We consider the design of finite element methods for inverse problems with fullfield data governed by elliptic forward operators. Such problems arise in applications in inverse heat conduction, in mechanical property characterization, and in medical imaging. For this class of problems, novel finite element methods have been proposed (Barbone et al., 2010) that give good performance, provided the solutions are in the H(Ω) function space. The material property distributions being estimated can be discontinuous, however, and therefore it is desirable to have formulations that can accommodate discontinuities in both data and solution. Toward this end, we present a mixed variational formulation for this class of problems that handles discontinuities well. We motivate the mixed formulation by examining the possibility of discretizing using a discontinuous discretization in an irreducible finite element method, and discuss the limitations of that approach. We then derive a new mixed formulation based on a least-square error in the constitutive equation. We prove that the continuous variational formulations are well-posed for applications in both inverse heat vi conduction and plane stress elasticity. We derive a priori error bounds for discretization error, valid in the limit of mesh refinement. We demonstrate convergence of the method with mesh refinement in cases with both continuous and discontinuous solutions. Finally we apply the formulation to measured data to estimate the elastic shear modulus distributions in both tissue mimicking phantoms and in breast masses from data collected in vivo.


This Research Handbook explores the latest frontiers in services trade by drawing on insights from empirical economics, law and global political economy. The world's foremost experts take stock of the learning done to date in services trade, explore policy questions bedevilling analysts and direct attention to a host of issues, old and new, confronting those interested in the service economy and its rising salience in cross-border exchange. The Handbook's 22 chapters shed informed analytical light on a subject matter whose substantive remit continues to be shaped by rapid evolutions in technology, data gathering, market structures, consumer preferences, approaches to regulation and by ongoing shifts in the frontier between the market and the state.


The polynomial method and the adversary method are the two main techniques to prove lower bounds on quantum query complexity, and they have so far been considered as unrelated approaches. Here, we show an explicit reduction from the polynomial method to the multiplicative adversary method. The proof goes by extending the polynomial method from Boolean functions to quantum state generation problems. In the process, the bound is even strengthened. We then show that this extended polynomial method is a special case of the multiplicative adversary method with an adversary matrix that is independent of the function. This new result therefore provides insight on the reason why in some cases the adversary method is stronger than the polynomial method. It also reveals a clear picture of the relation between the different lower bound techniques, as it implies that all known techniques reduce to the multiplicative adversary method.


Many existing fairness criteria for machine learning involve equalizing some metric across \textit{protected groups} such as race or gender. However, practitioners trying to audit or enforce such group-based criteria can easily face the problem of noisy or biased protected group information. First, we study the consequences of na{i}vely relying on noisy protected group labels: we provide an upper bound on the fairness violations on the true groups $G$ when the fairness criteria are satisfied on noisy groups $\hat{G}$. Second, we introduce two new approaches using robust optimization that, unlike the na{i}ve approach of only relying on $\hat{G}$, are guaranteed to satisfy fairness criteria on the true protected groups $G$ while minimizing a training objective. We provide theoretical guarantees that one such approach converges to an optimal feasible solution. Using two case studies, we show empirically that the robust approaches achieve better true group fairness guarantees than the na{i}ve approach.


From the time of the New Deal, it has been black letter constitutional law that purely economic regulations should be subject to review under the deferential rational basis standard. This was the meaning of consigning Lochner v. New York to the anticanon. In recent years, however, this constitutional principle has come under severe strain because plaintiffs have begun using First Amendment protections to challenge basic economic regulations. They have sought to transform the First Amendment into a powerful engine of constitutional deregulation.In this article, we argue that using the First Amendment for this objective contradicts the Amendment's fundamental democratic purpose. First Amendment freedoms create a protected space in which citizens can discuss and decide how they wish to govern themselves, including how to regulate their economy. Ascribing to the First Amendment a particular social or economic policy contradicts this function. The First Amendment vests the People with the power to choose or reject policies, including policies of libertarian economic deregulation. The Supreme Court that created the commercial speech doctrine — now the key site of dispute in this constitutional conflict — was well aware of this potential contradiction. The Court therefore defined the doctrine to protect the rights of listeners to receive information rather than to safeguard the autonomy of speakers. Some recent court decisions have lost track of this basic distinction, and have used the First Amendment to shield the undisturbed operation of the laissez faire market. Astonishingly, they have even cited Adam Smith to justify their decisions. This approach is inconsistent with the architecture and history of the commercial speech doctrine as well as with the First Amendment's most basic role in safeguarding democratic governance.Commercial speech advocates justify their position by arguing that the First Amendment must protect speech in the marketplace because it protects all speech, wherever and however it occurs. But this contention does not survive even the most casual scrutiny. It would lead to the absurd result that constitutional protections extend to those who commit crimes with speech, such as conspiracy or violations of the antitrust laws; to doctors, lawyers, and bankers who commit malpractice or fraud; or to the contracts that make up our commercial transactions. Speech is in fact everywhere. If all speech were to receive the same protections as public discourse, the country would become, literally, ungovernable. Were the First Amendment to extend in such an undifferentiated way, it would simultaneously authorize democratic deliberation and render powerless the government produced by that deliberation. We argue that the First Amendment can continue to serve as the guardian of our democracy only if it is regarded as plural. Different forms of speech must receive different forms of constitutional protection. Unless this principle is clearly kept it mind, First Amendment decision-making threatens to revive the long-lost world of Lochner and to destroy the very democratic governance the First Amendment is designed to protect.


Partial shading on photovoltaic modules can cause cells to operate at reverse bias conditions. An innovative experimental setup with two test protocols has been designed to simulate the effect of reverse bias voltage on small scale CIGS solar cells with a metal grid. In these tests, the effect on the performance of the solar cells exposed to either a stepwise increasing or prolonged constant negative bias voltage was studied. It was demonstrated that performance loss occurred mainly due to a reduction in shunt resistance. Moreover, some solar cells have partially recuperated after light soaking.


This study examines the impact of two literary mediators – Martha Larsson and Anders Österling – both of whom introduced Italian literature in Sweden during the second half of the 20th century. These mediators are compared to each other with regard to their social background, habitus and position in the literary field, all elements included in their symbolic capital. By mapping out which literary texts and authors they actually introduced in the period 1948–1968, with special attention given to crucial factors such as genre and gender, the results show that their selections had different characters. While Larsson introduced contemporary authors who were highly regarded in Italy at the time, and more closely related to what Bourdieu (1993) described as the autonomous pole, Österling mainly focused on authors closer to the heteronomous pole. Following Broomans' (2009) six-phase model of cultural transfer, the study analyzes whether their introductions had a direct effect on publication, and what strategies they used in order to introduce new Italian authorships to a Swedish audience. Drawing upon Bourdieu and (1990) and Casanova (2002), it is also argued that both mediators introduced Italian literature in order to gain symbolic capital and strengthen their positions in the Swedish literary field.


The main aim of the author is to analyze the term "moral intuitions", used in discussions pertaining to moral luck. He presents the contemporary psychological estimation of moral intuitions based on the research of Jonathan Haidt (Social Intuitionist Model) and philosophical moral intuitionism. He claims that these two approaches do not have one subject of interest; hence, psychologists and philosophers study two different phenomena, both of which can serve as grounds for discussion concerning moral luck. However, the author concludes that there are valid reasons to question the normative status of moral intuitions in both psychological and philosophical senses, proving the discussion to be very complicated. On the other hand, he names coherentism as a possible cipher to adequately describe or even solve the problem of moral luck.


The process of producing today's Internet technologies through a
culture of open participation and diverse collaboration has proved
strikingly efficient and effective, and it is distinctive among
standards organizations. During the early years of the IETF and its
antecedent, participation was almost entirely composed of a small
group of well-funded, American, white, male technicians, demonstrating
a distinctive and challenging group dynamic, both in management and in
personal interactions. In the case of the IETF, interaction style can
often contain singularly aggressive behavior, often including
singularly hostile tone and content. Groups with greater diversity
make better decisions. Obtaining meaningful diversity requires more
than generic good will and statements of principle. Many different
behaviors can serve to reduce participant diversity or participation
diversity. This document discusses IETF participation in terms of the
nature of diversity and practical issues that can increase or decrease
it. The document represents the authors' assessments and
recommendations, following general discussions of the issues in the
IETF.


TROUBLESHOOTERS: THEY NEVER LET YOU DOWN. The third addictive romantic suspense novel in New York Times bestselling author Suzanne Brockmann's Troubleshooters series, filled with thrilling adventure, excitement and passion. In OVER THE EDGE, Lieutenant Teri Howe and Senior Chief Stan Wolchonok are made to undertake a daring rescue mission. But there is more than just their lives at stake...Lieutenant Teri Howe is one of the best helicopter pilots in the naval reserves. Strong and dedicated, her passion for flying is only rivalled by her attraction to Senior Chief Stan Wolchonok. And when a past mistake surfaces, jeopardizing everything Terri has worked for, she immediately turns to Stan for support. Stan doesn't hesitate to come to Terri's aid, even though he knows his personal code of honour and perhaps his heartwill be at risk. But when a jet carrying an American senator's daughter is hijacked, Stan can no longer keep Terri at arm's length he needs her flying skills to help him undertake a daring rescue mission. In the midst of danger, and as the boundaries between friends and lovers begin to blur, Terri and Stan realise that they are being pushed over the edge into a future that might be more than they ever dreamt of...


We study a batch arrival single service channel queuing system where the server (service channel) provides two stages of general service to customers, the first essential service followed by the second optional service.  It is assumed that the service channel is subject to breakdowns and on the occurrence of a breakdown, the service channel waits for the repairs to start and this waiting time (termed as the set-up time or delay time for repairs) is assumed general.  Further, the repair times are also assumed general. We employ the supplementary variable technique using four supplementary variables, one each for the elapsed service time of the first essential service, the elapsed service time of the second optional service, the elapsed delay time and the elapsed repair time. In addition, we add an important assumption that during breakdown periods, the arriving batches are admitted into the system based on a policy of restricted admissibility. We derive queue size distribution for this system at a random epoch under the steady state conditions. Further, we derive some important performance measures of this system. This extends many models studied earlier by several authors. Finally, a few interesting particular cases are discussed.


The dynamics of ultrashort pulses generated by a monolithic passively mode-locked vertical cavity surface-emitting laser containing a multiple quantum well gain region and a single quantum well saturable absorber are studied. We introduce a self-consistent computational model based on the finite-difference time-domain method, which describes the complete dynamics of surface-emitting lasers. The model consists of a set of coupled equations that accounts for the interrelations among the electromagnetic field, material polarization, carrier density, and lattice and plasma temperatures. The material response is incorporated via the effective semiconductor Bloch equations. The thermal effects are included through two coupled equations that relate the lattice and plasma temperatures to the carrier-phonon scattering effects. A comparison of the results obtained with and without the inclusion of thermal effects clearly demonstrates the effects of plasma heating. Finally, we also investigate the interplay between various relaxation rates, namely, the carrier-phonon scattering rate and the rate of heat loss to the ambient heat sink, and their relative influence on the system dynamics.


The tail assignment problem is a critical part of the airline planning process that assigns specific aircraft to sequences of flights, called lines-of-flight, to be operated the next day. The aim of this paper is to develop an operationally flexible tail assignment that satisfies short-range---within the next three days---aircraft maintenance requirements and performs the aircraft/flight gate assignment for each input line-of-flight. While maintenance plans commonly span multiple days, the related tail assignment problems can be overly complex and provide little recourse in the event of schedule perturbations. The presented approach addresses operational uncertainty by extending the one-day routes aircraft maintenance routing approach to satisfy maintenance requirements explicitly for the current day and implicitly for the subsequent two days. A mathematical model is presented that integrates the gate assignment and maintenance planning problems. To increase the satisfaction of maintenance requirements, an iterative algorithm is developed that modifies the fixed lines-of-flight provided as input to the tail assignment problem. The tail assignment problem and iterative algorithm are demonstrated to effectively satisfy maintenance requirements within appropriate run times using input data collected from three different airlines.


This paper, rooted in reviewing practice, engages with a little-discussed practical aspect of reviewing: the tense in which a theatre review is written. Noting that journalistic reviews use the present tense, whereas academic reviews use the past, this paper asks when a review moves into the past, and what implications the use of tense has for the review. The paper contends that the two tenses confer different kinds of authority on a review, which in turn have implications for positioning the object of review and the reviewer in relation to one another. Distinctions are made between reviewing a production or a single performance; between reviewing as a promise or as an archive; and between the omnipotent narrator and subjective spectator. The paper concludes that, in an age of increasingly cheap opinion, the past tense may be appropriated as a means for professional reviewers in all disciplines to consolidate the specificity of their reviewing authority.


In recent years, significant effort and money have been invested to enhance highway safety. As available funds decrease, the allocation of resources for safety improvement projects must yield the maximum possible return on investment. Identifying highway locations that have the highest potential for crash reduction with the implementation of effective safety countermeasures is therefore an important first step in achieving the maximum return on safety investment. This study was undertaken to develop safety performance functions (SPFs) for use in Virginia in conjunction with SafetyAnalyst™, a computerized analytical tool that can be used for prioritizing safety projects. A safety performance function is a mathematical relationship (model) between frequency of crashes by severity and the most significant causal factors of crashes for a specific type of road. Although the SafetyAnalyst User's Manual recommends four SPFs for two-lane segments, these SPFs were developed using data from Ohio. Because the transferability of these SPFs to other states could not be guaranteed by the developers of the four recommended SPFs, it is necessary to calibrate or develop valid SPFs for each state using appropriate data from the state. In this study, annual average daily traffic (AADT) was used as the most significant causal factor for crashes, emulating the SPFs currently suggested by SafetyAnalyst. SPFs for two-lane roads in Virginia were developed for total crashes and combined fatal plus injury crashes through generalized linear modeling using a negative binomial distribution for the crashes. Models were developed for urban and rural areas separately, and in order to account for the different topographies in Virginia, SPFs were also separately developed for three regions in Virginia. A total of 139,635 sites were identified for use in this study. Each site is a segment of a rural or urban two-lane road without an intersection for which AADT data were available for the years 2003 through 2007 inclusive and no change in facility type had occurred over that period. A comparative analysis based on the Freeman-Tukey R² coefficient was then conducted between the relevant Ohio SPFs suggested for use in the SafetyAnalyst User's Manual and those specifically developed in this study for Virginia to determine which set of models better fit the Virginia data. In general, the results indicated that the SPFs specifically developed for Virginia fit the Virginia data better. The final step in this methodology was to illustrate the value of SPFs developed through an analysis of sample sites and the need of the sites for safety improvement based on SPFs as compared to crash rates. The results indicated that prioritization using the empirical Bayes method that incorporates the SPFs resulted in a higher potential for reduction in crashes than did prioritization using crash rates. The effective use of SafetyAnalyst will facilitate the identification of sites with a high potential for safety improvement, which, in turn, with the implementation of appropriate safety improvements, will result in a considerable reduction in crashes and their severity.


The purpose of this investigation was to establish a technique to deposit crystalline carbon nitride material and study its structural properties with the view to its use a s hard coating. For the first time, carbon nitride thin films have been deposited, using a Penning-type opposed-target DC reactive sputtering source, that contain large continuous nanocrystalline areas ( > 10|j,m2) of crystallography consistent with the P-C3N4 structure. In addition the creation of these P-C3N4 regions has been achieved with low substrate temperatures (<270°C) and high deposition rates (2.5 - 3 |j,m.hr"1).

The IR absorption due to carbon-nitrogen bonding was observed to be independent of actual nitrogen content above —25 at.% N. It has been shown that over the range of 25-44% N/(N+C) there is no systematic variation of absorption coefficient. It was predicted and shown that films with >25 at.% nitrogen content, the nitrogen is mostly bonded to carbon either a s C=N or C^N bonds and a significant amount of nitrogen bonded with itself in IRinvisible structures. It was also seen that the C=N bond (absorbance at 2200 cm"1) concentration which controls the hardness of the film, can be eliminated at 600°C. The physical explanation of the weakness of the polymeric CN network is probably due to the formation of this C=N bonding which terminates the carbon backbone leading to less tightly bound C atoms. This feature was indicated by AES in the C KLL Auger spectrum and defined a s a defect related 71 state in the structure. It was also seen that nitrogen incorporation in the film not only increases the nitrogen-nitrogen bonding but also stabilizes the C-C sp3 type bonding. The breaking of C-C sp3 bonds results from the input thermal energy a s annealing progresses and leads to graphitisation of the film.

It is also seen that between the Raman D and G peaks there exists a third peak at —1455 cm'1, designated the "N" peak, which has been assigned to the N=N stretching vibration. As nitrogen incorporation in the film increases, the N=N, C=N and C-C bonding intensities increase.

The presence of different bonding structures in CN network was also determined by XPS. The core level XPS peaks were assigned to different types of bond by correlating their behaviour a s annealing takes place at different temperatures with changes in the bond structure as detected by vibrational spectroscopy. The valence band XPS spectra show the interlinked carbon backbone nature of the carbon nitride solid and thus identify the structural nature of this solid which is significantly different from diamond-like and graphitic features.

It was seen that the hardness decreases a s the C^N bond concentration increases in the film. The intrinsic film stress was found to be lower for the nitrogenated films than for the pure carbon films. Unlike the film hardness it was found to be independent of the nitrogen content for films with >25 at. % N. It was also found to be independent of the film thickness indicating that the stress was introduced at the film-substrate interface during the initial growth process rather than in the bulk of the film.

This is the first time that structural modification of carbon nitride solid with negative bias was observed by valence band XPS spectra. Valence band XPS spectra show a significant change in structure, i.e., sp2 to sp3, in carbon nitride solid when the substrate negative bias w as increased from -75 to -150V.

Carbon nitride in thin film form is a good candidate for hard coating but it has poor adhesion on tool steel due to diffusion of nitrogen or carbon atoms into the substrate at the deposition temperature (typically ~325°C). Carbon nitride thin film has been deposited successfully for the first time directly on tool steel. Ca se hardened surfaces act a s a diffusion barrier for nitrogen or carbon atoms from the film. The adhesion properties of the film was considerably improved on the nitrided samples compared to untreated substrates on which the films do not adhere.

The technique discussed here opens a new era in the production of crystalline carbon nitride solids. Successful fabrication of this C-N solid enlightens a new possibility in the field of super hard material.


Jonathan Crimmins, "Nested Inversions: Genre and the Bipartite Form of Herman Melville9s Pierre " (pp. 437––464) In this essay I suggest that Herman Melville constructed Pierre (1852) as a diptych, an early example of the form that he later employed in his stories for Harper9s and Putnam9s magazines. He characterized Pierre 9s two halves by their settings, countryside and city, and used the locales allegorically to represent the ideological value systems associated with the mode of production of each. Further, I argue that Melville constrained the scope of the mixed form, more freely practiced in Mardi (1849) and Moby-Dick (1851), by carefully aligning the generic elements of Pierre with its bipartite structure: the sentimental and the Gothic with the first half of the novel, the urban and romantic with the second half. subordinating the generic elements to the structure, Melville built a novel in which each half operates according to different laws, each as its own separate stage, enacting the drama of its treasured beliefs and the inescapable hypocrisies of those beliefs. Each half of Pierre presents the justice of its values as natural and the logic of its values as complete. And yet, set side-by-side as a diptych so as to suggest equal measure, the competing claims to totality collapse; while each ideological stage acts as if its value systems are unified and whole, side-by-side they are seen as inverted schematics, as two halves of a single crisis. Melville shows the contradictory dependence of capitalism9s ideology of historical contingency and feudalism9s faith in an idealist grounding of the historical, offering up the insolubility of the crisis as the empty indicator of a real solution.


Abstract 29Si, 27Al MAS NMR is used to characterize Laponite RD and synthetic saponites of variable interlayer charge. The Si/Al ratios are in good agreement with the calculated charge from chemical analysis except for the lowest-charged saponite. In contrast to the 29Si MAS NMR spectra in which resolved signals are detected, the 27Al MAS NMR spectra show one signal whose linewidth increases with the clay charge. The water content of the clay samples was obtained from 1H MAS NMR. The 2D MQMAS NMR technique is required to obtain a high-resolution spectrum of nuclei with strong quadrupolar interaction. This method was applied to the 23Na nucleus of clay counterions and to the 27Al structural nucleus. One well-defined 23Na NMR signal is observed for all the clays studied except the highest-charged saponite. Possible explanations for this different behaviour are discussed. The calculated isotropic chemical shift evolves progressively with the clay charge whereas the deduced quadrupolar interaction does not change significantly. The 27Al 2D 3QMAS technique was not able to resolve more than one signal.


Rapid and continuing increases in the numbers of older
persons (i.e., over age 60) in the U.S. have focused attention
on their need for effective professional social services. This
need is particularly evident within the counseling profession
since the desire, indeed demand, for counseling services for
older persons is experiencing a parallel increase. Unfortunately,
however, the counseling profession has generally been
ill-prepared to meet this increasing demand since most counseling
techniques, aids, and programs have been designed for use ,with persons in younger age groups (Sinick, 1976). There is,
therefore, currently a great need for the development of counseling
service methods and aids that are specifically appropriate
for use with older persons.


Due to the increase in WWW (World Wide Web) documents and services, the user community is becoming increasingly frustrated at poor response times, ambiguous search methods and the sheer density of information that complicates their information retrieval goals. Software agent technology is emerging as a potential solution to these problems. Agents can communicate information across multiple platforms enabling users to delegate tasks such as information retrieval without supervision. Primarily for agents to have effective utility in the WWW environment they must be able to communicate with other agents of different origin making the web a multi-agent information system.This paper introduces the concepts of multi-agent information systems and agent communication. It defines some of the fundamental problems that the WWW presents for agents and outlines the areas that pose a challenge to those who wish to deploy them. Barriers to communication are identified including variations in characteristics, language and ontology. The paper then discusses the broader aspects of agent communication difficulties that are posed by web architecture, goal specification problems and the nature of web pages themselves. Finally recommendations are made including a proposed formalisation of agent theory to lessen user workloads.


The combination of elastic optical networks (EONs) and software-defined networking (SDN) leads to SD-EONs, which bring a new opportunity for enhancing programmability and flexibility of optical networks with more freedom for network operators to customize their infrastructure dynamically. In this paper, we investigate how to apply multidomain scenarios to SD-EONs. We design the functionalities in the control plane to facilitate multidomain tasks, and propose an interdomain protocol to enable OpenFlow controllers in different SD-EON domains to operate cooperatively for multidomain routing and spectrum assignment. The proposed system is implemented and experimentally demonstrated in a multinational SD-EON control plane testbed that consists of two geographically distributed domains located in China and USA, respectively. Experimental results indicate that the proposed system performs well for resource allocation across multiple SD-EON domains.


Densely compacted Maryland-Sanders ground basalt was examined for the similarity of its geotechnical properties to those estimated for lunar regolith. Minimum and maximum densities fell within the upper range of those calculated to exist on the moon. Cone penetration resistances measured on specimens compressed to 80 and 100% relative densities bracket those reported for stress equivalent depths on the moon. The results of direct shear tests on specimens compressed to 100% relative density with normal stresses varying from 21 to 100 kN/m2 gave straight-line strength envelopes of c = 14 kN/m2 and φ = 39° for peak strength and c = 9 kN/m2 and φ = 37° for postpeak strength. Values of φ fall within the range of values extrapolated from lunar cone penetration tests, but values of cohesion are substantially greater. This difference is attributed to effects of test stress levels and soil anisotropy.


The aim of this study is to examine the reserve force's role in and contribution to the new Swedish expeditionary armed forces. Survey data were obtained from 418 reservists. The results show that reserve officers are well educated and hold high positions in the civil society. According to the reserve officers themselves, the Armed Forces do not ask for their nonmilitary competence. The discontent with this situation is greater among the younger reservists as opposed to the older ones. Four different opinions on the need for the reserve officers are suggested. First, reserve officers are requested to fill vacancies, that is, a volume regulator. Second, the reserve officers are needed because they have unique competences other than military that are used by the armed forces. Third, reserve officers are needed from an economic point of view. Finally, reserve officers contribute to the civil–military relationship. However, when using a framework intended for regular officers, the contribution of the reserve officers' civil professional competence has not been recognized.


The ability of robots to write Chinese strokes, which is recognized as a sophisticated task, involves complicated kinematic control algorithms. The conventional approaches for robotic writing of Chinese strokes often suffer from limited font generation methods, which limits the ability of robots to perform high-quality writing. This article instead proposes a developmental evolutionary learning framework that enables a robot to learn to write fundamental Chinese strokes. The framework first considers the learning process of robotic writing as an evolutionary easy-to-difficult procedure. Then, a developmental learning mechanism called "Lift-constraint, act and saturate" that stems from developmental robotics is used to determine how the robot learns tasks ranging from simple to difficult by building on the learning results from the easy tasks. The developmental constraints, which include altitude adjustments, number of mutation points, and stroke trajectory points, determine the learning complexity of robot writing. The developmental algorithm divides the evolutionary procedure into three developmental learning stages. In each stage, the stroke trajectory points gradually increase, while the number of mutation points and adjustment altitudes gradually decrease, allowing the learning difficulties involved in these three stages to be categorized as easy, medium, and difficult. Our robot starts with an easy learning task and then gradually progresses to the medium and difficult tasks. Under various developmental constraint setups in each stage, the robot applies an evolutionary algorithm to handle the basic shapes of the Chinese strokes and eventually acquires the ability to write with good quality. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed framework allows a calligraphic robot to gradually learn to write five fundamental Chinese strokes and also reveals a developmental pattern similar to that of humans. Compared to an evolutionary algorithm without the developmental mechanism, the proposed framework achieves good writing quality more rapidly.


Inelastic scattering processes such as Brillouin scattering can often function in cascaded regimes and this is likely to occur in certain integrated opto-acoustic devices. We develop a Hamiltonian formalism for cascaded Brillouin scattering valid for both quantum and classical regimes. By regarding Brillouin scattering as the interaction of a single acoustic envelope and a single optical envelope that covers all Stokes and anti-Stokes orders, we obtain a compact model that is well suited for numerical implementation, extension to include other optical nonlinearities or short pulses, and application in the quantum-optics domain. We then theoretically analyze intra-mode forward Brillouin scattering (FBS) for arbitrary waveguides with and without optical dispersion. In the absence of optical dispersion, we find an exact analytical solution. With a perturbative approach, we furthermore solve the case of weak optical dispersion. Our work leads to several key results on intra-mode FBS. For negligible dispersion, we show that cascaded intra-mode FBS results in a pure phase modulation and discuss how this necessitates specific experimental methods for the observation of fiber-based and integrated FBS. Further, we discuss how the descriptions that have been established in these two classes of waveguides connect to each other and to the broader context of cavity opto-mechanics and Raman scattering. Finally, we draw an unexpected striking similarity between FBS and discrete diffraction phenomena in waveguide arrays, which makes FBS an interesting candidate for future research in quantum-optics.


Bisphosphonates constitute a group of drugs capable of modulating bone turnover, and reduce its remodelling when an excessive resorption occurs. This is why they are indicated in a large group of bone diseases like postmenopausal oste- oporosis or osteolisis associated with breast cancer or multiple myeloma. Over the last years and due to their extensive use, many cases of complications associated with their use have been published. Among the most important possible adeverse effects are the oral ones, with the appearance of ulcerations and, especially, osteonecrosis of the jaws associated with this therapy. In this paper, we have analyzed the general characteristics of these drugs and their mechanisms of ac- tion as well as the described adverse effects, especially oral and maxillofacial has been made special reference regarding the prevention of osteonecrosis of the jaws, hightened by cases described in medical and odontological literature. The preventive protocol backs up the fundamental role of the odontologist in the effective prevention of this process before, during and after the treatment.


Recently, alkali-silica reaction (ASR), one of the common causes of concrete deterioration, was discovered at the NextEra Energy Seabrook Station nuclear power plant (Seabrook Station), 25 years after plant construction. Seabrook Station initiated an action plan and retained Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc. (SGH) to investigate and evaluate the implications of the ASR distress on the physical properties of the concrete material and the structural performance of the existing structures. This paper presents a comprehensive ASR field investigation and assessment approach for the Seabrook Containment Enclosure Building (CEB) wall, which included unique site access for visual and digital imaging as well as crack mapping measurements on the concrete surfaces. The results from the field investigation are combined with laboratory evaluation to estimate the material properties of the ASR-affected concrete to classify the CEB walls into zones of different ASR severity with associated reduced material properties. The results were used for structural analysis and modeling. This paper also describes a long-term monitoring program currently being used to monitor additional ASR-affected structures for continued expansion within Seabrook Station, primarily through cracking index (CI) and expansion measurements. The customized inspection and analysis program used at Seabrook Station is based on the conceptual approaches used in available guidelines and publications for highway structures, modified for the larger concrete thickness, reinforcement ratio, gravity loads, and design exposures of nuclear plants.


Hip-Hop culture in the lives of youth can not be ignored. This research is based on the premise that youth workers who expect ongoing successes must increase their Hip-Hop culture competence. The study examined the knowledge of and attitude towards Hip-Hop by educators who participated in a Hip-Hop 101 workshop. Their perceptions relevant to the importance of Hip-Hop awareness and application for positively influencing youth behaviors were also explored. Results revealed that workshop participants significantly increased their Hip-Hop knowledge. They also demonstrated significantly more favorable attitudes toward Hip-Hop and its use for youth development. Findings suggest that the workshop promoted an environment conducive to bridging the generation gap between youth who embrace Hip-Hop, and educators who have a less favorable view. This research provides insight into Hip-Hop Developmenttm as a core component for establishing the kinds of youth-adult partnerships necessary for today's Hip-Hop generation's self-growth, skill enhancement, and leadership development.


Argumentative writing has long been regarded as an essential mode of written discourse. Despite some studies on argumentative essays across ages, grade levels, cultures and languages, research has not yet been conducted on writers from different academic disciplines in the Chinese context. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the current situation of move-step structure of argumentative essays written by English learners in an EFL context. Two sets of corpus of English argumentative essays written by Tongren University students were built, 100 from English majors and the other 100 from non-English majors. A selected analytical framework was used to analyze the move-step structure of the essays and some linguistic features were also investigated. Results revealed that the majority of the argumentative essays were found to follow the three stages set in the model. Findings also showed some differences in terms of move-step structure between the essays written by these two groups of students. In the conclusion, pedagogical implications informed by these results and findings are offered to benefit teaching argumentative essay writing.


Civil libertarians feared that a change of administrations would herald a revived Fairness Doctrine, a policy that previously permitted the government to oversee broadcast news coverage for "balanced views." A return to the Fairness Doctrine, however, now seems unlikely. It is very likely, however, that politicians from both the left and the right will try to extend government control over the media beyond current policies. New rules adopted or proposed by the Federal Communications Commission suggest that the agency may be poised to enforce the most intensive government oversight of broadcast programming in decades - perhaps even in the history of the agency. The FCC voted last year to require each broadcast licensee to file quarterly "enhanced disclosure" reports - highly detailed information regarding its programming and editorial choices. This information will be used by organized groups to file complaints to pressure broadcasters to air programming that the complainants prefer. The FCC is also formulating programming guidelines based on the enhanced disclosure reports purporting to ensure that broadcasters meet local needs. This "broadcast localism" effort may also require broadcasters to appoint local boards to oversee their performance and their editorial decisions. As the FCC seeks to expand regulation of broadcast media, the traditional justification for its authority - spectrum scarcity - has lost credibility, and the agency's new efforts are likely to run afoul of the First Amendment.


To determine the effects of genetic variation and initial herbivore damage on Solidago altissima and subsequent aphid colonization, I conducted a common garden experiment with greenhouse-grown clones induced by Trirhabda virgata. Seventy-five days after planting larvae-damaged and undamaged clones in a common garden, I determined Uroleucon nigrotuberculatum abundance, measured plant biomass, and collected leaves for water content, nitrogen, carbon, and terpene analysis. I found significant differences among clones for bornyl acetate, s-elemene, azulene, ledene oxide, and bicyclo[4.4.0]dec-5-ene, and significant interaction effects between clone and damage for a-pinene, limonene, caryophyllene, and ?-elemene. Some clones, but not others, produced higher quantities of terpenes in plants that had not been previously damaged. Aphid measures were significantly different among clones but were not significantly different between damage. Though SLW, N and C:N were significantly different among clones and between damage, aphid colonization only correlated with terpenes. Aphid abundance was positively related to the sesquiterpenes azulene, ledene oxide, and bicyclo[4.4.0]dec-5-ene. I conclude that U. nigrotuberculatum colonization of S. altissima is due to genetic differences in terpene production among clones, and these differences are affected by prior damage and other environmental factors.


Drug consumption-oriented treatment goals, and, in particular, abstinence-oriented treatment goals, remain the treatment of choice in the field of addiction treatment research. Treatment programs that focus only on reducing intake to a moderate level of consumption are not effective for alcoholics with a severe physical dependency. In the early stages of an addiction, however, when the first signs of addiction are present but there are no indications of severe physical or psychological dependency, minimizing the consumption of alcohol to a moderate level can be a possible alternative to total abstinence for many patients. Addictions are chronic, highly complex disorders with a multifactoral genesis. No addiction treatment that focuses exclusively on the pattern of consumption and pays less heed to or even ignores the pathogenic importance of the 'comorbidities' can be effective in the long term. The attractiveness of a treatment goal or a therapeutic action is the chief motivator for long-term treatment.


This technical note discusses how behavioral economics insights can be used to enhance the design of health interventions, with emphasis on those addressing non-communicable diseases, by promoting behavioral changes. These interventions are neither sophisticated nor costly, and are particularly suited for cases in which individuals are seemingly not making rational choices about their health. The main contribution of this note is the attempt to orient non-expert practitioners in the analysis of the problem and design of the intervention. For this purpose, we provide a novel framework to map common behavioral biases and barriers that have limited the success of traditional interventions (i.e., bounded rationality, bounded willpower, and bounded selfishness) to the most promising solutions identified in the existing literature (e.g., framing, commitment contracts, and social incentives).


Purpose of reviewWith the increasing incidence of obesity today, related complications such as diabetes, insulin resistance and hepatic steatosis are also becoming major concerns. Since these conditions share a common factor, aberrations in lipid metabolism, understanding the molecular changes that lead to abnormal lipid partitioning has become key to combating the obesity epidemic. Recent findingsThe enzyme stearoyl-coenzyme A desaturase 1 (SCD1) has been shown to be intimately involved in both the lipogenic as well as the lipid oxidative pathways. Our studies with the SCD1−/− mouse model have established that these animals are lean and protected from leptin deficiency-induced and diet-induced obesity. Consequently, they also show greater whole body insulin sensitivity than wild-type mice. SCD1−/− mice have decreased expression of genes of lipogenesis and increased expression of lipid oxidative genes. The main transcription factors controlling genes of lipid synthesis and oxidation are sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPARα), respectively. Here, we review some studies that show that the effects of SCD1 deficiency on whole body adiposity may be partly dependent on sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c, but are most likely independent of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α. SummaryOur findings indicate that SCD1 is a key controller of lipid partitioning between lipogenesis and oxidation. While some questions regarding the molecular changes downstream of SCD1 deletion are yet to be answered, the studies outlined below clearly point to SCD1 as a highly promising target in combating obesity as well as related complications.


In order to improve the low toughness and poor crack resistance of high chromium cast iron (HCCI), the laminated metal composite (LMC) consisting of HCCI and carbon steel has received increasingly attentions in modern industries. Considering that the controllable temperature field at interface of LMC is a key issue in liquid-solid bimetal casting process, a three layered finite element method (FEM) model has been proposed. The influence of parameters including pouring temperature Tpour, preheating temperature Tpre and effective volume ratio VRe on temperature field are discussed. Simulation results show that the temperature at the interface between two dissimilar metals increases with increasing the value of Tpour, Tpre or VRe. Through the adjustment of processing parameters, the contact surface of solid metal can be heated up to mushy state, and then form a thin transient mushy layer. The prefect metallurgical bonding can be achieved by adopting the optimized parameters in bimetal casting process.


Subjectivism about meaning in life remains a viable option, despite its relative unpopularity. Two arguments against it in the literature, the first by Susan Wolf and the second by Aaron Smuts and Antti Kauppinen, fail. Pace Wolf, lives devoted to activities of no objective value need not be pointless, unproductive, and futile, and so not prima facie meaningless; and, pace Smuts and Kauppinen, subjectivism is compatible with people being mistaken about how meaningful their own lives are. This paper elaborates a novel subjectivist view according to which becoming more fulfilled makes a life meaningful for a person. Becoming more fulfilled is a process that has being more fulfilled as its endpoint, and, as with any process, it can come to a halt before it is complete. More substantively, becoming more fulfilled by some x is a matter of aiming to do various activities well, where doing them well at least partly constitutes benefiting x , and requires that one be more fulfilled by x than one presently is. Finally, this paper shows why the becoming more fulfilled view is to be preferred to the standard subjectivist theory, the fulfillment view, and how it produces intuitive results.


Two surveys were conducted of juvenile Astacopsis gouldi in headwater streams. Repeated sampling of Class 4 and 2 streams in two drainage suggested that a string seasonal pattern in abundance was absent, and that use of Class 4 streams (as defined in the Forest Practices Code) was relatively low at all times of the year compared to Class 2 streams. A survey of a large number of relatively undisturbed stream sites indicated that:
- Class 4 streams are used by juvenile A. gouldi, but at significantly lower densities than Class 2 streams;
- juvenile A. gouldi numbers are highly spatially variable;
- juvenile A. gouldi are more abundant in Class 2 streams of moderate catchment size, and wider channels.

Macro-habitat features favoured by juvenile A. gouldi include:
- wide streams with catchment areas typically 2 to 30 km2; < 2% area of substrate as silt; 10% high proportions of moss cover; moderate to high proportions (10 - 30%) of substrate as boulders; channel slopes < 15%;
 or
- small streams of 0.4 to 2 km2 catchment area and with significant and sustained groundwater (spring) input leading to elevated perennial baseflows.

Meso-habitat features favoured by juvenile A. gouldi include large rocks or logs that are big enough not to be easily dislodged, not embedded in finer substrates, that overly coarser substrates and/or with a distinct cavity underneath.

The maintenance of current prescriptions for the protection of headwater A. gouldi populations is recommended.


We consider the problem of monitoring spatial phenomena, such as road speeds on a highway, using wireless sensors with limited battery life. A central question is to decide where to locate these sensors to best predict the phenomenon at the unsensed locations. However, given the power constraints, we also need to determine when to selectively activate these sensors in order to maximize the performance while satisfying lifetime requirements. Traditionally, these two problems of sensor placement and scheduling have been considered separately from each other; one first decides where to place the sensors, and then when to activate them. In this paper, we present an efficient algorithm, ESPASS, that simultaneously optimizes the placement and the schedule. We prove that ESPASS provides a constant-factor approximation to the optimal solution of this NP-hard optimization problem. A salient feature of our approach is that it obtains "balanced" schedules that perform uniformly well over time, rather than only on average. We then extend the algorithm to allow for a smooth power-accuracy tradeoff. Our algorithm applies to complex settings where the sensing quality of a set of sensors is measured, e.g., in the improvement of prediction accuracy (more formally, to situations where the sensing quality function is submodular). We present extensive empirical studies on several sensing tasks, and our results show that simultaneously placing and scheduling gives drastically improved performance compared to separate placement and scheduling (e.g., a 33% improvement in network lifetime on the traffic prediction task).


This solemn, rhythmic intonation of the shipping forecast on BBC radio is as familiar as the sound of Big Ben chiming the hour. Since its first broadcast in the 1920s it has inspired poems, songs and novels in addition to its intended objective of warning generations of seafarers of impending storms and gales. Sitting at home listening to the shipping forecast can be a cosily reassuring experience. There's no danger of a westerly gale eight, veering southwesterly increasing nine later (visibility poor) gusting through your average suburban living room, blowing the Sunday papers all over the place and startling the cat. Yet familiar though the sea areas are by name, few people give much thought to where they are or what they contain. In ATTENTION ALL SHIPPING Charlie Connelly wittily explores the places behind the voice, those mysterious regions whose names seem often to bear no relation to conventional geography. Armchair travel will never be the same again.


PURPOSE
Cardiovascular adverse events (CVAEs) can occur during proteasome inhibitor (PI) therapy. We conducted a prospective, observational, multi-institutional study to define risk factors and outcomes in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) receiving PIs.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Patients with relapsed MM initiating carfilzomib- or bortezomib-based therapy underwent baseline assessments and repeated assessments at regular intervals over 6 months, including cardiac biomarkers (troponin I or T, brain natriuretic peptide [BNP], and N-terminal proBNP), ECG, and echocardiography. Monitoring occurred over 18 months for development of CVAEs.

RESULTS
Of 95 patients enrolled, 65 received carfilzomib and 30 received bortezomib, with median 25 months of follow-up. Sixty-four CVAEs occurred, with 55% grade 3 or greater in severity. CVAEs occurred in 51% of patients treated with carfilzomib and 17% of those treated with bortezomib (P = .002). Median time to first CVAE from treatment start was 31 days, and 86% occurred within the first 3 months. Patients receiving carfilzomib-based therapy with a baseline elevated BNP level higher than 100 pg/mL or N-terminal proBNP level higher than 125 pg/mL had increased risk for CVAE (odds ratio, 10.8; P < .001). Elevated natriuretic peptides occurring mid-first cycle of treatment with carfilzomib were associated with a substantially higher risk of CVAEs (odds ratio, 36.0; P < .001). Patients who experienced a CVAE had inferior progression-free survival (log-rank P = .01) and overall survival (log-rank P < .001). PI therapy was safely resumed in 89% of patients, although 41% required chemotherapy modifications.

CONCLUSION
CVAEs are common during PI therapy for relapsed MM, especially with carfilzomib, particularly within the first 3 months of therapy. CVAEs were associated with worse overall outcomes, but usually, discontinuation of therapy was not required. Natriuretic peptides were highly predictive of CVAEs; however, validation of this finding is necessary before uniform incorporation into the routine management of patients receiving carfilzomib.


Abstract Concrete walls play the role not only of the structural material but also of the final barrier of a multiconfinement system of tritium in a fusion reactor or a tritium-handling facility. Therefore, it is required that the behavior of tritium in the concrete materials be clarified to certify the radiation safety of a fusion reactor. The diffusion coefficient of hydrogen in cement paste is obtained by using the permeation experiment in this study, and it is found that the diffusion coefficient of hydrogen in the cement paste is only one order magnitude smaller than the diffusion coefficient of hydrogen in air. Calculation using the diffusion coefficient obtained in this study indicates that the gaseous tritium, HT or T2, can permeate rather rapidly to the outside through the concrete wall of a tritium-handling facility. This calculation implies that installation of a tritium recovery system with proper decontamination performance is required to minimize the tritium transfer to the outer environment.


For centuries, the maritime domain has been a pillar of European livelihoods and prosperity through fishing and global trade. In modern times, we have come to depend on maritime transport to keep our economy going. Recently, however, old and new threats have challenged the security of the European Union: increased tensions between great powers; piracy in Somalia and West Africa; illegal immigration issues in the Mediterranean area; and increased concerns about terrorism and the illegal trafficking of drugs, arms and humans into Europe. These direct risks and threats are aggravated by pollution, illegal fishing and the destruction of livelihoods overseas. Dealing with these challenges, risks and threats calls for a broad spectrum of instruments, of which many are in the maritime domain. Yet the scope of the challenges is such that a more comprehensive response is required, involving all sectors and including civilian and military assets at both the national and EU levels. This implies the need for policies that bring together and coordinate actors with varying legal mandates, practices and attitudes


Over the last decades researching and developing teachers‖ professional development frameworks and practices had underwent a paradigm shift. This shift was driven by the complexities of teaching and learning requirements, an increased necessity for reforming educational systems, and more need for accountability and quality outcomes (Vescio, Ross & Adams, 2007). The main feature of these new approaches is that they shift professional development beyond merely focusing on a teacher‖s simple attainment of knowledge and skills to a framework that requires teachers to deeply reflect on their own practices, to innovate new classroom pedagogy, and authentic understanding and expectations of student outcomes (Darling-Hammond & McLaughlin, 1995).These new approaches of teacher professional development include a variety of practitioner-based activities such as: peer observation and assessment, working cooperatively on shared projects such as curriculum development or strategy planning, engaging in lesson study groups, conducting action research, and participating in individually guided activities such as online distant learning or academic higher educational programs. When teachers engage in professional development activities that entail sharing questions, finding answers, experimenting practical actions and engaging in a productive dialogue, this may promote their sense of belonging as knowledge workers in their professional learning communities, and this would support them in achieving their learning and teaching goals which would reflect at the end on their students‖ knowledge, skills and values (Al-Mahdi, 2019a, Al-Mahdi, 2019b, Al-Mahdi & Al-Wadi, 2015). This chapter aims to explore professional learning community as an innovate approach in teachers‖ professional development and discuss possible ways for implementing it in Bahrain Teachers College, University of Bahrain. The following sections will focus on: defining professional learning community, characteristics of a professional learning community, leading professional learning community, international research on professional learning communities, professional learning communities research in GCC countries, and reflections on the educational context in Bahrain and implications for policy and practice.


This study uses fixed effects panel regression techniques to estimate the impact of foreign demand for Australian residential real estate on property prices. All model specifications find a positive relationship between foreign investment approvals and price growth at the postcode level, but the majority of price growth experienced in recent times does not appear to be attributable to increased foreign demand. This is unsurprising given that in the short run the supply of residential property is relatively fixed so any increase in demand, whether domestic or foreign, should result in higher prices. Indeed, there have been many other significant domestic drivers of property prices over the period examined. The majority of foreign investment approvals are for new as opposed to established dwellings. This provides some indication that, in the longer-term, foreign demand is increasing property supply consistent with Australia's foreign investment framework.


The present study was undertaken to investigate the effects of thyroid deficiency on cerebellar development with mouse endocrine genetic models. Four types of mutant mice, the growth hormone- and thyroid hormone-deficient Snell dwarf mouse (dw/dw), the growth hormone- deficient little mouse (lit/lit), the primary hypothyroid mouse (hyt/hyt), and the congenital genital goiter mouse (cog/cog) were analyzed for expression of the glial enzyme marker glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH) and several other marker proteins. GPDH expression, as determined by enzyme activity and Northern blot analysis, was reduced by about 50% in the cerebellum and brainstem of the three hypothyroid mutant mice. No reduced expression was found in any region of the brain of the growth hormone-deficient lit/lit mutant. Visualization of GPDH by immunohistology showed that the immunoreactive enzyme was strikingly reduced in the Bergmann glial cells of dw/dw, hyt/hyt, and cog/cog mutant mice, particularly in the radial glial processes. To evaluate the specificity of the effect on GPDH expression, we also examined the expression of the glial cell-specific S-100 protein by immunohistology. In all mutant cerebella, both the intensity and pattern of staining of the Bergmann glial cells were indistinguishable from that of normal controls, suggesting that the Bergmann glial cells are morphologically normal in the hypothyroid mice. The morphology of the Purkinje cell neurons was similarly visualized by immunohistology using an antiserum specific for the microtubule-associated proteins. Surprisingly, the morphology of the Purkinje cell dendritic arborization also appeared unaltered in the hypothyroid mice. The results suggest that the morphological development of the mouse cerebellum is relatively unaffected by hypothyroidism.


The manifestation of complex traits is influenced by gene–gene and gene–environment interactions, and the identification of multifactor interactions is an important but challenging undertaking for genetic studies. Many complex phenotypes such as disease severity are measured on an ordinal scale with more than two categories. A proportional odds model can improve statistical power for these outcomes, when compared to a logit model either collapsing the categories into two mutually exclusive groups or limiting the analysis to pairs of categories. In this study, we propose a proportional odds model‐based generalized multifactor dimensionality reduction (GMDR) method for detection of interactions underlying polytomous ordinal phenotypes. Computer simulations demonstrated that this new GMDR method has a higher power and more accurate predictive ability than the GMDR methods based on a logit model and a multinomial logit model. We applied this new method to the genetic analysis of low‐density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, a causal risk factor for coronary artery disease, in the Multi‐Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, and identified a significant joint action of the CELSR2, SERPINA12, HPGD, and APOB genes. This finding provides new information to advance the limited knowledge about genetic regulation and gene interactions in metabolic pathways of LDL cholesterol. In conclusion, the proportional odds model‐based GMDR is a useful tool that can boost statistical power and prediction accuracy in studying multifactor interactions underlying ordinal traits.


Hair follicles are cutaneous structures characteristic of mammals. These sensitive organs cycle and contain multipotent epithelial stem cells which are implicated in hair growth and hair cycle. A single whisker follicle of the rat hosts up to 1500 stem cells, many more than necessary to regenerate the entire follicle throughout the animal's life. These cells are preferentially located in the most innervated region of the hair follicle. We hypothesised that stem cells might have an additional function aside from tissue renewal: stem cells may be involved in the mechanical signal transduction between hair follicle and afferent nervous system. This supplemental role may either take place through the interaction of the multipotent epithelial stem cells with nerve endings, or through neuroepithelial Merkel cells acting as intermediates. Merkel cells are located in the basal layer of the whisker follicle outer root sheath (ORS) and share a close relationship with their neighbouring nerve endings. These cells specifically express the transcription factor Math1 and their function is poorly understood. We demonstrate here by clonal analysis and transplantation assays that Merkel cells are not derived from epithelial stem cells. In addition, Math1-expressing cells isolated from the epidermis are unable to form colonies and to participate in the generation epidermal lineages when transplanted, failing to show stemness properties. Furthermore, when cultured in conditions that favour the growth of neurospheres, they are unable to proliferate, revealing a different behaviour than that of skin-derived neural crest cells. We also demonstrate that multipotent epithelial stem cells express several proteins implicated in glutamate neurotransmission, as well as other molecules usually found in the nervous system. The expression of NMDAR and AMPAR subunits, as well as their scaffolding proteins and neurotransmitter vesicular transport-implicated proteins are uncovered for the first time in the multipotent epithelial stem cells from the bulge. Our results support the mechanical signal transduction hypothesis and confirm the increasingly important role of the recently described neural-like structures of the skin. This work paves the way for a better comprehension of multipotent epithelial stem cell behaviour and stem cell-related pathologies.


Although fossils of 'Orsten'-type preservation from the Cambrian of China represented by Skaracarida and Phosphatocopida were first reported from localities in western Hunan in 2005 (DONG et al. 2005), the species of Phosphatocopida have not been appropriately described and elucidated in terms of evolution so far. Here, we re-describe the phosphatocopid Hesslandona angustata, originally described from Swedish 'Orsten' limestone, based on new specimens with preserved soft-body details. Two specimens have four pairs of limbs and thus represent head larvae. Based on the previously published material and the present one, comparative morphology investigation of limbs mainly within Phosphatocopida is accomplished. As a main result of the analysis a two-divided mandibular limb stem in younger stages, a plesiomorphic state retained from the stem species of Labrophora, should probably be present in many phosphatocopid taxa, and should be regarded as a synapomorphy of Phosphatocopida and Eucrustacea. The two parts of the limb stem, i.e. a coxa and a basipod, become fused with each other to form an undivided limb stem in later developmental stages of all known euphosphatocopids. Phosphatocopids in an 'Orsten' type of preservation have been studied for over 30 years. However the only computer-based phylogenetic analysis of this taxon (MAAS et al. 2003) is now six years old and, therefore, does not include new data brought up in China in the last four years. Accordingly, a new phylogenetic analysis is accomplished herein. Based on the analysis we re-establish the phylogeny of Phosphatocopida and discuss the evolution within this group of crustaceans.


The Web Services Choreography Description Language (WS-CDL) is an XML-based language for specifying business protocols for \emph{web services enabled} collaborative processes. The use of visual notations in modeling web services choreography has so far been done in an ad hoc fashion as seen in the literature. This paper presents a choreography example in four different visual modeling notations and compares them with regard to the semantics of WS-CDL. The results are useful for establishing a reliable visual approach to modeling web services choreography.


Many models of epidemic spread have a common qualitative structure.  The numbers of infected individuals during the initial stages of an epidemic can be well approximated by a branching process, after which the proportion of individuals that are susceptible follows a more or less deterministic course.  In this paper, we show that both of these features are consequences of assuming a locally branching structure in the models, and that the deterministic course can itself be determined from the distribution of the limiting random variable associated with the backward, susceptibility branching process.  Examples considered includea stochastic version of the Kermack & McKendrick model, the Reed-Frost model, and the Volz configuration model.


Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and other shaped carbon nanomaterials (SCNMs) were synthesized by the floating catalyst chemical vapour deposition (CVD) method, using either ferrocene [1] as the catalyst at 2.5 or 5 wt.%, or a synthesized heteroatom-containing ferrocene derivative, in toluene, in the range 750 to 950 °C. The derivatives used were ferrocenoyl imidazolide [3] (a source of N and O) at 2.5 and 5 wt.%, (N-phenylcarbamoyl)ferrocene [4] (a source of N and O) at 1.25 wt.% and S,S-bis(ferrocenylmethyl)dithiocarbonate [5] (a source of S and O) at 2.5 wt.%, which was synthesized from ferrocenylmethanol [2]. These were characterized by melting point, Hand C-NMR spectroscopy, IR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry (MS). The effects of variations in the CVD physicochemical reaction parameters, namely temperature, catalyst employed (and the effect of its heteroatoms, where applicable) and catalyst concentration, on the CVD products were investigated. These materials were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive Xray spectroscopy (EDX), Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and some by the Brunauer, Emmett and Teller method (BET). The best temperature range, in terms of high yields of MWCNTs with relatively high thermal stabilities and surface areas, in general, was identified as being 800 to 900 °C, from results obtained with [1]. This temperature range was used for further experiments. Among other results, it was shown that [1] and [3], at 2.5 wt.%, and at 800 and 850 °C respectively, produced the best materials. Catalysts [4] and [5] produced primarily carbon spheres, however, in general, all experiments using N-containing catalysts produced bamboo-shaped MWCNTs. For [3], at 2.5 wt.%, smaller bamboo compartment lengths correlated with decreasing temperature and decreasing crystallinity, suggesting a larger incorporation of nitrogen with lowered temperature. Catalyst [3] at 2.5 wt.% also produced very "clean" MWCNTs and this was attributed to optimal levels of oxygen being able to convert amorphous carbons to gas. Certain MWCNT properties were shown to be dependent on the combined, or synergistic, effects of catalyst concentration and temperature. The best undoped MWCNTs that were synthesized and commercially produced MWCNTs were loaded with Pd nanoparticles using a metal organic CVD (MOCVD) method. Results revealed well dispersed metal nanoparticles of narrow size distribution.


Most large-scale hydrologic models fall short in reproducing groundwater head dynamics ::: and ::::::::: simulating ::::::: transport ::::::: process due to their over-simplified representation of groundwater flow. In this study, we aim to extend the applicability of the mesoscale Hydrologic Model (mHM v5.7) to subsurface hydrology by coupling it with the porous media simulator OpenGeoSys (OGS). The two models are one-way coupled through model interfaces GIS2FEM and RIV2FEM, by which :: the : grid-based vertical 5 fluxes ::::: fluxes :: of :::::::::: groundwater :::::::: recharge ::: and ::: the ::::::::::::::: river-groundwater :::::::: exchange generated by mHM, are converted into upper-surface :: to :::::::: fixed-flux boundary conditions of the groundwater model OGS. Specifically, the grid-based vertical reservoirs in mHM are completely preserved for the estimation of land-surface fluxes, while OGS acts as a plug-in to the original mHM modeling framework for groundwater flow and transport modeling. The applicability of the coupled model (mHM#OGS v1.0) is evaluated by a case study in the central European meso-scale river basin Nägelstedt. Different time steps, i.e. daily in mHM and 10 monthly in OGS, are used to account for fast surface flow and slow groundwater flow. Model calibration is conducted following a two-step procedure using discharge :: for ::::: mHM : and long-term mean of groundwater head measurements :: for ::::: OGS, respectively. Based on the model summary statistics, namely the Nash–Sutcliffe model efficiency (NSE), the Pearson correlation coefficient Rcor::::: mean ::::::: absolute :::: error:::::: (MAE), and the inter-quartile range error QRE:::::: (QRE), the coupled model is able to satisfactorily represent the dynamics of discharge and groundwater heads at several locations across the study basin. Our exemplary calculations 15 show that the ::::::: one-way coupled model can take advantage of the spatially explicit modeling capabilities of surface and groundwater hydrologic models, and provide us with : an : adequate representation of the spatio-temporal behaviors of groundwater storage and heads, thus making it a valuable tool for addressing water resources and management problems.


The publication aims to familiarize students of public policy with the precautionary principle, which plays a vital role in the European Union's approach toward regulating risks. The precautionary principle contends that policy makers should refrain from actions having a suspected risk of causing harm to the public and/or the environment. However, the precautionary principle only provides guidance to policy makers but does not prescribe specific policy responses. Therefore, there should be variation in the way the principle is applied. Furthermore, precautionary measures are, in principle, of a provisional nature, suggesting that they are likely to be subject to changes over time. This book is thus interested in shedding light on how the precautionary principle is put into practice and to what extent precautionary measures become modified. Empirically, it focuses on how the EU has regulated the use of growth hormones in meat production, the cultivation of genetically modified corn and the use of Stevia-based sweeteners in foods and beverages. The main theoretical argument advanced by this study is that the way in which the original regulatory standards were formulated affects whether and how they are changed. By placing particular emphasis on the relevance of scientific evidence for the (re-)definition of precautionary measures, the book is expected to appeal to both academics and practitioners.


Subspecies are often less well-defined than species but have become one of the basic units for legal protection. Evidence for the erection or synonymy of subspecies therefore needs to be founded on the best science available. Here we show that there is clear genetic disjunction in the Sarus Crane Antigone antigone, where previously the variation had appeared to be clinal. Based on a total sample of 76 individuals, analysis of 10 microsatellite loci from 67 samples and 49 sequences from the mitochondrial control region, this research establishes that the Australian Sarus Crane A. a. gillae differs significantly from both A. a. antigone (South Asia) and A. a. sharpii (Myanmar and Indochina). A single sample from the extinct Philippine subspecies A. a luzonica clustered with A. a. gillae, hinting at the potential for a more recent separation between them than from A. a. antigone and A. a. sharpii, even though A. a. sharpii is closer geographically. The results demonstrate that failure to detect subspecies through initial genetic profiling does not mean discontinuities are absent and has significance for other cases where subspecies are dismissed based on partial genetic evidence. It could also be potentially important for sourcing birds for reintroduction to the Philippines.


BACKGROUND
The benefits of improved interdisciplinary collaboration in the health care section are well documented in the literature, including fewer errors and shorter delays and thus enhanced effectiveness and maximised patient safety. Given that the first step in improving teamwork involves uncovering individual team member's attitudes, this study was planned to investigate the level of collaboration, as part of organizational culture in the environment of ICU in Hippokratio Hospital.

METHODS
Considering as team all the medical and nursing stuff necessary for the integraded care of the ICU-patient, all the ICU personnel was included in the study, as well as that of other cooperating clinical departments and labs of Hippokratio hospital. For the purpose of the study a questionnaire was adopted and was given to 250 individuals, 196 of which responded (response rate 78.4%).

RESULTS
Responders, in general, valued teamwork as crucial for the performance of ICU. However, the study revealed a relative low consensus regarding the level of teamwork within each unit and inadequate collaboration between certain departments and ICU. Interestingly enough, most of the responders were willing to share responsibility but unwilling to share decision making or accept questioning of their actions. Finally, low consensus was also observed regarding the composition of the team, some responders (mostly clinicians) undervaluing the contribution of labs. Certain differences were detected across departments, as well as between physicians and nurses, the statistical significance of which is indicated.

CONCLUSION
Although the benefits of teamwork are well understood, realization of effective cooperation seems to be yet too far from our interdisciplinary practice. Teaching of teamwork skills and team concepts should become part of our medical or nursing education and training, if we should want to achieve a substantial improvement of quality of healthcare services, especially in high risk areas such as the ICUs.


Ion channels have recently been recognized as novel therapeutic targets in cancer research since they are overexpressed in different histological tissues, and their activity is linked to proliferation, tumor progression, angiogenesis, metastasis, and apoptosis. Voltage gated-potassium channels (VGKC) are involved in cell proliferation, cancer progression, cell cycle transition, and apoptosis. Moreover, voltage-dependent sodium channels (VGSC) contribute to decreases in extracellular pH, which, in turn, promotes cancer cell migration and invasion. Furthermore, VGSC and VGKC modulate voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channel activity by controlling the membrane potential and regulating Ca2+ influx, which functions as a second messenger in processes related to proliferation, invasion, migration, and metastasis. The subgroup of these types of channels that have shown a high oncogenic potential have become known as "oncochannels", and the evidence has highlighted them as key potential therapeutic targets. Scorpion venoms contain a high proportion of peptide toxins that act by modulating voltage-gated Na+/K+ channel activity. Increasing scientific data have pointed out that scorpion venoms and their toxins can affect the activity of oncochannels, thus showing their potential for anticancer therapy. In this review, we provide an update of the most relevant voltage-gated Na+\K+ ion channels as cellular targets and discuss the possibility of using scorpion venom and toxins for anticancer therapy.


Biorefineries convert biomass into bio-based products, which have the potential to replace typical products produced by petroleum refineries. They provide a technology platform to reduce anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, increase security of supply and reduce the dependency on crude oil. The biorefinery concept presented in this paper focuses on a combination of (1) organosolv fractionation to produce carbohydrates from lignocellulosic biomass and (2) the furan technology to convert carbohydrates into polyethylene furanoate (PEF), a bio-based alternative to polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and furfuryl ethyl ether (FEE), a bio-based transportation fuel component. The goal of this paper is to determine the mass and energy balances of the production of PEF and FEE from lignocellulosic biomass and indicate the benefits, as well as potential bottlenecks in the coupling of organosolv and furan chemistry as a biorefinery concept. Three cases are defined, modeled and analyzed, each focusing on a different approach to combine the organosolv and furan conversion technologies and determine the possibility and degree of integration. Modeling results based on experimental data and expert judgments show that wheat straw, as an example of lignocellulosic biomass, can be converted into PEF and FEE at yields between 20 and 40 w/w%, based on total input, while energetic efficiencies are between 30 and 40%. This is comparable or even better compared to other upcoming bio-based processes, e.g. 15–35% yield for second generation bio-ethanol production and 25–50% energy efficiency. The conclusion is that in each of the three cases presented bio-based fuels and plastics can be produced via the furan pathway at efficiencies that constitute a viable option from a technological point of view.


Title of Document: THE POETICS OF BODILY BEING: THE LIVED EXPERIENCE OF BREASTFEEDING AN INFANT "OUT OF REACH" IN THE NICU Christy A. Sampson-Kelly Doctor of Philosophy, 2013 Directed By: Professor Francine Hultgren, Department of Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership Babies born preterm (<37 weeks gestation) and at very low birth weight (VLBW, <1500 grams, 3.3 pounds) reside "out of reach" from their mothers in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) during the very beginnings of life. As the evidence of breast milk versus formula for infants within this vulnerable population is well established, multiple initiatives call for the provision of breast milk, and NICU professionals are subsequently making efforts to increase numbers of breastfed infants. However, there is a gap in the scholarly literature that brings forth mothers' voices relative to this unique breastfeeding experience. These voices are imperative to making a greater understanding of this phenomenon. This hermeneutic phenomenological study asks the question: What is the lived experience of providing breast milk for one's child who lives in a NICU? My exploration draws upon the writings of several philosophers including Levinas, Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, Gadamer, and Derrida that relate to the phenomenon and discover how the phenomenon is made visible through them. The wondrous writings of poets are interlaced throughout my journeying, reverberating the deep meaning that lies beneath the surface of things. Max van Manen's depiction of hermeneutic phenomenology provides the methodological structure for the study, which is uncovered through the multiple, individual conversations with and journal entries of ten mothers who share this human experience. As meaning unfolds, breastfeeding emerges centrally, as a remedy and offering a way to transcend the dis-eases of selfblame, dis-place-ment, and dis-member-ment underwent as part of mothering in the NICU. Reflecting on these dis-eases, calls for the offering of pedagogical insights of more welcoming and less judgment in supporting mothers in doing the work of mothering, taking on a view of breast milk as more than pure resource, and the importance of nurturing the nurses. Attending to these stories may help NICU professionals to imagine an environed NICU, were mothers, too, are cared for in their journey to self-forgiveness, em-place-ment, and re-member-ment, amid the strange and wondrous terrain of their beginnings. THE POETICS OF BODILY BEING: THE LIVED EXPERIENCE OF BREASTFEEDING AN INFANT "OUT OF REACH" IN THE NICU


High performance composite parts require strict tolerances in all directions before the parts are ready to be used. Numerous of machining and assembly operations are often required to obtain the desired geometry and tolerances. New methods to acquire advanced geometry and tight tolerances are desired to minimize the numbers of assembly and machining operations. A new closed mould technique utilizing carbon fibre prepreg materials and resin injection has been tested and evaluated. A rig implementing the closed mould tech- nique was built and used to produce generic parts. Additionally numerical analyses were run in order to understand results of the tests. The parts obtained were also subjected to a three point bending test. Carbon fibre parts without surface flaws or internal voids were achieved when the right precautions were taken. The closed mould technique presented in this thesis will greatly minimize the numbers of ma- chining operations necessary to obtain a high performance composite part. By resin injection and correct pre mould handling of the materials high quality parts are obtained.


This paper integrates the distributive politics literature with the literature on decentralization by incorporating inter-regional project externalities into a standard model of distributive policy. A key finding is that the degree of uniformity (or "universalism") of the provision of regional projects is endogenous, and depends on the strength of the externality. The welfare benefits of decentralization, and the performance of "constitutional rules" (such as majority voting) which may be used to choose between decentralization and centralization, are then discussed in this framework.


A thought back on the "epic of asbestos" scanning the fundamental steps, from the "discovery" of the adverse effects for the workers. A first phase, the "asbestosis one" concluded in Britain in the early thirties with the issue of a technical legislation is described. It was the first regulation shared by the Unions and the asbestos companies, some of which were or will then become leaders all over the world. The main effect of this legislation enforcement is the reduction of the exposure in some units of the asbestos textile industry; no effects were observed instead in other asbestos industrial divisions where it's consumption for insulations and asbestos cement increased massively. The second phase lasting approximately thirty years next sees together to a formidable diffusion of all the asbestos fibres including the crocidolite ones, advertised and accepted like "indispensable" for the economical and social development, an absolute leadership of the companies in the management of health effects information for the workers and therefore also those on the pulmonary cancerogenicity. Such selfish and aggressive leadership, receives in return from government, labour and consumers organizations just inertia, impotence and incredulity. This attitude will also continue in the third phase, beginning in the early sixties of the last century. The time period will be dominated by mesothelioma with all its new and terrible meanings, the dangerousness of asbestos exposure especially to the blue one even at lower levels than those observed in the past for other pathologies and the long latency before the appearance of the effects. Discussing about asbestos substitutes was out of the agenda, indeed just in the period where the mining and the consumption of asbestos touched the highest levels. The initiatives assumed in some countries like the auto limitation of the use of crocidolite and a more rigorous reduction of the occupational exposures will only turn out useful in order to lower the risk for asbestosis and, probably, the one for pulmonary tumour. In the United States, the judicial litigation for compensation between the workers and the companies begins. The same phenomenon will characterize also in the other countries industrializes the fourth phase of the epic, until our days; it is just in these years, and especially during the eighties, that industry starts thinking about the substitution of asbestos; the lively public debate will favour initiatives oriented to obtain economic compensation for damages caused by past occupational and environmental exposures. These legal actions will carry to bankruptcy all the asbestos companies and later to the ban of asbestos. The judicial debates will also uncover "confidential" information useful to better reconstruct the epic, to formulate more dispassionate historical judgments and to allow everyone on answering to more complex questions and more important than how much generally it was previously believed; all this should happen contextualizing the ages in which the scientific acquaintances on the effects of asbestos have been published and disproving prejudgments, able to affect some conclusions of the past.


ABSTRACT We describe a new actinopterygian fauna from the uppermost Cretaceous of Quintanilla la Ojada (Burgos, Spain), in the Villarcayo Sinclynorium of the Basque-Cantabrian Region. It consists mostly of isolated teeth of pycnodontiforms (cf. Anomoeodus sp., Pycnodontoidea indet.), amiiforms (cf. Amiidae indet.) and teleosteans (elopiforms: Phyllodontinae indet., Paralbulinae indet.; aulopiforms: Enchodontidae indet., plus fragmentary fin spines of Acanthomorpha indet.). Paralbulinae teeth are the most abundant elements in the fossil assemblage. All the remains are disarticulated and show intense post-mortem abrasion. The fossil association has been found in dolomite sandstones that are laterally correlated with the Valdenoceda Formation (Lower to basal Upper Maastrichtian) of the Castilian Ramp. The observed taphonomic features are coherent with the sedimentological interpretation of the fossiliferous beds as coastal deltaic deposits.


Islamic pesantren or pesantren cottage can be termed as Aswaja Kiai which became an Islamic heritage of the wali have unique and extraordinary features in the history of Islamic da'wah in Indonesia known as moderate aswaja featuring Islamic features that are polite, peaceful, not pushy, not extreme right, no extreme left, by the scholars' or Kiai is very dominant coloring its role in the development of da'wah moderatisme system or learning through boarding school, as well as the development of the nature of religious rituals characterized by tasawwuf holiness that is not fatalistic let alone hedon matrial dried Aswaja teachings is very rooted and residing dihe along with the development of Islamic society of Indonesia a majmuk and multicultural. He seemed to be a form of moderate Islam that rahmatan lil alamin for the life of nation and community, so reasonable, if he to this day still exist and able to do self-actualization with the development of society.
Keyword; moderatism, Islam, pesantren.


One of the major challenges facing wind energy at the moment is its dependence on dispatchable energy sources to match power supply to demand and provide an adequate spinning reserve. There is no fundamental impediment for this to be done with wind energy when wind conditions are such that sufficient wind power is available. It is, in fact, common for wind farms to participate in primary and secondary frequency regulation via droop curves, curtailment, synthetic inertia, proportional de-loading, and delta control. However, although the literature presents several approaches to turbine-level control functions of this sort, it is not trivial to extract from it a readily industrializable set of algorithms. Said extraction, focused on delta control and the addition of our own contributions, is the purpose of this paper, where we propose an extension of popular torque and pitch control algorithms, which allows delta control without the wind speed observers used by other authors.


Abstract The lived experience of children dwelling in the absence of home is explored through the memoirs of Haddy, who as a child of four moved with her family from Fiji to Canada. The recollections of some refugee children along with situations from the author's own life appear more nominally. The feeling of at-homeness, the act of leaving home, the experience of arriving in a new place, and making a new home are considered. Schutz's (1971) notion of the 'stranger' is applied to children living on the margin as they learn to be at ease in their new world (Lugones, 1987). The significance of language in the everyday lived experience of home (Heidegger, 1971) is also discussed. Moreover, Husserl's homeworld/alienworld dialectic as opened up by Steinbock (1995) is considered in some depth. The co-arising and interdependent nature of homeworld/alienworld is presented as essential to gaining insight into the lived experience of children between homes. Pedagogical considerations suggested for early learning and care settings include but are not limited to creating environments where homeworld/alienworld encounters can be lived out in rich and meaningful ways, promoting active engagement with difference and diversity, providing for home language and dominant language use, the establishment of homecomrade connections, and instilling a focus on the reciprocity of care for the other.


The conundrums inherent in the study of child and adolescent development are likely never far from the minds of the readers of JCPP. The complexity of development is flagged clearly in this issue. Included papers remind us that the link between associations (here maternal depression and child internalising problems) can change over short time periods. Even when the magnitude of associations stay consistent over time (here between the home environment and depression), there may be different aetiological processes underlying these links. Going forward, we should not lose sight of the significance of small changes in study designs, whether concerning the age range of participants, stipulated reporting periods and data analysis decisions (such as combining data from different age groups). The value of longitudinal data in addressing these questions remains paramount.


The design and planning of an integrated ethanol and gasoline supply chain is addressed, and is composed of harvesting and production sites for ethanol, petroleum refineries, distribution centers where blending takes place, and the retail gas stations where blends of gasoline and ethanol are sold. We postulate a superstructure that combines all the components of the supply chain and different means of transportation, and model this multiscale design problem as a multiperiod MILP model. In order to identify regions where investments are needed and the optimal configuration of the network, a strategic planning model is considered in which gasoline stations are aggregated in different regions. A detailed formulation is considered where regions are disaggregated into gas stations to determine the retrofit projects for the selection of blending pumps over their expected life. Also, the application of these MILP models with two large-scale problems are illustrated. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 59: 4655–4672, 2013


Sowing the seed? Human impact and plant subsistence in Dutch wetlands during the Late Mesolithic and Early and Middle Neolithic (5500-3400 cal BC).
The understanding of the neolithisation process in the Netherlands has increased considerably during the last decades. A coherent overview of the archaeobotanical research on the transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture was, however, lacking until now. This thesis aims to provide a better understanding of the neolithisation process in the Dutch wetlands by means of the reconstruction of the natural vegetation, human impact, plant use and cultivation practises at the time of the Late Mesolithic, the Swifterbant culture and the Hazendonk group.
The study is a literature study based on the analysis of published and unpublished data on pollen, seeds and fruits, wood, charcoal and tubers from four wetland regions. The extensive botanical data sets of recently excavated sites have been combined and compared with evidence of earlier investigations, resulting in a coherent overview and new interpretations. The evidence from the Dutch wetlands has furthermore been compared with that of comparable cultural groups in Northwestern Europe.


Abstract Increased sweetpotato utilization has become an important breeding objective recently, with much emphasis on the development of non-sweet sweetpotatoes for income and food security in Ghana. The objective of this study was to evaluate 26 elite non-sweet and less sweet sweetpotato genotypes with regard to their release as commercial varieties using mother–baby trial. The 26 sweetpotato genotypes were tested multilocational on-farm across five ecozones from 2016 to 2017. These genotypes were selected from accelerated breeding scheme carried out from 2010 to 2013. There were no year-by-ecozone-by-genotype and year-by-ecozone interactions. However, ecozone-by-genotype interaction was significant for storage root dry matter, beta-carotene, iron and zinc content. This implies that the relative performance of the genotypes for storage root yield was stable across locations and years. Genotypic differences were found for all the traits and indicated that selection of superior genotypes across ecozone was possible. Storage root yield ranged from 7 t/ha to 39 t/ha, while dry matter content ranged from 34% to 46%. The storage root cooking quality preference was comparable with farmers' check. Ten superior genotypes were identified for release as commercial varieties based on their staple-preferred taste, higher storage root yield, higher dry matter content, earliness, resistance to the sweetpotato virus, sweetpotato weevil and Alcidodes.