Hypovitaminosis D is prevalent worldwide; however, analytical bias in the measurement of circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations may affect clinical treatment decisions and research. We performed parallel plasma 25(OH)D analyses using the Abbott Architect i2000 chemiluminescent immunoassay (CIA) and liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) for paired samples from the same infants at 3 (n = 69), 6 (n = 79) and 12 months (n = 73) of age. To test agreement, we used Lin's concordance correlation coefficient and corresponding 95% confidence interval, Bland–Altman's limits of agreement, and Bradley–Blackwood (BB) test. Agreement was high at 3 months (coefficient between difference and mean −0.076; BB F = 0.825; p = 0.440), good at 12 months (−0.25; BB F = 2.41; p = 0.097) but missing at 6 months of age (−0.39; BB F = 12.30; p < 0.001). Overall, 18 infants had disparate results based on the cut-off point for vitamin D deficiency (25(OH)D < 50 nmol/L), particularly at three months, with seven (10%) infants deficient according to CIA but not LC–MS/MS, and four (6%) deficient by LC–MS/MS but not CIA. To our knowledge, this is the first study to show that the reported 25(OH)D concentration may be influenced by both age and assay type. Physicians and researchers should be aware of these pitfalls when measuring circulating 25(OH)D concentrations in infants and when developing treatment plans based on measured vitamin D status.


Abstract. With full-waveform (FWF) lidar systems becoming increasingly available from different commercial manufacturers, the possibility for extracting physical parameters of the scanned surfaces in an area-wide sense, as addendum to their geometric representation, has risen as well. The mentioned FWF systems digitize the temporal profiles of the transmitted laser pulse and of its backscattered echoes, allowing for a reliable determination of the target distance to the instrument and of physical target quantities by means of radiometric calibration, one of such quantities being the diffuse Lambertian reflectance. The delineation of glaciers is a time-consuming task, commonly performed manually by experts and involving field trips as well as image interpretation of orthophotos, digital terrain models and shaded reliefs. In this study, the diffuse Lambertian reflectance was compared to the glacier outlines mapped by experts. We start the presentation with the workflow for analysis of FWF data, their direct georeferencing and the calculation of the diffuse Lambertian reflectance by radiometric calibration; this workflow is illustrated for a large FWF lidar campaign in the Otztal Alps (Tyrol, Austria), operated with an Optech ALTM 3100 system. The geometric performance of the presented procedure was evaluated by means of a relative and an absolute accuracy assessment using strip differences and orthophotos, resp. The diffuse Lambertian reflectance was evaluated at two rock glaciers within the mentioned lidar campaign. This feature showed good performance for the delineation of the rock glacier boundaries, especially at their lower parts.


Any fluid-filled cavity or sac that is lined by an epithelium is a cyst, and intracranial cystic lesions are a common finding on CT and MR imaging of the brain.1,2 These lesions contain either cerebrospinal fluid, fluid that is similar to CSF, mucus, or proteinaceous fluid. They are lined by epithelial cells, inflammatory cells, or glial cells. The attenuation characteristics of the cyst on CT and MRI and the contrast enhancement patterns depend on the cyst's contents and the composition of the wall.


OBJECTIVES: Oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma puts the patient at risk for bilateral neck lymph node metastasis. For this reason, routine bilateral neck dissection is preferred by some surgeons as the treatment of choice, even in N0-necks, despite the morbidity of this procedure.
METHODS: Utilising data of 496 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck region treated at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck at the Medical University Hospital, Graz from 1999 to 2009, we retrospectively evaluated the effect of bilateral neck dissection on recurrence-free and overall survival rates in patients with oral and oropharyngeal cancer.
RESULTS: Long-term survival of 152 patients with oral and oropharyngeal cancer did not show a statistical benefit of elective contralateral neck dissection in patients with contralateral clinically negative neck. Neither locoregional recurrence-free survival nor overall survival rates differed.
CONCLUSION: We could not find a statistical benefit for operating on patients with oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma with an elective neck dissection in contralateral clinically negative neck.


"Ascertain the meaning before consulting this dictionary," warns the author of this collection of deliberately satirical misdefinitions. New computer cultures and their jargons have burgeoned since this book's progenitor, The Devil's DP Dictionary, was published in 1981. This updated version of Stan Kelly-Bootle's romp through the data processing "laxicon" is a response to the "Unix pandemic" that has swept academia and government, to the endlessly hyped panaceas offered to the MIS, and to the PC explosion that has brought computer terminology to a "hugely bewildered, lay audience." The original dictionary, an urbane and witty pastiche of Ambrose Bierce's famous work, parried chiefly the mainframe and mini-folklore of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. This long-awaited revision adds over 550 new entries and enhances many of the original definitions. Key targets are "a host of new follies crying out for cynical lexicography [including] the GUI-Phooey iconoclasts, object orienteering, and the piping of BLObs down the Clinton-Gore InfoPike." ack n. [Origin: back-formed negation of nak.] A signal indicating that the error-detection circuits have failed. computer science n. [Origin: possibly Prof. P. B. Fellgett's rhetorical question, "Is computer science?"] A study akin to numerology and astrology, but lacking the precision of the former and the success of the latter. multimedia n. An application attacking all five senses of the user--sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch--but especially, smell.


The use of effective microbes obtained from the rhizosphere to suppress soil borne plant pathogens has received greater attention in recent decades as an alternative to chemical fungicides. This study was conducted to explore the effects of effective microbes (EMs) from the rhizosphere of rock melon as bio- control agents (BCAs) against Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis (Fom). Two EMs namely MKB04 and KB10 were screened from 72 effective bacteria isolated
from the rhizosphere soil of rock melon. The isolate MKB04 was identified based on the Biolog system as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens; though the isolate MKB10 was
unsuccessfully identified using biolog system due probably to the limitation of the methods used. However, 16S rDNA sequencing for MKB04 and MKB10 isolates
was confirmed at 100% of sequence similarity to B. amyloliquefaciens and Alcaligenes faecalis, respectively compared with related bacteria in the GeneBank.
 The two isolates were proved to be effectious towards Fom in in vitro biocontrol assay and showed different mechanisms of action, as they produced antibiotic
substances which prevent the fungal growth up to 92.05 and 93.18% for MKB04 and MKB10 respectively compared with control and spores germination by 100%. Antibiotic substances were produced in the form of volatile as well as non volatile metabolites. Pyrrolopyrazine alkaloid compound was detected on GC/MS for both isolates which displayed significant biological activities against tested fungal pathogens. Furthermore, the two isolates produced hydrolytic enzymes that degrade the fungal cell components; and responded positively invitro for siderophore and HCN, indole acetic acid (IAA) production, and phosphate solubilisation.B. amyloliquefaciens and Alcaligenes faecalis bioformulations act as elicitors in the production of inducible compound associated with induced resistance (Peroxidase (PO), polyphenoloxidase (PPO), total phenol and lignin content); that subsequently enhance tolerance of the rock melon to Fusarium wilt based on parameters such as delay the symptoms onset,reduce disease incidence by (25, 33.33 and 33.33%),disease severity (18.83, 20.71 and 22.45%) for B. amyloliquefaciens and Alcaligensis faecalis as single or in combination respectively; and epidemic rate at 0.007 units day-1.Histological observations revealed that B. amyloliquefaciens and Alcaligensis faecalis were able to colonise and produce massive deposition of new structures and products in the tissues of the rock melon, which were used as a defense mechanism against infection by Fom. Furthermore, the two bioformulations enhanced the vegetative growth as observed by the increased chlorophyll content, dry weight of the root and shoot, shoot height and root length. Fruit fresh weight, firmness, total soluble solid, titratable acidity and ascorbic acid obtained in this study are within the
range of quality standard and customer acceptance. Under storage conditions4 and 25οC, the bioformulations performed retaining their viability over a longer period.In vitro and in vivo activities of the bioformulations of B. amyloliquefaciens and Alcaligensis faecalis as single or in combination against Fom of rock melon suggested that the bacterium has the potential to be a promising eco-friendly biocontrol agent for F. oxysporum f. sp. melonis as well as plant growth promoters.


From the perspective of strategic communication planning, this research maps and compares the gastrodiplomacy campaigns by Japan, Malaysia, Peru, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand. Analysis reveals that message appeals of the campaigns include mysticism, exoticism, naturalness, and healthiness. Campaign strategies range from membership relations in marketing products to the use of opinion leaders and coalition building. The research also documents several innovative campaign tactics.


Behavioural interventions that address cardiovascular risk factors such as physical inactivity and hypertension help reduce recurrence risk following a transient ischaemic attack (TIA) or "minor" stroke, but an optimal approach for providing secondary prevention is unclear. After developing an initial draft of an innovative manual for patients, aiming to promote secondary prevention following TIA or minor stroke, we aimed to explore views about its usability and acceptability amongst relevant stakeholders. We held three focus group discussions with 18 participants (people who had experienced a TIA or minor stroke (4), carers (1), health professionals (9), and researchers (4). Reflexive thematic analysis identified the following three inter-related themes: (1) relevant information and content, (2) accessibility of format and helpful structure, and (3) strategies to optimise use and implementation in practice. Information about stroke, medication, diet, physical activity, and fatigue symptoms was valued. Easily accessed advice and practical tips were considered to provide support and reassurance and promote self-evaluation of lifestyle behaviours. Suggested refinements of the manual's design highlighted the importance of simplifying information and providing reassurance for patients early after a TIA or minor stroke. Information about fatigue, physical activity, and supporting goal setting was viewed as a key component of this novel secondary prevention initiative.


This paper presents a comprehensive classification of basic illocutions in Modern Greek, extracted following the linguistic choices speakers make when they formulate an utterance, provided such choices form part of a language's grammar. Our approach lies on the interface between Morphosyntax, Pragmatics and Phonology and allows for basic illocutions to be established depending on the particular verb mood, particle, number, person, aspect and segmental marker, as well as the prosodic contour used when an utterance is realized. Our results show that Indicative uses, for example, are mostly associated with propositional illocutions, consisting of declarative uses, including assertions, miratives, and assertions in disguise; interrogative uses, including polar and content interrogatives; and behavioral illocutions i.e. exhortations (expressed in first person plural only). Secondary sentence types, (involving additional segmental marking) include requests for confirmation, wondering, expression of uncertainty and proffer. In this paper we discuss propositional uses only. Such a theoretical approach can have a direct impact on applications involving Human-Computer Interaction, including intention-based dialogue systems' modeling, natural language interfaces to Data Bases and Intelligent Agents as well as Belief, Desire and Intention systems, which require the computer to be able to interpret what a user's objective (intention) is, so that the users' needs can be best served.


At SAPPI-Tugela a continuous Kraft wood chip digester operates in EMCC mode (extended modified continuous cooking). Chips are initially exposed to a NaOH / Na2S liquor at high temperature in the top section. The chips move downward in plug flow passing circumferential screens used to draw liquor for various circulations. About midway down the spent black liquor is removed and the chips enter the cooler bottom section where some further reaction and washing occurs. Liquor level and chip level are maintained close to each other near the top. Chips require 8-12 hours to pass through the digester, depending on the chip feed rate. The key parameter of interest at the digester exit is the Kappa number, which is a measure of the extent of delignification which has occurred. Different board and paper products require different Kappa number pulp feed. (Final properties such as tensile, tear and bursting strengths will also depend on the way fibres have been modified in the digestion). The objective of this investigation is to predict the Kappa number of the product pulp in real-time, thus facilitating quicker reaction than the present dependence on laboratory analysis permits, possibly even allowing closed-loop control. The extent of delignification depends on liquor strength, temperature and exposure time, with final Kappa number also depending on the properties of the chip feed (wood type and moisture content). Compensation to maintain a steady Kappa number is made difficult by the long and varying residence time, and the fact that any changes apply to the whole profile held up in the digester. A number of static models for Kappa number prediction have been developed by previous workers, but these do not compare well with plant measurements. The collection of data from the Sappi-Tugela reactor, and the pulp quality reports, have been used to determine an efficient model. This step required a considerable data collection exercise, and similar results to the quality reports have been obtained using a simple linear model based on this data. The problem of model error is being reduced by arrangement as a Smith Predictor, in which the model is intermittently corrected by available laboratory analyses. At the same time, an interface was created, in order to synchronise measurement data for the chips presently leaving the reactor. In order to deal with the dead time, each parcel of chips entering the reactor is effectively tracked, and the changes in Kappa number integrated for reaction time under the varying conditions in transit. Knowing the present inventory of the reactor, this model can also be run forward in time as a predictive controller, to determine optimal control actions for maintenance of the target Kappa number.


A cell's decision making process is coordinated by dynamic interplay between its extracellular environment and its intracellular milieu. For example, during stem cell differentiation, fate decisions are believed to be ultimately controlled by differential expression of lineage-specific transcription factors, but cytokine receptor signals also play a crucial instructive role in addition to providing permissive proliferation and survival cues. Here, we present a minimal computational framework that integrates the intrinsic and extrinsic regulatory elements implicated in the commitment of hematopoietic progenitor cells to mature red blood cells (Chapter 2). Our model highlights the importance of bidirectional interactions between cytokine receptors and transcription factors in conferring properties such as ultrasensitivity and bistability to differentiating cells. These system-level properties can induce a switch-like characteristic during differentiation and provide robustness to the mature state. We then experimentally test predictions from this lineage commitment model in a model system for studying erythropoiesis (Chapter 3). Our experiments show that hemoglobin synthesis is highly switch-like in response to cytokine and cells undergoing lineage commitment possess memory of earlier cytokine signals. We show that erythrocyte-specific receptor and transcription factor are indeed synchronously co-upregulated and the heterogeneity in their expression is positively correlated during differentiation, confirming the presence of autofeedback and receptor-mediated positive feedback loops. To evaluate the possibility of employing this minimal topology as a synthetic "memory module" for cell engineering applications, we constructed this topology synthetically in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by integrating Arabidopsis thaliana signaling components with an endogenous yeast pathway (Chapter 4). Our experiments show that any graded and unimodal signaling pathway can be rationally rewired to achieve our desired topology and the resulting network immediately attains high ultrasensitivity and bimodality without tweaking. We further show that this topology can be tuned to regulate system dynamics such as activation/ deactivation kinetics, signal amplitude, switching threshold and sensitivity. We conclude with a computational study to explore the generality of this interplay between extrinsic and intrinsic cues in hematopoiesis. We extend our minimal model analysis in Chapter 2 to examine the more complex fate decisions in bipotent and multipotent progenitors, particularly how these cells can make robust decisions in the presence of multiple extrinsic cues and intrinsic noise (Chapter 5). Our model provides support to both the instructive and stochastic theories of commitment: cell fates are ultimately driven by lineage-specific transcription factors, but cytokine signaling can strongly bias lineage commitment by regulating these inherently noisy cell-fate decisions with complex, pertinent behaviors such as ligandmediated ultrasensitivity and robust multistability. The simulations further suggest that the kinetics of differentiation to a mature cell state can depend on the starting progenitor state as well as on the route of commitment that is chosen. Lastly, our model shows good agreement with lineage-specific receptor expression kinetics from microarray experiments and provides a computational framework that can integrate both classical and alternative commitment paths in hematopoiesis that have been observed experimentally. Degree Type Dissertation This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/414 Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Bioengineering First Advisor Dr. Casim A. Sarkar


From the fifteenth century onwards, as European explorers sailed forth on grand voyages of discovery, their encounters with exotic plants and animals fanned intense scientific interest. Scholars began to examine nature with fresh eyes, and pioneering artists transformed the way nature was seen and understood. In Amazing Rare Things, renowned naturalist and documentary-maker David Attenborough joins with expert colleagues to explore how artists portrayed the natural world during this era of burgeoning scientific interest. The book focuses on an exquisite selection of natural history drawings and watercolors by Leonardo da Vinci, Alexander Marshal, Maria Sibylla Merian, and Mark Catesby, and from the collection of Cassiano dal Pozzo--works all held in the Royal Library at Windsor Castle. Attenborough and his coauthors offer lucid commentary on topics ranging from the 30,000-year history of human drawings of the natural world, to Leonardo's fascination with natural processes, to Catesby's groundbreaking studies that introduced Europeans to the plants and animals of North America. With 160 full color illustrations, this beautiful book will appeal to readers with interests that extend from art and science to history and nature.


Background Studies have suggested that outpatient (OP) management of suspected pulmonary embolism (PE) is feasible.1 At our DGH (popn 289,400) the decision to manage a suspected PE as an OP is made clinically by the admitting physician. The aims of our study were To ascertain the proportion of patients who underwent CTPA investigation that were managed as outpatients and subsequent nights saved. To identify any further patients that could have been managed as OP and potential nights that could have been saved. To determine if the outpatients met the current criteria for ambulatory management of PE. Methods RADIS was used to collect all CTPA's performed between 1st September 2011 and 31st October 2011.Notes were requested. Inclusion criteria Ambulatory, normal heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure and oxygen saturations (on air),any patient who was managed acutely as an OPPESI Score < 85.2 Exclusion criteria Any pre-existing in-patient that had a CTPA ordered where the primary admission (and reason for in-patient stay) was not for suspected PE, any patient who had their CTPA on the same day of discharge, OP CTPA where waiting time was > 2 weeks. PESI Score > 85.2 Results For the above period 105 CTPA's were performed. Average time from request to CTPA was 4.1 hours (1–21 hours.) Figure 1 shows the excluded patients. 15 patients were included; 7 were female, average age 47 years(18–78 years).All had a PESI score <85.11 were investigated as outpatients (1 PE +ve) and 4 were kept as inpatients(2 PE +ve). The 11 managed as outpatients resulted in 17 nights saved. The 4 inpatients (if managed as OP) could have saved an additional 6 nights. Abstract P141 Figure 1 Conclusion Over a 2 month period at our DGH most suspected PE patients (suitable for ambulatory care) are being identified resulting in significant (17 nights) bed savings. Hogg K et al, Emerg Med J 2006; 23:123–127. Aujesky D et al, AJRCCM 2005; 172(8):1041.


Nakatani et al. purified complexes containing the tumor suppressor RB (retinoblastoma protein, which was stably expressed in a tagged form in HeLa cells) and identified p600 [a target of the human papilloma virus-16 oncoprotein E7 (HPV-16 E7)], calmodulin, and several other proteins. Far-Western analysis in the presence or absence of Ca2+ indicated that p600 bound directly to Ca2+-bound calmodulin. Immunofluorescence analysis of human foreskin fibroblasts showed that p600 was localized in meshwork structures in both nucleus and cytoplasm. RB, found mostly in the nucleus, was localized near nuclear p600 in patterns suggesting that p600 and RB might act as a chromatin scaffold. Cytoplasmic p600 formed meshwork structures with clathrin at the leading edge of membrane protrusion sites, with calmodulin and the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor localized close to p600. Cells in which p600 expression was suppressed with short hairpin RNA showed decreased activation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK, a protein implicated in integrin-mediated cell survival pathways), defective formation of membrane ruffles, and increased susceptibility to apoptosis. The existence of a cytoplasmic pool of p600 led the authors to conclude that its cytoplasmic functions and role in regulating integrin-mediated signaling were likely independent of RB. They further suggest that, given p600's targeting by HPV-16 E7, the data may imply a link between events occurring at the leading edge of the cell membrane and viral transformation. Y. Nakatani, H. Konishi, A. Vassilev, H. Kurooka, K. Ishiguro, J.-I. Sawada, T. Ikura, S. J. Korsmeyer, J. Qin, A. M. Herlitz, p600, a unique protein required for membrane morphogenesis and cell survival. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 102, 15093-15098 (2005). [Abstract] [Full Text]


Simple Summary The presence of the oligochaete species Quistadrilus multisetosus (Smith, 1900), originating from North America, has been mentioned in Europe for some decades and was recently found in Swiss lakes. Here, we report its repartition and abundance in Lake Geneva based on morphological and eDNA surveys and study its ecology and invasive potential in this lake. We also provide an identification key of this species and two closely related species and describe the phylogenetic position of Q. multisetosus within several Tubificinae lineages based on the cytochrome c oxidase marker. Our results showed that this species was restricted to an area close to the outlet of a wastewater treatment plant and to a combined sewer overflow, was highly tolerant to organic matter pollution and had a limited capacity to disseminate in this lake. Even if the trophic status (oligo-mesotrophic) of Lake Geneva seems unfavorable for the development of this species, we recommend continuing monitoring its presence in this lake in the future, as the current warming of waters could contribute to its expansion. Abstract The presence of the oligochaete species Quistadrilus multisetosus (Smith, 1900) originating from North America has been mentioned for several decades in Europe, the Middle East and Russia. Its distribution and abundance in Europe is still unknown but it can be considered as potentially invasive. This species was recently discovered in Lake Geneva (Switzerland/France) and three other Swiss lakes. The aims of the present work are to report its repartition and abundance in Lake Geneva, to study its ecology and to determine its invasive potential in this lake. We also provide an identification key for correctly differentiating Q. multisetosus from the closely related species Spirosperma ferox Eisen, 1879 and Embolocephalus velutinus (Grube, 1879), and study the phylogenetic position of Q. multisetosus within several Tubificinae lineages based on the cytochrome c oxidase (COI) marker. Twenty-eight sites have been monitored since 2009 in Lake Geneva. In several sites, the COI sequence corresponding to this species was also searched for in sediment samples using high-throughput sequencing. In addition, we examined specimens collected in this lake before 2009 likely to belong to Q. multisetosus and to have been misidentified. We found that Q. multisetosus was only present in the lake downstream of a wastewater treatment plant and a combined sewer overflow in the Vidy Bay (near Lausanne) and at a site located nearby. These results confirmed the high tolerance of this species to organic matter pollution. Q. multisetosus was already present in this location in 1974 (misidentified as Spirosperma ferox), which suggests that Q. multisetosus has a limited capacity to disseminate in this lake. However, we recommend continuing monitoring its presence in Lake Geneva in the future, especially in the context of warming of waters that could contribute to the expansion of this species.


Proxy applications are a simplified means for stake-holders to evaluate how both hardware and software stacks might perform on the class of real applications that they are meant to model. However, characterizing the relationship between them and their behavior is not an easy task. We present a data-driven methodology for characterizing the relationship between real and proxy applications based on collecting runtime data from both and then using data analytics to find their correspondence and divergence. We use new capabilities for application-level monitoring within LDMS (Lightweight Distributed Monitoring System) to capture hardware performance counter and MPI-related data. To demonstrate the utility of this methodology, we present experimental evidence from two system platforms, using four proxy applications from the current ECP Proxy Application Suite and their corresponding parent applications (in the ECP application portfolio). Results show that each proxy analyzed is representative of its parent with respect to computation and memory behavior. We also analyze communication patterns separately using mpiP data and show that communication for these four proxy/parent pairs is also similar.


In the course of the present study the area has been mapped in detail on the six inch scale and a stratigraphical succession has been suggested. The regional metamorphism has been investigated and found to be of amphibolite facies. Metamorphic zones demarcated in pelitic rocks by staurolite, staurolite + sillimanite, and sillimanite + muscovite, have been recognised and the zonal isograds have been mapped. Two post-kinematic granites were intruded into the metasediments, they are adamellitic in composition and are, together with veral other small granite bodies, related to the Galway Granite. The metasediments have been thermally metamorphosed and zones of thermal metamorphism have been mapped, an inner zone of andalusite hornfels, (hornblende hornfels facies), and an outer zone of spotted schist, (epidote actinolite hornfels facies).Fourteen chemical analyses of the metasedimentary rocks were made with the purpose of investigating the question of metasomatism in the regional and thermal metamorphism, and for comparing the metasediments with unmetamorphosed sedimentary rocks. It has been concluded that metasomatism did not occur during either the regional or thermal metamorphism. Chemically the metasediments compare closely with sediments carried into a shelf sea from an adjacent land mass of moderate or low relief and it is concluded that the metasediments were deposited under similar conditions. Three periods of folding have been recognised: 1. East - West, syn-metamorphic 2. East - West, post-metamorphic 3. North - South, post-metamorphic. The first east-west folding resulted in the formation of recumbent, isoclinal nappes. These were subsequently cross folded about an east-west axis to give the present - Connemara anticline which was then deformed by gentle folding about a north-south axis. A swarm of north-south trending dykes was intruded in association with the granite emplacement, and at the same time the area was fractured by a system of faults striking north west - south east, and north east - south west. The area was finally subjected to sub-aerial erosion and glaciated in Pleistocene times.


This study aims at providing experimental evidence , to support the hypothesis according to which the movement of the moon's shadow sweeping the ozone layer at supersonic speed, during a solar eclipse, creates gravity waves in the atmosphere. An experiment was conducted to study eclipse induced thermal fluctuations in the ozone layer (via measurements of total ozone column, ozone pho-tolysis rates and UV irradiance), the ionosphere (Ionosonde Total Electron Content – ITEC, peak electron density height – hmF2), and the troposphere (temperature, relative humidity), before, during and after the total solar eclipse of 29 March 2006. We found the existence of eclipse induced dominant oscillations in the parameters related to the ozone layer and the ionosphere, with periods ranging between 30– 40 min. Cross-spectrum analyses resulted to statistically significant square coherences between the observed oscillations , strengthening thermal stratospheric ozone forcing as the main mechanism for GWs. Additional support for a source below the ionosphere was provided by the amplitude of the oscillations in the ionospheric electron density, which increased upwards from 160 to 220 km height. Even though similar oscillations were shown in surface temperature and relative humidity data, no clear evidence for tropospheric influence could be derived from this study, due to the modest amplitude of these waves and the manifold rationale inside the boundary layer.


This best-selling Dictionary of Finance and Banking includes over 5,200 entries. The fifth edition has been fully revised and updated, and adds more than 150 new entries. These focus particularly upon recent terminology, institutions, and safety measures coined or introduced since the economic crash of 2008-9, including reactions to the crisis such as the Asset Protection Scheme and the Financial Stability Oversight Council. The dictionary defines terms from all aspects of personal and international finance, including money markets, private investments and borrowing, central banking, foreign exchanges, monetary policy, and public and government finance. Now with expanded coverage of capital structure and corporate restructuring. Recommended up-to-date web links for many entries, accessed via the Dictionary of Finance and Banking website, provide valuable extra information. With clear and accessible definitions, this jargon-free dictionary is a companion volume to the other financial titles in this best-selling series, A Dictionary of Business and Management, A Dictionary of Accounting, and A Dictionary of Economics, and provides accurate and valuable information for students, practitioners, private investors, and readers of the financial pages alike.


— The emergence of increasingly affordable variable speed drive technology has changed the approach for how chilled water systems equipped with variable speed drives should be controlled. The purpose of this research was to estimate the potential energy savings that can be achieved through optimization of a single chiller system equipped with Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) on all pieces of equipment in the condenser water system. Data for a case study was collected from a local museum's chilled water system. To accomplish the objective, physical component models of the centrifugal chiller, cooling tower and condenser water pump were established with the goal of incorporating the system's condenser water flow rate and cooling tower fan speeds as optimization variables. Furthermore, a cooling load prediction algorithm was developed using a multiple non-linear regression model to approximate the buildings cooling load subject to a range of environmental conditions. The inputs and outputs of the individual component models were linked to estimate how adjusting the cooling tower fan and condenser water pump speed would influence the system's overall performance. The overall system model was then optimized using a generalized reduced gradient optimization algorithm to determine the potential energy savings through speed control with VFDs and ascertain a simple control logic strategy for the building automation system to operate the system. The saving potential of the optimized system was found to be 12-15%.


Extension audiences are turning to Internet-based media for information Extension professionals traditionally have provided them. In a qualitative study, we sought to relate the Internet-based media strategies of marketing professionals to the needs of Extension professionals to increase Extension professionals' success in using Internet-based media. Extension professionals can more effectively engage modern Extension audiences by implementing four strategies: knowing the research, knowing what makes audiences tick, making changes based on measurable data, and increasing the effectiveness of Internet-based media efforts.


This volume features differing views of past, present, and possible future roles for Aboriginal people in the Canadian political and electoral system. The studies address the issues facing Aboriginal people and the efforts to increase their involvement in the federal electoral system. Robert Milen examines the development of Aboriginal political consciousness since the 1970s, with attention to recent constitutional and electoral initiatives and aspirations. Augie Fleras' study considers the New Zealand system of guaranteed representation for the Maori and suggests how Canada might follow this example. Valerie Alia studies how the media deal with Aboriginal issues, basing her recommendations on interviews with Aboriginal people who offered her their views. Roger Gibbins critiques the idea of guaranteed Aboriginal representation in the House of Commons.


Key words: GCC national, expatriate, nationalisation, Qatarisation, employability, employee engagement, workplace productivity, diversity and inclusion, early mid-career crisis Background The advancement of national talent is the single biggest human capital priority, if not the single biggest business impressive in the region. "Qudurat" was a longitudinal research study dedicated to understanding what drives and motivates national and expatriate talent in the region. This research was conducted in two waves, in 2010 and again in 2012, across 7 countries (Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt). Methodology To date, this is the largest workplace study ever conducted in the region. The total n size for the study was approximately 20,500 respondents, representing over 150 organisations across a wide variety of industries and including both the public and private sector, as well as educational institutions. In 2012, the study had over 2300 respondents from Qatar. The study design focused on fully 22 research variables, or drivers, including factors such as employee engagement, self - identity, workplace relationships and psychological strengths such as self-efficacy, resilience and preparedness. This paper will describe the research approach, share its major results and main findings, especially on the perspectives of nationalisation, youth inclusion and gender diversity in Qatar and the broader GCC. There will be particular emphasis and reference to the region's changing educational, demographic and talent landscape, along with their impact on employability, job creation, engagement and productivity and other aspects of labour market outcomes. All of these factors are of increasing interest and priority for policy-makers, organisational leaders, educational professionals and individuals across the broader MENA region and the GCC in particular. This paper offers analytical insights into the current state of the talent landscape from this ground-breaking study. Summary of Findings - Whilst Qatari nationals were the most engaged, GCC nationals are consistency and significantly less engaged than their expatriate counter-parts in their home countries. - The younger generation of nationals is significantly less engaged with their work than the older generation. - There has been a statistically significant decline in youth engagement (Under 25's) from 2010 to 2012. - Surprisingly, amongst all age groups, those under the age of 25 and especially those in the 25 - 34 year age groups report the lowest level of acceptance with diversity in the workplace. - Those workers under the age of 34 are experiencing an "early mid-career crisis" compared with their peers elsewhere in the world. - Average levels of employee engagement are higher in the private sector, rather than in the public sector. - GCC nationals report better relationships with their managers in the private sector, greater development opportunities and a more dynamic workplace. - GCC national women are significantly more comfortable than their male counterparts in a diverse working environment. The paper will conclude with practical recommendations and priority actions for each of these key constituent stakeholders within the region's dynamic talent landscape.


This paper presents a novel design of ternary logic gates using carbon nanotube (CNT) FETs (CNTFETs). Ternary logic is a promising alternative to the conventional binary logic design technique, since it is possible to accomplish simplicity and energy efficiency in modern digital design due to the reduced circuit overhead such as interconnects and chip area. A resistive-load CNTFET-based ternary logic design has been proposed to implement ternary logic based on CNTFET. In this paper, a novel design technique for ternary logic gates based on CNTFETs is proposed and compared with the existing resistive-load CNTFET logic gate designs. Especially, the proposed ternary logic gate design technique combined with the conventional binary logic gate design technique provides an excellent speed and power consumption characteristics in datapath circuit such as full adder and multiplier. Extensive simulation results using SPICE are reported to show that the proposed ternary logic gates consume significantly lower power and delay than the previous resistive-load CNTFET gates implementations. In realistic circuit application, the utilization of the proposed ternary gates combined with binary gates results in over 90% reductions in terms of the power delay product.


In this paper, we aim to achieve two specific objectives. The first one is to examine the applicability of the Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) technique in ore grade estimation. Different training algorithms and numbers of hidden neurons are applied to estimate Cu grade of borehole data in the hypogene zone of porphyry copper-gold deposit, Masjed-Daghi, East Azerbaijan Province (Iran). The efficacy of ANNs in function-learning and estimation is compared with ordinary kriging (OK). As the kriging algorithms smooth the data, their applicability in the pre-processing of data for fractal analysis is not conducive. ANNs can be introduced as an alternative for this kind of problem. Secondly, we aim to delineate the potassic and phyllic alteration regions in the hypogene zone of Cu-Au porphyry deposit based on the estimation obtained by the ANNs and OK methods, and utilize the Concentration-Volume (C-V) fractal model. In this regard, at first, C-V log-log is generated based on the ANN results. The plots are then used to determine the Cu threshold values for the alteration zones. To investigate the correlation between the geological model and C-V fractal results, the log ratio matrix is applied. The results obtained show that Cu values less than 0.38% from ANNs have more overlapped voxels with phyllic alteration zone by an overall accuracy of 0.72. Spatial correlation between the potassic alteration zones resulting from 3D geological modeling and high concentration zones in C-V fractal model show that Cu values greater than 0.38% have more voxels overlapped with the potassic alteration zone by an overall accuracy of 0.76. Generally, the results obtained show that a combination of the ANNs and C-V fractal methods can be a suitable and robust tool for quantitative modeling of alteration zones instead of the qualitative methods.


About the Book

Inclusion is Dead is a provocative polemic against the widely held notion that inclusion for all children and young people with SEN is both possible and desirable. For those with severe learning difficulties (SLD) and profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD), the authors argue, it is neither.

Imray and Colley assert that the dominance of inclusion has meant that there has been no serious attempt to look at the educational difficulties faced by learners with PMLD and SLD. As a vision of egalitarianism and equality for all, they say, inclusion is dead.

The authors controversially believe that unless education changes, it will remain as a disabling institution that does the exact opposite of its intention. The book presents the argument that theorists of inclusion have failed to provide practical solutions on how inclusion can be achieved when SLD and PMLD learners are involved, as well as discussing the drawbacks of the 'inclusion for all argument'.

With up-to-date references throughout, Inclusion is Dead will be an insightful read for teachers and SENCO trainers, as well as postgraduates and undergraduates studying courses on politics, philosophy and society.


Financial sector reforms began in Nigeria with the deregulation of interest rates in August 1987. Since then, far-reaching policy measures including the chartering of new banks, reform of the capital market and a move from direct to indirect monetary controls have been undertaken. The results from the implementation of the reforms have been disappointing, however. Bank insolvency, high inflation and excessively high interest rates have become common phenomena in the economy. This study uses discriminant analysis to demonstrate that the health of banks deteriorated following reforms in Nigeria. The study cautiously identifies a wrong sequencing process as a major factor in the poor performance of the financial sector reforms, but agrees that a lot more research needs to be done in this area.


Objective- To evaluate and compare efficacy and safety of topical Difluprednate ophthalmic emulsion 0.05% with Nepafenac ophthalmic suspension 0.1% in patients of uneventful cataract surgery with respect to postoperative macular thickness and volume.
Design- A prospective, single centric, tertiary care centre based, comparative, interventional study from August 2013 to July 2014
Subjects- Total 206 ( Group N=106, Group D=100) patients were followed up who completed their 12 weeks follow up
Methodology- Surgery was performed by phacoemulsification technique by clear corneal incision with foldable PCIOL implantation by a single surgeon having 10 years of surgical experience. Post operative patients were divided into 2 groups. Group N were given topical treatment with Nepafenac ophthalmic suspension  0.1% TID starting 24 hours before surgery  and continued post-op 4 weeks. Group D were given Difluprednate ophthalmic emulsion 0.05% QID post surgery for 2 weeks followed by BID for 2 weeks.
Main outcome measures: Postoperative assessment of patients were done on 1st day and on 1st, 8th and12th  weeks  after the surgery for best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) by logMAR, intraocular pressure by Applanation tonometry and macular thickness and volume by SD-OCT. Statistical test used was sample Unpaired and paired 't' test  and statistical analysis was done with SPSS 20.0 ( IBM, USA).
Results- There was increase in the measured mean central subfield thickness( CST) at 8 and 12 weeks as compared to 1 week , in both the study groups (P<0.05). On comparing the volume (in mm3) and average thickness (in µm) at 1 week, it was observed that thickness of group N (266.82±25.06 µm) was statistically higher than that of group D (253.14±22.21µm) (P= 0.03). The comparison of best corrected visual acuity (LogMAR) and the intraocular pressure recordings showed no difference between the patients of two studied groups recorded at 1 week and 8 weeks and 12weeks.
Conclusion- Both Nepafenac ophthalmic suspension 0.1% and Difluprednate ophthalmic emulsion 0.05% are equally effective in controlling macular thickness change after uneventful cataract surgery.


For the purpose of specifying the concept of the quality of preschool education, this publication presents part of the results of a wider study aimed at researching the notion of the "good/quality kindergarten teacher". 72 students preparing to become preschool teachers in the Faculty of Primary and Preschool Education of the Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" in Bulgaria took part in this research. The main method used for research is analysis of the students' individual written essays on the subject "My idea of a good/quality kindergarten teacher". The collected essays were subjected to qualitative analysis aimed at the distribution of the contained opinions regarding the essence of the notion of "good/quality kindergarten teacher" into an unlimited number of semantic categories, provisionally divided into two main groups: 1) general personal qualities, skills, attitudes, etc.; and 2) specialized professional qualities, skills, attitudes, etc. This paper presents the distributions of 136 categories, defined following the analysis of the data. Since half of the participating students (36) were approached at the beginning of their university education and the other half (36) participated during the middle of their last year, the publication specifically marks some of the most important differences in the relevant viewpoints of first-year students in comparison to the opinion of graduating students.


On his return from internal exile Tawhiao, the second Maori king, had a cottage built in the 1890s on land owned by his family in Mangere, South Auckland. While it isn't clear that Tahwiao ever stayed there, other members of the kahui ariki (royal family) are known to have done so, and it is known that the cottage had a Maori housekeeper. The cottage passed out of Maori ownership in 1925 but continued to be rented to Maori until 1947 when the then landowners built a new house at the front of the property. By the time of our investigation in 2012 the cottage was dilapidated, but was removed to Council owned land and 'restored.' Our investigations showed what was, in many ways, typical of the archaeology of a South Auckland cottage of its type and time. This paper examines what there was in the archaeology that might be related to the distinctive culture of its Maori inhabitants, particularly the midden beneath the cottage and evidence of hakari (feasting).


Objective: Cisplatin, a popular anti-neoplastic agent is employed as a first line treatment for variety of cancers. Majority of the analytical methods reported for Cisplatin are either complex or not suitable for routine analysis of the drug. Hence, there is a need for development of suitable analytical technique like ICP-AES for quantitation of Cisplatin in complex matrices and biological samples. Methods: Cisplatin was analyzed in the present study based on its single step conversion to platinum metal with aqua regia. Results: The developed method was validated and was found to be linear in the range of 0.375 to 15 μg/ml with a regression coefficient of 0.992. The percent recoveries of Cisplatin from plasma and tissue samples ranged from 95 to 99%. Discussion: A simple, low cost, sensitive, one step ICP-AES technique was developed and validated for bioanalytical estimation of Cisplatin.


The beginning of this century brought spectacular changes in our understanding of eukaryote phylogeny, especially the early evolution of microeukaryotic lineages commonly called protists. Phylogenomic studies based on analysis of more than 200 genes produced a relatively well-resolved tree of eukaryotes. Metagenetic studies using environmental deoxyribonucleic acid (eDNA) revealed an extraordinary diversity of protist lineages, highlighting their great ecological and evolutionary importance. A new higher level classification of eukaryotes combining the results of microscopic and various 'omics' studies has been proposed. In this classification, the majority of eukaryotes are placed in seven monophyletic supergroups: Amoebozoa, Opisthokonta, Archaeplastida, Alveolata, Stramenopiles, Rhizaria and Excavata. Phylogenetic relationships between these supergroups and 11 independent eukaryotic lineages are relatively well established. However, there is no consensus concerning the position of the root of eukaryotic tree. Further single-cell microscopic and genomic studies are also necessary for exploring the extraordinary diversity of protistan phyla revealed by the eDNA surveys.

Key Concepts:

Molecular phylogenies drastically changed our understanding of eukaryotes evolution.

Phylogenomic data are essential for reconstructing the deep relationships of eukaryotes.

Ribosomal phylogenies are useful for inferring relationships within protistan phyla and for species identification.

Current protist classification comprises 4–7 supergroups and a few independent lineages.

Important part of protist diversity has been uncovered by environmental DNA study.

Keywords:

phylogenomics;
metagenetics;
protists;
microeukaryotes;
unicellular eukaryotes;
protozoa;
eukaryotes classification;
ribosomal phylogenies


Essential hypertension is very frequently associated with an over-activity of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and a decrease in insulin sensitivity of skeletal muscle glucose uptake, even when glycaemic control is (still) normal. In hypertensive patients, two major functions of insulin are impaired: there is insulin resistance of peripheral glucose uptake (primarily skeletal muscle) and insulin resistance of insulin-stimulated vasodilation. This insulin resistance is very often associated with dyslipidaemia, obesity, hypertension and impaired glucose tolerance, a cluster termed the "metabolic syndrome or the insulin resistance syndrome". Meta-analyses of antihypertensive intervention studies indicate a less than expected reduction of coronary events ("the coro- nary paradox"), although blood pressure had been lowered. These findings suggest, that lowering blood pressure is not enough. Furthermore, retrospective and very recent prospective data showed a higher incidence of type 2 diabetes in subjects treated with beta-blocking agents. Thus, the metabolic side effects of the antihypertensive treatment need to receive more attention. In the metabolic syndrome, a reduction of SNS drive would seem to be specifically effective. However, many groups have shown that antihypertensive treatment with beta-blockers, decreases insulin sensitivity by various mechanisms. In contrast the centrally acting agent moxonidine, an imidazoline I1- receptor agonist, may be of interest in this context. It inhibits sympathetic outflow and causes vasodilation. Moxonidine treatment improved insulin sensitivity specifically in insulin-resistant, obese patients with mild hypertension. Animal studies indicate an improvement of insulin-stimulated glucose uptake into the skeletal muscle and an improvement of glucose tolerance. Therefore, the beneficial characteristics of these newer class of antihypertensive agents suggest, that moxonidine could be advantageous for hypertensive patients with insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes. However, long-term studies are needed to confirm these benefits. In the cardiovascular risk management, lowering blood pressure is just one cornerstone. Due to the known metabolic "side effects" the selection of the antihypertensive agent might be relevant for the long-term outcome. J Clin Basic Cardiol 2001; 4: 193-195.


This study aims to determine the internal and external conditions faced by Telkom Malang as the basis for determining the appropriate strategic alternatives for the company. Conditions include the company's internal strengths and weaknesses. While external conditions include the company's opportunities and threats. The method used in this research is descriptive qualitative case study approach. Primary and secondary data is processed to gather information about the strengths and weaknesses and the opportunities and threats of the Telkom Malang. The information obtained was processed using EFE Matrix, IFE Matrix, SWOT Matrix, IE Matrix, and QSPM Matrix. From the analysis of EFE and IFE, EFE matrix Telkom Malang has a total score of 2.758 while IFE matrix Telkom Malang has a total score of 3.022. Position in IE quadrant matrix determined from the total score of IFE matrix as the x-axis and the EFE total score as the y-axis matrix. From the results of this analysis, the position of Telkom Malang is in quadrant IV. This position indicates Telkom Malang in a position to grow and develop (grow and built). The strategy could be applied include intensive strategy (market penetration, market development, and product development) or integrative (backward integration, forward integration, and horizontal integration). Based on the analysis of the matrix QSPM, Telkom Malang can use market penetration strategy. This strategy is considered the most appropriate strategy to be made by Telkom Malang in the face of environmental changes that occurred. Keywords: SWOT analysis, strategy formulation, strategy implementation


This Springer Brief introduces wireless sensor networks (WSNs) and the need for resilient WSN operations in application domains. It presents traditional approaches of providing resilient operation of WSNs to ensure continuity of data delivery even when some network sensors fail. The pros and cons of each these approaches are discussed. Also included is an overview of network coding basics, and motivate the use of network coding-based protection in order to combine the advantages, but avoid the disadvantages of the traditional approaches. The authors cover the design and analysis of a centralized approach to network coding-based protection of WSNs. The coverage also includes practical and realistic network situations, and the coding strategies employed. Next discussed is how to recover from data losses using a distributed approach, which is more practical for large scale WSNs. Algorithms for scheduling of transmissions while implementing network coding-based in the two cases of using digital network coding, and analog network coding are covered. Resilient Wireless Sensor Networks includes a concise, but an in-depth coverage of the use of network coding to implement agile and resource efficient protection in WSNs. It will be of interest to professionals and researchers working in the areas of fault tolerance, network coding, and deployment of WSNs in harsh environment. Advanced-level students in electrical engineering and computer science will also find this research valuable as a reference.


The review discusses the progress in the design and synthesis of bioactive agents incorporated into vascular grafts obtained by the electrospinning process. Electrospun fibers can be applied as an artificial extracellular matrix for tissue engineering and drug delivery, improving tissue regeneration and therapeutic outcomes. A large number of active substances are loaded into the fibers, such as growth factors, heparin, NO donors, statins, antibiotics or anti-inflammatory agents. There are various methods for bioactive substance incorporation including direct blending, emulsion, and coaxial electrospinning as well as covalent and non-covalent binding of the bioactive molecules to the fiber surface. The release mechanism of the drug depends on the synthesis route, active substance properties, and polymer matrix nature. The electrospun materials represent a very promising building block for the fabrication of effective vascular prosthesis in the near future.


Collaborative learning systems can be constructed following the service- oriented computing paradigm. This allows educators to integrate external tools, offered as services by software providers, in order to support the realization of collaborative learning situations. Discovering appropriate services is a challenging task that requires the description of their capabilities. This can be accomplished with Ontoolcole, an on- tology of collaborative learning tools designed with the aim of supporting educators in the search of CSCL tools. Ontoolcole is depicted here and some new, relevant features are discussed. Namely, Ontoolcole incorporates an artifact module, a task-level coordi- nation module and the description of static information resources, further improving the capabilities to describe complex CSCL tools. As a proof of concept, we also present a preliminary prototype of the intended target application of Ontoolcole, an interac- tive system for the search of CSCL tools, named Ontoolsearch. A case study with practitioners has been carried out to evaluate whether Ontoolcole can be employed by educators to search CSCL tools. Evaluation results show that Ontoolcole abstractions fit educators' questions based on their real practice while retrieving useful tools for their educational needs.


In laminated glass under impact, most of the energy dissipation occurs in the coupled delamination and deformation of the polymer interlayer. The strong dependency of these mechanisms on interlayer nature, on loading rate and on temperature is known: however, the effect of the interfacial adhesion is unexplored. In this work, a surface modification technique is proposed, along with a mechanical characterization of the debonding with the Through Crack Tensile Test. We show that changing adhesion mostly affects dissipation close to the delamination front, while dissipation in the volume of the PVB interlayer seems unaffected, which we attribute to the competition between the changes in both strain and strain rate in the viscoelastic interlayer. Finally, we discuss the experimental observation of the limits of the steady-state debonding regime, related to the competition between adhesive crack propagation and cohesive failure in the interlayer.


The agriculture result that is produced by indonesian farmers especially in java such as: pumpkin, cassava, and yams. Pumpkin, cassava, and yams have nutrient contains that useful for health. While the price are achievable so they have many potential to be developed for human food. Wingko is one of traditional meal that is the most popular in Semarang. Based on Wingko's extention that is never less of buyer, we have initiative to create an innovation calles "Wingko Semar"to be an innovation in entrepreneurship as the way for the utilization of local food sources (Pumpkin, cassava, and yams) and as education facility about Wayang culture. Because the values of Wayang cultures that is forgot by the teenagers. The icon of Semar is choosen for this product because it can be seen by the phylosophy from Semar character. It describes a people who behaves a wise attitude. Along with the character that exists and lives forever. Based on our hope, this "Wingko Semar" bussiness can grow and develop and still exist forever. To introduce this product to the consumers, we apply marketting strategy based social promotion which promotes by using product tester so that, it can attract the consumers more effective. Besides that, we also open pre-order system not only online but also offline. The innovation of "Wingko Semar" product which is different with another product can be accepted well by public. It has a high market opportunity to be developed continously, and it's proved by the "Wingko Semar" sale which increases every month. Keywords : Wingko ekstention, Local food sources, eduction facilities.


Mission-critical target detection imposes stringent performance requirements for wireless sensor networks, such as high detection probabilities and low false alarm rates. Data fusion has been shown as an effective technique for improving system detection performance by enabling efficient collaboration among sensors with limited sensing capability. Due to the high cost of network deployment, it is desirable to place sensors at optimal locations to achieve maximum detection performance. However, for sensor networks employing data fusion, optimal sensor placement is a non-linear optimization problem with prohibitive computational complexity. In this paper, we present fast sensor placement algorithms based on a probabilistic data fusion model. Simulation results show that our algorithms can meet the desired detection performance with a small number of sensors while achieving up to 7-fold speedup over the optimal algorithm.


Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune complex trait with strong evidence for a genetic component. A female gender bias is clear but unexplained and a maternal parent-of-origin effect has been described. X-linked transmission of susceptibility has been previously proposed, based on pedigree, association and linkage studies. We genotyped 726 relative pairs including 552 affected sib-pairs for 22 X-chromosome microsatellite markers and a novel dataset of 195 aunt-uncle/niece-nephew (AUNN) affected pairs for 18 markers. Parent-of-origin effects were explored by dividing AUNN families into likely maternal and paternal trait transmission. For the sib-pair dataset we were able to establish exclusion at a λ s = 1.9 for all markers using an exclusion threshold of LOD ≤—2. Similarly for the AUNN dataset, we established exclusion at λAV = 1.9. For the combined dataset we estimate exclusion of λ = 1.6. We did not identify significant linkage in either the sib-pairs or the AUNN dataset nor when datasets were stratified for the presence/absence of the HLA-DRB1*15 allele or for paternal or maternal transmission. This comprehensive scrutiny of the X-chromosome suggests that it is unlikely to harbour an independent susceptibility locus or one which interacts with the HLA. Complex interactions including epigenetic ones, and masking by balanced polymorphisms are mechanisms not excluded by the approach taken. Multiple Sclerosis 2007; 13 : 856—864. http://msj.sagepub.com


This qualitative study proposed to answer the following two questions: Do mothers of children who have multiple disabilities experience feelings that are consistent with chronic sorrow?, and What are mothers' perceptions of the chronic sorrow phenomenon? Seven biological mothers of children who have multiple disabilities were interviewed on two separate occasions about their initial reactions and long-term feelings associated with having a child who has multiple disabilities, and their perceptions on the chronic sorrow phenomenon and the terminology associated with it. Results indicated that mothers experience a sense of loss and feelings of grief long past the initial
diagnosis. Trigger events, daily life occurrences that are either expected or unexpected, can make those familiar feelings resurface, so that mothers seem to experience the grief cycle over and over again. Mothers in this study describe feelings that mirror characteristics of post-traumatic stress disorder, anticipatory grief, and chronic sorrow. They also describe experiences of happiness and joy in raising their children and discuss coping strategies that have been most helpful to them.


In this paper we consider the problem of `theory patching', in which we are given a domain theory, some of whose components are indicated to be possibly flawed, and a set of labeled training examples for the domain concept. The theory patching problem is to revise only the indicated components of the theory, such that the resulting theory correctly classifies all the training examples. Theory patching is thus a type of theory revision in which revisions are made to individual components of the theory. Our concern in this paper is to determine for which classes of logical domain theories the theory patching problem is tractable. We consider both propositional and first-order domain theories, and show that the theory patching problem is equivalent to that of determining what information contained in a theory is `stable' regardless of what revisions might be performed to the theory. We show that determining stability is tractable if the input theory satisfies two conditions: that revisions to each theory component have monotonic effects on the classification of examples, and that theory components act independently in the classification of examples in the theory. We also show how the concepts introduced can be used to determine the soundness and completeness of particular theory patching algorithms.


Gipuzkoa (Basque Country, North Spain) is an industrial region where investments in sanitation and wastewater treatment have improved water quality and partially recovered river biological communities. However, further technological improvements are unlikely. Our objective was to assess whether in-stream self-purification may contribute to improvement of the trophic state of rivers. We propose an integrative approach to assessing river water quality, which diagnoses problems, identifies likely causes and prescribes solutions. We first analysed the loads of nutrients transported by Gipuzkoa rivers and compared them with the potential nutrient uptake rates (estimated from published empirical regressions). In reaches where both of them were within one order of magnitude, we considered that the self-purification capacity of river channels may influence nutrient concentrations. Then, we selected some river reaches where no other water quality problems beyond nutrient concentrations occurred and ran the expert system STREAMES 1.0 to diagnose the problems and detect their causes. The studied reaches differed in their problems and in their potential solutions. We empirically determined nutrient retention in two streams by means of mass balances and slug nutrient additions. We detected large differences in retention capacity between reaches and siltation as one of the main problems affecting the self-purification capacity of the study streams. Finally, we used STREAMES 1.0 to identify potential solutions to specific river sections. The results obtained so far point towards an important potential of in-stream bioreactive capacity to reduce nutrient loads and to specific restoration activities that may improve the functionality and trophic status of the streams in Gipuzkoa.


Do-Not-Track is a developing online legal and technological standard that permits consumers to express their desire not to be tracked by online advertisers. Do-Not-Track has the ability to change the relationship between consumers and advertisers in the information market. Everything will depend on implementation. The most effective way to allow users to achieve their privacy preferences is to implement Do-Not-Track as a default feature. The World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) standard setting body for Do-Not-Track has, however, endorsed a corrosive standard in its Tracking Preferences Expression (TPE) draft. This standard requires consumers to set their privacy preference by hand. This "bespoke" standard follows in a long line of privacy preference controls that have been neutered by increased transaction costs. This article argues that privacy controls must be firmly in consumers' hands, and must be automated and integrated to be effective. If corporations can deprive consumers of privacy through automated End User License Agreements or Terms of Service, while consumers are constrained to set their privacy preferences by hand, consumers cannot win. Worse, the TPE bespoke standard is anticompetitive. Already, browsers like Microsoft's Internet Explorer 10 (IE10) will launch with default Do-Not-Track enabled. But the TPE bespoke standard offers advertisers a free pass to ignore the Do-Not-Track flags that will be set by IE10 and prohibits other browsers from offering automatic, integrated, and therefore useable privacy features.


The increasing emphasis on embedding work-integrated learning (WIL) in the higher education curriculum has impacted on teaching and learning approaches. While the benefits of incorporating experiential learning in the student experience are recognized by all stakeholders, additional costs incurred by students have not been identified. At the same time the Australian Federal Government's review of base funding has recommended a detailed assessment of the costs of providing student placements across all disciplines - in particular health and education. Data collected from over a thousand Australian Collaborative Education Network (ACEN) student scholarship applicants indicate travel, accommodation, food, clothing, equipment and loss of income are of major concern especially for students on mandatory, lengthy placements involving relocation. We present a range of data from the five-years of the scholarship to inform discussion of costs from the student perspective which highlighted major concerns. The implications for ACEN are described and recommendations made to improve practice.


Whether a surface is glossy or matte is physically independent of whether it is light or dark. Perceptually however, the albedo of specularly or diffusely reflecting surfaces can strongly influence perceived gloss (Pellacini et al., 2000, Proceedings of SIGGRAPH). Here we ask whether glossiness judgments are more constrained if there are variations of albedo within a single surface. To investigate the influence of different albedos on a single surface we first created a set of 45 real surfaces. Based on a 3D model, molds were cut out of polymer foam by the use of a CNC (Computerized Numerical Control) machine. Sheets of plastic (350mm x 350mm) were heated up inside a vacuum forming machine and then stretched onto the mold and later spray-painted in five colors and five gloss levels. Additionally, we also painted surfaces with combinations of two colors next to each other. 11 participants looked at each surface in a light box, through a viewing hole, and they were encouraged to rate the gloss on a scale from one to seven. In a second experiment participants rated only the left or the right half of each bi-colored surface. Our results confirm that perceived gloss varies with albedo. In addition, perceived global gloss of bicolored surfaces were close to the ratings of unicolored surfaces whose albedos are the average of the bicolored surfaces. However, results from the second experiment indicate that when participants rate gloss only on one side of the surface, judgments for lighter colors show simultaneous gloss contrast effects of the darker colors next to it. In conclusion we propose a fairly easy method to create mathematically defined bumpy, plastic surfaces with various colors and gloss levels. Our results from multi-colored surfaces show both averaging and simultaneous gloss contrast effects depending on the task. Meeting abstract presented at VSS 2015.


Background Behr's syndrome is a classical phenotypic description of childhood-onset optic atrophy combined with various neurological symptoms, including ophthalmoparesis, nystagmus, spastic paraparesis, ataxia, peripheral neuropathy and learning difficulties. Objective Here we describe 4 patients with the classical Behr's syndrome phenotype from 3 unrelated families who carry homozygous nonsense mutations in the C12orf65 gene encoding a protein involved in mitochondrial translation. Methods Whole exome sequencing was performed in genomic DNA and oxygen consumption was measured in patient cell lines. Results We detected 2 different homozygous C12orf65 nonsense mutations in 4 patients with a homogeneous clinical presentation matching the historical description of Behr's syndrome. The first symptom in all patients was childhood-onset optic atrophy, followed by spastic paraparesis, distal weakness, motor neuropathy and ophthalmoparesis. Conclusions We think that C12orf65 mutations are more frequent than previously suggested and screening of this gene should be considered not only in patients with mitochondrial respiratory chain deficiencies, but also in inherited peripheral neuropathies, spastic paraplegias and ataxias, especially with pre-existing optic atrophy.


Objective: This research was aimed to explore the expression characteristic of long non-coding RNAHOST2 and RNA-HOXB3 in cervical cancer cells and their clinical values in the occurrence and development of cervical cancer, thus providing reliable basis for targeted therapy of cervical cancer.
Methods: Cancer cell lines were cultured in RPMI 1640 medium with 10% fetal bovine serum, content of HOST2 and HOXB3 were detected with the method of real-time PCR. The expression of RNAHOST2 and RNA-HOXB3 was detected with western blotting before and after the RNAi. Finally, the possible mechanism of RNA-HOST2 and RNA-HOXB3 in playing a role in generation, apoptosis, invasion and migration of cervical cancer cell was investigated through scratch test.
Results: Real-time PCR detects the overexpression of HOST2 and the low expression of HOXB3. Moreover, cervical cancer development process slows down significantly after the expression of those two genes was inhibited.
Conclusion: HOST2 and HOXB3, involved in the migration, invasion and proliferation of cervical cancer cells, can serve as the targeted therapy of cervical cancer.


This paper explores the demanding and complex nature of English language teaching with young learners. The paper begins with the challenges of the young learner classroom, then goes on to argue that the low estimation of teaching languages in primary education can seriously impact the confidence and efficacy of primary-school teachers. The popular myth that English for young learners is a simple matter requiring neither advanced language skills nor a deep knowledge of educational affordances and pedagogy is interrogated. While it is acknowledged amongst informed teacher educators that language education theory is well served by a synthesis of applied linguistics, education psychology and pedagogical perspectives, the discipline of children's literature is mostly ignored. In this paper, the role of children's literature in teacher education is highlighted and the relevance of high-quality language input is foregrounded. Further, the availability of focused pre-service and inservice teacher education, as well as teacher educators with the necessary expertise, is discussed. Finally, the teacher's role in providing linguistic accommodation to the young learners with storytelling and creative teacher talk is explored. A case is made that the role of the teacher is pivotal, and the opportunities the teacher could share with the children, if sufficiently well prepared, include the collateral-learning educational goals of English for young learners, such as the pleasure of story, multiple literacies and intercultural learning.


Background: Granular activated carbon (GAC) and Brimac media has been used for many years in water treatment works to reduce and remove colour and total organic carbon (TOCs). This reduces the formation of trihalomethanes (THMs) formed by disinfection with chlorine. The TOCs arise from humic and fulvic acids found in source waters for many, small, scattered remote communities in Scotland. A number of different configurations and empty bed contact times (EBCTs) of GAC and Brimac media were studied at Scottish Waters Acharacle water treatment works using a purpose built pilot plant of flexible design. This was used to establish the absolute design threshold for colour and TOC to meet Scottish Water's water specifications for their removal. Results: The 50:50 combination of Brimac and GAC in series reduced raw colour of up to 39°Hazen to below 10°Hazen and raw TOCs from up to 5.7 mg/I to < 2.0 mg/l producing the lowest levels of THMs after chlorine addition of < 10 μg/l. An EBCT of 5.4 hours produced an average colour removal of 79.2% and average TOC removal of 79.1%. Conclusions: 50:50 Brimac then GAC in series with an EBCT of 5.4 hours was the best configuration for the removal of colour and TOCs and gave rise to the lowest formation of THMs. The trials have successfully proved how the THM precursors can be removed by the GAC once the colour has been removed by the Brimac. This has not only provided a design solution for Acharacle WTW but the "way forward" for Scottish Water with regard to media change out on their numerous existing GAC plants which are faced with similar problems.


There is, of course, no single template for ―Tea Party Constitutionalism,‖ given that it is a large, somewhat inchoate movement that inevitably contains different, often conflicting, strains. As someone from Texas, I am tempted to focus on some of the more extreme ideas associated with various politicians wishing to take advantage of the anger projected by many Tea Partiers toward the national government. Thus at least two candidates for the 2010 Republican nomination for the Texas governorship (including the ultimately successful incumbent, Rick Perry) endorsed or at least flirted with nineteenth century ideas of ―nullification‖ and even secession as a potential response to what is perceived as an overreaching national government. More striking, presumably, was the proclamation by the (unsuccessful) Republican candidate for the Senate from Nevada, Sharron Angle: ―Our Founding Fathers, they put that Second Amendment in [the Constitution] for a good reason, and that was for the people to protect themselves against a tyrannical government . . . . In fact, Thomas Jefferson said it's good for a country to have a revolution every 20 years. I hope that's not where we're going, but you know, if this Congress keeps going the way it is, people are really looking toward those Second Amendment remedies.‖


On email systems that allow for "subaddressing" or "detailed addressing" (e.g., "firstname.lastname@example.com"), it is sometimes desirable to make comparisons against these sub-parts of addresses. This document defines an extension to the Sieve mail filtering language that allows users to compare against the user and detail parts of an address.


The sustainability performance of companies, and in particular of construction material producers, is attracting more and more attention by a broad range of stakeholders. Many companies have consequently started to implement sustainability practices into practical action and to report on their efforts. This research aims to develop a methodology to assess the sustainability performance of cement and concrete products. This requires overcoming the main shortage of life cycle assessment, namely focusing on environmental parameters only, by considering a number of social and economic sustainability indicators and ensuring operational ease, without compromising the informative value of the assessment results. A status on sustainable product evaluation is provided as the starting point for the development of the new sustainable product evaluation methodology. The status on product evaluation includes Life Cycle Assessments, the development of indicators addressing environmental, social, and economic parameters, and recent methodology developments in industry. The results obtained with the tool developed in this work confirm the need for considering social and economic parameters along a product's life cycle when evaluating the sustainability performance of cement and concrete. They also indicate that the new methodology is suitable for R&D orientation, portfolio management and sustainability reporting.
Keywords: Sustainable products, sustainability indicators, lifecycle, UN Sustainable Development Goals, financial data


In 2008 the most extensive evaluation of global agriculture in human history notable named "agriculture at a crossroad" was published, indicating that agroecological small-scale farming systems could be a path to follow in the future in order to secure a sustainable food supply. Yet it is claimed that there is a gap between knowledge regarding the methods used for agroecological farming and its application by farmers. Through my literature review I discovered that many studies devoted to this issue have not investigated the underlying interconnected sociocultural explanations. It is critical to investigate the emic (i.e. how local people thinks) perception of farmers in order to understand their decision-making process regarding agroecological methods. This is the root of (driver behind) Farming Systems Research (FSR), which was one key branch within participatory RD&E. Furthermore, when examining the history of agroecological adapted farming systems, one can observe that they have been based on innovations produced by farmers in a continuous set of experiments.

Encountering farmers' emic perceptions would provide valuable understanding in order to encourage the development of agroecological solutions. This thesis is a case study conducted using action research with the objective to induce an empowerment process in which comprehension is gained in respect of emic perceptions of farmers. The field study is undertaken in Ratanakiri province in Cambodia. Due to a rapid transformative process, the indigenous small-scale farmers in this province have experienced significant changes in recent decades. Land grabbing and pressure, deforestation, and land privatization undermine traditional land management systems. Therefore, shifting cultivation is progressively being replaced by more intensive monoculture cultivation. This leads to decreasing soil fertility, which threatens the agricultural productivity of small-scale farmers. Extension actors involved in agricultural development are teaching small-scale farmers in this area several methods of soil improvement. They now observe that indigenous farmers do not often apply these methods.

In my master's thesis, I facilitated a collaborative learning process by applying participatory video making in order to investigate the following research question: What are in the emic perspective of indigenous famers the discouraging and encouraging reasons (not) to apply eco-efficient methods? The results suggest that a crucial barrier is the inferiority–superiority dynamic between external teachers and indigenous and the ignorance of the interrelatedness of farming with cosmology. Extension actors 'meddle on the natives' turf' by trying to integrate eco-efficient methods into their cosmologically framed cropping system. As critical components (of the learning process), indigenous people may function as teachers, creating a credible synthesis of local affiliation, as well as proven and field-tested eco-efficient methods. Therefore, like it is advocated in the field of participatory RS&E, I am suggesting the transformation of the role of extension actors from being a teacher to becoming a facilitator of empowering processes in which farmers are becoming involved in a transdisciplinary, participative systemic and action-oriented research process wherein farmers conduct farm trials.


ScriptEase is a tool that allows authors with no programming experience to create interactive stories for computer role-playing games. Instead of writing scripting code manually, game authors select design patterns that encapsulate frequent game scenarios, creating stories at a higher level of abstraction and being shielded from the underlying scripting language. ScriptEase has been extended to support behavior patterns that generate ambient behaviors for non-player characters. This demonstration shows how ScriptEase creates intricate non-player character scripts to generate compelling and engaging character behaviors. We demonstrate our ScriptEase motivational ambient and PC-interactive behaviors for a guard character using BioWare Corp.'s Neverwinter Nights game.


Ontogeny is a vital aspect of life history sometimes overlooked in palaeontological studies. However, the changing geometry of anatomical structures during growth can be informative regarding ecological and functional reconstructions. The inner ear, or labyrinth, is an ideal ontogenetic study system because it has a strong functional signal in its morphology that is linked to locomotor mode. Yet almost nothing is known about labyrinth development in dinosaurs. We quantified labyrinth scale and geometry through ontogeny in the Early Jurassic dinosaur Massospondylus carinatus, which has an exceptional fossil record and is hypothesized to have undergone a gait change, from quadrupedal juvenile to bipedal adult. To test whether this putative locomotor shift is reflected in labyrinth morphology, computed microtomography (μCT) and propagation phase‐contrast synchrotron radiation microtomography (PPC‐SRμCT) were used to obtain labyrinths from eight specimens, ranging from near‐hatchling to adult. Labyrinths grow substantially but scale with slight negative allometry compared to skull length throughout ontogeny, the first time this has been documented in dinosaurs. Geometric morphometric analysis of the labyrinth using a sliding semilandmark approach shows some morphological change through ontogeny, but little evidence supporting a locomotor shift. These results have implications for our understanding of sauropodomorph development and provide a better understanding of dinosaur locomotory evolution.


Abstract: Since its description in 1917, the taxonomy of Katodinium glaucum, a cosmopolitan heterotrophic marine dinoflagellate, has been in a state of flux. We added to this by arguing that Kat. glaucum is synonymous with both Amphidinium extensum and Gymnodinium vestifici. We presented a brief historical account of its shifting positions in Katodinium and Gyrodinium and a comparison with Gym. vestifici and A. extensum. The conclusions from our experimental work on a Kat. glaucum culture were based on both pheno- and genotypic characters obtained by light and electron microscopy and DNA sequencing. A nuclear-encoded large-subunit rDNA-based phylogeny revealed that Kat. glaucum and species of Torodinium are closely related and form a highly supported monophyletic lineage. The ultrastructural examination showed the apical structure complex of Kat. glaucum to comprise three rows of amphiesmal vesicles located beneath the cap-like projection on the anterior part of the cell. Torodinium, in comparison, possessed a counterclockwise spiral apical structure complex positioned on top of its bill-like apical projection. Species of both genera were longitudinally striated. The type species of Katodinium, Kat. nieuportense, was illustrated without any apical structures and without longitudinal striations, and because both morphological and molecular analysis also rejected relationship to Amphidinium, Gymnodinium and Gyrodinium, we proposed to erect a new genus for this species, Kapelodinium gen. nov. As the species name vestifici had priority over glaucum, the new name for the species was Kapelodinium vestifici comb. nov. To accommodate for the distinct difference in morphology of the apical structure complex in Torodinium and Kapelodinium, we further proposed two new monotypic families, Torodiniaceae fam. nov. and Kapelodiniaceae fam. nov. of the order Torodiniales ord. nov., which in the molecular trees was not closely related to other dinoflagellates. The ultrastructural study of Kap. vestifici gen. & comb. nov. also revealed a number of characteristic features, such as a novel lip-like suture within the sulcus, cross-striated filaments beneath the apical projection and atypical nuclear chambers with pores towards both the nucleoplasm and the cytoplasm.


Reborn is the compelling and frank early diary of Susan Sontag. "Vivid, exhilarating, often moving ...charts the development of a good writer and an important critic". (Sunday Telegraph). 'I intend to do everything...I shall anticipate pleasure everywhere and find it too, for it is everywhere! I shall involve myself wholly ...everything matters!' This first selection from Susan Sontag's diaries (from 1947-1963) takes us from early adolescence though to when Sontag was in her early thirties. It is an astonishingly affecting, honest self-portrait which is also a fascinating, revealing account of an artist and critic being born. We see Sontag honing her skills and fashioning herself, by a supreme act of will, into an intellectual force. "Fascinating. One can feel Sontag's mind beginning to ripen and bloom, and the full force of the intellectual originality that would be her hallmark emerging". (Guardian). "Inspirational. Sontag shows us not just the importance, but the exhilaration of being earnest". (New Statesman). "A fascinating document of her apprenticeship, charting her earnest quest for education, identity, and voice. Reborn is overwhelmingly a record of an inner landscape". (New York Review of Books). "One of the finest American writers, thinkers, and political activists of the past four decades ...an intimate portrait of her early life". (Independent on Sunday). One of America's best-known and most admired writers, Susan Sontag was also a leading commentator on contemporary culture until her death in December 2004. Her books include four novels and numerous works of non-fiction, among them Regarding the Pain of Others, On Photography, Illness as Metaphor, At the Same Time, Against Interpretation and Other Essays and Reborn: Early Diaries 1947-1963, all of which are published by Penguin. A further eight books, including the collections of essays Under the Sign of Saturn and Where the Stress Falls, and the novels The Volcano Lover and The Benefactor, are available from Penguin Modern Classics.


This study proposes a systematic value chain approach to helping businesses identify and eliminate inefficiencies. The authors have developed a robust framework, which food-sector entrepreneurs can use to increase profitability of an existing business or to create new profitable opportunities. The value chain approach provides win-win opportunities for players within the value chain. To test the robustness of the framework, the authors use food waste as an example of a critical inefficiency and apply it to two different food sector business cases, each operating in diverse conditions. Because the suggested framework addresses the core elements and parameters for the existence and competitiveness of a business, the model can be adapted to other sectors.


The enhanced Polar Outflow Probe (ePOP) satellite is to be launched in 2007. One of the 8 instruments it will carry is a Radio Receiver Instrument (RRI) which is a passive radio receiver. The RRI will detect HF (High Frequency band 3 to 30 MHz) radio waves from ground transmitters, one of which is the Saskatoon SuperDARN radar. The modification of an HF radar wave as it propagates through the ionosphere to the satellite is the dominant scientific interest of this thesis. The modification of a radar wave as it propagates through the ionosphere can be used to characterize the ionosphere and reveal a better understanding of magnetoionic radar wave propagation. A ray tracing program has been written to determine characteristics of the wave, including the wave path and the full polarization state, at the satellite receiver. As a confirmation of the ray tracing program abilities, data from a similar transionospheric experiment in 1978, the ISIS II satellite mission, has been analyzed and compared with simulated results. The ISIS II transionospheric experiment received radar signals from a transmitter (9.303 MHz) located in Ottawa, Canada. These signals were analyzed and it was noted that the signal periodically faded in and out both due to differential Faraday rotation effects (due to propagation through an ionized medium and reception on a single dipole antenna) and due to satellite spin rotation at rates up to 13 Hz. Also observed was a splitting of the received signal into Ordinary (O-mode) and Extraordinary (X-mode) components causing a delay between the arrival of the modes at ISIS II of up to 0.8 ms. Simulations have been carried out to model the radar wave propagation from the ground transmitter through the ionized medium of the ionosphere to the spacecraft. The modelled signal shows very similar trends to the observed signal. A linear regression analysis comparing observed to simulated fade rates gave values of slope equal to 1.07 and regression coefficient equal to 0.934. The regression analysis of mode delay gave


The universal capabilities of high resolution spot profile analysis low energy electron diffraction for in situ studies of surface morphology and surface defects will be discussed and demonstrated. The position of the diffraction spots is used to determine lateral lattice constants, step heights and the strain state of heterosystems with a precision of 0.02 A. With the knowledge of the spot profile we could determine island and domain size distributions - even during deposition - and correlation functions of arbitrary surface defects. The variation of the spot profile with electron energy allows the evaluation of the 3dim. reciprocal space. With this the power spectrum of surface roughness, facet orientation, or step morphology of flat and vicinal surfaces could be completely characterised.


In this paper a fusion method is proposed for merging a high-resolution panchromatic image and a low-resolution multispectral image. The algorithm is based on discrete wavelet transform (DWT). It uses correlation moment rule to the low frequency bands and local deviation rule to the high frequency bands separately. Experimental results indicate that the proposed approach outperforms the traditional methods.


Written by internationally acclaimed experts in the economics of innovation, this volume examines how the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sector is affected by the dynamics of innovation, institutions, and public policy. It contributes both theoretically and empirically to the increasingly influential Schumpetarian framework in industrial economics, which places innovation at the centre of the analysis of competition. Both quantitative and qualitative studies are included, and this varied perspective adds to the richness of the volume's insights. The contributors explore different ideas regarding the historical evolution of technology in the sector, and how firms and industry structure have co-evolved with innovation dynamics. Important policy questions are considered regarding the future of innovation in this sector and its impact on the economy.