation for the treatment of detrusor overactivity, biofeedback with uroflow EMG to correct dyssynergic voiding, and behavioral therapy all serve to correct voiding dysfunction in its early stages. In established neurogenic bladder disease the use of Botulinum Toxin A injections into the detrusor or the external sphincter may help in restoring continence especially in those refractory to drug therapy. However in those children in whom the upper tracts are threatened, augmentation of the bladder may still be needed.


This thesis involves the study of strong and weak gravity phenomenology within the braneworld paradigm. We begin with a general overview of the hypothesised concept of extra spatial dimensions and explain why they are so interesting. Turning next to the topic of classical four-dimensional black holes, we discuss their formation via gravitational collapse and indicate some of the strong observational evidence of their existence. We then merge the two independent theories of extra dimensions and black holes together to form braneworld black holes. Focusing our attention on two distinct braneworld scenarios, we examine the effects produced from either strong or weak gravity. The prospect of obtaining experimental verification of the existence of additional spacelike dimensions in the upcoming ground-based accelerators, makes the theoretical research of braneworld gravity within this thesis even more enticing. We start with a non-perturbative approach to look for exact, spherically symmetric star or black hole solutions on a Randall-Sundrum brane from the perspective of the five-dimensional spacetime. By fixing the background, we explore the permissible braneworld trajectories within it that correspond to a braneworld observer, the solutions of the brane Tolmann-Oppenheimer-Volkoff equations. A variety of static gravitating matter sources on the brane are obtained in a range of different backgrounds. Our final aim is a consistent brane embedding in a Schwarzschild- Anti de Sitter spacetime as these solutions are potential candidates for brane stars or black holes. The weak and dominant energy conditions determine the physically sensible solutions which have the interpretation of braneworld stars. We then study time-dependent trajectories as a possible description of time-dependent braneworld black holes. This work is then generalised by relaxing the simplifying assumption of Z(_2)-symmetry, previously imposed around the brane. Non-Z(_2) symmetric spacetimes are applicable in processes which concern only one side of the brane, for example black hole recoil or the emission of Hawking radiation. We determine that a subset of the allowed brane trajectories in an asymmetric background are exactly the same as the Z(_2)-symmetric case. Next, we explore perturbative gravity in the Hofava-Witten model of heterotic M-theory. The study of scalar and gravitational fluctuations determines that the radion mode is coupled to the bulk scalar field, indicating only one single degree of freedom. Our analysis also determines the instability of a black string. We then compute the complete mass spectrum of the graviton mode. Using the five-dimensional gravitational physics, we determine what the gravitational interaction an observer on the braneworld would perceive. This analysis involves the computation of the Newtonian potential between two test masses on the visible brane, together with the four-dimensional tensor structure of the massless graviton propagator. Finally, as an application to the earlier work, we comment on work which is in progress: the study of possible brane black hole solutions in low energy heterotic M-theory.


Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an insight into xylophagia, its treatment, intervention options, etiological causes and possible relationship with other diseases. Design/methodology/approach – A systematic search was performed across four scientific databases (i.e. Ovid Medline, Embase via Ovid, PubMed and ProQuest). All of the qualitative studies reporting on xylophagia from the inception of databases until August 2019 have been included. The quality of included studies was assessed through a ten-item checklist given by Kmet et al. (2004). Findings – A total of 18 studies were included, and five primary themes emerged after analysis: precipitation/onset of xylophagia, co-morbid psychiatric or medical illnesses, assessment and investigation modes to confirm diagnosis, outcomes of xylophagia and treatment options comprising medical care, psychological care, counseling and duration of recovery. There were 16 females and 9 males in included studies. The mean ages and standard deviations of males and females were 29.25(12.17) years and 32.81(11.92), respectively. The mean duration and standard deviation of paper pica were 4.80(4.27) years. Research limitations/implications – Despite the limitation that this meta-synthesis is based upon findings from case studies, results show that standardized medication regimens for treating xylophagia are still not available or are unknown. There is a dire need for further research in order to better understand the disorder. The healthcare professionals need to use reciprocal, mutually constituent influence of biological and sociocultural factors in order to screen, diagnose and manage complex psychological problems like xylophagia. Originality/value – The findings advance our understanding of the positive effects of patients and family members undergoing counseling or cognitive behavior therapy in reducing stress and enhancing coping skills thus, avoiding self-damaging behaviors.


Recently, the issue of the delimitation and definition of outer space has been put back on the agenda of the Legal Subcommittee of UNCOPUOS. This issue has of course many complex features. It effectively revisits the fundamental but rather theoretical debate between proponents of 'spatialism' and adherents to 'functionalism' when it comes to defining the essence of international space law. It reflects on a measure of absence of political will to establish any rigid delimitation and definition ahead of technical or other developments which may tend to ignore such legal borderlines. Moreover, even amongst those agreeing on the need to settle the issue, substantial differences of opinion rule as to for example where any borderline would have to be drawn. Either way, the fact that the issue is back on the agenda of the world's most authoritative space law-making institution, signifies that no arguments have so far been able to settle the matter once and for all. The present paper represents an effort to add another perspective to this debate. It is clear, that in the absence of any unequivocal and authoritative agreement so far on the international level, no treaty law exists settling the matter. No uniform interpretation, definition and delimitation of outer space and outer space law can be distilled. However, this does not exclude the possibility of customary law taking the place of treaty provisions on such principled matters. For the formation of customary law, the opinio juris sive necessitatis of individual states is a crucial factor. Copyright ©1998 by F.G. von der Dunk . Especially important in this context is the opinio juris of states which occupy a special and outstanding position in the field at issue. Such an opinio juris of an individual state could, in principle, very well be given shape in the form of national legislation on the relevant issue. The paper presents an effort to analyze the five cases of national space legislation presently in existence from that perspective. This concerns, in a non-chronological order, the Russian Federation, the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and South Africa. In other words: the first and second nation in space ever and today still the world's space superpowers, the third depositary of the first three space treaties, the state with the Northern-most operational space-base and the state with (in all probability) the Southern-most operational spacebase. Analysis of these cases thus might indeed have considerable relevance for the development of international space law on this issue. After an overview of the main arguments and issues on the international level, it will be evaluated therefore, whether these cases can give a further clue as to the debate on the delimitation-and-definition issue. To what extent do these laws proceed, explicitly or implicitly, from the concept of outer space as a distinct legal realm? To what extent would they perhaps provide arguments to establish the borderline of outer space at a certain height, assuming that the need for such delimitation is confirmed? In sum, to what extent do these five pieces of domestic legislation contribute to the further codification and development of international space law, amongst others as undertaken by UNCOPUOS? • Co-Director, International Institute of Air and Space Law, Leiden University, The Netherlands; Member IISL; Board Member, ECSL; Member, AIAA; Member ILA; Corresponding Member, CIDA-E. 254 von der Dunk in Proceedings of the Forty-First Colloquium on the Law of Outer Space 254-264 (1998). Copyright 1998, F.G. von der Dunk. Used by permission.


Abstract. During the CONCERT 2011 field experiment with the DLR research aircraft Falcon, an enhanced aerosol layer with particle linear depolarization ratios of 6–8% at 532 nm was observed at altitudes above 10 km over northeast Germany on 16 September 2011. Dispersion simulations with HYSPILT suggest that the elevated aerosol layer originated from the Pagami Creek forest fire in Minnesota, USA, which caused pyro-convective uplift of particles and gases. The 3–4 day-old smoke plume had high total refractory black carbon (rBC) mass concentrations of 0.03–0.35 μg m−3 at standard temperature and pressure (STP) with rBC mass equivalent diameter predominantly smaller than 130 nm. Assuming a core-shell particle structure, the BC cores exhibit very thick (median: 105–136 nm) BC-free coatings. A large fraction of the BC-containing particles disintegrated into a BC-free fragment and a BC fragment while passing through the laser beam of the Single Particle Soot Photometer (SP2). In this study, the disintegration is a result of very thick coatings around the BC cores. This is in contrast to a previous study in a forest-fire plume, where it was hypothesized to be a result of BC cores being attached to a BC-free particle. For the high-altitude forest-fire aerosol layer observed in this study, increased mass specific light-absorption cross sections of BC can be expected due to the very thick coatings around the BC cores, while this would not be the case for the attached-type morphology. We estimate the BC mass import from the Pagami Creek forest fire into the upper troposphere/lower stratosphere (UTLS) region (best estimate: 25 Mg rBC). A comparison to black carbon emission rates from aviation underlines the importance of pyro-convection on the BC load in the UTLS region. Our study provides detailed information on the microphysics and the mixing state of BC in the forest-fire aerosol layer in the upper troposphere that can be used to better understand and investigate the radiative impact of such upper tropospheric aerosol layers.


This thesis addresses the electronic structure of molecules and solids using resonant X-ray emission and photoemission spectroscopy. The use of monochromatic synchrotron radiation and the improved performance of the instrumentation have opened up the possibility of detailed analyses of the response of the electronic systems under interaction with X-rays. The experimental studies are accompanied by numerical ab initio calculations in the formalism of resonant inelastic scattering. The energy selectivity has made it possible for the first time to study how the chemical bonds in a molecule break up during resonant inelastic X-ray scattering. In the conjugated polymer systems, the element selectivity of the X-ray emission process made it possible to probe the different atomic elements separately. The X-ray emission technique proved to be useful for extracting isomeric information, and for measuring the change in the valence levels at different degrees of doping. In this thesis, spectral satellite features in transition metals were thoroughly investigated for various excitation energies around a core-level threshold. By measuring the relative spectral intensity of the satellites it was possible to extract information on the partial core-level widths. Using the nickel metal system as an example, it was shown that it is possible to probe the different core-excited states close toshake-up thresholds by measuring the relative spectral intensity variation of the Auger emission.Resonant photoemission measurements showed unambiguous evidence of interference effects. Theseeffects were also thoroughly probed using angle-dependent measurements. The combination of X-rayemission and absorption were useful for studying buried layers and interfaces due to the appreciable penetration depth of soft X-rays. X-ray scattering was further found to be useful for studying low-energy excited states of rare earth metallic compounds and transition metal oxides.