Purpose: The purpose of this research study was to compare the effectiveness of computer-based training with traditional classroom training; both instructional delivery methods utilized the traditional classroom curriculum as a means of delivery for an on-the-job company-sponsored program. The JAW-SAD Human Resource Center (HRC) is a training facility for the SAD Corporation, a major international manufacturing company. The HRC is responsible for conducting continuous training and certification of SAD employees. Historically, training has been provided through conference workshops with a traditional classroom training format. The motivation and importance for this study was influenced by an administrative requirement to determine the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of utilizing computer technology for all HRC training programs. The sample group for this research study was adult learners all over 25 years of age, an active employee of the corporation, and a job placement team member. Each Job Placement Team consists of a management, a union worker, and a medical representative. These teams are responsible for the job placements of medically restricted employees throughout the company. It is a company requirement that each team member take specific training for professional development and certification. Method: The research was guided by four questions. First, is there a significant difference in the understanding of the participants who took the computer-based training and the participants who took traditional classroom training? Second, is there a significant difference in the overall student satisfaction levels between participants in the computer-based training and participants in the classroom? Third, is there a significant difference in the course completion times for participants in the computer-based training and participants in the classroom training? Lastly, is there a significant difference in the company job placement rate post-Job Placement Team training? The data were collected and evaluated using both quantitative and qualitative methods. A company-designed pretest and posttest to measure learning and a company-required Participant Reaction Questionnaire to determine the overall effectiveness and participant satisfaction relative to the training class were utilized. A total of 83 participants completed all instruments and were included in the sample population. Additionally, course completion times were measured by recording the start and stop times for the classroom and the computer-based training, and data were collected from company quarterly reports to determine the job placement rate. Results: Analysis of the test score data revealed no significant difference in the understanding of the Job Placement Process at the end of the study between the participants who took the computer-based and the traditional training. However, student satisfaction yielded slightly higher scores from the participants in the traditional classroom training but, not statistically significant. Additionally, the summed scores for satisfaction with training were compared by demographic characteristics, including gender, race/ethnicity, employment status, and educational level. The data revealed that no statistically significant difference was found for the main effect of gender; it appeared that male and female participants in the two groups experienced similar levels of satisfaction with the training. An analysis was conducted to determine if satisfaction with training differed by group membership and race/ethnicity. The results of the analysis indicated satisfaction with training did not differ among African Americans and Caucasian participants. Further, satisfaction with training between participants in the two types of training programs and employment status, hourly/salaried, was compared. The difference in satisfaction with training by employment status was statistically significant. The computer-based training program mean score for the hourly participants was found to be lower than the mean score for those in the traditional training program. However, members of the computer-based group who were salaried had levels of satisfaction that were similar to both hourly and salaried members in the traditional class. Reviews of the results comparing satisfaction with training among participants with four different levels of education were not statistically significant. Based on this finding, it did not appear that satisfaction with training was related to the level of education. Additional findings did not support the null hypothesis that there was no significant difference in the course completion times. However, the findings did support that computer-based training has the potential to significantly impact the duration of time spent on company training courses. Lastly, the improved job placement data, as indicated through post-training company administrative reports, provide support that the training appeared to be effective in placing employees in jobs. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate no significant differences in test scores, participant satisfaction, or overall program effectiveness between the instructional methods. Based on the results of this study I recommend that a set of instructional activities utilizing computer-based technology modeled on an adult learning style design replace the current traditional classroom delivery method for the corporation Job Placement Teams. Further research should be conducted on the effect of computer-based technology as an instructional method to increase job performance in the areas of Health and Safety, Ergonomics, and Diversity certification programs. I also recommend research be conducted to determine if social networking for class participants has any long-term beneficial value to the company. Finally, research should be conducted to determine the actual training time for the traditional classroom delivery method excluding class breaks.


Deep learning is a field of machine learning that has been the focus of active research and successful applications in recent years. Offline handwriting recognition is one of the research fields and applications were deep neural networks have shown high accuracy. Deep learning models and their training pipeline show a large amount of hyper-parameters in their data selection, transformation, network topology and training process that are sometimes interdependent. This increases the overall difficulty and time necessary for building and training a model for a specific data set and task at hand. This work proposes a novel visualization-assisted workflow that guides the model developer through the hyper-parameter search in order to identify relevant parameters and modify them in a meaningful way. This decreases the overall time necessary for building and training a model. The contributions of this work are a workflow for hyper-parameter search in offline handwriting recognition and a heat map based visualization technique for deep neural networks in multi-line offline handwriting recognition. This work applies to offline handwriting recognition, but the general workflow can possibly be adapted to other tasks as well.


Background We performed this study to evaluate use of fresh and frozen sperm samples in non-obstructive azoospermia microdissection testicular sperm extraction (micro-TESE-ICSI) treatment. Methods We performed a total of 82 consecutive in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles at Fertijin IVF Center in Istanbul, Turkey from January 2010 to March 2012. In 43 participants we used fresh sperm and frozen sperm in the remaining 39 cases. We used fresh and frozen thawed micro surgical testicular sperm extraction (micro TESE) sperm for ICSI with metaphase II (MII) oocytes. Results Frozen microTESE sperm was used in 39 cycles, while 43 ICSI cycles were performed using fresh microTESE. Neither the age of male partners (38.33±5.93 and 38.13±8.28) nor that of the female participants (33.16±6.38 and 33.33±6.97) showed significant difference between fresh versus the microTESE and frozen treatment groups, respectively. FSH concentrations were (14.66±13.93 mIU/ml) in fresh TESE group and (17.91±16.29 mIU/ml) in frozen group with no correlations or differences between the two groups. The average number of mature oocytes injected with sperm was 9.23±3.77, versus 9.26±5.26 in cycles using fresh and frozen microTESE sperm, respectively. Fertilization rate was not significantly different in the fresh microTESE (44.79%) than frozen TESE sperm group (46.76%). The average number of transferred embryos was 1.60±0.49 in fresh sperm group and 1.59±0.50 in frozen sperm group. All embryo transfers were performed on day 3. Conclusion Cryopreservation of testicular sperm tissues is more suitable and of great benefite if carried out before ovulation induction and not after, especially in cases with non-obstructive azoospermia.


This study employed an experimental simulation to examine how well individuals and an entire distributed team could perform tasks when some members changed locations. Meanwhile, on a theoretical level it probed into the mechanism of how personnel rotation affected performance. We found that the impacts of personnel movements were asymmetric within a distributed team. Individuals shifting from a collocated office to a computer-mediated communication (CMC) site and those remaining at CMC sites performed worse after the rotation treatment. In contrast, people moving from a CMC site to a collocated site and those remaining in the collocated office did better after the rotation. Due to the cancel-out effect of the asymmetric impacts, the performance of an overall team seemed to be stable throughout personnel movements. The findings of this paper help unify the inconsistent literature and optimize the personnel rotation strategies.


Functional RNAs (fRNAs) are being recognized as an important regulatory component in biological processes. Interestingly, recent computational studies suggest that the number and biological significance of functional RNAs within coding regions (coding fRNAs) may have been underestimated. We hypothesized that such coding fRNAs will impose additional constraint on sequence evolution because the DNA primary sequence has to simultaneously code for functional RNA secondary structures on the messenger RNA in addition to the amino acid codons for the protein sequence. To test this prediction, we first utilized computational methods to predict conserved fRNA secondary structures within multiple species alignments of Saccharomyces sensu strico genomes. We predict that as much as 5% of the genes in the yeast genome contain at least one functional RNA secondary structure within their protein-coding region. We then analyzed the impact of coding fRNAs on the evolutionary rate of protein-coding genes because a decrease in evolutionary rate implies constraint due to biological functionality. We found that our predicted coding fRNAs have a significant influence on evolutionary rates (especially at synonymous sites), independent of other functional measures. Thus, coding fRNA may play a role on sequence evolution. Given that coding regions of humans and flies contain many more predicted coding fRNAs than yeast, the impact of coding fRNAs on sequence evolution may be substantial in genomes of higher eukaryotes.


This research examines hospital digital advantage, defined as a hospital's technological edge relative to its competitors across a composite of technologies supporting the hospital's various functions and processes. Drawing on Bourdieu's forms of capital and the logic of digital options, we develop an integrative conceptual framework to identify and organize antecedents of digital advantage, which can translate to hospital performance through the creation of digital options. Focusing on the antecedents of digital advantage for our research model and hypotheses, we suggest that digital advantage is influenced by (1) economic capital, (2) institutional-arrangement-based social capital that results in knowledge sharing through information exchange networks and parent organization membership, (3) geographic-proximity-based social capital due to locational externalities that facilitate knowledge spillover, and (4) cultural capital that reflects the hospital's health information technology (HIT) knowledge stock. Our findings, based on the aggregate adoption of 90 HITs by 953 hospitals, support main effects; complementary effects of the two forms of social capital; and substitutive effects between (1) economic capital and other forms of capital such that cultural capital and both types of social capital mitigate the effects of inadequate economic capital, and between (2) institutional-arrangement-based social capital and cultural capital such that knowledge shared through institutional arrangements mitigates the effects of having inadequate in-house HIT expertise. We also provide preliminary evidence to show that hospital digital advantage is positively associated with hospital performance.


A new lifecycle of women's employment emerged with cohorts born in the 1950s. For prior cohorts, lifecycle employment had a hump shape; it increased from the twenties to the forties, hit a peak and then declined starting in the fifties. The new lifecycle of employment is initially high and flat, there is a dip in the middle and a phasing out that is more prolonged than for previous cohorts. The hump is gone, the middle is a bit sagging and the top has greatly expanded. We explore the increase in cumulative work experience for women from the 1930s to the 1970s birth cohorts using the SIPP and the HRS. We investigate the changing labor force impact of a birth event across cohorts and by education and also the impact of taking leave or quitting. We find greatly increased labor force experience across cohorts, far less time out after a birth and greater labor force recovery for those who take paid or unpaid leave. Increased employment of women in their older ages is related to more continuous work experience across the lifecycle.


After the liberation (1828) the land that belonged to the Turks became state-owned land. A large part of the state's revenue was covered by the rent. The distribution of national domain, as it was called; in the year 1871 solved the problem that arose by the farmer's discomfort against the state-landlord. A new important issue arose by the adaptation of Thessaly (1881), where the Turks when they were leaving, sold their land, often for very low price, to Greek capitalists. Thus, the manors appeared. This issue took tremendous dimensions at the beginning of the 20th century with the villagers' riots at this region. After the Balkan Wars (1912, 1913) and World War I the annexation of Macedonia, Epirus and Thrace, where domains prevailed, inflated the problem. The entrance of the refugees after the Asia Minor disaster (1922) led the governments to extended land consolidation. In order to multiply the farming lands, at the decade of 1930, large productive works were carried out in northern Greece (drainage of lakes, ponds etc.). After World War II the program of land-improvement works was accelerated and as a result the number of irrigated lands was significantly increased and the cultivated land differed, while the plantations expanded very quickly. During 1950 to 80 through subsidy loans by the public Agriculture Bank, a modernization of agriculture was attempted (mechanization, improved seeds, pesticides etc) and restructuring of farming was partially achieved. The aim of this paper hereof is double: Firstly, it seeks to investigate, something which does not exist in Greek bibliography, what was the value of the land, in relevance to the capital accumulation, not only in the whole country, but also per prefecture and secondly, which was the contribution of the land improvement at the growth of the product. The data arose from long-term investigation of authors over the subject of framing the agriculture economy sizes and the method was based on the archives consultation.


The current sectarian conflicts in the Middle East did not arise solely from renewed geopolitical rivalries between regional powers. They are also rooted in a solid, theological articulation proposed by classic Islamic political theology. The exclusivist approach, which is a decisive part of the political, social and religious reality of today's Middle East, benefits from a formidable theological legacy. Coining the notion of 'othering theology', this paper not only explores the ideas of leading classical theologians who have articulated a puritanical understanding of faith, but also explicates the politico-historical context in which these theologians rationalised their quarrels. Given the pervasive presence of these theologies in the contemporary sectarian polemics, the study of classical othering theology is highly relevant and, indeed, crucial to any attempt to overcome sectarianism in the region.


We test the reliability of an inverse model to estimate the amount of mass released instantaneously by a source of pollutant in a turbulent boundary layer. To that purpose we use wind tunnel experiments simulating the dispersion of puffs due to the impulsive release of pollutant. For each of these emissions we recorded time dependent signals at fixed receptors. These single signals have been used as input data for an inverse dispersion model in order to evaluate its error in estimating the real emission of pollutant. The inversion has been also performed using the ensemble average of the 100 signals as input data. The comparison of both approaches allows us to discuss the reliability of an atmospheric dispersion inverse model in real situations.


Prepaid energy meters have been widely adopted by utilities in different countries across the world as an innovative solution to the problem of affordability and consumption management. However, the present smart card based systems have some inherent problems like added cost, low availability and lack of security. In the future Smart Grid paradigm, use of smart meters can completely overhaul these prepaid systems by introducing centralized accounting, monitoring and credit-control functions using state-of-the-art telecommunication technologies like WiMAX. In this paper we pro-pose a prepaid smart metering scheme for Smart Grid application based on centralized authentication and charging using the WiMAX prepaid accounting model. We then discuss its specific application to Demand Response and Roam-ing of Electrical Vehicles.


Background Although several authors have analyzed the effects of spirituality on stroke survivors' physical functioning and on their own caregiver's outcomes, such as quality of life, only few authors have explored the interaction between spirituality and anxiety and depression using a dyadic approach. Objectives The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of spirituality in the stroke survivor–caregiver dyad and specifically on anxiety and depression in both parties. Methods A total of 217 stroke survivor–caregiver dyads were enrolled at discharge from several rehabilitation hospitals in central and southern Italy. The actor-partner interdependence model was used to analyze the dyadic data. To verify the differences in the effects between survivors and caregivers, comparisons were made between the χ2 values of the model in which actor and partner effects were constrained to be equal. Results The average age of stroke survivors and their caregivers at baseline was 71.2 and 52.7 years, respectively. Among the stroke survivors, there were slightly more men than women, whereas 65% of the caregivers were women. Most stroke survivors had had an ischemic stroke. Four statistically significant actor effects were identified. Higher survivors' and caregivers' spirituality was associated with higher survivor and caregiver anxiety. The only significant partner effect that was identified was the association between stroke survivor spirituality and caregiver depression. Conclusions This study highlights the importance of studying spirituality in the population with stroke. Spirituality seems to play an important protective role in both stroke survivors' and caregivers' depression but not in anxiety.


Tissue engineering aims to grow artificial tissues in vitro to replace those in the body that have been damaged through age, trauma or disease. A recent approach to engineer artificial cartilage involves seeding cells within a scaffold consisting of an interconnected 3D-printed lattice of polymer fibres combined with a cast or printed hydrogel, and subjecting the construct (cell-seeded scaffold) to an applied load in a bioreactor. A key question is to understand how the applied load is distributed throughout the construct. To address this, we employ homogenisation theory to derive equations governing the effective macroscale material properties of a periodic, elastic–poroelastic composite. We treat the fibres as a linear elastic material and the hydrogel as a poroelastic material, and exploit the disparate length scales (small inter-fibre spacing compared with construct dimensions) to derive macroscale equations governing the response of the composite to an applied load. This homogenised description reflects the orthotropic nature of the composite. To validate the model, solutions from finite element simulations of the macroscale, homogenised equations are compared to experimental data describing the unconfined compression of the fibre-reinforced hydrogels. The model is used to derive the bulk mechanical properties of a cylindrical construct of the composite material for a range of fibre spacings and to determine the local mechanical environment experienced by cells embedded within the construct.


We propose a novel all-optical, nonlinear mode-conversion scheme based on cascaded three-wave-mixing phase-matched interactions in quadratic nonlinear crystals. We demonstrate the method experimentally by performing all-optical mode conversion of an input 1636 nm Hermite-Gaussian mode from the zeroth order to the first order using two periodically poled LiNbO(3) crystals. Nonlinear mode conversion of an input beam into a higher order, orthogonally polarized output beam can be realized using only one quasiperiodic nonlinear structure. Moreover, it can be enhanced for conversion of complex modes, e.g., Laguerre-Gaussian or Bessel modes.


Prevalence of diabetes has drastically increased over the past decade and it has a debilitating effect on one's quality of life. The Insulin Pump is a relatively new modality in the management of Diabetic patients. The objective of our case series was to assess the impact of insulin pump on glycemic control and quality of life of diabetic patients. In this case series we have presented four Type 2 diabetic cases which presented with different common complications associated with diabetes as well as its management, particularly the complication of hypoglycemic episodes. Worldwide introduction of insulin pump can prove to be a trend changer in the management of diabetes


Evaluating the economic conditions of local economies is an important input to the decisions of policymakers, firms, and individuals. General impressions of the condition of national or state economies obtained from aggregate data often mask important substate differences in economic performance. State economic profiles are useful tools for presenting the dynamics of substate economic change. Because their economic conditions and environments can be very different, rural and urban areas are often compared in such profiles. This report describes the major components of a complete economic profile, with special emphasis on rural-urban comparisons. A catalog of data sources and a discussion of their value and potential abuses is provided. Techniques for deriving and interpreting meaningful information from the data are also presented.


Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and their associated CRISPR-associated sequence (CAS) proteins constitute a novel antiviral defence system that is widespread in prokaryotes. Repeats are separated by spacers, some of them homologous to sequences in mobile genetic elements. Although the whole process involved remains uncharacterized, it is known that new spacers are incorporated into CRISPR loci of the host during a phage challenge, conferring specific resistance against the virus. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that such interference is based on small RNAs carrying a spacer. These RNAs would guide the defence apparatus to foreign molecules carrying sequences that match the spacers. Despite this essential role, the spacer uptake mechanism has not been addressed. A first step forward came from the detection of motifs associated with spacer precursors (proto-spacers) of Streptococcus thermophilus, revealing a specific recognition of donor sequences in this species. Here we show that the conservation of proto-spacer adjacent motifs (PAMs) is a common theme for the most diverse CRISPR systems. The PAM sequence depends on the CRISPR-CAS variant, implying that there is a CRISPR-type-specific (motif-directed) choice of the spacers, which subsequently determines the interference target. PAMs also direct the orientation of spacers in the repeat arrays. Remarkably, observations based on such polarity argue against a recognition of the spacer precursors on transcript RNA molecules as a general rule.


Boost converters are electronic devices that are widely used to power devices that require a higher voltage than the input voltage supply can deliver. When designing boost converter systems, it is difficult to optimize component values without damaging components. Models and simulations of a boost converter are developed to give insight into how to design the system and prevent harm to the boost converter. In particular, a state-space averaged (SSA) model of a DC-DC boost converter that includes a secondary inductor and parasitic resistances is developed. This model is then further developed to match a hardware bidirectional DC-DC boost converter that operates in continuous conduction mode (CCM) and uses voltage-mode with current-mode control. The SSA model is used to simulate an actual hardware boost converter system. The SSA based simulation successfully matched experimental data of the hardware boost converter system at low (10kW) and medium (60 – 120kW) level power outputs, but only approximately matched the system behavior at high (250kW) level power outputs.


The measure "mu", proposed as an index of the ability to coordinate concurrent box-crossing (BC) and digit-span (DS) tasks in the dual task (DT), should reflect the capacity of the executive component of the working memory system. We investigated the effect of practice in BC and of a change in the digit span on mu by adding previous practice trials in BC and diminishing, maintaining or increasing the digit sequence length. The mu behavior was evaluated throughout three trials of the test. Reported strategies in digit tasks were also analyzed. Subjects with diminished span showed the best performance in DT due to a stable performance in DS and BC in the single- and dual-task conditions. These subjects also showed a more stable performance throughout trials. Subjects with diminished span tended to employ effortless strategies, whereas subjects with increased span employed effort-requiring strategies and showed the lowest means of mu. Subjects with initial practice trials showed the best performance in BC and the most differentiated performance between the single- and dual-task conditions in BC. The correlation coefficient between the mu values obtained in the first and second trials was 0.814 for subjects with diminished span and practice trials in BC. It seems that the within-session practice in BC and the performance variability in DS affect the reliability of the index mu. To control these factors we propose the introduction of previous practice trials in BC and a modification of the current method to determine the digit sequence length. This proposal should contribute to the development of a more reliable method to evaluate the executive capacity of coordination in the dual-task paradigm.


The concept of street efficacy, defined as the perceived ability to avoid violent confrontations and to be safe in one's neighborhood, is proposed as a mechanism connecting aspects of adolescents'"imposed" environments to the choices they make in creating their own "selected" environments that minimize the potential for violent confrontations. Empirical models using data from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods suggest that street efficacy is substantially influenced by various aspects of the social context surrounding adolescents. Adolescents who live in neighborhoods with concentrated disadvantage and low collective efficacy, respectively, are found to have less confidence in their ability to avoid violence after controlling for an extensive set of individual- and family-level factors. Exposure to violence also reduces street efficacy, although it does not explain the association between collective efficacy and individual street efficacy. Adolescents' confidence in their ability to avoid violence is shown to be an important predictor of the types of environments they select for themselves. In particular, adolescents with high levels of street efficacy are less likely to resort to violence themselves or to associate with delinquent peers.


Information on levels of genetic variation is a prerequisite for successful natural resource management and genetic improvement programs. In this study we aimed to identify genetically distinct stocks of North African catfish, Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822) in Thailand which could be used as germplasm sources for a selective breeding program. Four hatchery stocks (n = 50 fish/population) were sampled, three from northeastern provinces (Sakon Nakhon, SN; Nong Khai, NK; and Nakhon Ratchasima, NR), and one from central Thailand (Nakhon Nayok, NY). Six microsatellite loci were scored using primers developed for this species. The results revealed significant genetic differentiation among stocks (FST = 0.096; CI= 0.045–0.166) with all but one pair of stocks (NK vs SN) being significantly different, as shown by pair-wise FST. Three stocks showed homozygote excess. Further analyses showed no recent bottlenecks, but some evidence of genotype disequilibrium. Allele diversity was low (A ranged from 6.00–7.00; Ae ranged from 3.43–4.59) while heterozygosity was moderate (Ho ranged from 0.52–0.72; He ranged from 0.67–0.77). The effective population sizes (Ne) based on linkage disequilibrium method were between 22.2 and 133 individuals. The neighbor-joining (NJ) tree was robust and revealed the closest genetic relationship between SN and NK, which were clearly separated from NR and NY. Two groups of stocks (northeastern, NK+NR+SN vs NY) showed highest variation among groups (13%) as revealed by AMOVA. The results apparently revealed genetically distinct stocks of North African catfish in Thailand which are useful for establishing a base population for a genetic improvement program.


The research notes that deficiencies in knowledge acquisition are impeding the
advancement of Knowledge Intensive Systems (KIS), such as Expert Systems (ES)
and Decision Support Systems (DSS). Humphreys (1989) maintains the problem is
not the quantity of knowledge collected but its quality. Humphreys (1989) contends
that 'Knowledge' has too narrow a definition in knowledge acquisition dogma and a
wider definition of 'knowledge' capable of handling 'procedural uncertainty' is
required.
'Tacit knowledge' by which Polanyi (1967) contends individuals interpret the world
appears a fruitful area to widen the definition of knowledge. The subjective nature
of tacit knowledge makes its explication problematic, however, it is noted that tacit
knowledge has a social aspect (interiorization) which appears amenable to sociological
investigation.
On the basis of the above it seemed prudent to focus the investigation down to the
following research question,
'On the basis of its nature, is there a method whereby at least some
tacit knowledge can be explicated for.
a) building the knowledge base;
b) more accurately predicting or planing for its usage and for
setting expectations.'
To test the thesis, a pilot investigation was undertaken at a local Housing Association
in order to gain first hand experience of knowledge acquisition. Examples of how
experts tacitally classify their domain were identified and methods of explicating this knowledge were tentatively formulated.
The above resulted in the formulation of a new perspective: traditionally KBS has
concerned itself with eliciting knowledge to be embodied in the knowledge base,
whereas, IS has concerned itself in gaining the knowledge involved in the systems
use/interpretation.
Fieldwork was later conducted in the maternity units of two local hospitals in order
to test the generalizability of these methods.
Five methods for the explication of tacit knowledge were identified.
1) The analysis of the reification of existing systems and the rationality internal
to these systems, can be used to explicate tacit knowledge.
2) More than one set of tacit knowledge can be present in one domain. Points
where two sets of tacit knowledge interact expose contradictions which can be
used as a tool to explicate the tacit knowledge of both groups.
3) The analysis of anecdotes revealed how domains were tacitally delimited and
the 'criticality' of tasks within a domain.
4) Action research using a 'mock up' data base revealed tacitally held domain
knowledge with implications for micro level criticality, of particular
importance to interface design.
5) The thesis identified knowledge acquisition as a method of sociological
investigation.


Frankfurt/Ingolstadt, September 11, 2017 – With the four-door design vision Audi Aicon, the brand with the four rings is presenting a autonomous Audi of the future – with no steering wheel or pedals. As a design concept, the four-door 2+2 boldly leaps ahead to show the exterior and interior design of the next decades. The technology demonstrator combines innovations relating to the drivetrain, suspension, digitalization and sustainability in a visionary manner. The Aicon, too, is designed for purely electric operation and should be able to cover distances between 700 and 800 kilometers (435.0 497.1 mi) on a single charge.


Despite strong evidence of protective benefits, thermal discomfort is a key disincentive to motorcyclists wearing protective clothing in hot conditions. This paper presents some findings from our studies concerning the thermal management properties of motorcycle protective clothing and their physiological impact in hot conditions. The thermal and vapour permeability and abrasion resistance properties of motorcycle protective clothing were investigated in laboratory tests. The physiological and cognitive impact on humans was investigated using objective and subjective measures under controlled climate conditions and in a real-world riding trial. The aims were to determine: (i) if associations existed between thermal management and the abrasion-resistance properties of a range of commonly available, all-season motorcycle protective suits, (ii) the extent of the thermal load imposed by motorcycle clothing worn in average Australian summer conditions, and (iii) the impact of that thermal burden on psychophysical function. The results demonstrated significant physiological strain for motorcyclists wearing protective clothing in hot conditions. Wide variations in the thermal characteristics and abrasion resistance properties of the suits tested were identified. Ongoing work is investigating the impact that elevated thermal discomfort and physiological thermal strain can have on riding performance and the potential for clothing features, such as ventilation ports to reduce thermal discomfort. These results will determine thresholds for the thermal qualities of motorcycle clothing required for an acceptable compromise between user comfort and injury protection. The outcome will inform industry and consumer information programs about the performance required of motorcycle protective clothing suitable for use in hot conditions.


In the last decades, image production has grown significantly. From digital photographs to the medical scans, including satellite images and video films, more and more data need to be processed. Consequently the number of applications based on digital images has increased, either for medicine, research for country planning or for entertainment business such as animation or video games. All these areas, although very different one to another, need the same image processing techniques. Among all these techniques, segmentation is probably one of the most studied because of its important role. Segmentation is the process of extracting meaningful objects from an image. This task, although easily achieved by the human visual system, is actually complex and still a true challenge for the image processing community despite several decades of research. The thesis work presented in this manuscript proposes solutions to the image segmentation problem in a well established mathematical framework, i.e. variational models. The image is defined in a continuous space and the segmentation problem is expressed through a functional or energy optimization. Depending on the object to be segmented, this energy definition can be difficult; in particular for objects with ambiguous borders or objects with textures. For the latter, the difficulty lies already in the definition of the term texture. The human eye can easily recognize a texture, but it is quite difficult to find words to define it, even more in mathematical terms. There is a deliberate vagueness in the definition of texture which explains the difficulty to conceptualize a model able to describe it. Often these textures can neither be described by homogeneous regions nor by sharp contours. This is why we are first interested in the extraction of texture features, that is to say, finding one representation that can discriminate a textured region from another. The first contribution of this thesis is the construction of a texture descriptor from the representation of the image similar to a surface in a volume. This descriptor belongs to the framework of non-supervised segmentation, since it will not require any user interaction. The second contribution is a solution for the segmentation problem based on active contour models and information theory tools. Third contribution is a semi-supervised segmentation model, i.e. where constraints provided by the user will be integrated in the segmentation framework. This processus is actually derived from the graph of image patches. This graph gives the connectivity measure between the different points of the image. The segmentation will be expressed by a graph partition and a variational model. This manuscript proposes to tackle the segmentation problem for textured images.


In this thesis we study approximation of negative plurisubharmonic functions by functions defined on strictly larger domains. We show that, under certain conditions, every function u that is defined on a bounded hyperconvex domain Ω in Cn and has essentially boundary values zero and bounded Monge-Ampere mass, can be approximated by an increasing sequence of functions {uj} that are defined on strictly larger domains, has boundary values zero and bounded Monge-Ampere mass. We also generalize this and show that, under the same conditions, the approximation property is true if the function u has essentially boundary values G, where G is a plurisubharmonic functions with certain properties. To show these approximation theorems we use subextension. We show that if Ω_1 and Ω_2 are hyperconvex domains in Cn and if u is a plurisubharmonic function on Ω_1 with given boundary values and with bounded Monge-Ampere mass, then we can find a plurisubharmonic function u defined on Ω_2, with given boundary values, such that u <= u on Ω and with control over the Monge-Ampere mass of u.


The conventional wisdom is that politicians' rent-seeking motives increase public debt and deficits. This is because myopic politicians face political risk and prefer to extract political rents as early as possible. An implication of this argument is that governments will under-save during a boom, leaving the economy unprotected in the event of a downturn. This view motivates a number of fiscal rules which are aimed at cutting deficits and constraining borrowing so as to limit the size of this political distortion. In this paper we study the determination of government debt and deficits in a dynamic model of debt which characterizes political distortions. We find that in our model the conventional wisdom always applies in the long run, but only does so in the short run when economic volatility is low. Instead, when economic volatility is high, a rent-seeking government over-saves and over-taxes along the equilibrium path relative to a benevolent government. Paradoxically, the over-saving bias can also be solved in this case by a rule of capping deficits, although the mechanism operates through its effect on expectations of future rent extraction rather than though the contemporary constraint. However, these rules are ineffective in solving the high taxation problem caused by the political friction, which in the short run is more acute in the high income volatility scenario.


SPORT IN SOCIETY is the definitive text for the sport sociology course. Taking a global, issues-oriented approach to study the role of sport in society, this text encourages the discussion of current sports-related controversies and helps students develop critical thinking skills.


In this article, we are concerned with the ethical implications of the entanglement of embodiment and non-human materialities. We argue for an approach to embodiment which recognises its inextricable relationship with multiple materialities. From this, three ethical points are made: first, we argue for an ethical relation to 'things' not simply as inanimate objects but as the neglected Others of humanity's (social and material) world. Second, there is a need to recognise different particularities within these entanglements. We draw on the work of Merleau-Ponty and Levinas to think through how the radical alterity of these Others can be acknowledged, whilst also recognising our intercorporeal intertwining with them. Third, we argue that recognition of this interconnectedness and entanglement is a necessary ethical and political position from which the drawing of boundaries and creation of separations that are inherent in social organising can be understood and which contribute to the denigration, discrimination and dismissal of particular forms of embodiment, including those of non-human Others. In order to explore the ethical implications of these entanglements, we draw upon fieldwork in a large UK-based not-for-profit organisation which seeks to provide support for disabled people through a diverse range of services. Examining entanglements in relation to the disabled body makes visible and problematises the multiple differences of embodiments and their various interrelationships with materiality.


"Anaphora" is a label used for a referential expression that connects one entity (e.g. a pronoun) to another previously established entity (e.g. a proper name). The previously established entity is called an antecedent. The use of anaphora will, in this study, be referred to as referential behaviour. The study was based around audio and video recordings of free play between a Swedish parent and his/her child. 10 parents and their children were recorded. The referential behaviour of the parents was analysed. The sessions took place when the children were 3, 6, 9 and 12 months old. Recent studies indicate that speech directed at children during a child's first six months contains a larger amount of pronouns than the speech directed at children between 6 and 12 months of age. The purpose of the study was to examine if the decline of pronouns was visible in Swedish child- directed speech, and to see how different types of anaphora appeared in the same speech. Correlations between the visible changes of different types of referential expressions were also examined. A drop in the use of anaphoric pronoun with an explicit antecedent was found for the last two ages, which confirmed the study's hypothesis. The results were also compared to each child's vocabulary development.


ABSTRACT Three lithologically and structurally diverse melanges occur within an early Paleozoic (Early-Middle Ordovician) subduction complex in the central Appalachian orogen. Type I melange, characterized by horizon of variabls y deformed sandstone and scaly mudstone that alternate with coherent sandstone-rich sequences, is interpreted to reflect accretion-related deformation of water-saturated trench deposits. Type II melange, composed of exotic radiolaria-bearing mudstone clasts in a scaly mudstone matrix, can be explained by remo biliza-tion and mixing of inner-trench slope sediments. Type III melange is a poorly sorted polymict assemblage of native lithology clasts in a scaly mudstone matrix. Evidence o f forceful injection of matrix mud into clasts and inferred discordant contacts between melange and surrounding bedded deposits suggest that the type III melange formed from mud diapirism. The close association o f these melanges points out the diversity of tectonic and sedimentary processes previously documented from modern convergent margins that may be reflected in older sub-duction complexes. INTRODUCTION


Stochastic optimization models for containing a groundwater contaminant plume through the installation and operation of pumping wells are developed. Two related formulations are presented—stochastic programming with recourse and robust optimization—and their solutions compared. Both models assume a two-stage decision process in which the decision of how many and where to locate wells is made first, and then the pumping rates of the wells are selected upon observing system performance. Both models also allow the decision maker to evaluate the trade off between the expected cost and the risk of gradient violations. However, through the addition of a term representing the risk of cost overruns, robust optimization is likely to be more useful to a risk-averse decision maker. The mixed-integer nonlinear (nonconvex) optimization problems resulting from these formulations are solved using an extension of generalized Benders decomposition (GBD). Computational results show that GBD can find globally optimal solutions even when the nonlinear subproblems are nonconvex, though global opthnality cannot be guaranteed a priori .


Abstract. The generation mechanism for naturally enhanced ion-acoustic echoes is still debated. One important issue is how these enhancements are related to auroral activity. All events of enhanced ion-acoustic echoes observed simultaneously with the EISCAT Svalbard Radar (ESR) and with high-resolution narrow field-of-view auroral imagers have been collected and studied. Characteristic of all the events is the appearance of very dynamic rayed aurora, and some of the intrinsic features of these auroral displays are identified. Several of these identified features are directly related to the presence of low energy (10-100eV) precipitating electrons in addition to the higher energy population producing most of the associated light. The low energy contribution is vital for the formation of the enhanced ion-acoustic echoes. We argue that this type of aurora is sufficient for the generation of naturally enhanced ion-acoustic echoes. In one event two imagers were used to observe the auroral rays simultaneously, one from the radar site and one 7km away. The data from these imagers shows that the auroral rays and the strong backscattering filaments (where the enhanced echoes are produced) are located on the same field line, which is in contrast to earlier statements in the litterature that they should be separated.


A meta-cognitive classification and analysis of factors contributing to the development of problematic worry is presented. Dimensions of meta-beliefs, meta-worry, cognitive consciousness, and strategies can be distinguished. A cognitive model of Generalized Anxiety Disorder is advanced based on this framework in which GAD results from an interaction between the motivated use of worry as a coping strategy, negative appraisal of worry, and worry control attempts. These factors result from combinations of dysfunctional meta-beliefs and contribute to subjectively diminished cognitive control. The model presents new implications for a cognitive therapy of GAD, and these are illustrated with a single case treatment study.


The post-1980 era witnessed an increase in the frequency and severity of financial crises around the globe, the majority of which took place in low- and middle-income countries. Studies of the impacts of these crises have identified three broad sets of consequences. First, the burden of crises falls disproportionately on labor in general and low-income segments of society in particular. In the years following financial crises, wages and labor share of income fall, the rate of unemployment increases, the power of labor and labor unions is eroded, and income inequality and rates of poverty increase. Capital as a whole, on the other hand, usually recovers quickly and most of the time gains more ground. Second, the consequences of crises are visible not only through asset and income distribution, but also in government policies. Government policies in most cases favor capital, especially financial capital, at the expense of large masses. In addition, many crises have presented opportunities for further deregulation and liberalization, not only in financial markets but in the rest of the economy as well. Third, in the aftermath of financial crises in low- and middle-income economies, capital inflows may increase as international capital seeks to take advantage of the crisis and acquire domestic financial and non-financial assets. The 2007–2008 financial crisis in the US provides an opportunity to extend this analysis to a leading high-income country and see if the patterns visible in other crises are also visible in this case. Using the questions and issues typically raised in examinations of low- and middle- income countries, we study the consequences of the 2007–2008 US financial crisis and complement the budding literature on the 'Great Recession.' In particular, we examine the impacts of the crisis on labor and capital, with a focus on distributional effects of the crisis such as changes in income shares of labor and capital, and the evolution of inequality and poverty. We also analyse the role of government policies through a study of government taxation and spending policies, and examine capital flow patterns.


The book has been written to provide genuine domain knowledge to programmers who wish to learn web-based application development using PHP as a server-side programming language, Apache as the Web Server and Oracle 10g as a DBMS of choice all run on Linux. Learning web development is done through a set of examples and is finally strongly reinforced by the development of a Personnel Management System. The Personnel Management System is developed using PHP, served via Apache Web Server using Oracle 10g as the data store. This is something web based application development companies worldwide require today. A special chapter covering the installation of Red Hat Linux Advanced Server 3 is included. THE TOPICS COVERED IN THE BOOK Understanding the Framework Installation of Red Hat Linux Advanced Server 3.0 Installation of Apache Web Server Installation of Oracle 10g Database Installation of PHP Testing PHP and Oracle Integration Basic SQL Techniques Advanced SQL Techniques Understanding the PHP Language Basics, Conditional Statements and Iterations, Functions and Arrays, Working with Web Pages, File Handling and Regular Expressions Building Personnel Management System Configure the Environment, Manual and Project Processing CONTENTS OF THE CD-ROM Setup Files for Oracle Database 10g XE, Apache 2 and PHP 5.1 for Linux Source Code for every Example in this Book Solutions to Hands on Exercises Video Footage Installation of Red Hat Linux Advanced Server 3.0, Oracle Database 10g XE, Apache 2 and PHP 5.1, Integration between Apache, PHP and Oracle


In network (e.g., Web) servers, it is often desirable to isolate the performance of different classes of requests from each other. That is, one seeks to achieve that a certain minimal proportion of server resources are available for a class of requests, independent of the load imposed by other requests. Recent work demonstrates how to achieve this performance isolation in servers consisting of a single, centralized node; however, achieving performance isolation in a distributed, cluster based server remains a problem.
This paper introduces a new abstraction, the cluster reserve, which represents a resource principal in a cluster based network server. We present a design and evaluate a prototype implementation that extends existing techniques for performance isolation on a single node server to cluster based servers.
In our design, the dynamic cluster-wide resource management problem is formulated as a constrained optimization problem, with the resource allocations on individual machines as independent variables, and the desired cluster-wide resource allocations as constraints. Periodically collected resource usages serve as further inputs to the problem.
Experimental results show that cluster reserves are effective in providing performance isolation in cluster based servers. We demonstrate that, in a number of different scenarios, cluster reserves are effective in ensuring performance isolation while enabling high utilization of the server resources.


According to the field of quantum cognition, a decision to act is best expressed as a quantum process, where entangled ideas and feelings combine and interfere in the mind to produce a complex, context-dependent response. While the quantum approach has proved successful at modelling many aspects of human behaviour, it is less clear how relevant this is to the economy. This paper argues that the financial system is characterised by three kinds of entanglement: at the individual level between concepts, at the social level with other people, and at the financial level through the use of credit. These entanglements combine in such a way that cognitive processes at the individual level scale up to affect the economy as a whole, in a manner which is best modelled using quantum techniques. The approach is illustrated by making a retroactive "postdiction" about the prevalence of strategic mortgage default during the financial crisis, and a prediction for future such crises.


ABSTRACT Vietnam has become one of the fastest growing economies. The economic renovation policy initiated in 1986, aims to transform Vietnam into a market oriented economy. The economic renovation has created profound changes for enterprises, making human resource management (HRM) a vital matter. One of the most important aims set up by the State has been to restructure the state-owned enterprises (SOEs) through equitization processes. The State believes that equitized state owned enterprises (ESOEs) will contribute to Vietnam's economic growth since ESOEs have been applying management practices utilized in developed countries. This paper focuses on HRM practices, and proposes a relationship between these practices and ESOEs' financial performance. INTRODUCTION Vietnam started a profound economic reform in 1986 that aimed to transform the country from a command economy into market oriented economy. From the early days of the economic reform, economic structure reforms and open-door policies have become an integral part of overall economics (World Bank, 1999). As a consequence, Vietnam has substantially elevated its economy and the living standards of Vietnamese people. The country reaped average economic growth rate (GDP) of over 7% during the 1990s and early 2000s, especially more than 8% in 2006, which made it one of the highest growing economies in the World (World Bank, 2006). These reforms have been occurring in both the public and private sector. In the public sector, one of the most important aims of the State has been to restructure the state-owned enterprises (SOEs) through equitization (privatization) process. This process was initiated in 1992 with the statement of sales of SOEs to the public (Quang & Dung, 1998). This effort can be regarded as one that would convert un-profitable SOEs into more dynamic, fast growing private enterprises, injected with a stronger entrepreneurial spirit (Henrik, 2005). It is worth noting that Vietnam had about 12,000 SOEs at the outset of its economic reforms; however, financial performance of these SOEs lagged since they lacked incentives to be more efficient and profitable (Vu, 2004). In addition, they utilized a disproportionate level of the country's limited resources, holding approximately 75% of the country's assets, employing 30% of the labor force, and earning 85% of available bank credit; yet, contributing only 40% to the country's GDP (Nguyen, 1995). The reasons for un-profitability and inefficiency of SOEs are innumerable, but mainly from SOEs management mechanism. This kind of mechanism, largely influenced by the subsidy system, did not motivate managers to be more responsible and open minded as actually practiced in a market economy. Specifically, there was no impetus to utilize business management methods, such as marketing, financial, or human resource management, to improve enterprise financial performance, because managers were not seriously appraised by enterprise results, and employees were not motivated to conduct their work well. The equitization program has been successful in transforming a significant number of SOEs into equitized SOEs (ESOEs), and the Vietnamese government hopes that these ESOEs will operate their business activities under market conditions, and perform better than their former SOEs. It has been argued that what makes an enterprise effective is not only its financial resource, which ESOEs in Vietnam can manage to have but also important intangible assets such as human resource (Quang & Dung, 1998). Indeed, evidence has shown that economic development is positively related to investment in human capital (Torrington & Huat, 1994). Thus, ESOEs have recently begun to apply HRM practices, ubiquitous in the developed countries, in order to improve their financial performance. This study focuses on theoretically analyzing the effects of certain human resource management practices applied by ESOEs, such as human resource planning, compensation, training, performance appraisal, and recruitment and selection, on enterprise financial performance. …


We systematically reviewed the evidence for the effectiveness of tele-neurorehabilitation (TNR) applications. The review included recent reports on rehabilitation for any disability associated with a neurological deficit or condition. Study quality was assessed using an approach that considered both study performance and study design. Judgements were made on whether each application had been successful, and whether further data were needed to establish the application as suitable for routine use. Nineteen credible studies that reported patient outcomes or administrative changes were identified. These studies related to 13 conditions. The focus of rehabilitation included Internet-supported treatments for management of fatigue, pain and depression; promotion of physical activity; and speech therapy. Sixteen studies were of high or good quality and three were fair to good, with some limitations. In 13 of the 19 studies the TNR application was successful in providing at least equivalent outcomes to conventional approaches. Additional work would be needed on eight applications to establish suitability for routine use, and would be desirable in five. Thus the recent literature provides further support for TNR applications, showing the promise of this field in a number of areas. However, the database of credible studies remains small.


Sum of Squares Error and Normalized Cut are two widely used clustering functional. It is known their minimum values are monotone with respect to the input number of clusters and this monotonicity does not allow for a simple automatic selection of a correct number of clusters. Here we study monotonicity not just on the minimizers but on the entire clustering lattice. We show the value of Sum of Squares Error is strictly monotone under the strict refinement relation of clusterings and we obtain data-dependent bounds on the difference between the value of a clustering and one of its refinements. Using analogous techniques we show the value of Normalized Cut is strictly anti-monotone. These results imply that even if we restrict our solutions to form a chain of clustering, like the one we get from hierarchical algorithms, we cannot rely on the functional values in order to choose the number of clusters. By using these results we get some data-dependent bounds on the difference of the values of any two clusterings.


Leading colleges, universities, and government agencies in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa recognize IELTS as fulfilling English competency requirements for ESL students. This new manual with audio CDs presents six full-length IELTS practice exams with answers and explanations. The compact discs provide audio for all six of the tests' listening and reading modules. Test takers can use these exams as solid preparation for the actual IELTS. They can also use this book as a supplement to the recently published Barron's IELTS (978-0-7641-9662-1), which contains extensive practice and review for all test sections plus additional practice exams.


[1] Interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICME) and corotating interaction regions (CIR) alter the parameters of the solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) that affect conditions in the Earth's magnetosphere and particle precipitation in the auroral zone. We perform a superposed epoch study of the effects of ICME-dominated and CIR-dominated solar wind on particle precipitation during geomagnetic storms. We use data from a set of 38 CIR events and 33 ICME events. Particle precipitation is inferred from cosmic noise absorption (CNA) recorded by the riometer at Abisko. The electron flux intensity at geosynchronous orbit close to the location of the riometer is taken from the synchronous orbit particle analyzer (SOPA) onboard the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) satellite LANL-01A. The results show that mean CNA is more intense during the main phase of ICME-driven storms. In contrast, mean CNA remains elevated for a much longer period during CIR-driven storms indicating prolonged periods of particle precipitation. Enhanced CNA over a sustained period of time is observed during CIR-driven storms that are categorized as only weak or moderate in terms of the response that they drive in the Dst index (Dst >−100 nT). This result indicates that events which may be considered geomagnetically ineffective have a significant effect on particle precipitation in the auroral zone. The elevated CNA observed during CIR-driven storms is accompanied by elevated electron flux intensity, measured at geosynchronous orbit, over all channels in the 50–500 keV range at all local times.


The initiative for a European Union (EU) human rights sanctions regime that targets individual human rights offenders builds upon an interesting trend set by the United States' Magnitsky Act. It has the potential to contribute to the development of international law and allow states and the EU to take on a more progressive attitude in relation to gross human rights violations committed worldwide. As an EU-wide initiative, it also has the opportunity to break with the muddled past and set a positive example. To do so, there are several important factors to consider related to the conceptual aim of the regime, its demarcation and potential effectiveness in practice.


We discuss models for the cosmological dark sector in which the energy density of a scalar field approximates Einstein's cosmological constant and the scalar field value determines the dark matter particle mass by a Yukawa coupling. A model with one dark matter family can be adjusted so the observational constraints on the cosmological parameters are close to but different from what is predicted by the ΛCDM model. This may be a useful aid to judging how tightly the cosmological parameters are constrained by the new generation of cosmological tests that depend on the theory of structure formation. In a model with two families of dark matter particles the scalar field may be locked to near zero mass for one family. This can suppress the long-range scalar force in the dark sector and eliminate evolution of the effective cosmological constant and the mass of the nonrelativistic dark matter particles, making the model close to ΛCDM, until the particle number density becomes low enough to allow the scalar field to evolve. This is a useful example of the possibility for complexity in the dark sector. Subject headings: cosmology: theory


Abstract The paper presents results of a study of the effect of the environment temperature and pH on the size of particles based on poly N (isopropylacrylamide) chain. The tested substance was the copolymer PNIPAM-co-MAA. The particle size measurements were performed by dynamic light scattering. It was found that the copolymer tested reacts specifically to temperature increase by shrinking more than two times. Important for stabilization of the structure are the chemical groups -COOH present in methacrylic acid that undergoes dissociation. Gradual increase in temperature results in a decrease in the dissociation constant, in binding of protons and thus causes shrinkage of the entire particle. It was also shown that PNIPAM-co-MAA in high concentrations undergoes crystallization.


An amendment to legislation in 2009 enabled New Zealand firms with fewer than 20 employees to hire new workers on trial periods. The scheme was subsequently extended to employers of all sizes. The policy was intended to encourage firms to take on more employees, and particularly more disadvantaged job seekers, by reducing the risk associated with hiring an unknown worker. We use unit record linked employer-employee data and the staggered introduction of the policy for firms of different sizes to assess the policy effect on firm hiring behaviour. We find no evidence that the policy affected the number of hires by firms on average, either overall or into employment that lasted beyond the trial period. We also do not find an effect on hiring of disadvantaged jobseekers. However, our results suggest that the policy increased hiring in industries with high use of trial periods by 10.3 percent.


Economists have examined the impact of technical change on the forest products sector using the historical, index number, and econometric approaches. This paper reviews econometric analyses of the rate and bias of technical change, examining functional form, factors included, and empirical results. Studies are classified as first- second-, or third-generation approaches. First-generation studies are based on simple value-added measures of output, usually employ simple functional forms to represent the production technology, and incorporate only capital and labor inputs. Second-generation studies are characterized by estimation of more complex, flexible dual cost or profit functions and typically include resource and often energy inputs. Third-generation studies also rely upon dual formulations of the production structure and include multiple factors; however, in addition they specify the dynamics of adjustment of quasi-fixed factors over time. The studies reveal a tradeoff between the richness of the theoretical structure of the production technology and the consistency of the empirical results. Most studies have reported a labor-saving and energy-using bias to technical change, but little or no wood-saving bias, and many report a wood-using bias. Since technical advances occur in spurts, the use of a simple linear time trend to represent the state of technology is a major limitation of virtually all models. Alternative measures, such as the power ratings or throughput measures, might better capture the characteristics of a technology. Use of such measures might also be combined with a cross-sectional approach in an attempt to avoid some of the statistical problems, such as serial correlation, that characterize time series data. Finally, if the goal of the analysis is to forecast factor demand and cost implications of technical change, simulation models may offer a more promising alternative.


This paper contradicts the existence of a universal value anomaly by studying Malaysia, a country with a unique institutional setting. We investigate this counter-example to attribute the anomaly to: 1) the leverage effect of value firms; 2) the investment pattern of growth firms; 3) the economic environment. We find that the value premium cannot be ascribed solely to risk as it is time varying and dependent on the attributes of the companies. Our results illustrate that small cap value firms perform relatively well during favourable economic conditions. In contrast, large cap growth firms perform better than their counterparts (i.e., large cap value firms) in economic upturns as they are preferentially awarded projects to revive the nation's growth.


The recent explosion in cancer genomics provides an unprecedented view of the genetic changes present in solid tumours. The characterisation of colorectal cancer samples via DNA sequencing has confirmed the importance of established oncogene and tumour suppressor pathways (including the 'mountains' of Apc, Tp53 and Ras) but has also identified novel cancer genes that are mutated in a small percentage of patient samples (hills).1 ,2 Furthermore, these studies give a new appreciation of the spectrum of gene mutations present in cancers, especially in candidate tumour suppressor genes (TSGs). While classic genetics teaches that two hits are required to inactivate TSGs, sequencing studies show that heterozygous mutations are also quite frequent. Some of these are loss of function alleles, while others are recurrent missense mutations known as 'hotspots'. Now, researchers are charged with the task of understanding how these genetic changes contribute to cancer development, invasion and spread.

Why are heterozygous mutations in TSGs commonly found in cancer genomes? While many of these are passenger mutations, some single allele mutations can significantly alter tumour suppressor protein expression or function. This, in turn, leads to incremental changes in growth or to other hallmarks of cancer. The concept of haploinsufficiency refers to such situations where decreased dosage of certain gene products is sufficient to promote tumorigenesis.3 However, the impact of most heterozygous mutations is largely unknown, because they …


This thesis addressed the problem of finding background models yielding depth consistent migrated PP and PS images, i.e. geologically equivalent reflectors should be imaged at the same depth in the two images. The tomographic approach in search of a background medium, is performed as a combination of migration velocity analysis by differential semblance in angle and map migration. A practical strategy for obtaining estimates of all parameter values in a transversely isotropic medium with a known symmetry axis is presented. The approach combines the search of a background medium yielding optimum focusing ability by differential semblance and the matching of PP and PS key reflectors in depth by means of map migration. This can also be used to match the imaged reflectors with known depths e.g. from well markers.For the purpose of fast and computationally inexpensive imaging and tomography in angle, a complete review and analysis for the 2.5-D case is performed. The theory is also extended to anisotropic media under necessary and sufficient assumptions. An analysis is performed with regards to parameter issues in 2.5-D in anisotropic media. All inversion and migration results are derived in the natural coordinate system, namely scattering/reflection angle at the imaging point by means of the generalized Radon transform.


Many high-quality measurement studies have demonstrated that wireless network traffic exhibits the noticeable Long-Range-Dependent (LRD) property. Moreover, the fading nature of wireless channels can lead to variable service capacity. Due to the inherent difficulty and high complexity of modelling the fractal-like LRD traffic, existing analytical models of queuing systems with LRD arrival processes have been primarily limited to the simplified scenarios where the service capacity is assumed to be constant. Given the time-varying nature of wireless channels in the real-world working environments, it is very important and necessary to investigate system performance in the presence of variable service capacity. To this end, this paper presents a comprehensive analytical model for queuing systems subject to LRD traffic and variable service capacity. We extend the application of a Large Deviation Principle and derive the closed-form expressions of Quality-of-Service (QoS) metrics. The accuracy of the model validated through extensive simulation experiments makes it a cost-effective evaluation tool for performance analysis of communication networks. To illustrate its applications, the model is adopted to investigate the effects of LRD traffic and variable service capacity on the system performance and resource configuration.


We introduce and we analyze a new dataset which resembles the input to biological vision systems much more than most previously published ones. Our analysis leaded to several important conclusions. First, it is possible to disambiguate over dozens of visual scenes (locations) encountered over the course of several weeks of a human life with accuracy of over 80%, and this opens up possibility for numerous novel vision applications, from early detection of dementia to everyday use of wearable camera streams for automatic reminders, and visual stream exchange. Second, our experimental results indicate that, generative models such as Latent Dirichlet Allocation or Counting Grids, are more suitable to such types of data, as they are more robust to overtraining and comfortable with images at low resolution, blurred and characterized by relatively random clutter and a mix of objects.


Chemical frac tracing is used to evaluate flowback and cleanup efficiencies. The technique utilizes a family of unique, environmentally-friendly, fracturing fluid compatible chemical tracers to quantify segment-by-segment recovery for individual fracturing treatments and stage-by-stage recovery for multi-stage fracturing treatments. These chemical tracers with their unique chemical characteristics are mixed at a known concentration into frac fluid stages as the frac fluid is pumped downhole. Upon flowback, samples are collected and analyzed for tracer concentration. With the use of the mass balance method the flowback efficiency for each stage is calculated. These precise flowback calculations yield a more accurate assessment of cleanup efficiency. This paper presents several case histories in which the technique was implemented. Results and fracture flowback prognoses are presented. The results are also used to assess post-frac performance as a function of flowback efficiency.


Certain concepts, words, and images are intuitively more similar than others (dog vs. cat, dog vs. spoon), though quantifying such similarity is notoriously difficult. Indeed, this kind of computation is likely a critical part of learning the category boundaries for words within a given language. Here, we use a set of 27 items (e.g. 'dog') that are highly common in infants' input, and use both image- and word-based algorithms to independently compute similarity among them. We find three key results. First, the pairwise item similarities derived within image-space and word-space are correlated, suggesting preserved structure among these extremely different representational formats. Second, the closest 'neighbors' for each item, within each space, showed significant overlap (e.g. both found 'egg' as a neighbor of 'apple'). Third, items with the most overlapping neighbors are later-learned by infants and toddlers. We conclude that this approach, which does not rely on human ratings of similarity, may nevertheless reflect stable within-class structure across these two spaces. We speculate that such invariance might aid lexical acquisition, by serving as an informative marker of category boundaries.


Development of the field of palliative care, which was nourished through extensive private foundation funding over more than a decade, has to some extent been stalled because of sharply reduced private funding, a lack of understanding by the general population, and the inaction of major institutions. This study investigated the current state of palliative care funding efforts in the San Francisco Bay Area (the "Bay Area") and across the U.S. The individuals that participated in the research component of this study included palliative care experts and palliative care funders. Through two separate surveys and two interview groups their perceptions and opinions were recorded. Three Bay Area counties were used for the purpose of considering how palliative care might be advanced across one specific finite region with the hope that resulting information would be applicable to other regions in the U.S. Research data indicated that Bay Area patients and their families, in the opinion of survey respondents and interview informants, would benefit from the advancement of palliative care, and that existing organizational priorities, capacity, and mission statements are congruent with the advancement of palliative care. This research revealed that most Bay Area funders are not knowledgeable about palliative care or of its capacity to improve quality of life, and that they do not plan to make related grants. Expert opinions from around the U.S. indicated that this is also the case among funders in general. Yet despite these findings the field continues to develop, if not at a rate that matches the ability of palliative care to impact positively the quality of life for patients and their caregivers. The study revealed that where palliative care is not advancing there are individual professionals, organizations, systems, and policies that continue to impede its development.


Methylmalonyl-CoA is a key building block in the biosynthesis of propionate derived polyketide metabolites. There are several known metabolic sources of methylmalonyl-CoA, e.g. succinyl-CoA (citric acid cycle), valine and isoleudne. An objective of this research was to investigate the role of the DNA base, thymine, as a source of methyhnalonyl-CoA in Streptomyces and hence probe the link between primary and secondary metabolism. Feeding key intermediates of the thymine and valine cataboHc pathways, i.e. [(^13)C(^2)H(_3)-methyl]-thymine, [(^13)C-methyl]- and [l-(613)c]-β- aminoisobutyric acid, sodium [3-(^13)C]-isobutyrate, sodium [(^13)C-methyl]- methacrylate and sodium [l-(^13)C]-methacrylate, to the monensin A producer, Streptomyces cinnamonensis, provided evidence of the reductive catabolism of thymine occurring in Streptomyces, analogous to mammals. The results also provided evidence which supports the existence of a novel deaminase enzyme mediating the transformation of β-aminoisobutyric add and methacrylyl-CoA. Cubensic add, isolated from Xylaria cubensis, is a long chain fungal metabolite possessing eight pendant methyl groups. Its biosynthesis from acetate and L-methionine units was demonstrated with the aid of feeding experiments, proving a classical fungal mode of assembly. Attempts to incorporate an advanced methylated precursor into cubensic add were unsuccessful. Biological intramolecular Diels-Alder reactions are implicated in the biosynthesis of a wide range of polyketide metabolites, e.g. nargenicin, solanapyrones. Attempts to demonstrate, by feeding an isotopically labelled precursor, an intramolecular Diels-Alder mechanism for the formation of the sbc membered ring in cytochalasin D, proved inconclusive. In the event, the precursor was degraded to acetate. This degradation was suppressed in the second attempt by the addition of a β-oxidation inhibitor, but still no incorporation of labelled precursor was evident.


In vector-controlled AC drives, the design of current controller is usually based on a machine model defined in synchronous frame coordinate, where the drive performance may be degraded by both the variation of the machine parameters and the cross-coupling between the d- and q-axes components of the stator current. In order to improve the current control performance an alternative current control strategy was proposed previously aiming to avoid the undesired cross- coupling and non-linearities between the state variables. These effects are assumed as disturbances arisen in the closed-loop path, extracted by a disturbance observer and then injected into the current controller. In this study, a revised version of a disturbance observer-based controller and a well known complex variable model-based design with a single set of complex pole are compared in terms of design aspects and performance evaluation by simulation and by experiment for two different sampling rates. Several comparative results that verify the promising performance of the proposed control scheme are presented. The advantages of the proposed controller are an easy implementation and offering a unique solution for the variation of the parameter and the cross-coupling effect. Moreover, it provides a better performance, smooth and low noisy operation with respect to the complex variable controller.


I have gone out, a possessed witch, haunting the black air, braver at night; dreaming evil, I have done my hitch over the plain houses, light by light: lonely thing, twelve-fingered, out of mind. A woman like that is not a woman, quite. I have been her kind. I have found the warm caves in the woods


In many situations, driving is essential for senior citizens to maintain their independent lifestyle. A systematic literature review was conducted that summarized the age-related physical, visual and cognitive functional declines and their associated risk to driving. Based on these findings, we explored whether the skills required in playing Xbox Kinect video games were correlated with measures of driving performance among older drivers. Fifty-two participants, 65 years of age or older (Mean = 72; SD = 3.84; range 65 – 85 years; 29 males) who have access to a car and drive frequently were invited to play Just dance, Table Tennis (ping pong), Bowling, and Dr Kawashima's Brain Training Exercises on an Xbox Kinect 360. Participants also completed a 25-minute on-road driving task along a predetermined route to assess and identify critical driving errors using a similar instrument as that used by a driving license examiner. Bivariate correlation examined the relationship between game scores and these objective driving skills. There was a significant correlation between the Xbox Kinect video games and on-road driving scores (r = 0.861, p < 0.001), indicating that 'good gamers are good drivers'. This correlation was significant for the males (r = 0.864, p < 0.001) as well as for the females (r = 0.878, p < 0.001). We suggest that performance on Xbox games may be a suitable, cost-effective and less-risky indicator of on-road driving skills for older drivers, particularly in jurisdictions in which mandatory testing of older citizens has been introduced or is being considered as a requirement in the driver licensing process.


We assess the impact of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) as negotiated, based on the actual text and liberalization schedules, supplemented by the technical summaries provided by various governments interpreting the outcome of the negotiations. In addition to the impact of tariff reductions and the expansion of agricultural market access through tariff rate quota concessions, we take into account estimates of likely preference utilization, and the impact of non-tariff barriers on trade in goods and services and on investment. We evaluate the latter on the basis of the extent to which the TPP reduces the parties' scores on indexes measuring restrictiveness of the parties' regimes for goods, services, and investment. We also take into account the value of binding market access commitments for services trade. We consider the potential spillovers on third parties of higher labour and environmental standards as well as of standards harmonization. We comment on the welfare costs stemming from the administrative burden of preferential trade and from compensating agricultural subsidies promised in some parties' sensitive sectors; and discuss the implications of the TPP intellectual property regime. The assessment is based on a dynamic specification of the Global Trade Analysis Project model, modified to directly represent goods and services trade conducted through foreign affiliates, as well as on a cross-border basis, and to reflect the impact of liberalization of foreign direct investment.


ABSTRACT Ducrosia anethifolia has been recommended as a remedy for neurological disorders. However, the anticonvulsant effects of D. anethifolia essential oil (DAEO) and its major constituent α-pinene have not yet been clarified. Methods: A rat model of pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced convulsions was used. Oxidant and antioxidant parameters were assayed in the temporal lobe. Results: The data showed that DAEO (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg, i.p.) and α-pinene (0.2 and 0.4 mg/kg i.p.) delayed the initiation time, and reduced the duration of myoclonic and tonic-clonic seizures following PTZ injection. The PTZ produced oxidative stress so that malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide levels were increased and catalase and peroxidase activity decreased. Pretreatment with DAEO and α-pinene significantly inhibited the above-mentioned enzymatic changes in PTZ-treated animals. Conclusion: The results suggest that α-pinene, at teast in part, was responsible for the induction of the anticonvulsant and antioxidant effects of DAEO in rats.


High-dimensional observations are a major challenge in the application of model-based reinforcement learning (MBRL) to real-world environments. To handle high-dimensional sensory inputs, existing approaches use representation learning to map high-dimensional observations into a lower-dimensional latent space that is more amenable to dynamics estimation and planning. In this work, we present an information-theoretic approach that employs temporal predictive coding to encode elements in the environment that can be predicted across time. Since this approach focuses on encoding temporally-predictable information, we implicitly prioritize the encoding of task-relevant components over nuisance information within the environment that are provably task-irrelevant. By learning this representation in conjunction with a recurrent state space model, we can then perform planning in latent space. We evaluate our model on a challenging modification of standard DMControl tasks where the background is replaced with natural videos that contain complex but irrelevant information to the planning task. Our experiments show that our model is superior to existing methods in the challenging complex-background setting while remaining competitive with current state-of-the-art models in the standard setting.


In this work, an effective macroscale description is derived for the growth of tissue on a porous scaffold. A multiphase model is employed to describe the tissue dynamics; linearisation to facilitate a multiple-scale homogenisation provides an effective macroscale description, which incorporates dependence on the microscale structure and dynamics. In particular, the resulting description admits both interstitial growth and active cell motion. This model comprises Darcy flow, and differential equations for the volume fraction of cells within the scaffold and the concentration of nutrient, required for growth. These are coupled to underlying Stokes-type cell problems that provide permeability tensors, with multiscale dependence incorporating active cell motion, with which to parameterise the macroscale flow. A subset of solutions are illustrated by numerical simulations.


BACKGROUND
Impaired olfaction is a common, nonmotor manifestation of Parkinson disease (PD). However, to our knowledge, qualitative olfactory disturbances, such as odor distortions, have not been extensively reported in this condition.

OBJECTIVE
To describe 2 patients who reported positive olfactory symptoms preceding typical PD, which were consistent with olfactory hallucinations (phantosmias) in the absence of major smell deficit.

DESIGN
Case series.

SETTING
University hospital. Patients We describe 2 patients, both seen in 2007, who reported pleasant olfactory hallucinations for several years.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Iodine I 123-labeled ioflupane single-photon emission computed tomography and olfactometric testing results.

RESULTS
The (123)I-labeled ioflupane single-photon emission computed tomography showed reduced radiotracer uptake in both striatum more marked in the putamen and on the left side in patient 1 and reduced radiotracer uptake in both putamen more marked on the right side in patient 2. Olfactometric testing showed mild hyposmia in patient 1 and normal function in patient 2. The disappearance of the phantosmias in both patients coincided with the development of typical PD.

CONCLUSION
We propose phantosmia as a new premotor manifestation of PD and suggest that qualitative abnormalities of olfaction, rather than the typical smell loss demonstrated in this condition, should be more carefully examined in the prodromal phase of PD.


Background The Foodborne Disease Burden Epidemiology Reference Group (FERG) was established in 2007 by the World Health Organization to estimate the global burden of foodborne diseases (FBDs). This paper describes the methodological framework developed by FERG's Computational Task Force to transform epidemiological information into FBD burden estimates. Methods and Findings The global and regional burden of 31 FBDs was quantified, along with limited estimates for 5 other FBDs, using Disability-Adjusted Life Years in a hazard- and incidence-based approach. To accomplish this task, the following workflow was defined: outline of disease models and collection of epidemiological data; design and completion of a database template; development of an imputation model; identification of disability weights; probabilistic burden assessment; and estimating the proportion of the disease burden by each hazard that is attributable to exposure by food (i.e., source attribution). All computations were performed in R and the different functions were compiled in the R package 'FERG'. Traceability and transparency were ensured by sharing results and methods in an interactive way with all FERG members throughout the process. Conclusions We developed a comprehensive framework for estimating the global burden of FBDs, in which methodological simplicity and transparency were key elements. All the tools developed have been made available and can be translated into a user-friendly national toolkit for studying and monitoring food safety at the local level.


This work aims to map the potentials of safe rural economy. This topic cannot be separated from the processes of globalization and localization, affecting each other, whose positive and negative effects have been focussed on, especially in terms of the protection of security and sustainability or their damaging. In Hungary, sustainable rural economy cannot be achieved only by the rural economy's systematic stabilization but its present structure and the security system, accompanying the process, also needs to undergo some drastic changes. Sustainable rural economy means a modern economy that aims to keep the rural inhabitants while increases the wealth of the whole society. The legal security of the sustainable local economy is guaranteed by the state in Hungary. The security of the rural areas is provided by the police as an armed force, the auxiliary police, the public place supervision, the local agricultural rangers, the environment wardens, and by the fish- and game-keepers. The Police Act allows cooperation with the further organizations of the society to preserve public order, and to protect property and prevent and detect crimes. The purpose of my thesis is to present security as one of the most important factors to improve the rural areas. I also aim to map the possibilities of improving security (such as cooperation, naming the resources assisting strategic tenders and participation in rural development programs).


Meiotic recombination in eukaryotes requires two orthologues of the E. coli RecA proteins, Rad51 and Dmc1. Both genes play an important role in the binding of single strand DNA, homology search, strand invasion and strand exchange resulting in Holliday junctions which are resolved into crossovers or non-crossovers events. Even though both genes are well characterized in a variety of organisms including plants, very little information is available from hexaploid wheat. In most diploid plant species, deletion of either the RAD51 or DMC1 orthologues leads to sterility but wheat being a polyploid, offers a unique opportunity to examine the effects of the deletion of specific homoeologue, while maintaining a degree of fertility. The transcript expression profiling of RAD51 and DMC1 genes in Arabidopsis, rice and wheat using available microarray databases indicated higher levels of expression in mitotically and meiotically active tissues compared to other tissues. However, the possible function of the DMC1 gene in mitotic-active tissues needs to be investigated further. Previously cDNA sequences of TaRAD51 and TaDMCl of hexaploid wheat were cloned and reported. In this study, it has been demonstrated that the reported TaRAD51A1 and TaRAD51A2 cDNA sequences are (D) and (A) homoeologues of TaRAD51 respectively and TaDMCl cDNA sequence is (D) homoeologue of the TaDMC1. This study also found that the amino acid sequences and evolutionary relationships of RAD51 and DMC1 cDNA homoeologues are highly conserved across eukaryotes. Functional characterization of TaRAD51 and TaDMCl gene homoeologues was undertaken in planta using Forward Genetics, Reverse Genetics and Complementation methods. Forward and Reverse Genetic screening of a subset of a Highbury mutant population could not identify any mutants that have deletions in TaRAD51 and TaDMC1 genes. However, Reverse Genetics screening of Paragon mutant population identified mutant lines that tested as having deletions for all the three homoeologues of TaRAD51 and TaDMCl. However, most likely due to high mutational load and a deleterious phenotype, only a few mutant lines survived. Phenotypic and cytogenetic analysis indicated the probable functional redundancy of TaRAD51 (B) homoeologue in meiosis, although the unknown size of the deletion and limited phenotype makes it impossible to completely certain of this. The single mutants for TaDMC1 (B) and (D) indicated a reduction in pollen viability and ear fertility compared to wild-type. The cytological examination of these mutants indicated low levels of abnormal diakinesis, resulting in the formation of dyads. However, the single mutants were still able to produce normal tetrads. This suggests that there is a possible dosage effect of these homoeologues in hexaploid wheat. Unless deletion lines for the (A) and (D) homoeologues of TaRAD51 and (B) homoeologue of TaDMC1 can be recovered and characterized the above assumptions will remain inconclusive. The results of complementation assays using over-expressing CaMV35S::TaRAD51(D)±GFP constructs demonstrated a very low (-14% and -2%, respectively, with +GFP and -OFP constructs) functional complementation in terms of seed set compared to 0% in homozygous Atrad51 mutants. One explanation of these results is that the wheat genes are not complete functional orthologues for the inactivated Arabidopsis genes. The functional complementation experiments could not be performed for TaDMC1 gene because of time limitation, although the transformants were produced in AtDMC1/atdmc1 background. Finally, overexpression of the TaRAD51 gene suggests 2-fold increase in genetic distances in Arabidopsis using CaMV35S::TaRAD51(D) construct. This was done by crossing the appropriate transformant with fluorescent tetrad lines. However the results need to be confirmed by a large scale analysis.


Analyzing the Israeli-Lebanese hummus wars, this article argues that both the competition to make the largest plate of hummus in the world and the Lebanese effort to trademark the term "hummus" within the European Union are attempts to legalize and concretize the concept of authenticity, which takes on increasing significance under the pressures of globalization and anxiety over homogenization. In addition it argues that "authenticity" is not determined by static tradition or heritage, but rather by practice. Hummus, therefore, is Israeli so long as it is consumed and understood as such by the Israeli population.