The lemma and palea (lemma/palea) of cereals are photosynthetic organs that supply the developing kernel with carbon and nitrogen. Because of their rigid structure, the lemma/palea can also protect the kernel from pathogens and herbivory. However, very little is known about specific gene expression that enabled the lemma/palea carry out their functions. We have constructed three subtracted cDNA libraries from lemma/palea of barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Morex) at the elongation (between pollination and milky stages) through dough stages of kernel development. Differential screening and northern hybridization showed that the cloned genes were highly expressed in the lemma/palea, compared with the flag leaf. Thus, they contained unique sequences not found in the flag leaf or were expressed in the lemma/palea at much higher levels, appearing as if they were induced. Sequence analysis of 226 clones identified a high proportion of genes for defense, structure, amino acid biosynthesis, and photosynthesis. High expression levels of defense-related genes strongly suggest that lemma/palea constitutively accumulate defensive molecules to inhibit invasion of florets and kernels by pathogens. Increased expression of genes involved in cell wall synthesis and structural repair can improve physical barriers to herbivores and pathogens. High expression of genes for amino acid biosynthesis and photosynthesis indicates that the lemma/palea are major sources of nitrogen and carbon for the growing kernel.


Over the last two decades, remarkable progress in the Portuguese drinking water and wastewater services sector has been achieved. Nevertheless, it faces a serious challenge in trying to ensure long-term sustainability. There is equally scope for considerable efficiency and effectiveness gains. The national strategic plan for the period 2014– 2020 has assigned a prominent role to infrastructure asset management (IAM) in the paradigm shift required in water services. This paper discusses the progress made, the critical issues and the challenges faced by the Portuguese water sector regarding IAM, based on a comparative analysis of international and national contexts. Various worldwide initiatives are presented. The main drivers to start using IAM were quite diverse. In Portugal, legislation initially contributed to attracting the attention of the sector to IAM, but LNEC, a research institute, has played a leading role in this process. The water services regulator has also been playing a very important role. The highly fragmented structure, the politicised nature of municipal water utility management and the existing accounting procedures are some of the main barriers to the spread of IAM best practices. The sector's ongoing restructuring and the new tariff regulation will be key enabling opportunities and challenges in coming years.


Increasing carbon (C) storage in soil is a key aspect of climate change mitigation strategies and requires an understanding of the impacts of land management on soil C cycling. The primary aim of this study is to investigate how land management impacts key soil organic matter stabilization and cycling processes affecting soil C storage. Soil sampling was undertaken across seven transects crossing the boundary between agriculture and forestry. The transects covered 3 pasture (AP) and 4 arable (AA) fields combined with 3 young secondary woodlands (50-60 years old - WY) and 4 mature/ancient semi-natural woodlands (110 to >400 years old – WM). Physical fractionation of soil organic matter pools was performed, together with pH, carbon and nitrogen content, as well as activity of four enzymes associated with C transformation in the soil. Woodland soils were associated with significantly higher content of light fraction C and greater enzyme activity in comparison to agricultural soils. Enzyme activity and soil organic C decreased with soil depth regardless of land-use type. We did not, however, observe any effect of the distance from the land use boundary on either enzyme activity and soil C pools. Our results indicate that analysis of soil organic matter (SOM) fractions can act as an indicator of decomposition rates of SOM in forest and agricultural ecosystems.


Purpose

Cross tables are omnipresent in management, academia and popular culture. The Matrix has us, despite all criticism, opposition and desire for a way out. This paper draws on the works of three agents of the matrix. The paper shows that Niklas Luhmann criticised Talcott Parsons' traditional matrix model of society and proceeded to update systems theory, the latest version of which is coded in the formal language of George Spencer Brown. As Luhmann failed to install his updates to all components of his theory platform, however, regular reoccurrences of Parsonian crosstabs are observed, particularly in the Luhmannian differentiation theory, which results in compatibility issues and produces error messages requesting updates. This paper aims to code the missing update translating the basic matrix structure from Parsonian into Spencer Brownian formal language.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper draws on work by Boris Hennig and Louis Kauffman and a yet unpublished manuscript by George Spencer Brown, to demonstrate that the latter introduced his cross as a mark to indicate NOR gates in circuit diagrams. The paper also shows that this NOR gate marker has been taken out of and may be observed to contain the tetralemma, an ancient matrix structure already present in traditional Indian logic. It then proceeds to translate the basic structure of traditional contingency tables into a Spencer Brownian NOR equation and to demonstrate the difference this translation makes in the modelling of social systems.

Findings

The translation of cross tables from Parsonian into Spencer Brownian formal language results in the design of a both matrix-shaped and compatible test routine that works as a virtual window for the observation of the actually unobservable medium in which a form is drawn, and can be used for consistency checks of expressions coded in Spencer Brownian formal language.

Originality/value

This paper quotes from and discusses a so far unpublished manuscript finalised by Spencer Brown in April 1961. The basic matrix structure is translated from Parsonian into Spencer Brownian formal language. A Spencer Brownian NOR matrix is coded that may be used to detect errors in expressions coded in Spencer Brownian formal language.


In "Carry the One", Carol Anshaw explores the after effects of one night's terrible trauma on three siblings over 25 years. In the early hours of the morning, following a wedding reception, a car filled with stoned, drunk and sleepy guests accidentally hits and kills a girl on a dark country road. For the next twenty-five years, the lives of those involved are subtly shaped by this tragic moment. Through friendships and love affairs, marriage and divorce, parenthood, addiction, and the modest calamities and triumphs of ordinary days, "Carry the One" shows how one life affects another and how those who thrive and those who self-destruct are closer to each other than we'd expect. "Here's passion and addiction, guilt and damage, all the beautiful mess of family life. "Carry the One" will lift readers off their feet and bear them along on its eloquent tide". (Emma Donoghue). "Her deftly episodic novel of love, time and off-beat family life is warm, generous and wise. An enormously engaging novel". ("Daily Mail"). ""Carry The One" is a finely crafted novel, full of phrases you want to cut out and keep, and characters you think you know. It is delicate in its touch, yet huge in its reach". ("Observer"). "Superb...Anshaw sees her characters with startling clarity and no small helping of warmth and humour...Anshaw's writing [is] subtle, bemused, kind and smart, she nails moment after moment..."Carry The One" is a marvellous novel, grown-up, smart and emotionally intelligent about people who, like the rest of us, try but mostly fail to keep their ducks in a row". (Patrick Ness, "Guardian"). "A tender tale of what happens to ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances". ("Marie Claire"). "A funny, vivid and pingingly true story about longing and the pain of love. Anshaw conveys beefy emotions and life-changing events with the most gossamer of touches". (Rachel Johnson, "Vogue"). "If you love Jonathan Franzen, you'll love this compelling book". ("Entertainment Weekly"). Carol Anshaw is the author of "Aquamarine", "Seven Moves", and "Lucky in the Corner". She lives in Chicago.


This book starts with a short recapitulation on basic concepts, common to any types of robots (serial, tree structure, parallel, etc.), that are also necessary for computation of the dynamic models of parallel robots. Then, as dynamics requires the use of geometry and kinematics, the general equations of geometric and kinematic models of parallel robots are given. After, it is explained that parallel robot dynamic models can be obtained by decomposing the real robot into two virtual systems: a tree-structure robot (equivalent to the robot legs for which all joints would be actuated) plus a free body corresponding to the platform. Thus, the dynamics of rigid tree-structure robots is analyzed and algorithms to obtain their dynamic models in the most compact form are given. The dynamic model of the real rigid parallel robot is obtained by closing the loops through the use of the Lagrange multipliers. The problem of the dynamic model degeneracy near singularities is treated and optimal trajectory planning for crossing singularities is proposed. Lastly, the approach is extended to flexible parallel robots and the algorithms for computing their symbolic model in the most compact form are given. All theoretical developments are validated through experiments


We are very grateful to our distinguished colleague for his constructive comments.1 However it seems that some keypoints of our study were grossly misunderstood.2 As clearly stated, the objective of the CONCEPT study was to confirm that chondroitin sulfate (CS) is superior to placebo (PLB) in the symptomatic treatment of osteoarthritis, with the addition of a Celebrex (CLB) arm, as requested by the European Medicines Agency, to provide an external validation and to better assess the relevance of the difference in pain relief observed between the CS and PLB arms. There was no intent to demonstrate a non-inferiority of CS versus Celebrex. In such a case, a non-inferiority margin for the comparison would be mentioned in the protocol, and the power calculation would be substantially different. The use of the word similar in describing Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Lequesne scoring …


Following the economic and social pressures that have affected the poultry market, and after prohibition of the antibiotic growth promoter's use, various natural additives have been proposed as an alternative for the poultry feed industry. Among these products, some clay types or derivatives were used in order to improve the digestive health and to optimize the growth performances. However, studies on the effects of clays on carcass cut up pieces yield and meat quality are unavailable. The aim of this trial is to study in broiler chickens during a rearing period of 56 days, the effects of 3% of marl addition on growth performance (slaughter weight and feed consumption ratio), the carcass and cut up pieces yield and meat quality through three indicators (abdominal fat, ultimate pH and water loss).Results showed firstly, that marl increases significantly the slaughter body weight (+ 8.3%, P=0.02) and provides an enhancement to the feed consumption ratio (–5%). Parallel, marl incorporation significantly improves the ready cook chicken yield (+ 9.13%, P<0.001), the breast meat (+11%, P=0.01) and reduce the abdominal fat (–11.8%, P=0.005). Furthermore, the effect of marl on the ultimate pH was not marked statistically (5.84 vs. 5.81) and water loss of breast muscle was less important at chickens fed with marl diet (2.04 vs. 2.40). Results of this trial suggest that marl can be used as a natural supply to promote an efficient chicken's portion and to produce a technological meat quality adapted to further processing. Keyword: Marl; Ultimate pH; Yield carcass; Growth performance; abdominal fat; Water loss; Broilers.


Lymphoma, a cancer of lymphoid tissue, is a relatively common form of canine malignancy, typically affecting middle-aged to older dogs, with a higher prevalance among certain breeds. Treatment choices and more precise diagnosis and classification for this disease are currently limited by deficiencies in our understanding of the underlying pathogenic mechanisms and by a lack of useful biomarkers. As with other forms of cancer, canine lymphoma is likely to be a molecular disease resulting from the abnormal expression of genes involved in fundamental cell processes such as cell differentiation, proliferation and apoptosis. Thus, molecular tools such as gene expression microarrays, which permit the analysis of thousands of genes in parallel, have the potential to greatly enhance our understanding of lymphoma pathogenesis in the dog, as previously achieved for human lymphoma.

In this study, gene expression profiling (GEP) of 45 canine lymphomas (36 B cell and 9 T cell) and 10 clinically normal canine lymph nodes was carried out using the Affymetrix Canine Genome 2.0 GeneChip microarray system. This showed that canine B cell lymphoma and T cell lymphoma could easily be distinguished from each other, as well as from non-diseased lymph node tissue. Within the B lymphoma specimens, which were dominated by DLBCL cases, there was a close molecular similarity and B lymphoma samples with a histological diagnosis of Burkitt-like (BL) were generally indiscernible as a subgroup. Significantly, however, gene expression profiling could subdivide the B cell lymphomas overall into two closely related molecular subgroups (designated B1 and B2). Direct comparison of this data with previously published canine lymphoma microarray data (the Frantz cohort), upheld these B lymphoma subgroups and confirmed the existence of two previously identified T lymphoma subgroups (high grade T-LBL and low grade TZL), in which all 9 T lymphoma specimens in this study corresponded to the high grade T-LBL subgroup.

Comparison of gene expression patterns of both the B cell and T cell lymphomas with non-diseased lymph nodes, revealed a preponderance of cell cycle genes and genes encoding components of various lymphocyte signalling pathways. A similar result was seen within the T lymphomas when the high-grade (T-LBL) subgroup was compared with the low grade (TZL) specimens. This was strongly indicative of tumour cells with drastically altered proliferative and survival capabilities. The B lymphomas also showed a marked decrease in gene transcripts associated with cell adhesion. An attempt to identify a gene signature common to both B cell and T cell lymphomas identified relatively few genes. However, among these were several coding for haemoglobin molecules, suggesting that an ability to scavenge oxygen in a hypoxic tumour environment might be an important feature of lymphomas in general. The discovery of highly related, yet discernible, canine B lymphoma (mainly DLBCL) subgroups prompted additional assessment of whether the B lymphomas would segregate according to two key molecular signatures defined for human DLBCL, namely stromal-1 (mesenchymal-like with strong extracellular matrix representation) and stromal-2 (angiogenic with increased blood vessel density). While a direct correspondence between human and canine was not readily apparent, a canine B lymphoma subgroup, largely congruent with identified subgroup B2 and referred to as the stromal subgroup, was revealed which appeared somewhat analogous to human stromal-1 signature with very high expression of genes associated with the extracellular matrix together with diffuse collagen staining histologically. This signature, which included the key regulator CTGF (connective tissue growth factor) as well as genes involved in cell adhesion, may underlie those canine tumours exhibiting a fibrotic reaction.
Using a set of 25 genes (16 on the full cohort of specimens and 9 on subsets of the cohort), the microarray data were validated by use of the independent technique of quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis. To further extend the study, the possibility of using routine archival formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) lymphoma specimens for qRT-PCR was explored. Using modified techniques for extraction of suitable RNA from FFPE tissue, highly valid results were obtained, although a lower signal-to-noise ratio compared to using unfixed tissue necessitated the use of higher cDNA template concentrations and effectively precluded the analysis of genes that exhibited only a low fold-change in mRNA expression. The ability to use archival FFPE tissues for measurement of gene expression has great potential for large-scale retrospective studies to aid the discovery of disease classifiers and therapeutic targets in canine lymphoma.

In summary, this study has shown at a molecular level that canine lymphoma has some degree of similarity with its human counterpart and that it can be stratified into distinct molecular subgroups on the basis of gene expression profiling. A better understanding of the pathogenesis of this tumour type will facilitate efforts to improve classification, discover diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, and guide treatment decision-making, with the overall aim of improving lymphoma management and clinical outcomes.


Most people growing up learn to recognize two fundamentally different ideas of justice: the justice of "rights" and the justice of "right relationships." The justice of rights is the more familiar goal of current criminal law, with its normative lines in the sand and penalties for transgression. The justice of rights is not, however, the only kind of justice. There is also the justice of right relationships. Neither kind of justice can exist without the other, but the two are not equal. Indeed, a mere "relationship of rights" is a very poor proxy for a right relationship. For a social species such as ourselves, having a psychological repertoire replete with emotions sparked by human interchange, it is relationships not rights that people really live for. Rights are at best a partial means to right relationships, a way of providing background conditions in which right relationships can be established and fostered. Ultimately, however, no depersonalized system of rights and rules can mediate, except in a crude and clumsy way, the intricacies of interactions among persons. As fundamental legal concepts, rights alone produce only a poor simulation of actual right relationships Unlike the rigid, one-size-fits-all justice of rights, the justice of right relationships does not consist of fixedly norm-based "entitlements." It is, by contrast, intrinsically indefinite so as to provide individualized justice that is tailored to particularized human beings and the uniquely personalized connections among them. Broadly, right relationships are relations in which each (or all) seek, without abandoning themselves, to be attentive and responsive to the needs and emotions of one another, quite apart from considerations of entitlement. The important "negative" markers of right relationships are that they are free of systematic oppression, exploitation or manipulation. That is, a relationship is not "right" if participants seek to overbear in power (oppress), to overreach in resources (exploit), or to mislead for selfish advantage (manipulate). The ideal of right relationships holds it is ultimately more important to mend tears in the social fabric than to demand rights within it, better to respond to harmful acts by making things right, not merely by making things "even." It is the justice that fixes hurts with healing, instead of just inflicting more hurt in return. By contrast, when people insist mainly on rights, letting the chips fall where they may, the result is rarely justice but, instead, the endless series of affronts, reprisals and retribution that we now see all around. Drawing on the work of Carol Gilligan and others, this article sketches how the law might begin to actually resolve social conflicts instead of merely subliminalizing them - pushing them beneath the surface by dint of superior force. It gives particular attention to the case of the criminal law, in which the justice of right relationships would require that the primary effort be not to harm (punish) the harmdoer but, rather, to reestablish the harmdoer in a network of relationships that will conduce to a law-abiding life.


High-fat diet-induced obesity (DIO) is associated with fatty liver and elevated IL-6 circulating levels. IL-6 administration in rodents has yielded contradictory results regarding its effects on steatosis progression. In some models of fatty liver disease, high doses of human IL-6 ameliorate the liver steatosis, whereas restoration of IL-6 in DIO IL-6-/- mice up-regulates hepatic lipogenic enzymes and aggravates steatosis. We further examined the effects of chronic low doses of murine IL-6 on hepatic lipid metabolism in WT mice in DIO. IL-6 was delivered twice daily in C57BL/6J DIO mice for 15 days. The status and expression of IL-6-signalling mediators and targets were investigated in relation to the steatosis and lipid content in blood and in liver. IL-6 administration in DIO mice markedly raised circulating levels of lipids, glucose and leptin, elevated fat liver content and aggravated steatosis. Under IL-6 treatment there was hepatic Stat3 activation and increased gene expression of Socs3 and Tnf-alpha whereas the gene expression of endogenous IL-6, IL-6-receptor, Stat3, Cpt1 and the enzymes involved in lipogenesis was suppressed. These data further implicate IL-6 in fatty liver disease modulation in the context of DIO, and indicate that continuous stimulation with IL-6 attenuates the IL-6-receptor response, which is associated with high serum levels of leptin, glucose and lipids, the lowering levels of lipogenic and Cpt1 hepatic enzymes and with increased Tnf-alpha hepatic expression, a scenario evoking that observed in IL-6-/- mice exposed to DIO and in obese Zucker rats.


The mission of The Commonwealth Fund is to promote a high performance health care system. The Fund carries out this mandate by supporting independent research on health care issues and making grants to improve health care practice and policy. Support for this research was provided by The Commonwealth Fund. The views presented here are those of the authors and not necessarily those of The Commonwealth Fund or its directors, officers, or staff.


Social identity theory provides a frame for studying the relationship between communication and interaction patterns and college student spirituality. In this project we measured the self-perceived spirituality, personal attitudes toward self and others, and communication of a convenience sample of N=149 college students at a private, four-year, church-related institution in southern California. We found that traditionalism, a stable belief in the values and attitudes reflected in how one is raised, explained 60% of student spirituality scores. Gregariousness, the measure of connectedness a participant feels to a group or to the institution, explained an additional 5.2% of student spirituality. Additional post hoc analysis revealed a statistically significant negative association between rebelliousness and both traditionalism and spirituality scores. We also utilized two t-Tests to compare lower and upper class students, as well as females and males, on the variables of interest. Upper class students reported higher scores on spirituality, life satisfaction, gregariousness, positive attitude toward tradition, and self-disclosure whereas lower class members scored higher only in rebelliousness. In addition, females scored higher on all of the variables measured in comparison to males, with the exception of rebelliousness. Findings demonstrated that education at a private Christian institution did not erode student spirituality and may have strengthened spirituality over the four year period.


To deal with changing environments, a new performance measure---adaptive regret, defined as the maximum static regret over any interval, is proposed in online learning. Under the setting of online convex optimization, several algorithms have been successfully developed to minimize the adaptive regret. However, existing algorithms lack universality in the sense that they can only handle one type of convex functions and need apriori knowledge of parameters. By contrast, there exist universal algorithms, such as MetaGrad, that attain optimal static regret for multiple types of convex functions simultaneously. Along this line of research, this paper presents the first universal algorithm for minimizing the adaptive regret of convex functions. Specifically, we borrow the idea of maintaining multiple learning rates in MetaGrad to handle the uncertainty of functions, and utilize the technique of sleeping experts to capture changing environments. In this way, our algorithm automatically adapts to the property of functions (convex, exponentially concave, or strongly convex), as well as the nature of environments (stationary or changing). As a by product, it also allows the type of functions to switch between rounds.


Indoor climate and user satisfaction were analysed by field measurement and a questionnaire in 67 traditional rural houses in Estonia, Finland and Sweden. Our findings showed that the indoor climate in all the investigated historic rural houses needs improvement. The room temperature was mainly too low during winter. Leaky houses had also a larger vertical temperature difference. The relative humidity in the unheated and periodically heated houses was high during winter and caused risk for mould growth in 17% of all houses and 33% of unheated houses. Significant differences of indoor humidity loads in different houses were revealed depending on the living density and usage profile. During the winter period, the design value of moisture excess was 4–5 g/m3 and the average moisture load was 2–3.5 g/m3. The indoor humidity load in historic houses was similar to that in modern houses. The results of the questionnaire showed that main problems were related to unstable or too low temperatures. At the same time, inhabitants rated the overall indoor climate as healthy and no statistically important relations were found between average indoor temperature and complaints about too cold or too warm indoor temperatures.


Homing of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) into the bone marrow (BM) is a prerequisite for establishment of hematopoiesis during development and following transplantation. However, the molecular interactions that control homing of HSCs, in particular, of fetal HSCs, are not well understood. Herein, we studied the role of the alpha6 and alpha4 integrin receptors for homing and engraftment of fetal liver (FL) HSCs and hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) to adult BM by using integrin alpha6 gene-deleted mice and function-blocking antibodies. Both integrins were ubiquitously expressed in FL Lin(-)Sca-1(+)Kit(+) (LSK) cells. Deletion of integrin alpha6 receptor or inhibition by a function-blocking antibody inhibited FL LSK cell adhesion to its extracellular ligands, laminins-411 and -511 in vitro, and significantly reduced homing of HPCs to BM. In contrast, the anti-integrin alpha6 antibody did not inhibit BM homing of HSCs. In agreement with this, integrin alpha6 gene-deleted FL HSCs did not display any homing or engraftment defect compared with wild-type littermates. In contrast, inhibition of integrin alpha4 receptor by a function-blocking antibody virtually abrogated homing of both FL HSCs and HPCs to BM, indicating distinct functions for integrin alpha6 and alpha4 receptors during homing of fetal HSCs and HPCs.


Background: Periodontal diseases had been reported to be worse in the presence of hormonal imbalance as seen during pregnancy, which if that is the case, should resolve following childbirth when the hormonal level of the women should have reverted to normal. Subjects and Methods: Periodontal health of 345 pregnant women was assessed once during pregnancy and at 14 th week following their childbirth. The clinical variant of community periodontal index of treatment needs probe was used in the assessment. Results: During pregnancy, 167/345 (48.4%) of the women had deep pockets, 178/345 (51.6%) had shallow pockets. After childbirth, 5/345 (1.5%) had healthy periodontium, 25/345 (7.2%) had calculus and 7/345 (2.0%) had deep pockets. All of the respondents required oral hygiene instructions (OHI) and prophylaxis and 167/345 (48.4%) required complex treatment during pregnancy. After childbirth, 340/345 (98.5%) of the women required OHI and prophylaxis. Despite the great need for dental treatment among the respondents, majority never sought any treatment as 308/345 (89.3%) of the respondents had never visited a dentist before the study. Conclusion: The fact that the deep pocket reduced drastically following childbirth shows that it was not a true pocket. The high unmet treatment needs among the respondents require a concerted effort from dentists and policy makers in order to enlighten the women, especially those of child bearing age concerning the need for preventive dental visitation.


Abstract The name 'tobermorites' includes a number of calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) phases differing in their hydration state and sub-cell symmetry. Based on their basal spacing, closely related to the degree of hydration, 14, 11 and 9 Å compounds have been described. In this paper a new nomenclature scheme for these mineral species is reported. The tobermorite supergroup is defined. It is formed by the tobermorite group and the unclassified minerals plombierite, clinotobermorite and riversideite. Plombierite ('14 Å tobermorite') is redefined as a crystalline mineral having chemical composition Ca5Si6O16(OH)2 · 7H2O. Its type locality is Crestmore, Riverside County, California, USA. The tobermorite group consists of species having a basal spacing of ~11 Å and an orthorhombic sub-cell symmetry. Its general formula is Ca4+x(AlySi6-y)O15+2x-y · 5H2O. Its endmember compositions correspond to tobermorite Ca5Si6O17 · 5H2O (x = 1 and y = 0) and the new species kenotobermorite, Ca4Si6O15(OH)2 · 5H2O (x = 0 and y = 0). The type locality of kenotobermorite is the N'Chwaning II mine, Kalahari Manganese Field, South Africa. Within the tobermorite group, tobermorite and kenotobermorite form a complete solid solution. Al-rich samples do not warrant a new name, because Al can only achieve a maximum content of 1/6 of the tetrahedral sites (y = 1). Clinotobermorite, Ca5Si6O17 · 5H2O, is a dimorph of tobermorite having a monoclinic sub-cell symmetry. Finally, the compound with a ~9 Å basal spacing is known as riversideite. Its natural occurrence is not demonstrated unequivocally and its status should be considered as "questionable". The chemical composition of its synthetic counterpart, obtained through partial dehydration of tobermorite, is Ca5Si6O16(OH)2. All these mineral species present an order-disorder character and several polytypes are known. This report has been approved by the International Mineralogical Association Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification.


In recent years, the bar has expressed dissatisfaction with what is considered by some to be inadequate preparation of law students to begin practicing law immediately after graduation. There are several reasons why this has become a matter of concern for the legal profession. The ABA, state bars and law schools have responded by adopting graduation requirements that force students to take a certain number of experiential courses.
The contention of this article is that the imposition of additional, required experiential courses will have a negative effect on the adequacy of a student's preparation to practice law because it contributes to a reduction in the student's exposure to a range of doctrinal courses (especially core courses) and to the skills that those courses develop. Indeed, the article contends that the current proliferation of clinical and other experiential courses, together with the increase in the number of other course offerings, has resulted in a sizeable percentage of graduating students being ill-prepared to practice law as soon after graduation as law firms would like. In considering whether to adopt course requirements for admission to a state's bar, those consequences should be taken into account.


Nowadays, tremendous data are continuously gathering from the smart card in public transport domain. Such data, conveying two viable distinct information, can assist designing public transportation network. The first component of the data, provides the spatial feature, that indicates the geographical coordinates of bus stops or subway stations. The second component of the data deals with the temporal feature, which is the time of the trips that public transport is used. Hence, it is necessary to distill the data, in order to get the advantages of the data analysis techniques and extract the essential knowledge. More specifically, user behavior in a public transport system can be investigated as one of the data mining and machine learning applications. Extracting this information could lead analysts, engineers, managers, and strategists to excavate, design, decide, and plan more effectively. This makes the usage of the network practically efficient especially in large metropolitan cities. In this regard, we propose new methods of temporal data analysis to investigate pattern of user behavior in the public transport network.


Research into collaborative mixed reality (MR) or augmented reality has recently been active. Previous studies showed that MR was preferred for collocated collaboration while immersive virtual reality was preferred for remote collaboration. The main reason for this preference is that the physical object in remote space cannot be handled directly. However, MR using tangible objects is still attractive for remote collaborative systems, because MR enables seamless interaction with real objects enhanced by virtual information with the sense of touch. Here we introduce"tangible replicas"(dual objects that have the same shape, size, and surface), and propose a symmetrical model for remote collaborative MR. The result of experiments shows that pointing and drawing functions on the tangible replica work well despite limited shared information.


This item is part of: Boarin, P., Haarhoff, E., Manfredini, M., Mohammadzadeh, M., Premier, A., (2021). Rethinking Sustainable Pacific Rim Territories. Proceedings of the 2020 APRU Sustainable Cities and Landscapes Hub PhD Symposium, Future Cities Research Hub, School of Architecture and Planning of the University of Auckland. ISBN: 978-0-473-53616-9ABSTRACTBackground: For most people, the natural environment is recommended as an affordable health promotion method.Goal: Develop an app to collect people's health information and return people's environmental health prediction scores. The data can also be used in landscape planning and design in the future to design healing fields for people to use.Discussion: Experiment with a preliminary developed application. The research results show that the altitude of Toucheng Farm is slightly higher than that of flat land; when the temperature is low, the heartbeat in the physiological response increases, and the weather and relative humidity of the day will affect the preferences of tourists.Conclusion: Climate and environmental factors affect personal physical and mental health and social distancing strategies caused by the global epidemic this year. The next step of the research is to consider the impact of climate and social distance factors on people's health and incorporate them into the health route system.


The coupling of a semiconductor laser as a coherent well-polarized source to birefringent polarization-maintaining fiber is an important step in exploiting the unique characteristics of this waveguiding medium. The total light output of most semiconductor lasers is relatively poorly polarized yielding extinction ratios of the order of 10–12 dB. We wish to report here alignment and coupling characteristics of a linear polarized single-mode semiconductor laser to a highly birefringent fiber for polarization-maintaining purposes. We have observed extinction ratios in excess of 20 dB between the two axes of the fiber using a simplified alignment method which utilizes the natural polarization of the laser and the relatively narrow acceptance angle of the fiber as a spatial filter. A simple method of alignment and permanently attaching the fiber to the laser is described.


We investigated the role of salt, ethanol, hydrogen peroxide on the survival and cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH) of Lactobacillus plantarum Ch1 possessing probiotic properties. Survivability of the strain exposed to elevated (3.40 M) ethanol concentration, salt (0.5–2 M), hydrogen peroxide (0.029–0.29 M) was not significantly (P>0.01) affected. With the sole exception of oxidative stress, CSH of intact Lactobacillus plantarum Ch1 increased linearly to the respective stress doses, the observed relationships were supported by strong positive correlations between elevated stress levels and increasing CSH values, suggesting a concentration dependent change in CSH of intact cells. The results of our study imply CSH to be a predominant factor for Lactobacillus plantarum Ch1 to endure stress conditions and may be of substantial importance during designing probiotic foods/beverages containing this strain.


Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) are still urgent medical issues in developing countries and in some communities of high-income countries. The aim of our study was to evaluate plasma cytokine concentrations in children with RHD and their correlation with antibody concentrations to viruses of the Herpesviridae family. Sixty-two patients with RHD aged 8 to 17 years were included in the study. The concentrations of TNF-α, IL-4, IL-8, IL-10 and IFN-γ were evaluated; IgG and IgM antibodies to cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpes simplex virus (HSV) groups I-II and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in serum were determined by ELISA meth-od. A significant increase of cytokine concentrations (TNF-α, IL-8, IL-4 and IL-10) was recorded in RHD patients. Antibodies to intracel-lular Herpesviridae family viruses were detected in all children with RHD. Children with RHD were significantly more likely to have IgG HSV I-II antibodies, and IgG and IgM EBV antibodies compared to controls (p<0.05). The concentration of IgM antibody to CMV showed positive correlation with TNF-α; the concentration of IgG antibody to EBV showed negative correlation with TNF-α; and the concentration of IgG and IgM antibodies to EBV showed positive correlation with IL-10 levels. Considering positive correlation of IL-10 concentration with IgG and IgM antibody concentrations to EBV, and the significance of IL-10 in the progression of RHD, the possible predisposing role of EBV in the progression of RHD can be postulated, which needs further study.


Real-time monitoring and responses to emerging public health threats rely on the availability of timely surveillance data. During the early stages of an epidemic, the ready availability of line lists with detailed tabular information about laboratory-confirmed cases can assist epidemiologists in making reliable inferences and forecasts. Such inferences are crucial to understand the epidemiology of a specific disease early enough to stop or control the outbreak. However, construction of such line lists requires considerable human supervision and therefore, difficult to generate in real-time. In this paper, we motivate Guided Deep List, the first tool for building automated line lists (in near real-time) from open source reports of emerging disease outbreaks. Specifically, we focus on deriving epidemiological characteristics of an emerging disease and the affected population from reports of illness. Guided Deep List uses distributed vector representations (ala word2vec) to discover a set of indicators for each line list feature. This discovery of indicators is followed by the use of dependency parsing based techniques for final extraction in tabular form. We evaluate the performance of Guided Deep List against a human annotated line list provided by HealthMap corresponding to MERS outbreaks in Saudi Arabia. We demonstrate that Guided Deep List extracts line list features with increased accuracy compared to a baseline method. We further show how these automatically extracted line list features can be used for making epidemiological inferences, such as inferring demographics and symptoms-to-hospitalization period of affected individuals.


A simple stochastic mathematical model is developed and investigated for the dynamics of measles epidemic. The model, which is a multi-dimensional diffusion process, includes susceptible individuals, latent (exposed), infected and removed individuals. Stochastic effects are assumed to arise in the process of infection of susceptible individuals. Using the best currently available parameter values, the intrinsic variability in response to a given initial infection is examined by solving the stochastic system numerically. The results of the simulation seem to agree with the historical pattern of measles in Nigeria.

Keywords: Stochastic model, measles, epidemiology, Wiener process, Euler scheme.


Herein, we
present novel phenylene- and xylylene-bridged silica and metallosilicate materials
prepared by non-hydrolytic sol-gel. The hybrid silica are highly porous, chemically
similar to periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMO), but amorphous. Analogous
hybrid metallosilicates are obtained by directly incorporating Al, Nb, or Sn in
the hybrid silica framework. Exhibiting open texture, surface acidity and
tunable hydrophobicity, these materials are excellent candidates for catalytic
alcohol dehydration reactions. The gas-phase hydrothermal and thermal stability
of these materials is examined. While the hybrid silica is expectedly stable, a
stark decrease in stability is observed for phenylene bridged silsesquioxanes upon
metal introduction. The extent of the hydrolytic Si−C(sp2) bond
cleavage is quantitatively followed by 29Si MAS NMR, TG analysis,
and GC-FID analysis of effluent coming from samples exposed to water vapor. Two
important features affecting the hydrothermal and thermal stability are
identified: (i) the homogeneity of metal dispersion within the silica matrix,
and (ii) the electronegativity of the incorporated metal. The stability of
hybrid metallosilicates is significantly improved by replacing the phenylene
bridges with xylylene bridges, due to the presence of more stable Si−C(sp3)
bonds. Interestingly, the latter hybrid metallosilicate proves to be an active catalyst
for the dehydration of ethanol to ethylene. Unlike the other hybrid materials
presented here, it reaches high ethylene yields without undergoing degradation
and deactivation.


In this work, we identify a novel set of conditions that ensure convergence with probability 1 of Q-learning with linear function approximation, by proposing a two time-scale variation thereof. In the faster time scale, the algorithm features an update similar to that of DQN, where the impact of bootstrapping is attenuated by using a Q-value estimate akin to that of the target network in DQN. The slower time-scale, in turn, can be seen as a modified target network update. We establish the convergence of our algorithm, provide an error bound and discuss our results in light of existing convergence results on reinforcement learning with function approximation. Finally, we illustrate the convergent behavior of our method in domains where standard Q-learning has previously been shown to diverge.


This work attempts to tackle the problem of content mismatch for short duration speaker verification. Experiments are run on both text-dependent and text-independent protocols, where a larger amount of enrollment data is available in the latter. We recently proposed a framework based on a deep neural network that explicitly utilizes phonetic information, and showed increased performance on long duration utterances. We show how this new framework can also yield significant improvements for short duration. We then propose an innovative approach to perform content matching, i.e. transforming a textindependent trial into a text-dependent one by mining content from a speaker's enrollment data to match the test utterance. We show how content matching can be effectively done at the statistics level to enable the use of standard verification backends. Experiments – run on the RSR2015 and NIST SRE 2010 data sets – show relative improvements of 50% for cases where the content has been said during enrollment. While no significant improvements were observed for the general text-independent case, we believe that this work might pave the way for new research for speaker verification with very short utterances.


As businesses are increasingly relying on the cloud to host their services, cloud providers are striving to offer guaranteed and highly-available resources. To achieve this goal, recent proposals have advocated to offer both computing and networking resources in the form of Virtual Data Centers (VDCs). However, to offer VDCs, cloud providers have to overcome several technical challenges. In this thesis, we focus on two key challenges: (1) the VDC embedding problem: how to efficiently allocate resources to VDCs such that energy costs and bandwidth consumption are minimized, and (2) the availability-aware VDC embedding and backup provisioning problem which aims at allocating resources to VDCs with hard guarantees on their availability. The first part of this thesis is primarily concerned with the first challenge. The goal of the VDC embedding problem is to allocate resources to VDCs while minimizing the bandwidth usage in the data center and maximizing the cloud provider's revenue. Existing proposals have focused only on the placement of VMs and ignored mapping of other types of resources like switches. Hence, we propose a new VDC embedding solution that explicitly considers the embedding of virtual switches in addition to virtual machines and communication links. Simulations show that our solution results in high acceptance rate of VDC requests, less bandwidth consumption in the data center network, and increased revenue for the cloud provider. In the second part of this thesis, we study the availability-aware VDC embedding and backup provisioning problem. The goal is to provision virtual backup nodes and links in order to achieve the desired availability for each VDC. Existing solutions addressing this challenge have overlooked the heterogeneity of the data center equipment in terms of failure rates and availability. To address this limitation, we propose a High-availability Virtual Infrastructure (Hi-VI) management framework that jointly allocates resources for VDCs and their backups while minimizing total energy costs. Hi-VI uses a novel technique to compute the availability of a VDC that considers both (1) the heterogeneity of the data center networking and computing equipment, and (2) the number of redundant virtual nodes and links provisioned as backups. Simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of our framework compared to heterogeneity-oblivious solutions in terms of revenue and the number of physical servers used to embed VDCs.


This paper presents the evaluation results for conventional methods that can be used for vision-based localization. An Active Scope Camera is a very thin snake robot and can be used as a rescue robot for search and rescue missions. Self-position estimation of the Active Scope Camera is important for efficient search. Nevertheless, using sensors for this purpose hinders the movement and maneuvering of the camera through narrow gaps, because sensors are very big and heavy for the Active Scope Camera. Vision-based localization using a fish-eye camera is suitable technique for self-position estimation. However, the images obtained using the Active Scope Camera are not of good quality. The material of objects found in disaster environments and overexposure by light-emitting diodes embedded at the camera tip affects the matching of feature points. In this paper, properties of images of disaster sites obtained using the Active Scope Camera and the accuracy evaluation of vision-based localization are described.


Background: Acclimation to light is a driver of tropical forest dynamics and key to understanding the coexistence of dipterocarps, and how their demographic rates and traits trade-off. Aims: We examined light niche divergence in six dipterocarp species and hypothesised that seedlings can be functionally grouped, and allocate resources to either growth or storage in response to light changes. Methods: A pot experiment was performed to measure size-specific growth rate, wood density and total non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) concentrations of dipterocarp seedlings exposed to a simulated gap opening. Results: Light-demanding species responded to a gap opening with increased growth and decreased wood density, whereas shade-tolerant species showed a greater relative increase in NSC concentration. Iditol – an alditol – was identified, and Dryobalanops lanceolata responded to a gap opening with a significantly smaller increase in alditol concentration compared to other species. Conclusions: We group light-demanding and shade-tolerant species based on their acclimation to light and show that a generalist species is unique based on its response of NSC concentration to a gap opening. Our findings emphasise that the ecology of these species needs to be further studied in the context of their physiology to support their effective use in large-scale forest restoration efforts.


Gaussian process regression is a flexible and powerful tool for machine learning, but the high computational complexity hinders its broader applications. In this paper, we propose a new approach for fast computation of Gaussian process regression with a focus on large spatial data sets. The approach decomposes the domain of a regression function into small subdomains and infers a local piece of the regression function for each subdomain. We explicitly address the mismatch problem of the local pieces on the boundaries of neighboring subdomains by imposing continuity constraints. The new approach has comparable or better computation complexity as other competing methods, but it is easier to be parallelized for faster computation. Moreover, the method can be adaptive to non-stationary features because of its local nature and, in particular, its use of different hyperparameters of the covariance function for different local regions. We illustrate application of the method and demonstrate its advantages over existing methods using two synthetic data sets and two real spatial data sets.


Thesis abstract The thesis explored how the global market for Nile Perch fish has reconfigured the social and the natural in dramatic ways. The demand for Nile Perch and Dagaa played, willingly or unwillingly, an important role in converting its products into regionally and globally desired commodity. It has also simultaneously restructured the organisation of fisheries into a complex and aggressively managed sector. In fishing and fish trade, one needs to externalize costs and risks to the lower actors in the production and business hierarchy. From an historical point of view, power has shifted from many points of coordination and decision making into a few hands, those that own fishing camps and export processing factory. Moreover, illegal fishing and trading are continuous and corruption is rife to safe guard individual interest in turn shaping the local practices (governance) of Lake Victoria. Finally the debate about fisheries policies and fisheries regulation in L. Victoria does not address local realities and are largely irrelevant and that the real focus of power and driver of change is the international and regional markets for Nile Perch and Dagaa and global players with a lot of capital.


The explosion of computer applications into the world of manufacturing along functional lines has produced the often mentioned "islands of automation." Although many issues and problems are involved in interfacing and integrating the databases that serve these applications, we can extract valuable data from these independent systems to provide important information to decision makers. This research resulted in the development of MIMIR (Multiple Integrated Manufacturing Information Resources), a decision support system based upon the blackboard architecture. The blackboard architecture extends the common expert system design to include multiple expert systems, termed Knowledge Sources (KS's), which combine to solve problems too diverse or complex for conventional expert systems. Extending the architecture, MIMIR uniquely adds Data Sources (DS's) to the conventional KS's for problem decomposition and solution.
Developed in Common LISP and CLOS, MIMIR can answer basic questions about the data in the remote databases and generate multiple queries for more complex questions. Seven partitions in MIMIR's blackboard allow KS's and DS's to focus on specific levels of the problem decomposition. MIMIR relies on an intelligent interface to translate an internal LISP-based SQL-like query into a valid SQL query string. This query is then be submitted to an external relational database and results are returned to the blackboard environment. While MIMIR is currently limited to SQL-accessible relational databases, the architecture can be extended to support interfaces to other data formats.


A salient feature of conversations involving people with aphasia is the prevalence and persistence of threats to intersubjectivity (i.e. mutual understanding). Being unable to understand what is being said and its import can be a frustrating and distressing experience for people with aphasia and their conversation partners (cf. Laakso, 2003; Lock, Wilkinson, & Bryan, 2001; Wilkinson, 2007). One reason for the confronting nature of severe problems with intersubjectivity is that they arise infrequently during interactions involving people without communication disorders. That is, for the most part, people have few issues establishing what others are attempting to achieve through talking, be it greeting, arguing, inviting, complaining, or otherwise. When problems do emerge—when a speaker says "cup" when they intended to say "plate"; when an innocent question is heard as a complaint, and so on—social actors have various techniques for revising their conduct, and righting interactional business. Researchers using Conversation Analysis (CA) have described the practices that people employ to "repair" such difficulties with speaking, hearing, and understanding talk in conversation (e.g. Schegloff, Jefferson, & Sacks, 1977). This work has provided a solid foundation for examining fractures to intersubjectivity during conversations involving people with aphasia (e.g. Aaltonen & Laakso, 2010; Ferguson, 1994; Laakso & Klippi, 1999; Oelschlaeger & Damico, 2003). Studies of conversation repair and aphasia have contributed new knowledge about aphasia's impact on everyday life, and led to the development of assessment and intervention procedures focused on repair (e.g. Lock et al., 2001; Whitworth, Perkins, & Turner, 1997). In particular, studies of conversation repair and aphasia have highlighted the key role of conversation partners in collaboratively resolving problems with intersubjectivity. However, an important feature of repair as an interactional practice is that it is optional. That is, when a listener is confronted with problematic talk from a speaker, they are not compelled to engage in repair, and may choose to elide the trouble altogether, or address it in some other way. For instance, Jefferson (2007) found that listeners occasionally responded to obvious speaker errors with minimal, receipting responses (e.g. mm, yeah) in place of repair. If the conversation partners of people with aphasia resist repair in this fashion, it has the potential to severely curtail the participation of people with aphasia. That is, without the benefit of collaborative repair efforts, the conversational contributions of people with aphasia may be more effortful and less successful, thereby restricting their ability to implement social action efficiently, or at all (see, e.g., Perkins, 2003, and Laakso, 2003, for some preliminary observations).


In this paper, we explore the 256 elementary cellular automata rules by a Walsh transform in order to find correlation-immune rules for generating good pseudo-random sequences. We prove that, except the 8 linear rules, there is no correlation-immune rule among the 256 rules. Thus, elementary cellular automata cannot be used as a cryptographic pseudo-random generator since the generated pseudo-random sequences are susceptible of correlation attacks. We conclude with some remarks on cryptography with cellular automata.


In colon cancers induction of a thymineless state following inhibition of thymidylate synthase (TS) by 5-fluorouracil combined with leucovorin can initiate a cytotoxic response. Using a 5-fluorouracil-leucovorin-treated human colon carcinoma cell line (GC,Icl) and a clonally derived TS mutant, initiation events that dictate the onset of and commitment to thymineless death have been examined. Initial events related to a temporally associated decrease in dTTP and elevation in the dATP pools; no depletion of dGTP or elevation in dCTP was detected. Nucleosomal degradation of DNA commenced at 24 h in TS and 49 h in GCIc1, and was associated with the more rapid development of an imbalance in the dATP and dTTP pools and a higher dATP:dTTP ratio in TS cells. The contribution of elevated dATP or depleted dTTP pools to thymineless death was subsequently determined by treatment of GCIcl or TS cells with deoxyadenosine to elevate the dATP pool either under thymidine-replete or thymineless conditions. Thus, deoxyadenosine supplementation under dTTP-replete conditions elevated the dATP pool for 16 h and was cytotoxic to cells. During dTTP depletion elevated dATP was maintamed, and cytotoxicity was significantly and rapidly enhanced by deoxyadenosine but could be reversed by thymidine. Data suggest that maintenance of elevated dATP and the dATP:dTTP ratio are essential initiation events in the commitment of colon carcinoma cells to thymineless death.


An introduction to scientific computing for differential equations Introduction to Computation and Modeling for Differential Equations provides a unified and integrated view of numerical analysis, mathematical modeling in applications, and programming to solve differential equations, which is essential in problem-solving across many disciplines, such as engineering, physics, and economics. This book successfully introduces readers to the subject through a unique "Five-M" approach: Modeling, Mathematics, Methods, MATLAB, and Multiphysics. This approach facilitates a thorough understanding of how models are created and preprocessed mathematically with scaling, classification, and approximation, and it also illustrates how a problem is solved numerically using the appropriate mathematical methods. The book's approach of solving a problem with mathematical, numerical, and programming tools is unique and covers a wide array of topics, from mathematical modeling to implementing a working computer program. The author utilizes the principles and applications of scientific computing to solve problems involving: Ordinary differential equations Numerical methods for Initial Value Problems (IVPs) Numerical methods for Boundary Value Problems (BVPs) Partial Differential Equations (PDEs) Numerical methods for parabolic, elliptic, and hyperbolic PDEs Mathematical modeling with differential equations Numerical solution Finite difference and finite element methods Real-world examples from scientific and engineering applications including mechanics, fluid dynamics, solid mechanics, chemical engineering, electromagnetic field theory, and control theory are solved through the use of MATLAB and the interactive scientific computing program Comsol Multiphysics. Numerous illustrations aid in the visualization of the solutions, and a related Web site features demonstrations, solutions to problems, MATLAB programs, and additional data. Introduction to Computation and Modeling for Differential Equations is an ideal text for courses in differential equations, ordinary differential equations, partial differential equations, and numerical methods at the upper-undergraduate and graduate levels. The book also serves as a valuable reference for researchers and practitioners in the fields of mathematics, engineering, and computer science who would like to refresh and revive their knowledge of the mathematical and numerical aspects as well as the applications of scientific computation.


In this paper, we will review the co-adjoint orbit formulation of finite dimensional quantum mechanics, and in this framework, we will interpret the notion of quantum Fisher information index (and metric). Following previous work of part of the authors, who introduced the definition of Fisher information tensor, we will show how its antisymmetric part is the pullback of the natural Kostant-Kirillov-Souriau symplectic form along some natural diffeomorphism. In order to do this, we will need to understand the symmetric logarithmic derivative as a proper 1-form, settling the issues about its very definition and explicit computation. Moreover, the fibration of co-adjoint orbits, seen as spaces of mixed states, is also discussed.


The present paper assesses the impacts of renewable energy generation and globalization on income inequality in Argentina. We make use of vector autoregression models. We find that globalization and hydroelectric power increase inequality, while the opposite holds true for other renewable energy sources. Several robustness checks are considered. Policy implications are discussed keeping into account the specific Argentinean context.


The paper addresses the detection of changes in multitemporal polarimetric radar images, focusing on small objects and narrow linear features. The images were acquired at C- and L-band by the airborne EMISAR system. It is found that the radar intensities are better suited for change detection than the correlation coefficient and the phase difference between the co-polarized channels. In the case of linear features, there is no obvious difference between the C- and L-bands , and slight variations of the flight tracks are acceptable at look angles larger than 35 degrees. Theoretical detection thresholds are evaluated from the statistical distribution of the intensity ratio due to speckle. For the linear features and for urban environments, the observed thresholds are larger than the theoretical predictions. This is interpreted as an effect of radar intensity variations on length scales smaller than the spatial image resolution. The signature of urban areas is very sensitive to deviations between the flight tracks, and the sensitivity is larger at C-band than at L-band. On the other hand, the intensity contrast between buildings and the urban background is smaller at L-band and larger at C-band. For change detection, thresholds may have to be chosen separately for each object class because the intensity ratios of different object classes vary differently as a function of time.


In this letter, we report the vertical far-field (FF) behavior of 980nm InGaAs/GaAs edge-emitting lasers based on single-sided and dual-sided transverse bragg reflection waveguide (BRW). For the single-sided BRW laser (BRLs), the symmetric two lobes located at ±32° with full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 11.6° are shown in the vertical FF. The high slope efficiency ~0.92W/A and continuous wave (CW) output power >1.5W (3.2W pulsed) have been obtained. It was demonstrated theoretically that an extremely narrow vertical FF can be achieved in the dual-sided BRLs.


An estimated 2,400 to 4,000 hydraulic structures are barriers to fish passage in Washington state. Many are culverts inadequately sized for fish passage. Recently, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife established statewide guidelines to incorporate fish migration into culvert design by providing two approaches: stream simulation and hydraulic design. Stream simulation involves designing culverts to be wider than the natural channel under bank-full conditions. The hydraulic design option requires culverts to satisfy minimum depth and maximum hydraulic drop constraints ranging from 0.8 to 1.0 ft and permissible velocities from 2.0 to 6.0 ft/sec depending on salmonid species and culvert length. The permissible velocity criterion is to be met during the fish passage design flow. A new model is presented for estimating fish passage design flows at ungaged streams in Eastern Washington. The model is founded on two key concepts: a unique definition of fish passage design flow and an area based approach for estimating this flow at ungaged streams. The fish passage design flow was developed by combining the concepts of allowable fish delay, established to be 3 days, with a consecutive day analysis. This design flow ensures that fish are not delayed for more than 3 consecutive days during a water year. A fish passage design flow per unit area is assigned to previously delineated subwatersheds in Eastern Washington. Similarity relationships, derived from basin characteristics, relate U.S. Geological Survey gaging stations to subwatersheds in Eastern Washington. These relationships form the basis for assigning a value of fish passage design flow per unit area to each subwatershed in Eastern Washington. The percent standard error for this model was calculated as 36%. This is a significant improvement from the 75% standard error calculated for the model that previously addressed fish passage design flows in Eastern Washington.


Valley-polarized topological states of light allow for robust waveguiding, which has been demonstrated for transverse-electric modes in THz and near-infrared regions of the spectrum. As the topological protection relies on guiding the light via a highly structured surface, direct imaging of the photonic modes at subunit cell resolution is of high interest but challenging, particularly for transverse-magnetic modes. Here, we report mapping the transverse-magnetic modes in a valley photonic crystal waveguide using scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy at the optical telecom C-band wavelength. The waveguide based on a triangular air-hole motif with broken inversion symmetry is fabricated from the suspended germanium layer. We observed the launching and guiding of the transverse-magnetic edge mode along the boundary between topologically distinct domains with opposite valley Chern indices. These results are supported by theoretical simulations and provide insight into the design and use of topological protected states for applications in densely integrated optical telecommunication devices.


Insulin switches pancreatic acinar cells to a primarily glycolytic metabolism under conditions of oxidative stress, allowing them to maintain ATP production. Factors leading to an irreversible increase in the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) of pancreatic acinar cells have been implicated in acute pancreatitis, a sometimes-fatal inflammatory disease of the pancreas. Noting that insulin, which is produced by pancreatic β cells adjacent to pancreatic acinar cells, protects against pancreatitis, Mankad et al. explored its effects on inhibition of the plasma membrane Ca2+ ATPase (PMCA) and irreversible Ca2+ overload in response to oxidative stress. Pretreatment with 100 nM insulin attenuated the increase in resting [Ca2+]i produced by H2O2 in isolated rat pancreatic acinar cells without affecting oxidative stress per se, a protective effect that was abolished by pharmacological inhibition of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K). Although insulin failed to inhibit H2O2-induced mitochondrial depolarization, it attenuated H2O2-induced ATP depletion (shifting the concentration-response curve). Analysis of the effects of insulin on autofluorescence of NAD(P)H (a measure of cell metabolism), identified pharmacologically as located in mitochondrial or cytosolic pools, indicated that insulin stimulated a switch from mitochondrial to primarily glycolytic metabolism. Insulin protected against an H2O2-dependent decrease in the activity of PMCA (a "gatekeeper" that can restore resting [Ca2+]i to near normal even when other Ca2+ transport mechanisms are impaired), an effect that was also blocked by inhibiting PI3K. Moreover, whereas insulin potentiated inhibition of PMCA by an inhibitor of glycolysis, it abolished inhibition of PMCA by a mitochondrial uncoupler. The authors thus conclude that insulin switches pancreatic acinar cells to a primarily glycolytic metabolism, allowing them to maintain ATP production and thereby PMCA activity, protecting them from Ca2+ overload when mitochondrial function is impaired. P. Mankad, A. James, A. K. Siriwardena, A. C. Elliott, J. I. E. Bruce, Insulin protects pancreatic acinar cells from cytosolic calcium overload and inhibition of plasma membrane calcium pump. J. Biol. Chem. 287, 1823–1836 (2012). [Abstract] [Full Text]


Large scale and cost-efficient synthesis of carbon nanostructured
materials has garnered tremendous interest over the last decade owing to their
plethora of engineering and bio-science applications. One promising method is
roll-to-roll radio frequency chemical vapor deposition and this work presents a
computational investigation of the capacitively coupled radio frequency plasma
in such a system. The system operates at moderate pressures (less than 30 mbar)
with an 80 kHz square wave voltage input. The computational model aids the
understanding of plasma properties and α-γ transition parameters which strongly
influence the nanostructure deposition characteristics in the system. One
dimensional argon and hydrogen plasma models are developed to characterize the
effects of input voltage, gas pressure, frequency, and waveform on the plasma
properties. A hybrid mode which displays the characteristics of both α and γ
discharges is found to exist for the low cycle frequency 80 kHz square wave
voltage input due to the high frequency harmonics associated with a square
waveform. The threshold voltage at which the transition between the different
regimes occurs is higher for hydrogen than for argon owing to its diatomic
nature. Collision radiative modeling is performed to predict the argon emission
intensity in the discharge gap. The results are found to lie within 16% of the
optical emission spectroscopy measurements with better agreement at the center
of the discharge, where the measurement uncertainty is low and the emission by
ions is not significant. A quasi-zero dimensional steady state chemistry model
which uses the hydrogen plasma properties as inputs predicts high
concentrations of C2H, C2H2, C2H3+,
C2H4+ and C2H6+
during carbon nanostructure deposition.

Carbon nanostructures
are popularly used as field emitters. Field emission based microplasma
actuators generate highly non-neutral surface discharges that can be used to
heat, pump, and mix the flow through microchannels and offer an innovative
solution to the problems associated with microcombustion. They provide a
constant source of heat to counter the large heat loss through the combustor
surface, they aid in flow transport at low Reynolds numbers without the use of
moving parts, and they provide a constant supply of radicals to promote chain
branching reactions. This work presents two actuator concepts for the
generation of field emission microplasma, one with offset electrodes and the
other with planar electrodes. They operate at input voltages in the 275 to 325
V range at a frequency of 1 GHz which is found to be the most suitable value
for flow enhancement. The momentum and energy imparted by the charged particles
to the neutrals as modeled by 2D Particle-In-Cell with Monte Carlo Collisions
(PIC/MCC) are applied to actuate flow in microchannels using 2D Computational
Fluid Dynamics modeling. The planar electrode configuration is found to be more
suitable for the purpose of heating, igniting and mixing the flow, as well as
improving its residence time through a 10 mm long microcombustor. The
combustion of hydrogen and air with the help of 4 such actuators, each with a
power consumption of 47.5 mW/cm, generates power with an efficiency of 28.8%.
Coating the electrode surface with carbon nanostructures improves the combustion
efficiency by a factor of 2.5 and reduces the input voltage by a factor of 6.5.
Such microcombustors can be applied to all battery based systems requiring micropower
generation with the ultimate goal of "generating power on a chip'".


In this research, we propose a framework for measurement-based traffic engineering and connection admission control in radio access networks based on the Internet Protocol (IP). This framework is evaluated by simulation using the popular network simulator ns-2. The framework is adaptive to changes in the network load and can distinguish between different types of service. All traffic engineering decisions are made by edge routers (ER) at the rim of the network domain. Multiple disjoint paths are configured between those ERs. Network state information is gathered in two different fashions. We evaluate a scheme based on the states of the queues on each alternative path and a scheme based on end-to-end probe packet transmission characteristics on each alternative path. Both schemes are compared to a shortest path first (SPF) routing approach.


[1] Overcast stratus cloud properties derived for the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) project using Terra and Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data are compared with observations taken at the Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Southern Great Plains site from March 2000 through December 2004. Retrievals from ARM surface-based data were averaged over a 1-h interval centered at the time of each satellite overpass, and the CERES-MODIS cloud properties were averaged within a 30 km × 30 km box centered on the ARM SGP site. Two data sets were analyzed: all of the data (ALL), which include multilayered, single-layered, and slightly broken stratus decks and a subset, single-layered unbroken decks (SL). The CERES-MODIS effective cloud heights were determined from effective cloud temperature using a lapse rate method with the surface temperature specified as the 24-h mean surface air temperature. For SL stratus, they are, on average, within the ARM radar-lidar estimated cloud boundaries and are 0.534 ± 0.542 km and 0.108 ± 0.480 km lower than the cloud physical tops and centers, respectively, and are comparable for day and night observations. The mean differences and standard deviations are slightly larger for ALL data, but not statistically different to those of SL data. The MODIS-derived effective cloud temperatures are 2.7 ± 2.4 K less than the surface-observed SL cloud center temperatures with very high correlations (0.86–0.97). Variations in the height differences are mainly caused by uncertainties in the surface air temperatures, lapse rates, and cloud top height variability. The biases are mainly the result of the differences between effective and physical cloud top, which are governed by cloud liquid water content and viewing zenith angle, and the selected lapse rate, −7.1 K km−1. On the basis of a total of 43 samples, the means and standard deviations of the differences between the daytime Terra and surface retrievals of effective radius re, optical depth, and liquid water path for SL stratus are 0.1 ± 1.9 μm (1.2 ± 23.5%), −1.3 ± 9.5 (−3.6 ± 26.2%), and 0.6 ± 49.9 gm−2 (0.3 ± 27%), respectively, while the corresponding correlation coefficients are 0.44, 0.87, and 0.89. For Aqua, they are 0.2 ± 1.9 μm (2.5 ± 23.4%), 2.5 ± 7.8 (7.8 ± 24.3%), and 28.1 ± 52.7 gm−2 (17.2 ± 32.2%), as well as 0.35, 0.96, and 0.93 from a total of 21 cases. The results for ALL cases are comparable. Although a bias in re was expected because the satellite retrieval of effective radius only represents the top of the cloud, the surface-based radar retrievals revealed that the vertical profile of re is highly variable with smaller droplets occurring at cloud top in some cases. The larger bias in optical depth and liquid water path for Aqua is due, at least partially, to differences in the Terra and Aqua MODIS visible channel calibrations. Methods for improving the cloud top height and microphysical property retrievals are suggested.


This thesis consists of four papers in domain theory and a summary. The first two papers deal with the problem of defining effectivity for continuous cpos. The third and fourth paper present the new notion of an admissible domain representation, where a domain representation D of a space X is λ-admissible if, in principle, all other λ-based domain representations E of X can be reduced to X via a continuous function from E to D. In Paper I we define a cartesian closed category of effective bifinite domains. We also investigate the method of inducing effectivity onto continuous cpos via projection pairs, resulting in a cartesian closed category of projections of effective bifinite domains. In Paper II we introduce the notion of an almost algebraic basis for a continuous cpo, showing that there is a natural cartesian closed category of effective consistently complete continuous cpos with almost algebraic bases. We also generalise the notion of a complete set, used in Paper I to define the bifinite domains, and investigate what closure results that can be obtained. In Paper III we consider admissible domain representations of topological spaces. We present a characterisation theorem of exactly when a topological space has a λ-admissible and κ-based domain representation. We also show that there is a natural cartesian closed category of countably based and countably admissible domain representations. In Paper IV we consider admissible domain representations of convergence spaces, where a convergence space is a set X together with a convergence relation between nets on X and elements of X. We study in particular the new notion of weak κ-convergence spaces, which roughly means that the convergence relation satisfies a generalisation of the Kuratowski limit space axioms to cardinality κ. We show that the category of weak κ-convergence spaces is cartesian closed. We also show that the category of weak κ-convergence spaces that have a dense, λ-admissible, κ-continuous and α-based consistently complete domain representation is cartesian closed when α ≤ λ ≥ κ. As natural corollaries we obtain corresponding results for the associated category of weak convergence spaces.


The clash between the borderless Internet and the geographically structured legal landscape is almost universally adopted as the starting point for discussions of Internet jurisdiction issues. This clash is important, but to fully appreciate its implications we need to proceed far into the territory of jurisprudence. Here, I draw attention to how three presumptions that underpin all legal systems are stretched beyond their legitimate boundaries where domestic law is applied to the Internet in an extraterritorial manner. The consequences of this are severe and must influence such application of the law. I propose that the goal we should aim at is what can be described as jurisdictional interoperability between the various domestic legal systems that regulate our conduct online. I also show that, in its reliance on 'morality', natural law theory provides Internet users guidance as to which legal rules, within their respective contextual legal systems, they need to abide by.


A controlled field study examined conception rates after two timed-AI (TAI) breeding protocols conducted on two commercial dairy farms. Estrous cycles in postpartum lactating cows were presynchronized with two injections of PGF2" given 14 days apart (Presynch) and then, after 12 days, the standard Ovsynch protocol (injection of GnRH 7 days before and 48 h after an injection of PGF2", with one TAI at 12 to 16 hours after the second GnRH injection) or Heatsynch protocol (injection of GnRH 7 days before an injection of PGF2", followed 24 h later by 1 mg of estradiol cypionate (ECP) and one TAI 48 hours after ECP) was applied. Experimental design allowed for AI to occur any time after the second Presynch injection and during the designed breeding week when estrus was detected. Of the 1,846 first services performed, only 1,503 (rate of compliance = 81.4%) were performed according to protocol. Numbers of cows inseminated, logistic-regression-adjusted conception rates, and days in milk (DIM) were for inseminations made: 1) during 14 days after first Presynch injection (n = 145; 22.6%; 54 ± 0.4 DIM); 2) during 12 days after second Presynch injection (n = 727; 33%; 59 ± 0.2 DIM); 3) during 7 days after the first GnRH injection of Ovsynch or Heatsynch (n = 96; 32.1%; 74 ± 0.5 DIM); 4) after estrus as part of Heatsynch (n = 212; 44.6%; 76 ± 0.3 DIM); 5) after TAI as part of Heatsynch (n = 154; 21.1%; 76 ± 0.4 DIM); 6) after estrus as part of Ovsynch (n = 43; 48.7%; 77 ± 0.7 DIM); and 7) after TAI as part of Ovsynch (n = 271; 24.4%; 77 ± 0.3 DIM). Conception rates when AI occurred after one Presynch injection were less than when AI occurred after two Presynch injections. Conception rates for those inseminated after either Presynch injection did not differ from those inseminated after combined Heatsynch + Ovsynch. Cows in the Ovsynch and Heatsynch protocols inseminated after estrus during the breeding week had greater conceptions rates than those receiving the TAI, but overall conception rates did not differ between protocols. Among cows inseminated after detected estrus, conception was greater for cows in the Heatsynch + Ovsynch protocol (77 ± 0.4 DIM) than for those inseminated after either Presynch injection (54 ± 0.4 or 59 ± 0.2 DIM). We concluded that conception rates after Heatsynch and Ovsynch were similar under these experimental conditions, and that delaying first AI improved fertility for cows inseminated after detected estrus.


Portugal was the first independent nation to follow Britain in joining the gold standard. Although beset by persistent current account deficits and heavily dependent on foreign capital inflows, it enjoyed a relatively stable tenure of 37 years on gold. This paper shows how it was possible to secure currency stability, despite a lower credibility for the peg and a higher incidence of gold point violations than in core countries. The explanation lies in the central role played by institutional actors, such as the Bank of Portugal and/or the government, whose interventions in the exchange market kept the parity within the band.


Franchise Direct (www.franchisedirect.com), one of the world's leading franchise portals, recently conducted an in-depth study of the coffee franchise sector. After thoroughly examining 29 Franchise Disclosure Documents, Franchise Direct has found that the coffee franchise sector is weathering the recession resiliently, bolstered by a product that is an integral part of American life. Despite an early dip at the beginning of the recession, this $11 billion a year industry continues to grow and diversify, according to the Franchise Direct study. With coffee consumption remaining constant in this declining economic climate, coffee franchises continue to be a worthwhile investment. According the study, the coffee franchise industry remains extremely competitive at the top and fragmented at the bottom. Starbucks is the industry's leading coffee chain, with over 16,000 stores worldwide. Because of the accessibility and popularity of coffee, a franchised approach, boosted by an established brand identity, continues to be one of the most profitable options to profit on this product. One of the most reassuring reasons to invest in a coffee franchise is the enduring success of the beverage. The Franchise Direct study quotes a recent poll that shows that coffee consumption actually increased last year among the lucrative 25 to 39 year-old demographic, while it remained steady amongst 40 to 59 year-old's. As the recession continues, we can safely assume that the popularity of coffee will continue unabated. Coffee franchise businesses are also flexibly adapting to new American consumer habits. For instance, in recent years, there has been greater demand for environmentally-friendly products that do not exploit workers in the production process. Coffee franchises have been at the cutting edge of the Fair Trade movement, and with a range of organic goods, they are perfectly positioned to thrive on this developing $1 billion industry. The Franchise Direct study shows that location is the most important factor in a coffee franchise's success. At the same time, mobile units or kiosks give prospective franchisees a low-overhead, high footfall alternative to the standard franchise unit arrangement. Underpinning the recent success of coffee franchises is the growing popular consensus that coffee has a number of health benefits for drinkers. While perhaps once seen as unhealthy, coffee, as illustrated by authoritative studies conducted by researchers at Harvard and UCLA, clearly has health incentives. People exploring franchises for sale will find that coffee franchises sell a product with broad public appeal that is seamlessly adapting to American consumer trends towards healthiness, social responsibility, and environmental sustainability.


The South African government has committed to halving poverty between 2004 and 2014 and achieving household food security is their major objective. Access to food and water is perhaps unlike other areas of delivery, since they are essential to well-being and human development. The Eastern Cape Province is the second largest provinces in South Africa, but yet second poorest province. This study looks at the role of home gardens in enhancing food security around Nkonkobe Municipality. The specific objectives were to; investigate what people produce in their gardens; assess how much produce they obtain from their gardens; investigate household source of food. This study was carried out to understand the role of home gardens in addressing household food security in rural areas of Nkonkobes Municipality. A study was carried out among rural households in rural areas of Nkonkobes Municipality, to determine the role of home gardening on household food security. Simple random sampling was used to obtain a study population of 60 households, to whom an interview schedule and an observation checklist was administered. These were achieved through personal interviews in three area 20 respondents from each village. Primary data were obtained through structured questionnaire in those areas and data obtained were analyzed quantitatively. Results obtained showed that home gardening plays a significant role in food security of rural households. Households, therefore, should be empowered and encouraged to improve their practice of home gardening to realize food security. Findings of this study will be useful to governmental and non-governmental bodies involved in promoting food security in the rural households.


ACIKGOZ, Funda ERYILMAZ, 2006. Study on cherry tomato in high plastic tunnel and in Trakya conditions. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 12: 775-780 This study was realised in the production fields (plastic high tunnel) of Green housing Department of Trakya University Corlu Vocational High School, Tekirdag Turkey. The experiment was set in a four times recurrence and according to the experimental design of randomly selected blocks. In the examination, 3 F1 hybrid varieties (Somma F1, Sweet 100 F1, Sweet Million F1) and 1 standard variety were used in the sowing time condition of April. Somma F1, Sweet 100 F1 varieties are suggested for the region regarding total efficiency, fruit weight, and fruit diameter. For the variety of Somma F1; the total yield was determined as 12.241.52 kg/da, fruit weight as 20.13 g and fruit diameter as 33.21 mm.


From the AI point of view, consciousness must be regarded as a collection of interacting processes rather than the unitary object of much philosophical speculation. We ask what kinds of propositions and other entities need to be designed for consciousness to be useful to an animal or a machine. We thereby assert that human consciousness is useful to human functioning and not just and epiphenomenon. Zombies in the sense of Todd Moody's article are merely the victims of Moody's prejudices. To behave like humans, zombies will need what Moody might call pseudo-consciousness, but useful pseudo-consciousness will share all the observable qualities of human consciousness including what the zombie will be able to report. Robots will require a pseudo-consciousness with many of the intellectual qualities of human consciousness but will function successfully with few if any human emotional conscious qualities if that is how we choose to build them.


The Skills for Life strategy in England has directed much attention towards developing professional practice for teaching basic skills to adults. How did this practice begin and who was involved in its creation? Which practices have survived from the early days and how have they affected the field as it is today?
This book examines the key moments in the history of adult literacy, numeracy and language, identifying the levers of change. It draws together lessons learnt from practitioners and policymakers, and the views expressed by adult learners and others just entering adulthood at the time of the 1975 Right to Read campaign. Timelines help illustrate the main themes – such as assessment, publicity and changing technologies – that have informed the last three decades of basic skills practice. Stories from people involved in the field point up good practice, as do examples of materials, documents and student writing which exemplify the changing culture and ethos of basic skills.
The book provides the context and critical history to guide practitioners who are working towards their national qualifications in teaching basic skills. It is also for researchers and professionals in the field who wish to gain a deeper understanding of their professional practice. It will illuminate this ever enlarging, student-centred field.


The demersal fishery in Hebridean seas is based mainly on haddock, whiting and cod, mostly from local spawning grounds, with some recruitment from the North Sea. An important seasonal fishery for dogfish is based on a highly migratory stock. All these stocks are probably fully exploited. Herring spawning grounds occur west and north of Lewis, and larvae drift eastwards to nursery areas, mainly in the North Sea. Enhanced recruitment in the late 1960s and an increase in fishing effort produced a large increase in landings but these have subsequently declined. The west coast herring fishery is subject to quota regulations for conservation. There are also important exploitable stocks of mackerel and sprats. Since 1971 an industrial fishery for Norway pout has taken a few thousand tonnes per annum. Shellfishing by small boats goes with crofting. Since 1962 the number of larger boats has increased with full-time fishing, particularly for Norway lobsters and lobsters. Exploitation has been helped by processing and lobster-holding facilities. Scallops and periwinkles are also important commercially and there are good prospects for cultivating oysters and mussels. By far the largest underexploited fish stock is blue whiting, which migrates south to spawn in March-April on the continental slope in depths of over 400 m to the west of Scotland. The spawning stock in this area is estimated to be 5-15 million tonnes. Sandeels may also occur in commercial quantities in some areas.


Benzyl alcohol is one of the important compounds that are very much useful in industrial chemistry. It is used as a local anesthetic and antiseptic in the field medicine. The literature on various chemical reactions of benzyl alcohol is scattered. Only a few works have been done on electrochemical studies of benzyl alcohol. This work is concentrated on the cyclic voltammetric studies of benzyl alcohol. Cyclic voltammograms were recorded by varying pH, working electrode and scan rate. Multiple scan studies have also been done. The system showed variations in the working potentials (anodic peak voltage) while the reaction conditions such as pH, working electrode, were changed. These studies also revealed that the ethoxylation of bezyl alcohol is diffusion controlled at all fore said conditions. It is also found out that benzyl alcohol is not forming polymers on the working electrode.


Rechargeable lithium batteries are playing an important role in portable electronics, electric vehicles, and renewable energy storage. Cathode materials in lithium batteries are mainly inorganic; however, some organic materials are also promising for these applications due to their diversified properties. Organosulfides are a unique class of materials which are low cost, abundant, and could provide high capacities. In this work, a phase extraction technique is used to prepare a core–sheath structured composite consisting of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) coated with a layer of phenyl disulfide (PDS, C6H5SSC6H5), which is designated as PDS@CNT. It forms a free-standing and binder-free paper which can be made in a scalable way with high mass loading. In lithium batteries, the S–S bonds in the composite can reversibly break and form in the CNT matrix, enabling good cycling performance. The half-cell can maintain a stable open circuit voltage over a week and deliver a specific capacity of 218 mA h g−1 at 1C while retaining 70% of the initial capacity after 150 cycles.


This paper investigates the pass-through of the official interest rate to market interest rates in South Africa, using symmetric and asymmetric error correction modelling techniques and monthly interest rates data for the period 1980 to 2007. The study found that the speed of adjustment of market interest rates is high, but differs across the rates. The highest speed occurs in the lending rate, followed by Treasury bill rate, money market rate and commercial bank deposit rate, while government bond yield shows the least speed. A test of commercial bank interest rates confirms asymmetric adjustment. Commercial banks are becoming increasingly competitive in the credit market, while the converse is true for the deposit market, where collusive behaviour among banks is evident.


The Department of Communication at the University of Colorado Denver enriches understanding of the roles of communication in everyday life, organizational settings and public affairs. While the roots of the study of communication trace back to the ancient arts of philosophy, rhetoric, and aesthetics, its contemporary practices speak to the opportunities and dilemmas of participating in a globalized, mediated and multicultural society. A major in communication develops knowledge and skills that are required for many different fields, including advertising, business, international relations, education, public service, government and politics, health care and public relations. Because college graduates are expected to change careers approximately seven times over the course of their lives, and because employers across a wide variety of fields seek applicants with strong oral and written communication skills, a degree in communication is a versatile and timely choice.


Objective: Cytopathologic interpretation in Graves disease (GD) is considered challenging due to significant cellular atypia. Study Design: We retrospectively identified 55 fine needle aspirations (FNAs) from 43 patients with GD that subsequently underwent thyroidectomy from 1995 to 2016. Results: There were 5 patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and 4 with follicular adenoma (FA). Of the 5 patients with PTC, FNA was interpreted as PTC in 3, atypia of undetermined significance (AUS) in 1, and adenomatoid nodule (AN) in 1 (with a 0.5-cm incidental microcarcinoma). Of the 4 patients with FA, FNA was interpreted as follicular neoplasm (FN) in 2, AUS in 1, and AN in 1. Of the 46 nonneoplastic nodules, FNA was interpreted as nondiagnostic in 2, benign in 26, AUS in 15, FN in 1, and suspicious for PTC in 2. None was diagnosed as malignant. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of PTC diagnosis in FNA were 60, 100, 100, and 96.2%, respectively. Conclusion: FNA is a useful tool for identifying neoplastic nodules arising in GD. However, cytologic atypia often leads to indeterminate diagnoses (18/46, 39.1%). Awareness of clinical information regarding prior treatment for GD may be helpful to avoid overinterpretation.