This volume is the first fully comprehensive account of film production in the Third World. Although they are usually ignored or marginalized in histories of world cinema, Third World countries now produce well over half of the world's films. Roy Armes sets out initially to place this huge output in a wider context, examining the forces of tradition and colonialism that have shaped the Third World - defined as those countries that have emerged from Western control but have not fully developed their economic potential or rejected the capitalist system in favor of some socialist alternative. He then considers the paradoxes of social structure and cultural life in the post-independence world, where even such basic concepts as 'nation', 'national culture', and 'language' are problematic. The first experience of cinema for such countries has invariably been that of imported Western films, which created the audience and, in most cases, still dominate the market today. Thus, Third World film makers have had to assert their identity against formidable outside pressures. The later sections of the book look at their output from a number of angles: in terms of the stages of overall growth and corresponding stages of cinematic development; from the point of view of regional evolution in Asia, Africa, and Latin America; and, through a detailed examination of the work of some of the Third World's most striking film innovators. In addition to charting the broad outlines of filmic developments too little known in Europe and the United States, the book calls into question many of the assumptions that shape conventional film history. It stresses the role of distribution in defining and limiting production, queries simplistic notions of independent 'national cinemas', and points to the need to take social and economic factors into account when considering authorship in cinema. Above all, the book celebrates the achievements of a mass of largely unknown film makers who, in difficult circumstances, have distinctively expanded our definitions of the art of cinema. Roy Armes, who lives in London, has written nine books on film, his most recent being French Cinema. He spent more than three years researching this volume.


A model for vision is proposed. Its basic units are RC stages whose time constants—in three instances—are parametrically controlled. The requirements of compressing the dynamic range of the input and of fitting luminance pulse-detection data suffice to determine the arrangement and parameters of the components. This model accurately predicts the psychophysical results of flicker detection (DeLange characteristics at above 10 Hz), the Ferry–Porter and Weber laws in the ranges where they apply, the effects of light adaptation, and it accounts for individual differences. By considering the variable RC stage as an approximate analog of a synaptic excitatory process which is controlled by inhibition, significant correspondences are observed between the internal connectivity of the model and the neural connectivity of the retina.


Projections of polar bear (Ursus maritimus) sea ice habitat distribution in the polar basin during the 21st century were developed to understand the consequences of anticipated sea ice reductions on polar bear populations. We used location data from satellite- collared polar bears and environmental data (e.g., bathymetry, distance to coastlines, and sea ice) collected from 1985 to 1995 to build resource selection functions (RSFs). RSFs described habitats that polar bears preferred in summer, autumn, winter, and spring. When applied to independent data from 1996 to 2006, the RSFs consistently identified habitats most frequently used by polar bears. We applied the RSFs to monthly maps of 21st-century sea ice concentration projected by 10 general circulation models (GCMs) used in the Intergovern- mental Panel of Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report, under the A1B greenhouse gas forcing scenario. Despite variation in their projections, all GCMs indicated habitat losses in the polar basin during the 21st century. Losses in the highest-valued RSF habitat (optimal habitat) were greatest in the southern seas of the polar basin, especially the Chukchi and Barents seas, and least along the Arctic Ocean shores of Banks Island to northern Greenland. Mean loss of optimal polar bear habitat was greatest during summer; from an observed 1.0 million km 2 in 1985-1995 (baseline) to a projected multi-model mean of 0.32 million km 2 in 2090-2099 (� 68% change). Projected winter losses of polar bear habitat were less: from 1.7 million km 2 in 1985-1995 to 1.4 million km 2 in 2090-2099 (� 17% change). Habitat losses based on GCM multi-model means may be conservative; simulated rates of habitat loss during 1985-2006 from many GCMs were less than the actual observed rates of loss. Although a reduction in the total amount of optimal habitat will likely reduce polar bear populations, exact relationships between habitat losses and population demographics remain unknown. Density and energetic effects may become important as polar bears make long-distance annual migrations from traditional winter ranges to remnant high-latitude summer sea ice. These impacts will likely affect specific sex and age groups differently and may ultimately preclude bears from seasonally returning to their traditional ranges.


The paper demonstrates that the Old Hungarian article, although homophonous with the distal demonstrative it developed from, is a fully grammaticalized element encoding definiteness on a syntactic level. Questioning its status as a true article is the consequence of the fact that it had a more restricted use in the first records than it does in the subsequent language stages. The careful classification of the articleless noun phrases with a definite interpretation in a selected closed corpus reveals that the Old Hungarian article only appears when there is no other device to identify the referent of the nominal expression, thus it is absent with proper names, generics, nouns modified by a demonstrative, head nouns of possessive constructions, and, occasionally, with non-argument adjuncts. Spreading of the article in certain cntexts can be observed only at the end the period and in Middle Hungarian, in line with the gradual functional extension of the nominal left periphery.


This study investigated the influence of the belief in reincarnation (BR) and in the power of fate (BPF) as potential coping resources in the shadow of loss and bereavement. Ninety bereaved parents, Jews and Druze (a sect that diverged from Islam in the 11th century), whose sons were killed in military action participated in this study. Druze respondents endorsed a belief in reincarnation more strongly than Jews. Druze were also far more fatalistic than their Jewish counterparts and expressed a stronger belief in the power of fate. More Jews than Druze expressed difficulties accepting their son's death and believing he was gone. Druze parents reported experiencing significantly less helplessness, guilt, and anger compared to Jewish controls. The value of enhanced cultural awareness during psychotherapy in a rapidly changing, multicultural world is discussed.


A realistic error analysis of the temperature variability of the oceans as probed by ocean acoustic tomography is presented. Travel‐time errors resulting from fluctuating internal and surface waves are important in the analysis of the averaged time delays, which may indicate global warming trends due to the greenhouse effect. The 3‐D propagation models through random media are extremely complicated. Propagation of model equations is governed by a set of matrix differential equations, whose elements are obtained by multidimensional oscillatory integration. Analytical and numerical studies have been conducted that show the feasibility of computing the matrix elements 1000 times faster than was previously done. The matrix equation is solved by well‐known ordinary differential equation methods. The effects of frequency, trajectory, sound‐speed profile, bathymetry, and the variances of internal and surface waves will be discussed.


The impact of influenza on work absenteeism is poorly documented. We used data from the national registry and Norway Post AS (>14,000 employees) to explore sickness absence patterns from 2005/06 through 2009/10 in Norway. Annually, an estimated 2.868% (mean 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.405-4.820%) of the working population obtained sick leave for influenza, of whom 0.915% (mean 95% CI: 0.453-1.590%) had diagnoses for other respiratory illnesses with influenza as underlying cause. In the 2009/10 pandemic season, the absence rate increased 1.5-fold, mainly due to a 73% increase in influenza-diagnosed sick leaves. At Norway Post AS, absence related to seasonal influenza accounted for 0.351% (mean 95% CI: 0.126-0.704%) of total person-days annually (excluding parental care absence), of which 32-43% were estimated to be self-certified. Medically certified sick leave increased 1.3-fold in the pandemic season to 0.458% (95% CI: 0.176-0.856), while self-certified sick leave remained at a level typical for seasonal influenza. We found a significant four-fold increase in work loss to care for sick children, 0.048% (95% CI: 0.031-0.070%) of person-days, compared with 0.012% (95% CI: 0.004-0.028%) in 2008/09. In conclusion, GP-certified and parental care work absence were higher in the pandemic season. More studies are needed to quantify the burden of self-certified sick leave.


Introduction A society that consumes and generates the most knowledge and information is the strongest society. The information industry has grown dramatically in services, revenue, and coherence over the last decade. Though the marketing of information services is a concept of comparatively recent origin, it has now emerged as an important area for libraries and information centers. Marketing covers those activities that connect the organization to those parts of its outside world that use, buy, sell or influence the outputs it produces and the benefits and services it offers (O'Shaughnessy). As Kotler points out, organizations such as museums, universities, libraries, and charities need to market their causes and their products to gain political and social support as well as economic support. One of the major barriers to operating a profitable information business is the lack of business expertise among librarians and information scientists. Marketing is a comprehensive term that describes all the processes and interactions that result in satisfaction for users and revenue for the information firm. Libraries and information centers have begun to realize that marketing of information products and services is an integral part of administration, especially as a means for improving user satisfaction and promoting the use of services by current and potential users. Three main factors, namely the information explosion, the technology revolution, and escalating library costs are responsible for encouraging the library profession to develop a marketing approach in its operations and services. Some information service managers feel that marketing is inimical to the nature of their activities. But with increased competition in the world of information, marketing is a factor for survival. At the same time, there is a common misconception that promotional activities alone constitute marketing. Information Management (IM) IM is managing the processes of selection, collection building, processing, controlling, and dissemination of information in an organization. IM can help an organization recognize and use the potentials of the resources of information and information technology. (Brenner) Librarians have a significant role to play in IM. Considering the IM cycle, one can find that librarians have a role to play in almost every step in the information-user matching process. IM Cycle 1. Information Marketing Basic Concepts and Definition: Marketing is planning and managing the organization's exchange relations with its clientele. It consists of studying the target market's needs, designing appropriate products and services, and using effective pricing, communication, and distribution to inform, motivate, and serve the market. The American Marketing Association defines marketing as those activities which direct the flow of goods and services, from production to consumption. The following are vital concepts that will be discussed one by one: * Marketing Activities * Principles of Marketing Management * Marketing Techniques * Marketing Strategy * Creating a Market Marketing Activities Market profiling is an important marketing activity, which is done to obtain marketing information. It is necessary to identify the market scope to formulate appropriate policies. Market profiling should consider: * User affordability * Extent of use * Relevance of the service to users * Repeat customers * User preferences * Staffing Product planning is the marketing activity concerned with developing a product that satisfies customers. Management must decide: * Who should be the user groups? * To whom the information services/products should be targeted? * What should be the services/products that can be produced and marketed to the different target groups? …


It has been estimated that, at any one time, more than one million people in the U.K. are taking the anticoagulant drug warfarin, for the treatment or prevention of venous thromboembolism. The incidence of life threatening haemorrhage, due to overdose, is approximately two per one hundred patient years. It is well known that there is great inter-individual variability in reaching and maintaining a therapeutic level of oral anticoagulants, in part, due to the combined effect of gender, age, body size and drug interactions.In recent years, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been identified, which significantly reduce the amount of warfarin required for an individual to reach a therapeutic level. Consequently, the optimum dose of warfarin can be predicted in a higher percentage of patients using an algorithm, which includes pharmacogenomic information rather than one with clinical and demographic data alone.The aim of this study was to create two rigorous, composite algorithms, one clinical and one pharmacogenetic, which combined as many influencing factors as possible, in an effort to improve the predictability of warfarin dosing beyond that of other published studies to date. The study was carried out using three groups of subjects, after obtaining ethical committee approval and informed consent. Group 1 subjects (n=12) were healthy, non-warfarin treated laboratory staff, whose DNA was used to optimise the DNA extraction procedure. Group 2 subjects (n=207) consisted of warfarin patients, who had had a stable therapeutic International Normalised Ratio (INR) for at least two months. A comprehensive list of clinical and demographic data was obtained from each patient, as well as DNA samples for SNP analysis of the VKORC1, CYP2C9 and CYP4F2 genes. Group 3 subjects (n=20) comprised of pre-warfarinised patients who provided the same data as in group 2. In addition, venous blood samples were obtained for the measurement of the baseline levels of the vitamin K dependent coagulation factors and albumin. The stable warfarin dose for each of the group 3 patients was obtained retrospectively, after several weeks of warfarin therapy.The two algorithms were then constructed using the data from a random selection of group 2 patients (n=160). These were then used to predict the warfarin dose of the remaining patients in the group (n=47). By plotting the predicted dose against the actual stable dose, the percentage predictability of the new algorithms was calculated. In addition, the predictability of eleven previously published algorithms, eight pharmacogenetic and three clinical, was calculated using the same 47 patients. The clinical algorithm from this study showed the lowest predictability (R2=0.188) when compared to the three published algorithms (R2=0.203-0.268). However, the pharmacogenetic algorithm was able to account for a higher proportion of the warfarin dose (R2=0.553) than any of the other eight published algorithms (R2=0.383-0.525).In the group 3 patients, no relationship was demonstrated between the warfarin dose and either the albumin levels or the baseline levels of the vitamin K-dependent coagulation factors, with the exception of factor IX, which showed a negative correlation.


A versatile frequency synthesizer for a L1/L5 dual-band GPS/Galilleo dual-mode RF receiver is designed with a 0.13 ¿m CMOS process. For spur reduction, a simple low-glitch charge-pump circuit (CPC) is proposed in this letter. The fabricated chip achieves the in-band phase noise of -92 dBc/Hz and the spur performance of -71.23 dBc at 8.184 MHz offset from 1.571 GHz carrier with a second-order loop filter.


Background Polyphenols have received a great deal of attention due to their biological functions. Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is a polyphenol-rich fruit. In the past decade, studies testing the antimicrobial activity of pomegranates almost exclusively used solvent extracts instead of fresh pomegranate juice (FPJ). The use of FPJ instead of solvent extracts would reduce toxicity issues while increasing patient acceptance. We established a model to test FPJ as a natural antimicrobial agent. Objective To evaluate the antimicrobial activity of FPJ on clinical isolates of multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis strains. Design Sixty strains of S. epidermidis isolated from ocular infections were grown in the presence of FPJ, and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined by broth and agar dilution methods. Results FPJ at 20% had a MIC equal to 100% (MIC100%) on all 60 strains tested. This inhibition of FPJ was confirmed by the growth kinetics of a multidrug-resistant strain exposed to different concentrations of FPJ. Additionally, the antimicrobial activity of FPJ was compared against commercial beverages containing pomegranate: Ocean Spray® had a MIC100% at 20%, followed by Del Valle® with a MIC15% at 20% concentration only. The beverages Jumex® and Sonrisa® did not have any antimicrobial activity. FPJ had the highest polyphenol content and antioxidant capacity. Conclusions Overall, FPJ had antimicrobial activity, which might be attributed to its high polyphenol content and antioxidant capacity.


This article seeks to illustrate the need for dialogue between political economy and Catholic social teaching. For this purpose, it approaches Benedict XVI's encyclical letter Caritas in Veritate by highlighting and elaborating on specific guidelines for action as they are found in the text, which represent good examples of areas where more discussion between sound economists and moralists is required. The article does not try to present alternatives to the encyclical's guidelines for action or to comment on its moral teachings. The intention is to elicit the need for dialogue between the two fields of knowledge so they may come together and offer technical solutions that are not only morally sound but also economically feasible. Antonio Pancorbo, "Illustrating the Need for Dialogue between Political Economy and Catholic Social Teaching," Journal of Markets & Morality 15, no. 2 (Fall 2012): 329-346


Atlantic cod (Gadus rnorhua) has been the economic foundation for the settlement and maintenance of communities along the coastline of Newfoundland and Labrador. Although there has been some economic diversification throughout the past century, today the vast majority of coastal communities continue to be dependent on the fishery for their continued existence. Cod will play a major role in their future survival. -- Historically, the fishery with the greatest impact on coastal communities was the inshore cod trap fishery. This has proved to be the most efficient method of taking targe quantities of cod in a short period of time. The cod trap season is a relatively short one, based on the annual feeding migration of cod to inshore waters This feeding migration coincides with the spawning of capelin (Mallotus villosus). -- Cod trap catches have a spatial and temporal variability in landings. In the NAFO area 2J3KL (Northern Cod), trap landings have fluctuated between 15,000 to 50,000 metric tonnes (Harris, 1990). While the cod trap was used throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, the majority ofthe catch occurred in 2J3K.L. -- In general the cod trap fishery has failed to generate the economic returns that it is capable of producing. If rural Newfoundland and Labrador is to survive, then the fishery and in particular the inshore cod fishery must continue to play an integral role. Even as the cod fishery rebounds around the province, limited Total Allowable Catches (TACs) will not ensure sufficient returns for everyone involved. Low quotas will mean that fishers will be forced to do more with less and the emphasis will shift away from volume and towards maximizing the value. -- A unique concept for increasing revenues from the Newfoundland and Labrador cod trap fishery is the idea of cod grow out. Fishers have the opportunity to double the weight of their fish in a three to four month period by holding them in cages and feeding male capelin and other baitfish such as herring and squid. Flesh yields and overall fish quality can be improved so that the fish can achieve a higher market value. As well, these same fish that would normally be sold in June - August when market conditions are less than favorable, can now be sold in November - January when higher returns are experienced in markets. From a processor's point of view, cod grow out is a potential solution to many of the processing and marketing problems associated with the purchase of trap cod. It also allows for a controlled supply of cod which can lead to stability and higher prices in the marketplace. -- From the perspective of fisheries resource managers, the concept of cod grow out cannot be overlooked since it maximizes the value from a limited resource. There are also significant economic benefits to both harvesters and processors. The idea of a partnership between the two should not be ruled out. Cod growout has the potential to be an industry of its own that may compare or even surpass the economic returns generated from the wild cod fishery. It is not unrealistic to forecast a cod growers association that will have the potential to produce somewhere in the vicinity of 20,000 MT of farm raised cod within the next five years. In terms of additional revenue generated into the economy of the Province, potential economic benefits are significant. 20,000 MT of farm raised cod sold for $1 a pound on average will yield $44 million as compared to $5.1 million for the starting stock at an average of $0 33 a pound. Government has to promote this industry so that experienced fishers can become fish farmers. For this to happen, fishers have to be able to access a relatively cheap starting stock with a cheap source of feed. -- Research has indicated that the grow out of cod is biologically possible if the logistics of collection near cage sites, and food supply can be achieved. More research is also needed into the processing and marketing of this fish product to address factors such as the rigor mortis process, and gaping ofthe fillets. High growth rates obtainable in net cage culture in combination with better quality and higher market prices from the period of late November to March suggests that an economically feasible cod grow out operation is possible and foreseeable. As the commercial cod fishery of the province reopens, it is obvious that an opportunity exists to increase the value of the inshore cod trap fishery. -- A study conducted in 1997 showed that such a concept is biologically viable. Growth rates and market reaction to the products produced were more than favorable. If the success of the 1997 pilot project can be duplicated in the future on a larger scale, then the foundation will be laid for what promises to be a viable commercial undertaking.


ABSTRACT Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) causes a highly lethal pulmonary infection with ∼35% mortality. The potential for a future pandemic originating from animal reservoirs or health care-associated events is a major public health concern. There are no vaccines or therapeutic agents currently available for MERS-CoV. Using a probe-based single B cell cloning strategy, we have identified and characterized multiple neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) specifically binding to the receptor-binding domain (RBD) or S1 (non-RBD) regions from a convalescent MERS-CoV-infected patient and from immunized rhesus macaques. RBD-specific MAbs tended to have greater neutralizing potency than non-RBD S1-specific MAbs. Six RBD-specific and five S1-specific MAbs could be sorted into four RBD and three non-RBD distinct binding patterns, based on competition assays, mapping neutralization escape variants, and structural analysis. We determined cocrystal structures for two MAbs targeting the RBD from different angles and show they can bind the RBD only in the "out" position. We then showed that selected RBD-specific, non-RBD S1-specific, and S2-specific MAbs given prophylactically prevented MERS-CoV replication in lungs and protected mice from lethal challenge. Importantly, combining RBD- and non-RBD MAbs delayed the emergence of escape mutations in a cell-based virus escape assay. These studies identify MAbs targeting different antigenic sites on S that will be useful for defining mechanisms of MERS-CoV neutralization and for developing more effective interventions to prevent or treat MERS-CoV infections. IMPORTANCE MERS-CoV causes a highly lethal respiratory infection for which no vaccines or antiviral therapeutic options are currently available. Based on continuing exposure from established reservoirs in dromedary camels and bats, transmission of MERS-CoV into humans and future outbreaks are expected. Using structurally defined probes for the MERS-CoV spike glycoprotein (S), the target for neutralizing antibodies, single B cells were sorted from a convalescent human and immunized nonhuman primates (NHPs). MAbs produced from paired immunoglobulin gene sequences were mapped to multiple epitopes within and outside the receptor-binding domain (RBD) and protected against lethal MERS infection in a murine model following passive immunization. Importantly, combining MAbs targeting distinct epitopes prevented viral neutralization escape from RBD-directed MAbs. These data suggest that antibody responses to multiple domains on CoV spike protein may improve immunity and will guide future vaccine and therapeutic development efforts.


Given the importance of popularizing human trafficking as a human rights issue, this study looks into the initiatives of local officials and non-government organizations in Barangays Botocan and Escopa 3 in Quezon City to disseminate information among residents . The assessment covered the following areas : messages or content of the materials, methods and media for disseminating information, consumers and extent of dissemination, and effects on receivers of information. Data gathering was done by reviewing available information dissemination materials, interviewing key informants, and conducting focus group discussion with selected residents. Findings show that the Quezon City government has a number of instructive materials on human trafficking that have targeted its social workers and other frontline service providers, and barangay officials and residents. The materials promote the human rights perspective. However, the contents or messages have not been fully understood by barangay residents. Methods of dissemination have also not facilitated comprehension and retention of information. This was because human trafficking as a topic was only one among several inputs to the barangays without benefit of discussion. Positive outcomes of the efforts include the improved handling of human trafficking cases by direct service workers and local officials as well as reporting of cases by residents.


ABSTRACT Temnospondyl specimens collected recently in the Middle-?Late Triassic of the Ruhuhu (Tanzania) and Luangwa (Zambia) rift basins are described and figured. They are attributed to cf. Cherninia megarhina (Chernin & Cosgriff, 1975), Mastodonsauroidea indet., Stereospondyli indet., and cf. Stereospondyli, as well as intercentra of small adult individual(s) which may belong to a new taxon. Although fragmentary, this new material allows taxonomic updates to the Triassic temnospondyl assemblages of Tanzania and Zambia and documents an interesting phylogenetic and ecological diversity. For example, among the Triassic mastodonsauroids of Zambia, Cherninia megarhina coexisted with Stanocephalosaurus pronus (Howie, 1970) in nonmarine environments. Similar to that of the South African Karoo Basin, these temnospondyl assemblages also illustrate the rapid recovery of the group after the Permian-Triassic mass extinction and contribute to a better understanding of the impact of this extinction on the tetrapod faunas of southern Pangea.


Background Writing is an essential literacy skill; however, public school students often receive inadequate writing instruction, particularly as they move into middle and high school. However, research has shown that the nature of writing tasks assigned can impact writing development and student achievement measured by standardized assessments. With the need to assess teacher efficacy, districts are increasingly using some form of value-added modeling, although researchers warn of relying solely on value-added scores to distinguish between more and less effective teachers. Purpose This study investigated the intellectual challenge of typical writing tasks and the intellectual quality of student work in classrooms of higher and lower value-added middle school English language arts teachers to understand what value-added modeling might capture in terms of writing instruction. In particular, this article investigates how higher and lower value-added teachers differ in terms of (1) the intellectual challenge of typical tasks assigned, (2) the quality of supports surrounding the tasks, and (3) the quality of student work produced. Research Design Data for this study were collected as part of a larger study that identified pairs of middle school ELA teachers within the same school who were in their third through fifth years of teaching. Within each school, we identified at least one teacher in the fourth (top) quartile and one in the second (lower) quartile based on their measures of value-added to student achievement. We analyzed the typical and challenging writing tasks and corresponding student work for the intellectual quality, looking within and across the two groups of teachers to document patterns of instructional practices. Conclusions We found differences in the consistency of challenge and scaffolds between the two groups, with higher value-added teachers more consistently providing challenging and supportive tasks. Teachers whose typical writing tasks maintain a high degree of challenge are associated with higher student performance, as defined by a measure of teacher value-added. This implies the importance of educating teachers regarding the importance and nature of challenging assignments.


This paper discusses the thermal analysis of Gate Electrode Workfunction Engineered Recessed Channel (GEWE-RC) MOSFET involving an RC and GEWE design integrated onto a conventional MOSFET. Furthermore, it focuses on the comparative study of conventional MOSFET with GEWE-RC MOSFET in terms of various thermal parameters such as lattice temperature, heat conductivity, heat capacity and impact generation rate. This paper thus optimizes and predicts the feasibility of a novel design, i.e., GEWE-RC MOSFET for high-performance applications where self-heating effects and thermal behavior is a major concern. TCAD simulations using ATLAS demonstrate that the GEWE-RC MOSFET structure exhibits significantly improved thermal performance, where low power consumption is required and in digital logic and memory applications where fast switching action of MOS is needed.


ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my profound gratitude to my supervising advisor A concurrent program contains two or more threads that execute concurrently and work together to perform some task. Concurrency increases the efficiency of a program. Testing of concurrent programs has been a challenging task because of the inherent non-determinism. Most approaches proposed for concurrent program testing employ, explicitly or implicitly, a coverage criterion to measure test adequacy. In order to apply those approaches, we must first choose a criterion that suits best for our programs. There is a need for quantitative results of evaluation regarding the effectiveness of the various coverage criteria used for the testing of concurrent programs. Such an evaluation can be useful to select a particular criterion for a specific set of concurrent iv programs. This thesis tries to evaluate the effectiveness of some of these criteria and puts forth the quantitative results for such an evaluation.


Abstract Background With millions of South Africans infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and less than 10% of the population aware of their HIV status, HIV counselling and testing (HCT) is the first step in any attempt to reduce the number of new infections. For those who test negative, HCT personalises the risks and reinforces preventative messages whilst for those who are positive, it is the gateway to accessing counselling and care. The Health Belief Model postulates that knowledge and attitude influence behaviour. The aim of this study was to determine whether knowledge of HIV and the attitude of patients referred for HCT correlated with a willingness to test for HIV. Methods One hundred and seventy two patients referred for HCT were randomly selected over a three month period. Data were collected by a research assistant using the modified standardised World Health Organization (WHO)–Global AIDS Project (GAP) questionnaire. Results Ninety per cent of the participants demonstrated sound knowledge of HIV, acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and HCT. Despite the 90% of the participants with sound knowledge only 71.5% of the participants tested for HIV. There was no statistically significant difference in knowledge between those who tested and those who did not test for HIV. Twenty five per cent of those who refused to test stated that they had already made up their mind not to test for HIV before the counselling session. Conclusions Despite excellent knowledge of HIV, a significant number of patients referred for HCT do not test for HIV.


River confluences are known for their marked 3D patterns and, due to the complexity of local flow features and bed morphology, they require particular consideration. Although there are studies on the flow structure in junctions of two streams, amore detailed description of the flow patterns is still required. The objective of this work is to contribute to such description at river confluence for concordant bed, where both main and tributary channel beds have the same elevation. For that purpose, a set of experiments with fixed bed under quasi-uniform approach flow conditions was carried out. The experimental facility included a 12 m long and 1 m wide main channel, and a 4.5 m long and 0.15 m wide tributary channel. The confluence angle was 70° so as to represent common natural conditions and the discharge ratio between discharges in the tributary and in the main channel was kept constant. An Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV) with a side-looking configuration was used to measure the three components of flow velocity on a dense grid of measuring points, providing the accurate characterization of the mean flow and second-order velocity moments. The acquired data set constitutes the most refined characterization of river confluence flow structures known to date, due to the adopted temporal and spatial discretization, and may serve for the validation of 3D numerical models of complex confluent flows. Flow dynamics zones typical of confluent beds are present in the studied case. The separation zone limits the effective lateral flow cross-section, and, hence, results in the added acceleration of the mainstream flow near the downstream junction corner. The upward orientated vertical velocities of high magnitude were observed all along the separation zone.


Galaxies are environments where gas coalesces, cools, and is converted into stars. However, it remains unclear the exact mechanisms through which galaxies acquire, redistribute and lose their gas.

The fresh gas that flows into galaxies is primarily composed of Hydrogen and Helium. But because a galaxy's stars synthesize metals (elements heavier than Hydrogen and Helium), the diffuse gas in galaxies also becomes polluted with these new elements. As a result, by measuring the metal content (metallicity) of gas in galaxies, we can study the history of the gas flows.

It is generally thought that the amount of gas in galaxies sets the rate at which stars are formed. Consequently, as the gas is exhausted, star formation rate will slow. Previously thought to be true for galaxies as a whole, our work suggests that this equilibrium may exist on much smaller scales within galaxies today.

In this thesis we develop and apply a method that accounts for the blurring caused by the Earth's atmosphere, which allows us to infer the true metallicity of more distant galaxies. With this we are able to show that, with respect to metallicity, the largest galaxies in the past were not dissimilar to those today.


On January 11, 2007, the People's Republic of China conducted a successful test of an anti-satellite weapon against one of its own aging weather satellites that produced a massive cloud of long-lasting orbital debris in space. The test highlighted both the growing possibility that orbital debris may ultimately render space unusable for all activities there and the reality of an increasingly militarized, contested and insecure geopolitical space environment. Largely in response to this incident, and in an effort to enhance the safety, security and sustainability of space activities, the European Union developed a draft "International Code of Conduct for Activities in Outer Space" (the ICOC or the Code) in 2008. The proposed Code, which continues to be debated by the international community, is an example of a legally non-binding "soft law" instrument which also contains broad, imprecise statements of principles. While soft law has made important contributions to the legal and administrative framework that governs space, the Code does not hold such promise. Instead, this article argues that the Code is a case study in the limitations of soft law, particularly when employed as a mechanism to regulate military activities and weapons in a highly insecure environment. Moreover, it is notably ill-suited in this context and in its design to successfully address the critical problem of orbital space debris. As a soft law instrument with both soft law's general limitations and its own particular shortcomings, the Code is an ineffective measure that distracts attention from more meaningful initiatives to reduce orbital debris while at the same time risking increasing tensions in space, diminishing the existing legal framework governing space activities, and negatively affecting the future development of space law.


The study was performed in 2004 in the selection farm of the Hybrid Centre of Poultry Breeding at the Agricultural Institute, Stara Zagora. Eggs from turkeys from the following lines were investigated: Super Heavy (SH), Meat Heavy (MH), Layer heavy (LH), Layer Light (LL), North Caucasian Bronze (NCB) as well as the parental UK line BIG-6. The correlation coefficients and their statistical significance were determined for the relationships among the following traits: egg weight to yolk and shell weights, egg weight to shape, albumen and yolk indices; shell weight to yolk weight, shape, albumen and yolk indices; shape index to yolk weight, yolk index to albumen index; albumen index to yolk weight and yolk index; yolk weight to yolk index. The observed correlations between the egg weight and yolk weight in hens from the LL, MH and SH lines were positive and statistically significant (r= 0.83, r=0.78 and r=0.68 respectively). The egg weight exhibited the same relationship to shell weight in LH (r=0.84), MH (r=0.83) and the LL (r=0.68) lines (P<0.001). The augmentation of the shape index, the albumen index and yolk index did not result in increased egg weight. The observed correlation coefficients were negative and negligible (P<0.05). The increased yolk weight would result in higher shell weight in hens from the MH (r=0.70), the LL (r=0.66) (P<0.001) and the LH (r=0.47) lines (P<0.01). There was not a correlation between yolk weight and the yolk index in turkeys at the age of 32 weeks that suggested the performance of independent selection for these traits.


Using a miniature zone melting device with focused IR light it was possible to grow crystals of bis(dimethylamino)methylborane (I) and bis(monomethylamino)methylborane (II) at temps. of 182 K and 177 K, resp. The crystal structure and the X-X difference electron d. have been detd. at temps. of 120 K (I) and 115 K (II). It is shown that the variation of torsion angles at small angles has more influence on bond lengths than the same or a greater variation at large angles and that it is necessary to pay more attention to the torsion angles (C-B-N-C) rather than to the interplanar angles (plane N,B,N-plane N,C,C).


The identification of key components relevant to sensory perception of quality from commercial chocolate samples was accomplished after chemometric processing of GC×GC-MS (Comprehensive Two-dimensional Gas Chromatography with Mass Spectrometric Detection) profiles corresponding to HS-SPME (Headspace Solid Phase Microextraction) extracts of the samples. Descriptive sensory evaluation of samples was carried out using Optimized Descriptive Profile (ODP) procedures, where sensory attributes of 24 commercial chocolate samples were used to classify them in two classes (low and high chocolate flavor). 2D Fisher Ratio analysis was applied to four-way chromatographic data tensors (1st dimension retention time 1tR × 2nd dimension retention time 2tR × m/z × sample), to identify the crucial areas on the chromatograms that resulted on ODP class separation on Principal Component Analysis (PCA) scores plot. Comparing the relevant sections of the chromatograms to the analysis of the corresponding mass spectra, it was possible to assess that most of the information regarding the sample main sensory attributes can be related to only 14 compounds (2,5-dimethylpyrazine, 2,6-dimethyl-4-heptanol, 1-octen-3-ol, trimethylpyrazine, β-pinene, o-cimene, 2-ethyl-3,5-dimethylpyrazine, tetramethylpyrazine, benzaldehyde, 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene, 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one, limonene, benzeneethanol and 1,1-dimethylbutylbenzene) among the complex blend of volatiles found on these extremely complex samples.


The aim of this study was to assess the level of food safety practice, knowledge, behavior and awareness among n = 205 Trinidadian students (mean age 18±) enrolled within the education system in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies and to explore the association between these variables and the demographic and educational characteristics. To address these concerns, participants enrolled within the secondary (high school) and tertiary (university) institutions in Trinidad were questioned (16 questions) on food buying habits, preparation, attitudes, behaviors, knowledge and awareness. The data were analyzed using SPSS for descriptive, frequency distribution and percentages. Pearson chi square tested the association between food safety behaviors and awareness in relation to gender, age and educational level. Findings indicated that 76%of the students "always" washed their hands after touching raw chicken/meats and fish, while 50% utilized separate cutting boards/knives for raw chicken/meat and fish. Many students (68%) believed that it was "very safe" to only rinse cutting boards used for raw chicken/meat and fish. Others (10%) believed it was "very safe" to defrost foods outside the refrigerator, and 25% reported that it was "safe" to leave hot foods at room temperature for more than four hours. The level of food safety practice and behavior was higher (p < 0.05) among the female students at the secondary school level than those at the tertiary level. There was no difference in the median (20/45) and mode (25/45) scores for food safety behavior between the two educational groups but the difference (p < 0.01) was significant for awareness. Food safety practice, behavior and awareness skills of males at the secondary level were significantly lower (p < 0.01) than the females. These results strengthen the need for continuous educational programs to improve food safety awareness skills of Trinidadian students.


We study empirically the trading activity in the electronic on-book segment and in the dealership off-book segment of the London Stock Exchange, investigating separately the trading of active market members and of other market participants who are non-members. We find that (i) the volume distribution of off-book transactions has a significantly fatter tail than that of on-book transactions, (ii) groups of members and non-members can be classified in categories according to their trading profile, (iii) there is a strong anticorrelation between the daily inventory variation of a market member due to on-book market transactions and an inventory variation due to off-book market transactions with non-members, and (iv) the autocorrelation of the sign of the orders of non-members in the off-book market is slowly decaying. We also analyse the on-book price impact function over time, both for positive and negative lags, of the electronic trades and of the off-book trades. The unconditional impact curves are very different for the electronic trades and the off-book trades. Moreover, there is a small dependence of the impact on the volume for the on-book electronic trades, while the shape and magnitude of the impact function of off-book transactions strongly depend on volume.


Monographs are fundamental for progress in systematic botany. They are the vehicles for circumscribing and naming taxa, determining distributions and ecology, assessing relationships for formal classification, and interpreting long-term and short-term dimensions of the evolutionary process. Despite their importance, fewer monographs are now being prepared by the newer generation of systematic botanists, who are understandably involved principally with DNA data and analysis, especially for answering phylogenetic, biogeographic, and population genetic questions. As monographs provide hypotheses regarding species boundaries and plant relationships, new insights in many plant groups are urgently needed. Increasing pressures on biodiversity, especially in tropical and developing regions of the world, emphasize this point. The results from a workshop (with 21 participants) reaffirm the central role that monographs play in systematic botany. But, rather than advocating abbreviated models for monographic products, we recommend a full presentation of relevant information. Electronic publication offers numerous means of illustration of taxa, habitats, characters, and statistical and phylogenetic analyses, which previously would have been prohibitively costly. Open Access and semantically enhanced linked electronic publications provide instant access to content from anywhere in the world, and at the same time link this content to all underlying data and digital resources used in the work. Resources in support of monography, especially databases and widely and easily accessible digital literature and specimens, are now more powerful than ever before, but interfacing and interoperability of databases are much needed. Priorities for new resources to be developed include an index of type collections and an online global chromosome database. Funding for sabbaticals for monographers to work uninterrupted on major projects is strongly encouraged. We recommend that doctoral students be assigned smaller genera, or natural portions of larger ones (subgenera, sections, etc.), to gain the necessary expertise for producing a monograph, including training in a broad array of data collection (e.g., morphology, anatomy, palynology, cytogenetics, DNA techniques, ecology, biogeography), data analysis (e.g., statistics, phylogenetics, models), and nomenclature. Training programs, supported by institutes, associations, and agencies, provide means for passing on procedures and perspectives of challenging botanical monography to the next generation of young systematists.


With thoroughly revised advice for finding, evaluating, and documenting sources, this handy spiral-bound booklet covers the essential information college students need for research assignments in more than 30 disciplines. New, up-to-date documentation models guide students as they cite common sources and newer sources such as blogs, podcasts, online videos, and reposted Web content in one of four documentation styles (MLA, APA, Chicago, and CSE). And new advice and examples help students engage in the research process, find entry points in debates, and develop their authority as researchers. The many examples, according to one college librarian, "are realistic and relevant." Research and Documentation in the Digital Age is the perfect companion to any college textbook.


Students may know about efforts to address environmental problems in their communities--but do they use the science they learn in school to help solve these problems? In recent years, citizen science projects have emerged as a means to involve students in scientific inquiry, particularly in the fields of ecology and environmental science. A citizen scientist is "a volunteer who collects and/or processes data as part of a scientific inquiry" (Silverton 2009, p. 467). Participation in citizen science fosters an appreciation for the diversity of scientific fields (i.e., conservation biology, ornithology). The National Science Foundation (NSF) supports citizen science projects as a means to recruit future generations into the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines by directly involving students in scientific research. Examples include NestWatch, a bird nesting monitoring program; Project Budburst, a program developed to track climate change through recording the timing of flowers and foliage; and Project SEED, which involves science researcher mentoring underserved high school students. Teachers have expanded citizen science projects to include not only gathering and analyzing data but also civic participation and action (Zaikowski and Lichtman 2007; Ryken et al. 2008). This effectively merges hard sciences with social sciences. In a survey of adolescents in seven countries--Chile, Czech Republic, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, and the United States--social movement citizenship such as participating in community action and environmental protection was deemed just as important as conventional citizenship activities (i.e., voting) (Torney-Purta and Amadeo 2003). In light of this growing interest, teachers must explore effective ways to engage students in citizen science projects to promote STEM education and environmental awareness. This also helps us dispel the myth that science is just a static body of knowledge. In this article, we present the multidisciplinary Project Citizen approach to teaching and learning science and engaging students in action-oriented citizen science. Project Citizen Project Citizen, a curricular program administered by a national network of coordinators in every state, promotes competent and responsible civic participation by giving students a vehicle to influence and monitor public policy (Center for Civic Education 2009). High school teachers can adapt Project Citizen as an approach for teaching a variety of subject areas. English teachers can use Project Citizen to emphasize speech and writing skills; social studies teachers can emphasize civic ideas and practices; and mathematics and science teachers can focus on analytical thinking and scientific inquiry. Project Citizen helps students learn to express their opinions, decide which part of government is most appropriate for dealing with problems they identify, and influence policy decisions at that level. Students work with each other, teachers, and volunteers as they identify a problem to study, gather information, examine solutions, develop public policy positions, and create action plans. Project Citizen-trained teachers guide and encourage students to understand the problems in their communities and propose solutions to these problems. Through the monitoring and influencing of public policy, students express democratic values and principles and develop feelings of political efficacy (Center for Civic Education 2012). Figure 1 provides an overview of the steps of Project Citizen. FIGURE 1 The steps of Project Citizen. Before Project: Students distinguish between public policy and community solutions. Step 1: Students identify public policy problems in their community. Step 2: Students select a problem for class study. Step 3: Students research the problem. Step 4: Students develop a class portfolio, which includes: * A problem explanation * Alternative policies * A public policy statement Step 5: Students present their portfolio to decision-makers and interested parties. …


The presence of secondary, branching intergranular stress-corrosion cracking in a type 440C stainless bearing caused the analyst to overlook the real culprit, which was a mechanically-initiated, primary transgranular crack that propagated through the steel's hard chromium carbide. Failure was actually caused by overload. Had the original conclusion been accepted, a relatively exotic alloy would have been specified. In another case, brass heat exchanger tube failure was automatically attributed to attack by an acidic cleaner, and a decision was made to stop using the solution. A more thorough analysis showed failure was caused by tube vibration. In a third case, a type 304 stainless steel bellows in a test loop was thought to have failed because of chloride stress corrosion. The report concluded with a recommendation that carbon steel be used as an alternative bellows material. Caustic, not chloride, stress corrosion was the culprit. Had material substitutions been made on the original premise of countering chloride stress corrosion, most of the loop's highly stressed components would have eventually failed.


Lithuanian Social Democracy in Perspective is the first book in any Western language on Lithuanian Social Democracy. In this work Leonas Sabaliunas studies the conflict between and convergence of socialism and nationalism in pre-1914 Lithuania. He analyzes the interplay of ideological priorities by observing the operations of Marxist political parties, emphasizing the origins, development, and achievements of the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania. But Sabaliunas also considers such partners and rivals as the Jewish Bund, the Polish Socialist Party, the Social Democracy of the Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania, and the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party. He focuses on the appearance of socialist parties at the local level, the politics of assertive behavior during the Russian Revolution of 1905-1906, the nature of interparty relations, and efforts to promote party unity. In particular, he investigates the projected relationship between Russia and its subject nationalities-a cardinal concern today as the Baltic peoples attempt to distance themselves from their Russian neighbors. Sabaliunas clarifies current massive Lithuanian opposition to Moscow and to its version of socialism. He stresses that in Lithuania the socialist movement from the beginning not only sought solutions to social and economic problems but also addressed issues of ethnic and national interest, especially the question of national sovereignty.


The observation of two-dimensional optical spatial solitons in three-dimensional Kerr media requires the use of a two-beam interference technique to stabilize the nonlinear propagation. It is shown that as the spatial soliton is self-trapped, the two interfering beams attract each other. This intensity-dependent self-deflection has been applied to the shortening of picosecond laser pulses.


Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) is defined as the inhalation of 100% oxygen inside a hyperbaric chamber that is pressurized to greater than 1 atmosphere (Atm). Typical HBO regimens use 1.5 to 2.5 Atm pressure for durations of 30 to 90 minutes, repeated multiple times. The time between and the total number of repeat sessions varies widely. The effectiveness of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for treatment of some diseases such as intravascular emboli, decompression sickness, anaerobic infections, CO poisoning was confirmed. For some diseases, such as traumatic brain injuries, the effectiveness of hyperbaric oxygen therapy as described by investigators is controversial. Chinese authors have reported many articles regarding treatment of neonatal hypoxia with hyperbaric oxygen therapy, but in other points of the world, this depth of experience does not exist. Recently, some other diseases, such as purpura fulminans, and pancreatitis, have been treated by hyperbaric oxygen therapy. In conclusion, if equipment for hyperbaric oxygen therapy is available, many patients will benefit by this method of treatment.


This paper reviews the experience of the Arab Countries' accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) with particular focus on these countries accession to the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights ('the TRIPS Agreement') as one of the main pillars of the WTO. As explained extensively elsewhere, the accession to the WTO is not confined to the current obligations already undertook by existing member states. Recent case studies show that countries acceding more recently to the WTO have had to pay a 'bigger price' for joining the club, through accepting various WTO-Plus obligations to facilitate their accession to the Organization. The case of the Arab World demonstrates this profoundly in the area of intellectual property and the TRIPS Agreement. Based on this narrative, this paper will provide a comparison between the commitments undertaken by those Arab countries which joined the WTO during its first years with those which joined more recently. The paper's main objective is to provide a view towards assisting potential candidates in their accession efforts based on the experience of their predecessors.


Condominium is a form of land ownership that combines private ownership of an individual unit in a multi-unit building with an undivided share of the common property in the building and a right to participate in the collective governance of the private and common property. Introduced by statute across North America in the 1960s, condominium facilitated the vertical subdivision of land and enabled a massive increase in the density of private interests. This article describes condominium and considers the justifications that were offered for this rearrangement of property. It then chronicles the introduction of condominium to the city of Vancouver and maps its spread across the city from 1970 to 2010. In doing so, the article reveals that condominium, a legal innovation without peer in its capacity to increase the density of private ownership in land, has provided the legal architecture of ownership for the remaking of Vancouver.


In this paper we focus on the development of FinTech, how is it evaluated and managed in selected areas, in the European Union, in China and in Hungary. Some of the pertinent questions in this field are the following: How can regulators keep up with the rapid pace of development? Can regulation be based on a precise definition and can a level playing field be ensured between traditional banks and FinTech start-ups? What are the risks? How can they be handled by supervision and regulation? We can conclude that FinTech is in the initial phase of a "revolutionary" process, and the definition of this phenomenon is broad and changing. Regulators and supervisors must influence the conditions in a way that a level playing field and risk assessment should be the same for traditional banks and FinTech companies. All of the actors have responsibility, including central banks, regulators, supervisors, incumbent banks, consumers and FinTech companies. Information is power, and several economists claim that digital is the new normal. In our paper we partly justify the first part of the sentence and we put a question mark at the end of the second part.


We describe a case study in human problem solving for a particular problem – a Sokoban puzzle. For the study we collected data using the Internet. In this way we were able to collect significantly larger data (2000 problems solved, 780 hours of problem solving activity) than in typical studies of human problem solving. Our analysis of collected data focuses on the issue of problem difficulty. We show that there are very large differences in difficulty of individual Sokoban problems and that these differences are not explained by previous research. To address this gap in understanding we describe an abstract computational model of human problem solving, a metric of a problem decomposition, and formalization of a state space bottleneck. We discuss how these concepts help us understand human problem solving activity and differences in problem difficulty.


Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe and explain trauma-informed approaches (TIAs) to mental health. It outlines evidence on the link between trauma and mental health, explains the principles of TIAs and their application in mental health and explores the extent to which TIAs are impacting in the UK.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach is a conceptual account of TIAs including a consideration of why they are important, what they are and how they can become more prevalent in the UK. This is supported by a narrative overview of literature on effectiveness and a scoping of the spread of TIAs in the UK.

Findings

There is strong and growing evidence of a link between trauma and mental health, as well as evidence that the current mental health system can retraumatise trauma survivors. There is also emerging evidence that trauma-informed systems are effective and can benefit staff and trauma survivors. Whilst TIAs are spreading beyond the USA where they developed, they have made little impact in the UK. The reasons for this are explored and ways of overcoming barriers to implementation discussed.

Originality/value

This paper – authored by trauma survivors and staff – describes an innovative approach to mental health service provision that, it is argued, could have immense benefits for staff and service users alike.


Extracted from text ... NEWS & VIEWS FOR MAGISTRATES
2
There is a perception that indigenous
law perpetrates abuse of African
women by their husbands. This article
examines whether there are any remedies
for abused women in Xhosa law.
In former times the power of the man
over his wife was absolute but there
were checks to this.1 His friends could
interfere to prevent his indulging in any
great degree of brutality towards her. If
he abused her or inflicted any permanent
injury, the chief would demand isizi
or blood atonement.2
A wife is not the property of her husband...
her husband can ..


We investigated the spatial and temporal variation in denitrification rates (isotopepairing technique, IPT) and in the denitrifier community (examination of gene nirK by denaturinggradient gel electrophoresis [DGGE] of microbial DNA) in the sediments of a boreal, clear-water, eutrophic lake using samples collected from shallow littoral, deep littoral and shallow profundal sediments during early summer, mid-summer, autumn and winter. The measured denitrification rates (44 to 613 μmol N m−2 d−1) are among the lowest ever reported from lacustrine sediments. Denitri fi cation rates varied both spatially and temporally, being highest in the profundal zone during midsummer and in the littoral zones during winter. Correlation analyses indicated that these variations were due to variations in the concentrations of nitrate and oxygen in the water overlying the sediment. The structure of the denitrifier community was temporally extremely stable and differed only slightly between the sites. Distance-based linear model (DISTLM) analysis indicated that the observed variation was probably due mainly to variations in the content of organic matter, and in the porosity, of the sediment. The structure of the denitrifier community and the denitrifying activities were uncoupled.


The advancement of molecular electronics and spintronics requires novel hybrid materials with synergistic magnetic and electrical properties. The non-covalent functionalization of highly conductive graphene with magnetically bistable spin crossover (SCO) complexes may yield such a multifunctional material. In this regard, a graphene-Fe(ii) SCO complex hybrid (Gr-SCO) has been prepared by non-covalently anchoring a pyrene decorated SCO complex with solution phase pre-exfoliated few-layer graphene sheets. SQUID magnetometry revealed the preservation of SCO in the Gr-SCO hybrid material exhibiting more gradual spin state switching characteristics than in the bulk molecular complex. This persistence of SCO of a molecular Fe(ii) complex upon anchoring on the graphene surface has consequences towards the realization of SCO based applications: in (i) reversible spin state dependent band gap tuning of graphene with an SCO complex analogous to chemical doping of graphene, and (ii) to probe the spin state dependence of electrical conductivity modulation by wiring the anchoring group (pyrene) tethered SCO complex between chemically robust few-layer graphene electrodes.


The first successful ascent of Mount Everest in 1953 by Sir Edmund Hillary and his Sherpa teammate Tenzing Norgay is a familiar saga, but less well known are the tales of many other adventurers who also came to test their skills and courage against the world's highest and most dangerous mountains. In this lively and generously illustrated book, historians Maurice Isserman and Stewart Weaver present the first comprehensive history of Himalayan mountaineering in fifty years. They offer detailed, original accounts of the most significant climbs since the 1890s, and they compellingly evoke the social and cultural worlds that gave rise to those expeditions. The book recounts the adventures of such figures as Martin Conway, who led the first authentic Himalayan climbing expedition in 1892; Fanny Bullock Workman, the pioneer explorer of the Karakoram range; George Mallory, the romantic martyr of Mount Everest fame; Charlie Houston, who led American expeditions to K2 in the 1930s and 1950s; Ang Tharkay, the legendary Sherpa, and many others. Throughout, the authors discuss the effects of political and social change on the world of mountaineering, and they offer a penetrating analysis of a culture that once emphasized teamwork and fellowship among climbers, but now has been eclipsed by a scramble for individual fame and glory.


Despite calls from host countries and the United Nations for better monitoring, existing knowledge on children's participation in armed groups and armed forces in Syria remains scattered. This report considers child recruitment to the war in Syria from the refugee populations in Jordan based on interviews with international and Jordanian officials, as well as Jordanian citizens and Syrian refugees. The report highlights some of the dilemmas and political, economic and social sensitivities facing those seeking to help Syrian children refugees. The report echoes the call for more systematic monitoring as the basis for providing services that enhance protection, engagement and policing.


Recombination dynamics during photoluminescence (PL) in two-dimensional (2D) semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are complicated and can be easily affected by the surroundings because of their atomically thin structures. Herein, we studied the excitation power and temperature dependence of the recombination dynamics on the chemical vapor deposition-grown monolayer WS2via a combination of Raman, PL, and time-resolved PL spectroscopies. We found a red shift and parabolic intensity increase in the PL emission of the monolayer WS2 with the increasing excitation power and the decay time constants corresponding to the recombination of trions and excitons from transient PL dynamics. We attributed the abovementioned nonlinear changes in the PL peak positions and intensities to the combination of increasing carrier interaction and band structure renormalization rather than to the thermal effect from a laser. Furthermore, the excitation power-dependent Raman measurements support our conclusion. These findings and understanding will provide important information for the development of TMD-based optoelectronics and photonics.


The innovation of the radio-guided surgery exploiting β- emitters is the higher tumor-to-non-tumor ratio (TNR) allowing both a smaller radiopharmaceutical absorbed dose to detect cancerous remnants and the possibility of extending the technique also to cases with a large uptake of surrounding healthy organs, as for brain tumors. Our first study cases are meningiomas, since an appropriate β- emitting drug is already available (90Y-DOTATOC), but the goal is to apply this technique to gliomas. We verified the uptake of the radiotracer in 8/10 patients affected by meningiomas with TNR ≥ 10 and in 9/12 patients with a TNR ≥ 4 in case of gliomas. We developed prototypes of an intraoperative probe detecting β- radiation. The core of the probe is a millimetric scintillator made of para-terphenyl due to its high light yield and low density. Tests in laboratory showed that with a radiotracer activity on the tumor of 5 kBq/ml and a TNR of 10 a 0.1 ml cancerous residual can be detected in 1s. That corresponds to administer to the patient 1 MBq/kg of radiopharmaceutical, which is a dose comparable to those administered for diagnostic use. Finally we estimated with a detailed simulation the exposure of the surgeon resulted in ~0.1 Sv/h to the whole body and ~1 Sv/h to the hands, well below the corresponding values for established RGS with gamma radiation.


Since the turn of the millennium, a remarkably large number of incumbent presidents have managed to stay past the end of their constitutionally mandated terms. Russia's Vladimir Putin, Rwanda's Paul Kagame, and Colombia's Alvaro Uribe represent a sizeable collection of presidents who were democratically elected but remained in power long past their original mandates. Such attempts to stay in office are not new, but in recent decades their nature has changed.

In this Article, we present findings from an original and comprehensive survey of all evasion attempts since the year 2000. Tracing the constitutional strategies of 234 incumbents in 106 countries, we document the range of constitutional strategies these incumbents have pursued, along with how they succeeded or failed. This exercise has revealed a number of insights. First, evasion attempts are very common. Globally, no fewer than one-third of the incumbents who reached the end of their prescribed term pursued some strategy to remain in office. If we exclude the world's strongest democracies, we find that about half of the leaders that reached the end of their term attempted to overstay. Second, and perhaps most illuminating, none of these attempts involved ignoring the constitution outright. Instead, incumbents universally displayed nominal respect for the constitution by using constitutional rules and procedures to circumvent term limits, with about two-thirds attempting to amend the constitution. But constitutional amendment is not the only legal strategy at the would-be overstayer's disposal—presidents have tried many methods. Most notably, a number of incumbents have relied on their courts to interpret constitutional term limits out of the constitution. Other strategies uncovered by our study include: drafting a brand-new constitution and asserting that the new constitution effectively hits the "reset button" on term limits; finding a faithful-agent replacement leader whom the incumbent can control after he is out of office; and delaying elections by citing some form of political instability.

Though evasion attempts are common, they are no sure thing, and often fail. Our survey is the first ever to document and analyze failed attempts. We discover that about one-third of incumbents who attempted to overstay were unsuccessful. Importantly, in the vast majority of these cases, they failed because the attempt encountered widespread popular resistance. By contrast, courts were mostly ineffectual in halting evasion attempts. This finding contradicts much of the existing literature on this subject, which has emphasized the potential role that courts can play in enforcing term limits, and thus in safeguarding against democratic erosion. If anything, our survey reveals that courts mostly do the opposite: validate the president's attempt to remain past his term. For those who seek to enforce constitutional term limits, this finding implies that building broad resistance movements might be more effective than putting their faith in courts.


Social networking promises individuals new dimensions of freedom to interact, associate, and give expression to their talents. Recently, systems such as Mechanical Turk have started to facilitate self-organizing collaboration on work-related tasks. Such developments raise interesting questions. Is it possible to create (and sustain) businesses that do not have traditional, formal structure - without traditional "employees"? Can we find and organize (and optimize) talent on the web for task-oriented work - spontaneously and efficiently? How do people relate to one another in possibly evanescent workgroups? One aspect of the challenge in the Social Workspace is understanding and modeling the user behavior and the economic basis for creating, preserving, and exchanging value in the marketplace when workgroup identity, orientations to property, recruiting and managing appropriate talent are not organized under traditional company structures. Another aspect is the technology needed to support virtual organizations and work. The panel will discuss trends in social work and the evolving (scientific) basis of our understanding of new models of workers and organizations.


Abstract The thermal conductivity of Compacted Graphite Iron (CGI) and spheroidal graphite iron (SGI) was established in the temperature range from room temperature up to 500 °C using the experimental thermal diffusivity, density and specific heat values. The influence of nodularity, graphite amount, silicon content and temperature on the thermal conductivity of fully ferritic high-silicon cast irons was investigated. It was found that the CGI materials showed higher thermal conductivity than the SGI materials. The thermal conductivity tended to increase with increasing temperature until it reached a maximum followed by a subsequent decrease as temperature was increased up to 500 °C. Conventional models were applied to estimate thermal conductivity and the predictive accuracy of each model was evaluated. The thermal conductivity could be estimated by the Helsing model. The Maxwell model, Bruggeman model and Hashin–Shtrikman model were also in fair agreement using the thermal conductivity value of graphite parallel to the basal planes in graphite.


Type 2 diabetes and other noncommunicable diseases are a growing public health challenge globally. An estimated 285 million people, corresponding to 6.4% of the world's adult population, has diabetes, which is expected to reach 552 million by the International Diabetes Federation in 2030. A much larger segment of the world's population, approximating 79 million individuals in the USA alone, has prediabetes. Globally, a relatively small percentage of those with diabetes or prediabetes are diagnosed with the potential for developing chronic complications. To address this epidemic, governments, in concert with the private sector, need to set policies that promote healthy nutritional and agricultural policies, favor modifications in the environment that encourage greater physical activity and make prevention affordable for all citizens at high risk. The public health sector has the charge of translating evidence-based findings into practical, accessible and cost-effective programs and monitoring the process to continuously improve prevention initiatives. The clinical sector has the formidable challenge of screening and identifying those at high risk and referring them to accredited intervention programs. There is a need to explore additional cost-effective interventions that are customized to meet individual needs that can be offered at the community and clinical levels. Thus, all three sectors, government, public health and clinical, each have a critical role in this process and by working in a partnership, ought to create the necessary synergies essential for making substantial forays in the prevention of Type 2 diabetes.


Digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB), also know as mobile TV, has been developed as a digital radio transmission technology that supports multimedia services such as TV, radio and datacasting. Especially, the terrestrial version of DMB, referred to as T-DMB, has been widely deployed in South Korea to deliver multimedia services to mobile devices ranging from smartphones to laptops, car navigation systems, and telematic devices for automotives. Although T-DMB is claimed to theoretically work without difficulties in vehicles with speeds up to 300 km/h, in practice, occasional skips and other temporal and spatial artifacts have been observed. In this paper, we provide an experimental study of the Quality of Experience (QoE) of T-DMB with focus on TV services. The study is based on a measurement campaign that was conducted in a live T-DMB system in South Korea consisting of TV broadcasters and DMB receivers in vehicles. In particular, a comprehensive subjective test has been conducted on the DMB test material that was obtained in the measurement campaign. A statistical analysis of the user ratings obtained from the subjective tests is reported to quantify the QoE of T-DMB in terms of mean opinion scores (MOSs) and higher order statistics. The obtained results may be used to develop related QoE models for this type of systems and services. In particular, the results may suggest to exploit insights obtained from higher order statistics such as skewness and kurtosis into QoE modeling rather than considering only MOS and variance.


This contribution develops a theoretical framework that takes into account the effect of approximate optimization on learning algorithms. The analysis shows distinct tradeoffs for the case of small-scale and large-scale learning problems. Small-scale learning problems are subject to the usual approximation– estimation tradeoff. Large-scale learning problems are subject to a qualitatively different tradeoff involving the computational complexity of the underlying optimization algorithms in non-trivial ways. For instance, a mediocre optimization algorithms, stochastic gradient descent, is shown to perform very well on large-scale learning problems.


The expectation maximization (EM) algorithm is a widely used maximum likelihood estimation procedure for statistical models when the values of some of the variables in the model are not observed. Very often, however, our aim is primarily to find a model that assigns values to the latent variables that have intended meaning for our data and maximizing expected likelihood only sometimes accomplishes this. Unfortunately, it is typically difficult to add even simple a-priori information about latent variables in graphical models without making the models overly complex or intractable. In this paper, we present an efficient, principled way to inject rich constraints on the posteriors of latent variables into the EM algorithm. Our method can be used to learn tractable graphical models that satisfy additional, otherwise intractable constraints. Focusing on clustering and the alignment problem for statistical machine translation, we show that simple, intuitive posterior constraints can greatly improve the performance over standard baselines and be competitive with more complex, intractable models.


At an unprecedented and probably unique American moment, laboring people were indivisible from the art of the 1930s. By far the most recognizable New Deal art employed an endless frieze of white or racially ambiguous machine proletarians, from solo drillers to identical assembly line toilers. Even today such paintings, particularly those with work themes, are almost instantly recognizable. Happening on a Depression-era picture, one can see from a distance the often simplified figures, the intense or bold colors, the frozen motion or flattened perspective, and the uniformity of laboring bodies within an often naive realism or naturalism of treatment. In a kind of Social Realist dance, the FAP's imagined drillers, haulers, construction workers, welders, miners, and steel mill workers make up a rugged industrial army. In an unusual synthesis of art and working-class history, Labor's Canvas argues that however simplified this golden age of American worker art appears from a post-modern perspective, The New Deal's Federal Art Project (FAP), under the aegis of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), revealed important tensions. Artists saw themselves as cultural workers who had much in common with the blue-collar workforce. Yet they struggled to reconcile social protest and aesthetic distance. Their canvases, prints, and drawings registered attitudes toward laborers as bodies without minds often shared by the wider culture. In choosing a visual language to reconnect workers to the larger society, they tried to tell the worker from the work with varying success. Drawing on a wealth of social documents and visual narratives, Labor's Canvas engages in a bold revisionism. Hapke examines how FAP iconography both chronicles and reframes working-class history. She demonstrates how the New Deal's artistically rendered workforce history reveals the cultural contradictions about laboring people evident even in the depths of the Great Depression, not the least in the imaginations of the FAP artists themselves.


Abstract Purpose: Summarize the experience of using modern methods in the business plan with the application of economic and mathematical modeling. Methodology: Theoretical and methodological basis of the study is the basic principles of economic theory, agricultural economics and scientific research of leading home and foreign scholars on the theory of planning. Originality: This further justifies business planning processes in agriculture from the standpoint of raising economic protection of farmers. The methodology for assessing farm income for planned indicators through the application of fuzzy numbers method in business planning is improved.


To investigate the influences of river bend geometry on flow structures, three-dimensional simulations were carried out. The influence of aspect ratio, channel sinuousness and curvature ratio were investigated. Simulation results show that with an increasing of channel aspect ratios, the streamwise variation of flow velocities decreases significantly, which is not the case for the spanwise direction. Simulation results also reveal the significant influence of the curvature ratio on the redistribution of primary flows. The streamwise variation of free-surface and bottom-wall velocities was compared and the phase differences between them was identified, which was described as anti-phase and out-of-phase patterns. Deep-water channels with an aspect ratio of 0.15 show significant phase-lag of flow velocities compared with channel geometry, this newly observed phenomenon implies the shift of the peak scouring point in fluvial river meanders. For the first time to our knowledge, the streamwise and spanwise variation of primary and secondary flow strength, as well as their spatial derivatives, are quantitatively provided, which are valuable for theoretical studies. It is also found that the widely adopted assumption that the streamwise velocity component is one order magnitude larger than the spanwise, is only valid for river bends with small curvatures and aspect ratios.


Deep brain stimulation of the medial globus pallidus is a surgical procedure for treating patients suffering from Parkinson's disease. Its therapeutic effect may be limited by the presence of pyramidal tract side effect (PTSE). PTSE is a contraction time-locked to the stimulation when the current spreading reaches the motor fibers of the pyramidal tract within the internal capsule. The lack of side-effect predictive model leads the neurologist to secure an optimal electrode placement by iterating clinical testing on an awake patient during the surgical procedure. The objective of the study was to propose a preoperative predictive model of PTSE. A machine learning based method called PyMAN (for Pyramidal tract side effect Model based on Artificial Neural network) that accounted for the current of the stimulation, the 3D electrode coordinates and the angle of the trajectory, was designed to predict the occurrence of PTSE. Ten patients implanted in the medial globus pallidus have been tested by a clinician to create a labeled dataset of the stimulation parameters that trigger PTSE. The kappa index value between the data predicted by PyMAN and the labeled data was .78. Further evaluation studies are desirable to confirm whether PyMAN could be a reliable tool for assisting the surgeon to prevent PTSE during the preoperative planning.


Objective: Some patients who had chronic coronary syndrome (CCS) and were recognized as low risk, however, developed cardiovascular events, whereas others who were categorized as high risk did not develop any cardiovascular events. Invasive coronary angiography is the gold standard tool for the assessment of coronary artery disease (CAD) severity. The SYNTAX score (SS) was recently recognized as an invasive angiographic-guided scoring system used in risk stratification of patients who have more than one-vessel CAD and undergoing revascularization with percutaneous cardiovascular intervention. It has a good predictive value of adverse cardiovascular events. Exploration for unique noninvasive modalities that may help in a better way for risk stratification of CCS patients by predicting the severity of CAD (as reflected by SS) would be of a paramount value. Tei index is a promising modality for that objective, which is a Doppler-derived time interval index that combines both systolic and diastolic cardiac performance. Methods: We examined the relationship between the severity of CAD as assessed by the SS and Tei index in 100 patients with CCS and normal left ventricular systolic function. Results: All the studied 100 patients had a normal ejection fraction with mean = 58.92 ± 7.88; the mean value of Tei index was 0.84 ± 0.26. There was a statistically significant positive association between Tei index and SS (P = 0.0001); moreover, there was a correlation between left anterior descending (LAD) affection and Tei index (P = 0.0001).The cutoff point of Tei index to detect SS above 22 was >0.93 (with specificity of 86.5% and sensitivity of 42.4%). Conclusion: Tei index significantly correlates with SS and LAD affection. Moreover, it is a cheap, radiation-free, noninvasive technique and may be used as a further risk stratification modality beyond others.


Memory consolidation and the enduring changes in synaptic function that may underlie long-lasting memories both depend on synthesis of new mRNA and protein. The mechanisms by which synaptic activity affects transcription have been intensively explored, whereas the route to translational regulation is poorly understood. Kelleher et al. used cultured neurons and a mouse mutant to explore the involvement of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) mitogen-associated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway--which has been implicated in synaptic plasticity, learning, and memory--in stimulus-dependent translation. In primary hippocampal neurons, pharmacological analysis indicated that stimulus-dependent activation of a translational reporter and pulse labeling of endogenous transcripts depended on ERK signaling, as did phosphorylation of ribosomal protein S6 and the translation factors eIF4E and 4E-BP1. Transgenic mice expressing a dominant-negative form of the ERK kinase MAPK-extracellular signal regulated kinase-1 (dnMEK1) in postnatal forebrain exhibited impaired spatial reference memory and long-term contextual fear conditioning. Although basal hippocampal synaptic transmission, short-term plastic changes, and an early phase of long-term potentiation (LTP) appeared normal, pharmacological and kinetic analysis of late LTP (L-LTP, which depends on protein synthesis) suggested a selective deficit in the translational component of this process. Hippocampal slices from dnMEK1 mice showed reduced ERK phosphorylation, incorporation of 35S-methionine, and phosphorylation of translation factors in response to L-LTP-inducing tetanic stimuli. Similarly, hippocampi from dnMEK1 mice showed reduced phosphorylation of ERK and translation factors in response to fear conditioning. Thus regulation of translation through the MAPK signaling pathway appears to play a critical role in long-lasting memory and long-term changes in synaptic function. R. J. Kelleher III, A. Govindarajan, H.-Y. Jung, H. Kang, S. Tonegawa, Translational control by MAPK signaling in long-term synaptic plasticity and memory. Cell 116, 467-479 (2004). [Online Journal]


Mesoporous Ni-doped SnO2 thin films synthesized from variable [Ni(II)/Sn(IV)] molar ratios (0 : 100, 5 : 95, 10 : 90, 15 : 85 and 20 : 80), thicknesses in the range of 100–150 nm, and average pore sizes lower than 10 nm were obtained through a sol–gel based self-assembly process using Pluronic P-123 as a structure-directing agent. Grazing incidence X-ray diffraction experiments indicate that the films mostly possess a tetragonal SnO2 structure with Ni2+ in substitutional positions, although energy-dispersive X-ray analyses also reveal the occurrence of small NiO clusters in the films produced from high [Ni(II)/Sn(IV)] molar ratios (corresponding to a Ni amount of 8.6 at%). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy experiments indicate the lack of metallic Ni and the occurrence of oxygen vacancies in the mesoporous films. Interestingly, the magnetic properties of these mesoporous films significantly vary as a function of the doping percentage. The undoped SnO2 films exhibit a diamagnetic behavior, whereas a clear paramagnetic signal dominates the magnetic response of the Ni-doped mesoporous films, probably due to the presence of NiO as a secondary phase. A small ferromagnetic-like contribution superimposed to the paramagnetic background is observed for samples with high Ni contents, possibly stemming from the combined effect from Ni incorporation and the occurrence of oxygen vacancies.


A physically based soil frost depth model usable with air temperature data and precipitation data, is presented. Snow depth is calculated from precipitation data using a physical snow cover model. The soil frost depth model is tested in one small basin, with a five-year calibration and verification period. Results from snow depth and soil frost depth simulation were satisfactory also in the verification period.

In the second stage simulated frost depth information was used to develop an HBV-runoff model version, attempting to simulate the possible effect of soil frost on runoff. The simulation results are presented. These results suggest that soil frost does not have a very important effect on runoff in this forested basin.


Accessibility has come to play a pivotal role on the world's stage, gradually pervading different aspects of our lives as well as a vast range of fields, giving rise to a plethora of fruitful new ideas, methods and models, and becoming an ever more key issue within a process that is reshaping the very fabric of society. The ubiquitous effects of accessibility have led to the emergence of a new research field, namely accessibility studies (AS). This paper presents both the path that has led towards the emergence of AS as well as the distinctive features of this new field. AS is defined as the field concerned with the investigation of accessibility processes and phenomena, and the design, implementation and evaluation of accessibility-based and accessibility-oriented methodologies. The analysis is carried out mainly, though not exclusively, in reference to media accessibility (MA), as it is one of the most mature areas in which the process of the formation of AS has been taking place. It concludes by arguing that AS is a timely field that addresses the most pressing issues our society is facing nowadays and appealing to MA to embrace its identity as an area of AS.


This study examines the utilization of iron ore in India. It takes into account the significant reserves of iron ore in India and allays fears that the country's steel industry will run out of iron ore resources if exports continue at the current level. On the contrary, it says that exports are necessary to maintain a structural balance in the market between production and consumption of lumps and fines as nearly 80% of exported ores are fines which are not adequately used in India. This study also highlights the specific problems of the Goa/Radi region. It examines the bilateral agreements with countries like Japan and Korea as well. The study says that the size of mineral resources is a dynamic concept and depends on exploratory efforts, which have not been enough in India due to lack of investments. It recommends on the basis of international experience that increased investment in the mineral sector, especially in exploration, will lead to new reserves and resources.


Multiple‐ and single‐beam bathymetric data are compiled over the Azores plateau to produce a 1 km × 1 km grid between latitudes 32°N and 49°N and longitudes 22°W and 43°W. Mantle Bouguer anomalies are then calculated from this grid and the satellite‐derived gravity. These grids provide new insights on the temporal and spatial variations of melt supply to the ridge axis. The elevated seafloor of the Azores plateau is interpreted as resulting from the interaction of a mantle plume with the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge (MAR). The presence of a large region of elevated seafloor associated with a thick crust between the Great Meteor Seamounts and the Azores platform on the Africa plate, and less developed conjugate structures on the North America plate, favors genetic relations between these hot spot‐derived structures. This suggests that a ridge‐hot spot interaction has occurred in this region since 85 Ma. This interaction migrated northward along the ridge axis as a result of the SSE absolute motion of the Africa plate, following a direction grossly parallel to the orientation of the MAR. Kinematic reconstructions from chron 13 (∼35 Ma) to the present allow a proposal that the formation of the Azores plateau began around 20 Ma and ended around 7 Ma. A sharp bathymetric step is associated with the beginning of important melt supply around 20 Ma. The excess of melt production is controlled by the interaction of the ridge and hot spot melting zones. The geometry and distribution of the smaller‐scale features on the plateau record episodic variations of the hot spot melt production. The periodicity of these variations is about 3–5 Myr. Following the rapid decrease of widespread volcanism, the plateau was subsequently rifted from north to south by the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge since 7 Ma. This rifting begins when the MAR melting zone is progressively shifted away from the 200‐km plume thermal anomaly. These results bear important consequences on the motion of the Africa plate relative to the Azores hot spot. They also provide an explanation to the asymmetric geochemical signature of the Azores hot spot along the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge.


Time-delay estimation in closed-loop systems is of critical value in the tasks of system identification, closed-loop performance assessment and process control, in general. In this work, we introduce the application of mutual information (MI) theory to estimate process delay under closed-loop conditions. The hallmark of the proposed method is that no exogenous (dither) signal is required to estimate the delay. Further, the method allows estimation of time-delays merely from the step response of the system. The method is based on the estimation of a quantity known as the average mutual information (AMI) computed between the input and output of the system. The estimation of AMI involves estimation of joint probability distribution of the input―output pair and therefore is a superset of the existing correlation-based methods, which only compute second-order moments of the joint distribution. Simulation studies are presented to demonstrate the practicality and utility of the proposed method.