Today, local governments are supplying broadband service to residents to fill the service gap left by major providers. Municipalities are joining forces with local anchor institutions and private providers to close the digital divide and incubate novel public-minded service models. This is the new broadband localism. Some stakeholders fear that local public participation in the broadband market will negatively impact competition. They have articulated this concern in state legislation across the country: nineteen states forbid or otherwise restrict municipal ownership or administration of broadband and three may enact similar restrictions this year. No matter the substantive policy merits of such laws, opponents presume that local governments are "mere creatures of the state�? under traditional state-and-local law, and that restrictions like these are unproblematic. This article does two things. First, it identifies and describes the new broadband localism. Local governments and anchor institutions, the article shows, are assuming an important role in integrating the Internet into quotidian municipal life. This development is at odds with the prevailing view of an Internet that is in "cyberspace" or, worse, the "clouds." With this description, the article joins a long line of interventions that argue for seeing high communication technology as above all an artifact of political will. Second, the article argues that the state plenary authority theory on which opponents have relied to justify restrictions on municipal broadband is wrong for at least two reasons. First, the theory overlooks the extent to which the federal government has carved out a positive role for municipalities in an array of legislative fields, including telecommunications and cable, the forebears of broadband. Second, the theory neglects the ways in which the new broadband localism furthers democratic accountability and pluralism. This article posits that, as expressed through recent federal legislation and local efforts, we are witnessing the emergence of an administrative regime that is far more accountable and responsive to local priorities than state plenary authority theory appreciates. Congress, the article concludes, must act to preempt state restrictions, or courts must accept that municipalities are fundamental to the administration of public law in this dynamic legislative field.


Background: The hospitality industry, especially the hotel business, is a relatively new, and rapidly growing industry in Lithuania. The last two decades resulted in a significant expansion of the local hotel market, as well as of operations of international hotel chains. Thus, competition among actors in the industry, along with the companies' need to differentiate their offerings from those of competitors, has risen. Branding strategies are increasingly used by companies for achieving better positioning on the market, as well as for gaining a competitive advantage and customers' loyalty. Knowing that global brands play an important role for firms' visibility on the market, it is important to recognize, and understand the factors influencing marketing managementand branding-related activities. To accomplish this, an in-depth understanding behind the structure and branding strategies of international hotel chains should be developed. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to understand the rationale behind the structure, and operations of international hotel operators in Lithuania, with a focus on the hotels' branding strategies. Furthermore, the thesis aims to investigate how companies use their brand identity to position themselves in the market. Methodology: This thesis relies on a qualitative research, with a main focus on discovery, and aim to expand current knowledge in the field of hospitality management and branding within the Lithuanian hotel industry. The study consists of an in-depth case study of three international hotel chains operating in Lithuania. The empirical data was gathered from semi-structured, and e-mail interviews with the chosen hotels' representatives, as well as from secondary data such as annual reports and official websites. Conclusion: Three key findings are presented in this thesis. First of all, the authors identify business travelers as the main target group of the selected international hotel operators in Vilnius. Secondly, the examined hotel operators are recognized to standardize their structure and operations, but at the same time to customize their marketing strategies to the local market. Finally, the findings indicate that some hotels completely incorporate the brand identity of the chain, which they belong to, while others develop their own brand identity, relying only partly on the identity of the chain. Contributions: This thesis positively contributes to the academic community, as it expands the theoretical knowledge about the Lithuanian hotels industry, with a main focus on the brandingand marketing activities of international hotel chains. The findings provide a practical insight on how companies are positioned in the market in relation to their competitors. Moreover, with an extensive choice of accommodation available in the market, the comparison of hotels is beneficial in helping customers choosing the best alternative according to their needs.


Conditional Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) for cross-domain image-to-image translation have made much progress recently [7, 8, 21, 12, 4, 18]. Depending on the task complexity, thousands to millions of labeled image pairs are needed to train a conditional GAN. However, human labeling is expensive, even impractical, and large quantities of data may not always be available. Inspired by dual learning from natural language translation [23], we develop a novel dual-GAN mechanism, which enables image translators to be trained from two sets of unlabeled images from two domains. In our architecture, the primal GAN learns to translate images from domain U to those in domain V, while the dual GAN learns to invert the task. The closed loop made by the primal and dual tasks allows images from either domain to be translated and then reconstructed. Hence a loss function that accounts for the reconstruction error of images can be used to train the translators. Experiments on multiple image translation tasks with unlabeled data show considerable performance gain of DualGAN over a single GAN. For some tasks, DualGAN can even achieve comparable or slightly better results than conditional GAN trained on fully labeled data.


The long-term mean value of runoff is the basic descriptor of available water resources. This paper focuses on the accuracy that can be achieved when mapping this variable across space and along main rivers for a given stream gauging network. Three stochastic interpolation schemes for estimating average annual runoff across space are evaluated and compared. Two of the schemes firstly interpolate runoff to a regular grid net and then integrate the grid values along rivers. One of these schemes includes a constraint to account for the lateral water balance along the rivers. The third scheme interpolates runoff directly to points along rivers. A drainage basin in China with 20 gauging sites is used as a test area. In general, all three approaches reproduce the sample discharges along rivers with postdiction errors along main river branches around 10%. Using more objective cross-validation results, it was found that the two schemes based on basin integration, and especially the one with a constraint, performed significantly better than the one with direct interpolation to points along rivers. The analysis did not allow identification of possible influence of surface water use. IWA Publishing 2012.


Methamphetamine (ab)use have gained popularity among youth and is increasingly become a part of mainstream culture. Methamphetamine(ab)use is dangerous because of its wide range adverse outcomes and hazardous sustaining side effects. Its dependence is hardly withdrawn by routine therapeutic methods. This study is devoted to evaluate the efficacy of Regulated 12-Session Matrix Model in outpatient methamphetamine-dependent individuals. 24 individuals were chosen according to inclusion/exclusion criteria of the study and randomly assigned to equal experimental (age range 19-41; mean age: 46.9) and control groups (age range: 21-42; mean age: 27.8). Experimental group members partook Regulated 12-Session Matrix Model once a week in 12 consecutive weeks, while control group members remained at waitlist. Independent t-test in 12th week showed that experimental group had lower methamphetamine use, comparing to control group (p<.05).Phillai's Trace, Wilk's Lambda, Hotelling- Lawley's trace, and Roy's largest root showed that there are significant association between experimental and control groups in reduction of methamphetamine-use lapse (p<.05).Within-subject F ratio revealed that "methamphetamine use" was significantly reduced in experimental group after clinical intervention (p<.001). Findings of the study indicate the efficacy of Regulated 12-Session Matrix Model in craving management and control as well as reduction of lapse and substance (ab)use in methamphetamine-dependent patients. It appears that the Regulated 12-Session Matrix Model would be a new reliable solution to treat methamphetamine-dependence in Iran and other alike cultural and social atmospheres. Limitations and future implications are discussed.


Despite the high HIV prevalence among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW), there are limited data on progress on their respective HIV antiretroviral treatment (ART) cascades to identify progress and gaps in meeting UNAIDS 90-90-90 targets. We conducted a respondent-driven sampling survey of MSM and TGW in Bamako, Mali from October 2014 to February 2015. We describe the HIV treatment cascade for MSM and TGW, identify correlates of being unaware of HIV-infected status and having unsuppressed viral load levels, and estimate proportion of recent infections. We enrolled 387 MSM and 165 TGW. HIV prevalence was 13.7%. Of those living with HIV, 10.4% were aware of their serostatus, 61.2% of them self-reported being on treatment, and of them, 100% were virally suppressed. In multivariate analysis, factors associated with being unaware of HIV infection included not using free condoms in the last six months (aOR: 5.7, 95% CI: 1.1–29.5) and not having comprehensive knowledge of HIV (aOR: 6.5, 95% CI: 1.4–29.9). Having unsuppressed viral load was associated with identifying as a transgender woman (aOR: 4.8, 95% CI: 1.1–20.7) and not having comprehensive knowledge of HIV (aOR: 6.5, 95% CI: 1.0–40.9). Of the 79 HIV-positive participants, 5.1% had recent infections. While the proportion aware of their HIV status was low despite adjusting for viral load biomarkers, all MSM and TGW on treatment were virally suppressed. Improved testing strategies are urgently needed to achieve the first 90 of the HIV cascade among MSM and TGW in Bamako.


Although gene expression can be regulated in a graded or a binary fashion, the majority of eukaryotic genes are either fully activated or not expressed at all in individual cells. This binary response might be an inherent property of many eukaryotic promoters. Analysis of transcription under the control of yeast GAL1 promoter suggests, however, that graded and binary modes of transcription are not mutually exclusive, but that both can occur at the same promoter when the activity of different signaling pathways is varied. In view of that, it can be expected that forthcoming experimental studies on the combinatorial effects of signaling and transcriptional mechanisms will reveal new strategies for generating graded or binary responses.


Aim: In this study; our aim was to validate the Turkish version of National Institutes of Health (NIH) Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS®) Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) Scale which will be the first Turkish validated GERD scale.
Material and methods: The GERD scale was translated into Turkish by three researchers, and a consensus meeting was held after the translation process. The Turkish text on which the researchers agreed was translated into English by an independent professional translator. As a result of this process, the researchers obtained the final version on which they agreed and the accuracy of which was proved by back translation.
Results: The questionnaire was administered to the patients with symptoms of GERD and complaints continuing for at least one week. A total of 106 patients (42 men and 64 women with an average age of 41.69 ± 13.69 years) took part in this study. Turkish version of the instrument was found to be quite reliable.
Conclusion: Turkish version of PROMIS-GERD scale is valid and reliable. We believe that this scale may be used for the objective assessment of GERD patients in clinical practice.


We present a novel neural-network-based pipeline for segmentation of 3D muscle and bone structures from localized 2D ultrasound data of the human arm. Building from the U-Net [1] neural network framework, we examine various data augmentation techniques and training data sets to both optimize the network's performance on our data set and hypothesize strategies to better select training data, minimizing manual annotation time while maximizing performance. We then employ this pipeline to generate the OpenArm 2.0 data set, the first factorial set of multi-subject, multi-angle, multi-force scans of the arm with full volumetric annotation of the biceps and humerus. This data set has been made available on SimTK (https://simtk.org/projects/openarm) to enable future exploration of muscle force modeling, improved musculoskeletal graphics, and assistive device control.


A rapid deployment of renewable generation has led to significant reduction in the rotational system inertia and damping, thus making frequency control in power systems more challenging. This paper proposes a novel control scheme based on Model Predictive Control (MPC) for converter-interfaced generators operating in a grid-forming mode, with the goal of exploiting their fast response capabilities to provide fast frequency control service to the system. The controller manipulates converter power injections to limit the frequency nadir and rate-of-change-of-frequency after a disturbance. Both centralized and decentralized MPC approaches are considered and compared in terms of performance and practical implementation. Special attention is given to the decentralized controller by generating an explicit MPC solution to enhance computational efficiency and reduce hardware requirements. Simulation results obtained from a detailed dynamic model of the IEEE 39-bus system demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control schemes.


The eleventh Symposium on Optical Materials for High-Power Lasers (Boulder Damage Symposium) was held at the National Bureau of Standards in Boulder, Colorado, 30-31 October 1979. The symposium was held under the auspices of ASTM Committee F-1, Subcommittee on Laser Standards, with the joint sponsorship of NBS, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Department of Energy, and the Office of Naval Research. About 150 scientists attended the symposium, including representatives of the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Japan, West Germany, and Denmark. The symposium was divided into sessions concerning transparent optical materials and the measurement of their properties, mirrors and surfaces, thin film characteristics, thin film damage, considerations for high-power systems, and finally theory and breakdown. As in previous years, the emphasis of the papers presented at the symposium was directed toward new frontiers and new developments. Particular emphasis was given to materials for high-power apparatus. The wavelength range of prime interest was from 10.6 microm to the UV region. Highlights included surface characterization, thin film-substrate boundaries, and advances in fundamental laser-matter threshold interactions and mechanisms. The scaling of damage thresholds with pulse duration, focal area, and wavelength was discussed in detail. Harold E. Bennett of the Naval Weapons Center, Alexander J. Glass of the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, Arthur H. Guenther of the Air Force Weapons Laboratory, and Brian E. Newnam of the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory were cochairpersons. The twelfth annual symposium is scheduled for 30 September-1 October 1980 at the National Bureau of Standards, Boulder, Colorado.


We present an eye tracking study to investigate how natural reading behavior and reading comprehension are influenced by in-context annotations. In a lab experiment, three groups of participants were asked to read a text and answer comprehension questions: a control group without taking annotations, a second group reading and taking annotations, and a third group reading a peer-annotated version of the same text. A self-made head-mounted eye tracking system was specifically designed for this experiment, in order to study how learners read and quickly re-read annotated paper texts, in low constrained experimental conditions. In the analysis, we measured the phenomenon of annotation-induced overt attention shifts in reading, and found that: (1) the reader's attention shifts toward a margin annotation more often when the annotation lies in the early peripheral vision, and (2) the number of attention shifts, between two different types of information units, is positively related to comprehension performance in quick re-reading. These results can be translated into potential criteria for knowledge assessment systems.


In this paper we present a model for decision making under complete ignorance. By complete ignorance it is meant that all that is known is the set of possible consequences associated to each action. Especially there is no set of states that can be enumerated in order to compare actions. We give two natural axioms for rational decision making under complete ignorance. We show that the optimality criteria satisfying these two axioms are the ones which consider only the extremal consequences of actions. We compare our axioms with related ones from the literature.


Species co-occurrence in ecological communities is thought to be influenced by multiple ecological and evolutionary processes, especially colonization and competition. However, effects of other interspecific interactions and evolutionary relationships are less explored. We examined evolutionary histories of community members and roles of mutualistic and parasitic interactions (Müllerian and Batesian mimicry, respectively) in the assembly of mimetic butterfly communities called mimicry rings in tropical forests of the Western Ghats, India. We found that Müllerian mimics were phylogenetically clustered, sharing aposematic signals due to common ancestry. On the other hand, Batesian mimics joined mimicry rings through convergent evolution and random phylogenetic assembly. Since the Western Ghats are a habitat island, we compared species diversity and composition in its mimicry rings with those of habitat mainland to test effects of biogeographic connectivity. The Western Ghats consisted of fewer mimicry rings and an overall smaller number of aposematic species and mimics compared to habitat mainland. The depauperate mimicry rings in the Western Ghats could have resulted from stochastic processes, reflecting their long temporal and spatial isolation and trickling colonization by the mimetic butterfly communities. These results highlight how evolutionary history, biogeographic isolation, and stochastic colonization influence the evolutionary assembly and diversity of ecological communities.


After decades of operating in a regulated market, the electric utility industry is undergoing significant change, both from new generating and transmission technology and from shifting policy perspectives with respect to competition and regulation. The advent of new technologies, particularly natural-gas-fired combined cycle, has lowered entry barriers to competitors of traditional utilities; it has also lowered the marginal costs of those competitors below the costs of some traditional utilities. Technological advances have been combined with policy initiatives, such as the Energy Policy Act of 1992 and state retail competition initiatives, to encourage the introduction of competitive forces into the electric generating sector. There is a growing belief that the rationale for economic regulation of electric utilities at the federal and state levels-that electric utilities are natural monopolies (1)--is being overtaken by events, and that market forces can and should replace some of the current regulatory structure. Regulation and rate-of-return rate making--in which a regulatory body allows the utility to obtain a guaranteed rate of return on investment in return for meeting the electricity demand of its franchised service area--arguably exist as a partial substitute for the marketplace. (2) With emerging new generating and transmission technologies, market forces are increasingly seen as able to replace government regulation in many instances. In most cases, electric utility industry functions--generation, transmission, and distribution--have traditionally been integrated, or bundled. Current efforts to increase competition in the industry have involved segmenting these functions in terms of both corporate and rate structures. The overall purpose of restructuring the industry is to promote economic efficiency, which will presumably lead to lower overall rates. Some argue that this market orientation could sacrifice other values the regulatory system traditionally has balanced against economic efficiency, particularly equity and environmental considerations. The new economic signals being given by a competitive generation market could result in increased emissions of undesirable pollutants for two basic reasons. * Lower or more volatile prices from restructuring could encourage utilities to contain risk through incrementally investing in existing facilities rather than in construction of new capacity that meets stringent air emissions standards. * A competitive market would encourage comparing the market value of existing facilities with the marginal cost of constructing new capacity; making older facilities more valuable than they were under a cost-of-service regulatory scheme. Both signals would result in the rehabilitation and full use of older, more polluting generating facilities. Front Coal to Gas Some cost studies indicate that the lion's share of cost savings from restructuring the electric utility industry would come from the increased use of existing coal-fired capacity; which is disproportionately more polluting than alternative sources of power. (3) If that is true, the need to construct new, cleaner generating capacity could be delayed by restructuring, as production from existing capacity is maximized. How much emissions might increase would depend on which facilities generate the additional power and on controls imposed by existing or prospective Clean Air Act requirements. The general scenario goes as follows. A competitive generating sector would result in a revaluation of generating assets--that is, moving the value of generating capacity toward the marginal cost of constructing new capacity, currently represented generally by a natural-gas-fired, combined-cycle facility. In general, older facilities that have been fully depreciated would tend to have market values greater than their current book value under regulation; in contrast, newer, capital intensive facilities, such as some nuclear plants, would have market values less than their current book value--depending on location, availability of alternatives, and electricity demand. …


This paper presents an approach to the control of humanoid robot motion, e.g., holding another robot or tangled interactions involving multiple limbs, in a space defined by 'topology coordinates'. The constraints of tangling can be linearized at every frame of motion synthesis, and can be used together with constraints such as defined by the Zero Moment Point, Center of Mass, inverse kinematics and angular momentum for computing the postures by a linear programming procedure. We demonstrate the utility of this approach using the simulator for the Nao humanoid robot. We show that this approach enables us to synthesize complex motion, such as tangling, very efficiently.


This article analyses the parliamentary debates on the Civil Union Act 2004, which provides for legal recognition of same sex relationships, for stories of national identity. A close reading of the parliamentary debates on the Act suggests that although the supporters and opponents of the legislation seemed to be worlds apart, many told similar stories about New Zealand as a nation, and citizens within that nation, emphasising similar values and aspirations. Both sides told stories of citizens, of New Zealanders, as tolerant and fair, as forwarding-looking progressives who value stable long-term, committed relationships, warm loving communities for children, and strong families and family relationships. Both sides generally saw marriage as a positive institution, a cornerstone of society and a building block for society and the nation. While some talked of existing alternatives to marriage, such as defacto relationships, and there was some recognition that not all marriages are good ones, with a few notable exceptions, there was little mention of critiques of marriage as an institution and little or no positive mention of relationships outside of the paradigm of long-term committed monogamous relationships. Further, while there were arguments, reflecting aprivatisationparadigmt,h at the Civil Union Act 2004 was not necessary since the rights and duties of same sex couples could be structured using the private law of contract and trusts (a claim that was debated), there was no suggestion that state recognition of marriage should be abolished, or that long-term heterosexual relationships should be structured through private law.


Governments use redistributive policies to favor relatively unproductive economic sectors. Traditional economic wisdom teaches that the government should instead buy out the agents in these sectors, and let them relocate to more productive sectors. We showthat redistribution to a sector whose agents have highly correlated incomes generates an insurance value. Taking this insurance value into account, a buy-out is not sufficient to compensate the agents in the sector for relocating. In fact, it may be efficient for the government to sustain agents in an activity that, while less productive, is subject to correlated income shocks. US data suggests that indeed, sectors that receive transfers are subject to more correlated income shocks than others.


Education has been regarded throughout history as one of the main drivers of economic development and innovation, and can be viewed as one of the means available to nations for encouraging energy education, implementation of renewable energy and reduced energy consumption. This paper analyses the causal and empirical relationship between primary energy consumption and education for a group of developed and developing countries as well as an aggregate panel of the developed and developing country groups for the period 1980-2013. The results confirm a unidirectional relationship between energy consumption and education, flowing from education to energy consumption. Another interesting result is the confirmation of a non-linear relationship between energy consumption and education: energy consumption is increased by higher education levels in developing countries while energy consumption falls with higher education levels in developed countries. Lastly this paper provides a brief description of the impact of these results on energy policy and recommends that developed countries implement pro-education policies to reduce energy consumption while developing countries should make use of education coupled with environmental awareness programs to reduce the effect increased education will have on energy consumption


The proposed simplified Integrated Sugar Production Process (ISPP) using membrane technology would allow the sugar industry to produce new product streams and higher quality mill sugar with increased sugar extraction efficiency. Membrane filtration technology has proven to be a technically sound process to increase sugar quality. However commercial viability has been uncertain partly because the benefits to crystallisation and sugar quality have not outweighed the increased processing cost. This simplified ISPP produces additional value-added liquid streams to make the membrane fractionation process more financially viable and improve the profitability of sugar manufacture. An experimental study used pilot scale membrane fractionation of clarified mill juice confirmed the technical feasibility of separating inorganic salt and antioxidant rich fractions from cane juice. The paper presents details on the compositions of the liquid streams along with their potential uses, values and challenges in getting these products out to market.


Unsupervised black-box models are challenging to interpret. Indeed, most existing explainability methods require labels to select which component(s) of the black-box's output to interpret. In the absence of labels, black-box outputs often are representation vectors whose components do not correspond to any meaningful quantity. Hence, choosing which component(s) to interpret in a label-free unsupervised/self-supervised setting is an important, yet unsolved problem. To bridge this gap in the literature, we introduce two crucial extensions of post-hoc explanation techniques: (1) label-free feature importance and (2) label-free example importance that respectively highlight influential features and training examples for a black-box to construct representations at inference time. We demonstrate that our extensions can be successfully implemented as simple wrappers around many existing feature and example importance methods. We illustrate the utility of our label-free explainability paradigm through a qualitative and quantitative comparison of representation spaces learned by various autoencoders trained on distinct unsupervised tasks.


The Australian Survey of Social Attitudes 2003 gives new insights into the public's increasing preference for more social spending and their willingness to pay more taxes to fund services. This paper profiles the new electorate and discusses factors driving this trend in public opinion. Multivariate analysis allows us to identify the key demographic, political and policy variables that predict support for spending. All the usual factors matter: being older and more educated, and identifying as Labor, Green or Democrat all predict support for higher spending. But we find that policy perceptions matter as well: believing that health and Medicare and/or public education have declined in the past two years brings major support for increased spending. We also find that the Australian public supports modest tax increases to fund spending on health and education and that the Australian electorate is more open minded about tax rises than conventional wisdom holds. Our main conclusions are that support for social spending over reduced taxes has increased over the past two decades, and especially after the election of the Howard Government, and that dissatisfaction with health and Medicare, and public education, are reshaping the fiscal preferences of the Australian electorate.


Interactive Virtual Environments (VEs) have the potential to increase student interest in soil science. Accordingly a bespoke 'soil atlas' was created using Java3D as an interactive 3D VE, to show soil information in the context of (and as affected by) the over-lying landscape. To display the below-ground soil characteristics, four sets of artistic illustrations were produced, each set showing the effects of soil organic-matter density and water content on fungal density, to determine potential for visualisations and interactivity in stimulating interest in soil and soil illustrations, interest being an important factor in facilitating learning. The illustrations were created using 3D modelling packages, and a wide range of styles were produced. This allowed a preliminary study of the relative merits of different artistic styles, scientific-credibility, scale, abstraction and 'realism' (e.g. photo-realism or realism of forms), and any relationship between these and the level of interest indicated by the study participants in the soil visualisations and VE. The study found significant differences in mean interest ratings for different soil illustration styles, as well as in the perception of scientific-credibility of these styles, albeit for both measures there was considerable difference of attitude between participants about particular styles. There was also found to be a highly significant positive correlation between participants rating styles highly for interest and highly for scientific-credibility. There was furthermore a particularly high interest rating among participants for seeing temporal soil processes illustrated/animated, suggesting this as a particularly promising method for further stimulating interest in soil illustrations and soil itself.


The main objective of the mathematical theory of training is as follows: on the basis of the pupil's characteristics, his initial knowledge level and distribution of the studied material, it is necessary to define quantity of the pupil's knowledge during training and after its ending. The aim of the work is the research of various mathematical models of training with using of the computer and creation of imitating (computer) models of the didactic system. Methodological basis of the research are works by N. Winer, K. Shannon, V. M. Glushkov, D. A. Pospelov (cybernetics, the theory of information), R. Atkinson, L.P. Leontyev, F.S. Roberts, L.B. Itelson (mathematical modelling of training), B. Skinner, S.I. Arkhangelsky, V.P. Bespalko, E. I. Mashbits, I.V. Robert (cybernetic approach in pedagogy, the automated training systems).

We use information–cybernetic approach in the analysis of the didactic system "teacher–pupil" on the basis of which three models are offered. The first model is based on the assumption that information given by the teacher consists of the blocks uniting 4–6 elements of a learning material (ELM). The pupil understands the new block of the given information only when he manages to comprehend each entering ELM before arrival of the next information block. For determination of the average speed of assimilation the method of statistical tests is used. The computer program simulates transferring of 2000 blocks and counts the number of the blocks comprehended by the pupil in the given interval of time at various speed of the information reporting by the teacher.

The second model considers that different ELM–s have unequal complexity and are remembered with various durability (strength). That knowledge which is included in the pupil's educational activity and which is demanded by him, is remembered much better and forgotten more slowly than the knowledge which the pupil doesn't use. At increase in number of the pupil's addressing to this ELM: 1) the time of his using it decreases, tending to some limit; 2) the forgetting coefficient decreases, tending to zero. This model allows to simulate the training at multiple addressing to a set of ELM–s during one or several lessons.

The third model is two–component model of training which considers that: 1) the state of the pupil in each timepoint is defined by the quantity of the weak knowledge and strong knowledge (abilities, skills);

2) weak knowledge is forgotten quicker than strong knowledge; 3) while training the quantity of the pupil's weak knowledge increases, and a piece of weak knowledge turn into stronger (more durable) knowledge;

4) after the end of training forgetting takes place: strong knowledge gradually turns into less strong, and the quantity of the weak knowledge decreases according to the exponential law.

This model also takes into account: 1) the distribution of educational information during the whole time of training at school; 2) the pupil's learning and forgetting coefficients in various years of training; 3) shares of educational information of the previous levels (forms) which are used by the pupil when studying new material, and also using them during vacation and after the training completion.

The mathematical equations modeling training are presented in the article and the graphs of dependence of the pupil's knowledge different types on the time which are turning out as the result of their solution on the computer are analysed.


In wireless sensor networks, energy efficiency is mainly achieved by making nodes sleep. In this paper, we present the combination of SERENA, a new node activity scheduling algorithm based on node coloring, with TDMA/CA, a collision avoidance MAC protocol. We show that the combination of these two protocols enables substantial bandwidth and energy benefits for both general and data gathering applications. As a first contribution, we prove that the three-hop node coloring problem is NP-complete. As a second contribution, the overhead induced by SERENA during network coloring is reduced, making possible the use of these protocols even in dense networks with limited bandwidth. The third contribution of this paper is to show that applying any slot assignment algorithmwith spatial reuse based on node neighborhood without taking into account link quality can lead to poor performances because of collisions. The use of good quality links will prevent this phenomenon. The fourth contribution consists of optimizing end-to-end delays for data gathering applications, by means of cross-layering with the application. However, color conflicts resulting from topology changes, mobility and late node arrivals can give rise to collisions. As a fifth contribution, we show how the MAC layer can detect color conflicts, and cope with them at the cost of a slightly reduced throughput. Then, we discuss the tradeoffbetween requesting SERENA to solve the color conflicts and dealing with them at the MAC layer, our third contribution. The combination of SERENA and TDMA/CA is evaluated through simulations on realistic topologies.


Ribociclib (LEE011) is a selective cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor. It helps slow the progression of cancer by inhibiting two proteins, the cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6 (CDK 4/6), which interact with cyclin D1. Thereby, the retinoblastoma (Rb) protein phosphorylation is inhibited and CDK-mediated G1 to S phase transitions are prevented. As a consequence, the cell cycle in the G1 phase is arrested, which stops the cancer cell growth. Ribociclib has not yet been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA). This report is based on the interim analysis of the randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled MONALEESA-2 phase III study, which assessed the safety and efficacy of ribociclib in combination with letrozole for postmenopausal women with hormone-receptor positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative recurrent or metastatic breast cancer. A total of 668 patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either receive ribociclib or placebo in combination with letrozole. The stratification of randomisation was based on the presence or absence of liver or lung metastases. The results of the interim analysis were reported after disease progression or death had occurred in 243 patients. The primary endpoint of the MONALEESA-2 trial was locally assessed progression-free survival (PFS), according to Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors (RECIST) version 1.1. The 12-month as well as the 18-month PFS rates were improved in the ribociclib group. In contrast, no data on median overall survival (OS), median PFS and quality of life (QoL) were available at the time of data cut-off. In terms of safety, ≥3 grade adverse events (AEs) could be observed more often in the ribociclib group than in the placebo group. The most common AEs of any grade in the ribociclib group were neutropenia (74.3%), nausea (51.5%), infections (50.3%), fatigue (36.5%) and diarrhoea (35.0%). Overall, even if the addition of ribociclib to letrozole increases the rate of toxicity significantly, there may be a benefit gained from adding it, since ribociclib increased the PFS rate by 11.9% and 20.8% (12-months vs. 18-months analysis). However, no evidence regarding the comparative OS advantage of ribociclib in combination with letrozole and no median PFS data were reported. Nevertheless, it might be crucial to investigate the impact of the treatment with CDK 4/6 inhibitors on the endocrine sensitivity of subsequent therapies. In addition, the effectiveness of ribociclib has not been supported by QoL outcomes. These and the lack of potential biomarkers highlight the necessity for further studies in order to identify those patients who would benefit the most from the treatment with ribociclib.


Title of Document: TOWARDS THE USE OF DIELECTRIC ELASTOMER ACTUATORS AS LOCOMOTIVE DEVICES FOR MILLIMETER-SCALE ROBOTS Justin Pearse, Master of Science, 2012 Directed By: Professor Dr. Elisabeth Smela, Department of Mechanical Engineering Dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) are electromechanical transducers that are promising for small scale applications. The work presented in this thesis seeks to develop DEAs as an actuation technology that would serve the purpose of ambulating millimeter-scale robots in a robust and predictable manner. To begin, the "planar" DEA configuration was characterized and the performances of various elastomers were investigated. Then, based on the requirements of a proposed robot walking gait, two principles were examined as means of converting in-plane actuation strain to bending actuation. Bending DEAs were fabricated and tested, and a maximum end displacement of 1.5 mm was achieved for a 10 mm long sample. Bending actuator design was optimized by maximizing both speed and payload capabilities. Finally, some challenges facing the design of robots ambulated by DEAs were outlined; of particular note is the DEAs' electrostatic interaction with each other and their surroundings. TOWARDS THE USE OF DIELECTRIC ELASTOMER ACTUATORS AS LOCOMOTIVE DEVICES FOR MILLIMETER-SCALE ROBOTS


(MUSTELA PUTORIUS FURO) by PAOLA CAZZINI (Under the Direction of Bridget Garner) ABSTRACT The objective of our first study was to identify correlations between enteric histological lesions and the severity of clinical signs in ferrets with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). No significant correlation was identified using 2 grading schemes developed for cats and dogs. After dividing the histologic samples into groups based on clinical severity, other histologic characteristics that differed between groups were identified, and those correlated with clinical severity. The established retrospective grading scheme may have clinical utility in determining severity of IBD in ferrets. The objective of our second study was to determine the agreement in the diagnosis of IBD versus lymphoma reached solely using hematoxylin and eosin (HE)-stained sections versus using a combination of HE and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Results suggest that while IHC is not necessary to distinguish IBD from intestinal lymphoma in ferrets, it can be a useful tool in ambiguous cases.


BACKGROUND:Pain in sickle cell disease (SCD) is characterized by episodes of acute pain, primarily responsible for acute health care utilization, and persistent chronic pain. Pain severity and frequency vary significantly among patients with SCD. In this study, we investigated the possible contribution of monoamine gene polymorphisms to pain variation. METHODS:Adult subjects with SCD completed PAINReportIt®, a computerized McGill Pain Questionnaire, from which we calculated the Composite Pain Index. Utilization data were obtained from the medical record and biweekly telephone calls for 12 months. Utilization is defined as admissions to the emergency department and/or the acute care center resulting from a sickle cell pain crisis. We performed genotyping for catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met (rs4680) and dopamine D3 receptor (DRD3) Ser9Gly (rs6280) polymorphisms, which were analyzed for associations with pain phenotypes. RESULTS:Binary logistic models revealed that DRD3 Ser9Gly heterozygote patients were more likely not to have an acute pain crisis (odds ratio [OR] [95% confidence interval {CI}], 4.37 [1.39–22.89]; P = 0.020), which remained so when demographic variables were considered (OR [95% CI], 4.53 [1.41–28.58]; P = 0.016). COMT Val158Met Met allele showed lower probability for zero utilization (OR [95% CI], 0.32 [0.12–0.83]; P = 0.020) than the Val allele. In the negative binomial regression analysis, subjects with COMT Met/Met genotype had utilization incident rate ratio (95% CI) of 2.20 (1.21–3.99) over those with Val/Val (P = 0.010). CONCLUSIONS:These exploratory findings suggest that DRD3 Ser9Gly and COMT Val158Met may contribute to pain heterogeneity in SCD, as suggested by the different rates of acute pain crisis. Specifically, SCD patients with the DRD3 homozygote genotypes, COMT 158 Met allele or Met/Met genotype, are more likely to have acute care utilization, an indicator of acute pain. These results, however, will need to be further examined in future large prospective studies.


Deep Integration with the EU and its Likely Impact on Selected ENP Countries and Russia Abstract: The aim of this study is to estimate the impact of the removal of NTBs in trade between the EU and its selected CIS partners: Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan (CIS5). The report includes a discussion of methodologies of measurement of non-tariff barriers and the impact of their removal, including a review of previous studies focusing on CEE and CIS regions. Further, we employ a computable general equilibrium model encompassing the following three pillars of trade facilitation: legislative and regulatory approximation, reform of customs rules and procedures and liberalization of the access of foreign providers of services. We conclude that a reduction of NTBs and improved access to the EU market would bring significant benefits to the CIS5 countries in terms of welfare gains, GDP growth, increases in real wages and expansion of international trade. The possible welfare implications of deep integration with the EU range from 5.8% of GDP in Ukraine to sizeable expected gains in Armenia (3.1%), Russia (2.8%), Azerbaijan (1.8%) and Georgia (1.7%).


The surfactant terbium 3-[[1,2-bis[[(2-ethylhexyl)oxy]carbonyl]ethyl]thio]succinate has been synthesized and characterized by use of its absorption, luminescence, and microviscosity properties. In the presence of small amounts of water, this surfactant aggregates in cyclohexane to form reversed micelles containing Tb(III) counterions. The critical reverse micelle concentration has been determined to be 5.7 × 10−5 M with the use of an optical probe. Organic analytes solubilized in reverse micelles have been detected indirectly with the use of the luminescence characteristics of Tb(III) counterions. The detection scheme is based on energy transfer from the solubilized organic donor to acceptor Tb(III) counterions. Analytical figures of merit for the micellar system in the presence of organic analytes are presented. The microviscosity of the reverse micellar core has been estimated with the use of a viscosity-sensitive luminescent probe.


OF DISSERTATION THE NON-STEROIDAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUGS-MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION ASSOCIATION: AN INVESTIGATION OF KENTUCKY MEDICAID PRESCRIPTION CLAIMS Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are among the most widely used medications globally. There are generally two types: selective (COX-2) and traditional NSAIDs (COX-1). They are primarily used for the treatment of pain. They gained attention after a study about their basic mechanisms highlighted their toxicity. Several studies have reported an association between NSAIDs and risk of myocardial infarction (MI). However, the direction of the relationship is not conclusive. Further studies are needed to ascertain the direction of this relationship and evaluate the present situation with available drugs. Due to the seriousness of cardiovascular diseases as one of the leading cause of death, continuous monitoring of the NSAIDs-MI association is needed. The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the association between NSAIDs and MI in a younger (30-64 years) Kentucky Medicaid population with a 12 year window of data. The three specific aims were: (1) to understand the characteristics of the Kentucky Medicaid population with respect to NSAID use: (2) to evaluate the NSAID-MI relationship with a 12 year follow-up in a young heavily-burdened population for cardiovascular diseases: and (3) to investigate the MI risk of meloxicam, celecoxib and naproxen compared to no exposure. A retrospective study was conducted employing data from January 1 2000 and December 31 2012. The data comprised demographic, prescription and medical files. Within this cohort, a nested case control study was conducted. Cases of MI were matched to four controls on race and gender. The results suggested that exposure to COX 2 presented an increased adjusted risk for MI (1.138(0.983, 1.318)). However, this risk was significantly increased for COX-2 only users compared to COX-1 only users (1.221 (1.03, 1.485)) and 30-40 year olds (1.600 (1.082, 2.367)). Meloxicam, celecoxib and naproxen compared to no exposure showed meloxicam presented a non-significant different risk for MI (1.26 (0.98, 1.63)) and celecoxib presented a significantly increased risk for MI (1.52 (1.26, 1.82)). This study considered pattern of use in determining continuous usage by looking at both continuous and sporadic users of NSAIDs and also considered patient switching patterns between classes of NSAIDs.


Developments in information and communication technology and networked computing over the past two decades have given rise to the notion of electronic government, most commonly used to refer to the delivery of public services over the Internet. This volume argues for a shift from the narrow focus of "electronic government" on technology and transactions to the broader perspective of information government--the information flows within the public sector, between the public sector and citizens, and among citizens--as a way to understand the changing nature of governing and governance in an information society. The chapters discuss the interplay between recent technological developments and evolving information flows, and the implications of different information flows for efficiency, political mobilization, and democratic accountability. The chapters are accompanied by short case studies from around the world, which cover such topics as electronic government efforts in Singapore and Switzerland, the U.S Environmental Protection Agency's effort to solicit input on planned regulations over the Internet, and online activism "cyberprotesting" globalization.ContributorsRobert D. Behn, Maria Christina Binz-Scharf, Herbert Burkert, Lorenzo Cantoni, Cary Coglianese, Martin J. Eppler, Jane E. Fountain, Monique Girard, Ake Gronlund, Matthew Hindman, Edwin Lau, David Lazer, Viktor Mayer-Schonberger, Ines Mergel, Gopal Raman, David Stark, Sandor Vegh, Darrell M. West Viktor Mayer-Schonberger is Associate Professor of Public Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and chairs the Rueschlikon Conferences on Information Policy. David Lazer is Associate Professor of Public Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government and Director and founder of the Program on Networked Governance at Harvard University. He is the editor of DNA and the Criminal Justice System: The Technology of Justice (MIT Press, 2004).


Abstract : The TRADOC Analysis Center (TRAC), Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), and other Department of Defense (DoD) organizations are currently conducting large data capture and analysis efforts on areas all around the world. As efforts in the US Central Command (CENTCOM) Area of Responsibility (AOR), particularly in both Iraq and Afghanistan draw down, many senior decision makers expect that the US African Command (AFRICOM) AOR will be the focus of future efforts in the coming years. This project will first build an assessment framework focused on the AFRICOM AOR identifying what data we would ideally like to gather and measure in a COIN environment, and then by actually gathering the data points from a multitude of sources we can identify gaps in the available data. Concurrently, this effort will develop the necessary software within the DaViTo (Data Visualization Tool), an open source, government owned exploratory data analysis tool, in order to allow the end user to construct an assessment framework utilizing a customized weighting scheme along with the ability to display results. Finally, this project will develop a scenario methodology and a small Proof of Principle use case in Nigeria by conducting factor analysis of survey data and will use Generalized Linear Models (GLMs) in order to predict future issue stance scores and observed attitudes and behaviors of the population that will directly support TRAC's Irregular Warfare Tactical Wargame (IW TWG).


Chemical investigation on the leaves of Ophiorrhiza species,
O. communis and O. tomentosa, has resulted in the isolation of two
indole type alkaloids, harman and strictosidinic acid.
Strictosidinic acid was isolated from the butanol extract of both
Ophiorrhiza communis and O. tomentosa while harman was isolated
from O. communis only. The structures of these alkaloids were
elucidated using modern spectroscopic techniques such as UV, IR,
NMR, MS and also by comparison with the literature.
A study on the constituents of Hedyotis verticil lata has
resulted in the isolation of kaempferitrin and Hv2 whereas from
Hedyotis herbacea, kaempferol-3-0-rutinoside, ursolic
acid, kaempferol-3-0-arabinopyranoside and quercetin galactoside
were isolated. These structures were determined using modern
spectroscopic techniques and also by comparison with the
literature. A bioassay was also carried out using brine shrimp and anti
bacterial tests on the pure and crude compounds. The brine shrimp
tests showed that some of the compounds were very toxic whereas
the anti-bacterial tests showed that some compounds have
anti-bacterial properties and certainly these compounds have
potential for further investigations for their medicinal and
practical uses.


Abstract:It has long been observed that defendants who are subject to pre-trial detention are more likely to be convicted than those who are free while they await trial. However, until recently, much of the literature in this area was only correlative and not causal. Using an instrumental variable that represents judge severity, we apply near-far matching–a statistical methodology designed to assess causal relationships using observational data–to a dataset of criminal cases that were handled by the New York Legal Aid Society in 2015. We find a strong causal relationship between bail–an obstacle that prevents many from pre-trial release–and case outcome. Specifically, we find setting bail results in a 34% increase in the likelihood of conviction for the cases in our analysis. To our knowledge, this marks the first time matching methodology from the observational studies tradition has been applied to understand the relationship between money bail and the likelihood of conviction.


The toxicity of in vitro tested compounds is usually evaluated based on AC50 values calculated from dose-response curves. However, there is a large group of compounds for which a standard four-parametric sigmoid curve fitting may be inappropriate for estimating AC50. In the present study, 22 polyphenol-rich compounds were prioritized from the least to the most toxic based on the total area under and over the dose-response curves (AUOC) in relation to baselines. The studied compounds were ranked across three key cell indicators (mitochondrial membrane potential, cell membrane integrity and nuclear size) in a panel of five cell lines (HepG2, Caco-2, A549, HMEC-1, and 3T3), using a high-content screening (HCS) assay. Regarding AUOC score values, naringin (negative control) was the least toxic phenolic compound. Aronox, spent hop extract and kale leaf extract had very low cytotoxicity with regard to mitochondrial membrane potential and cell membrane integrity, as well as nuclear morphology (nuclear area). Kaempferol (positive control) exerted strong cytotoxic effects on the mitochondrial and nuclear compartments. Extracts from buckthorn bark, walnut husk and hollyhock flower were highly cytotoxic with regard to the mitochondrion and cell membrane, but not the nucleus. We propose an alternative algorithm for the screening of a large number of agents and for identifying those with adverse cellular effects at an early stage of drug discovery, using high content screening analysis. This approach should be recommended for series of compounds producing a non-sigmoidal cell response, and for agents with unknown toxicity or mechanisms of action.


Background Gender inequalities are important social determinants of health. We set out to critically review the literature relating to gender equity and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) in Eastern and Southern Africa with the aim of identifying priorities for action. Design During November 2011, we identified studies relating to SRH and gender equity through a comprehensive literature search. Results We found gender inequalities to be common across a range of health issues relating to SRH with women being particularly disadvantaged. Social and biological determinants combined to increase women's vulnerability to maternal mortality, HIV, and gender-based violence. Health systems significantly disadvantaged women in terms of access to care. Men fared worse in relation to HIV testing and care with social norms leading to men presenting later for treatment. Conclusions Gender inequity in SRH requires multiple complementary approaches to address the structural drivers of unequal health outcomes. These could include interventions that alter the structural environment in which ill-health is created. Interventions are required both within and beyond the health system.


Common sense sometimes predicts events to be likely or unlikely rather than merely possible. We extend methods of qualitative reasoning to predict the relative likelihoods of possible qualitative behaviors by viewing the dynamics of a system as a Markov chain over its transition graph. This involves adding qualitative or quantitative estimates of transition probabilities to each of the transitions and applying the standard theory of Markov chains to distinguish persistent states from transient states and to calculate recurrence times, settling times, and probabilities for ending up in each state. Much of the analysis depends solely on qualitative estimates of transition probabilities, which follow directly from theoretical considerations and which lead to qualitative predictions about entire classes of systems. Quantitative estimates for specific systems are derived empirically and lead to qualitative and quantitative conclusions, most of which are insensitive to small perturbations in the estimated transition probabilities. The algorithms are straightforward and efficient.


Background : The number of runners has been increasing as well as the number of injuries related to this sport. Knowing the foot strike patterns of the runners has become necessary since there is a possible relationship between the landing pattern of the foot against the ground during running and the increased incidence of musculoskeletal injuries in runners.
Research question : The objective of this study was to determine the distribution of the foot strike patterns in recreational runners during typical training running pace.
Type of study : Cross-sectional study.
Methods : This is a cross-sectional study conducted with recreational runners who practice with running coach. A high-speed camera (image acquisition frequency of 250 Hz) was used to analyse the foot strike pattern and photocells were used to register the runners' speed. The foot strike patterns were classified into three categories: rearfoot, midfoot and forefoot. The description of the foot strike pattern and the characteristics of participants were done through descriptive statistics. Intra-class and inter-class confiability was evaluated by agreement percentage.
Results : Fifty-three runners, with an average speed of 12.6 km/h, were evaluated, and 98.1% of the runners showed a rearfoot strike pattern. Only one runner touched the ground with the midfoot first, and none were forefoot strikers. The evaluation method for determining foot strike pattern showed an agreement percentage of 96.2% and 100% intra-class and inter-class confiability, respectively.
Conclusion : The results of the study showed that the adult recreational runners who train with a one running coach, almost exclusively demonstrate a rearfoot strike pattern during running.


Author(s): Kidder, Matthew Benjamin | Advisor(s): Ranjan, Priya | Abstract: This dissertation is a collection of three empirical studies using the a survey of Chilean Manufactures. The first two chapters of this dissertation evaluates the productivity impact of exporting and service outsourcing. The last chapter evaluates selection mechanisms into exporting.The first chapter examines productivity and exporting. I find that asymmetric responses, between exporters and non-exporters, to changes in the domestic lending rate can cause propensity-score-matching-difference-in-differences to underestimate the effect of export entry if these asymmetries are not accounted for in propensity-score-matching. Further, this chapter shows show a significant productivity effect of export entry after allowing unobserved time effects to interact with unobserved plant fixed effects. I find that export entry can cause firms to be as much as 20 percent more productive on average than they would have been if they did not export after I allow these macroeconomic time effects to have different impacts based on treatment status using a newly developed method by Hsiao, Ching, and Wan (2012). This paper highlights the use of general models, such as HCW, as a tool to help researchers test possible misspecification that can arise when unobserved heterogeneity interacts with the macro-environment and the unobserved effects are not netted out with propensity-score-matching. In the second chapter, I measure the productivity impact of outsourcing business services. Firm level studies on the impact of service adoption have remained sparse and when they do exist, the identification issue of selection is not addressed in a rigorous way. The work in this dissertation identifies the productivity effect of service adoption, while controlling for selection. I find that freight, accounting and advertising service outsourcing can boost productivity but I do not find any productivity effects for foreign technical support. The last Chapter evaluates the selection effect into exporting. I cannot find any evidence showing that productivity alone causes export entry. However, I do identify entrepreneurial type and business service outsourcing as two factors that increase productivity as well as increase the likelihood of entering foreign markets.


The process of aging is a natural process. In this process, the most crucial stage (many cause problems) is the advanced stage (elderly). In this process there is a decrease or change in physical condition, psychological and social issues are related. The process of change or decline sparked anxieties in the elderly, such as anxiety in the face of death. Because of that, how the elderly in the face of death anxiety is an interesting problem to be investigated. This study aims to determine how the image of elderly people in the face of death anxiety, perceptions about the death of the elderly, the factors that cause anxiety and efforts to overcome anxiety. This research is a qualitative research method of case studies of two elderly people who face chronic illness. The subject of this research is the HS who suffer from chronic illness who suffer from asthma and primary chronic disease of the heart. Data collection techniques used were in-depth interview with the interview guidelines. From the study found that elderly people who face the thought process of death is in the bargaining phase that appears in social activities and keagaamaan form deeds of virtue and have prayed for long life, conduct religious worship for the Lord is pleased to provide longevity. The process of thought so this causes the elderly experience anxiety in the face of death in the form of fear seeing the body or the dead, frightened when electricity is out and the feeling being in another world, concerns about the way the lives of children and grandchildren who have not "good" (well-established and happy) that will be abandoned. Anxiety was visible on the symptoms of both physical symptoms of anxiety (physiological) in the form of complaints and physical illnesses or symptoms of mental (psychological), a feeling of worry, fear and helplessness Mersa. Several factors cause this anxiety, the physical deterioration of the diseases suffered by the elderly, psychological form of feeling afraid or worried, helpless, unable to concentrate, loss of confidence, no rest, and confused. Efforts to overcome anxiety in the face of death made by check their health regularly to a health center or hospital or doctor, entertain themselves or recreation, socializing and strengthen religious spirituality with worship draw closer to God.


textabstractIntroduction: Coordinating for Cohesion in the Public Sector of the Future (COCOPS), as one of the largest comparative public management research projects in Europe, intends to provide a comprehensive picture of the challenges facing the public sector in European countries and to systematically explore the impact of New Public Management (NPM)-style reforms in Europe. The project brings together public administration scholars from eleven universities in ten countries2 and is funded as part of the European Union's 7th Framework Programme between January 2011 and June 2014.3 The research is comparative and evidence-based, drawing on both existing data and innovative new quantitative and qualitative data collection, at both national and policy sector levels. A cornerstone of the project is the COCOPS Executive Survey on Public Sector Reform in Europe: an original, large-scale survey of public sector top executives in ten European countries, exploring executives' opinions and experiences with regards to public sector reforms in general government, as well as more particularly in the health and employment policy sectors.
Scholars within the public administration discipline have long underlined the need for more quantitative and rigorous comparative research, going beyond single-country and single-organization approaches (see Derlien 1992; Fitzpatrick et al 2011; Pollitt 2011; Raadschelders and Lee 2011). Moreover, few research initiatives have explored in depth the transformation of public administrations as triggered by NPM reform discourses in a systematic comparative form (Van de Walle and Hammerschmid 2011). Responding to such concerns, this survey offers systematic evidence regarding the dynamics of public administration reform in Europe, with the goal to create an encompassing and systematic picture of public administration after more than two decades of NPM reforms.


In recent years Robert Barro's (1974) ingenious model of inter- generational altruism has taken its place among the major theories of consumption and saving. Despite its policy importance, there have been few direct tests of the Barro model. This paper presents a new direct test that is based on a property of the Barro model that, to our knowledge, has not previously been exploited. This property is that the Euler errors (i.e., disturbances in the Euler equations) of altruistically linked members of Barro extended families (clans) are identical. Under time-separable, homothetic utility, this equality of Euler errors means that, controlling for clan preferences about the age distribution of consumption, the percentage changes over time in consumption of all Barro clan members are equal. With some weak additional assumptions, this proposition implies that the average percentage change in household consumption within an age cohort should be the same for all age cohorts. Testing the Barro model by comparing average percentage changes in consumption across age cohorts is particularly advantageous because it is nonparametric; in determining whether the average consumptions of different age cohorts move together we place no restrictions on preferences beyond the assumptions of homotheticity and time separability. In particular, each Barro clan can have quite different preference parameters. The new quarterly Consumer Expenditure Surveys (CES) covering 1980 through the first quarter of 1985 are an excellent data set for determining whether the consumption of different age groups moves together. The CES records the consumption of each sample household for up to four quarters, and thus can be used to determine the average quarterly percentage change in consumption of households in a given age group. The null hypothesis of our test is that cohort differences in the average percentage change in consumption are due simply to sampling and measurement error. Alternative hypotheses, suggested by the Life Cycle Model, are that (1) the percentage changes in the average consumptions of any two cohorts are more highly correlated the closer in age are the two cohorts, and (2) the variance in the percentage change in consumption is a monotone function of the age of the cohort. The data fail to reject the null hypothesis of equal Euler errors. Indeed, the results provide fairly strong support for the intergenerational altruism model as opposed to the Life Cycle Model.


Governments employ two basic policies for acquiring land: taking it through the exercise of their power of eminent domain, and purchasing it. The social desirability of these policies is compared in a model in which the government's information about landowners' valuations is imperfect. Under this assumption, the policy of purchase possesses the market test advantage that the government obtains land from an owner only if its offer exceeds the owner's valuation. However, the policy suffers from a drawback when the land that the government needs is owned by many parties. In that case, the government's acquisition will fail if any of the owners refuses to sell. Hence, eminent domain becomes appealing if the number of landowners is large. This conclusion holds regardless of whether the land that the government seeks is a parcel at a fixed location or instead is a contiguous parcel that may be located anywhere in a region.


This essay addresses the changing trajectory of grassroots political activity in Latin America, with special reference to Chile and Brazil, and assesses its impact on the policy and practices of social development. It traces this trajectory through the transitions from authoritarian to democratic rule, and focuses on the responses of grassroots organisations to democratic governance and the rise of neo-liberalism. In particular, it shows that social movements have declined or been transformed (or both), while non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have multiplied and become more visible. It appears that where grassroots organisations interact with the state they may be subordinated to state policy, and where they fail to interact they may be ineffective. Their influence on social development mainly occurs piecemeal through social service delivery, not through the shaping of social policy itself.


Abstract
 The marine macroalgae of Madagascar have been poorly studied, probably due to difficulties in accessing most of the 4,828 kms of coastline spreading across more than 14° of latitude. Recent collecting trips in the southern and northern sections of the island provided large collections to contribute towards a better knowledge of the marine macrophyte diversity of Madagascar. The present study focuses on the brown macroalgal genus Sargassum. Based on morphological and molecular analyses of the nuclear ITS2, chloroplastic partial RuBisCO operon and mitochondrial cox3 and 23S, we delineated a total of 11 taxa including seven new records (*) for Madagascar and an unidentified taxon: S. elegans*, S. ilicifolium, S. ilicifolium var. acaraeocarpum*, S. incisifolium, S. cf. latifolium, S. obovatum*, S. polycystum, S. portierianum*, S. robillardii*, S. swartzii* and S. sp In addition, nine taxa listed in the literature were not found during these recent collecting trips, implying a possible full list of 20 Sargassum species for Madagascar. More collections are required for a comprehensive revision of the Sargassum diversity of the island, particularly along its west and east coasts.


What are the best tools for assessing the quality of an urban space or landscape, in terms of social, physiological, aesthetic, and functional well-being? What features – spatial, material, or visual – can make some areas of a city welcoming, and perhaps even inspire a sense of belonging? And how do we define "landscape experience"? These are some of the questions behind Experimenting Proximity, an extensive compendium of the teaching and research experience conducted in EPFL (Construction and Conservation Laboratory) and ETHZ (Institute of Landscape Architecture) about visual representation. Authors present a new approach based upon video and experimental mapping, which deals with the notion of "physicality" and stands as the cornerstone for an improved correlation between built form, landscape and public space. All technical and theoretical aspects are developed in the book, as videos and maps can be examined in detail in the website www.experimentingproximity.net


The corneal epithelium is renewed by limbal stem cells (LSCs). Absence, damage or loss of the LSC population leads to the painful and blinding condition of LSC deficiency (LSCD). In vitro expansion of LSCs is an increasingly well recognized treatment modality for LSCD. The purpose of this study was to analyze the outgrowths from human cadaveric limbal explants cultured on cell culture inserts and denuded human amniotic membrane (dHAM) for properties associated with LSCs and to understand the human limbal stem-cell biology in vitro with and without 3T3 feeder cells. In particular, the expression of stem cell markers and colony-forming efficiency in different culture models were investigated.

The research can be divided into three sections a) development of tissue culture models, b) translation of limbal-corneal cells towards clinical trial. c) Culture, and characterisation of limbal fibroblast-like cells (LFLc),

The limbal explants were cultured, the outgrowths were measured, and colony-forming efficiencies (CFEs) of cells were calculated. In addition, the expression of LSC and corneal differentiation markers were assessed using immunofluorescence, western blot, and quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR). Increased CFE in cells from explants grown on dHAM was observed. The expression of differentiation markers CK12, connexin 43 decreased in dHAM cultures, possibly indicating maintenance of the stem cell population.

We demonstrate the outgrowths from human cadaveric limbal explants, in six different culture systems, show a steady increase in a wide range of stem cell properties with dHAM and 3T3 feeder cells compared to no-3T3 condition. These findings support the importance of dHAM and 3T3 feeder cells in maintaining the undifferentiated state of culture limbal epithelial stem cells. These findings suggest potential modifications of existing techniques to ensure maximum number of LSCs following in vitro expansion protocols, which might contribute to even greater success of subsequent engraftment.

We developed a non-enzymatic method for isolation of LFLc, and demonstrated for the first time the invasion and motility of LFLc in vitro. These findings suggest an important role for LFLc in wound healing. LFLc have shown differentiation potential to adipo and osteogenic lineage.


We introduce a new survey module intended to complement and expand research on the causes and consequences of advanced technology adoption. The 2018 Annual Business Survey (ABS), conducted by the Census Bureau in partnership with the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES), provides comprehensive and timely information on the diffusion among U.S. firms of advanced technologies including artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, robotics, and the digitization of business information. The 2018 ABS is a large, nationally representative sample of over 850,000 firms covering all private, nonfarm sectors of the economy. We describe the motivation for and development of the technology module in the ABS, as well as provide a first look at technology adoption and use patterns across firms and sectors. We find that digitization is quite widespread, as is some use of cloud computing. In contrast, advanced technology adoption is rare and generally skewed towards larger and older firms. Adoption patterns are consistent with a hierarchy of increasing technological sophistication, in which most firms that adopt AI or other advanced business technologies also use the other, more widely diffused technologies. Finally, while few firms are at the technology frontier, they tend to be large so technology exposure of the average worker is significantly higher. This new data will be available to qualified researchers on approved projects in the Federal Statistical Research Data Center network.


Data indicate that large percentages of the general public regard psychology's scientific status with considerable skepticism. I examine 6 criticisms commonly directed at the scientific basis of psychology (e.g., psychology is merely common sense, psychology does not use scientific methods, psychology is not useful to society) and offer 6 rebuttals. I then address 8 potential sources of public skepticism toward psychology and argue that although some of these sources reflect cognitive errors (e.g., hindsight bias) or misunderstandings of psychological science (e.g., failure to distinguish basic from applied research), others (e.g., psychology's failure to police itself, psychology's problematic public face) reflect the failure of professional psychology to get its own house in order. I offer several individual and institutional recommendations for enhancing psychology's image and contend that public skepticism toward psychology may, paradoxically, be one of our field's strongest allies.


The Government Highline Canal Modernization Study was completed in April 2000 to evaluate options for reducing the flow rate requirement of the Government Highline Canal in order to increase the water supply in the "15-Mile Reach" of the Colorado River, thereby helping sustain habitat for fish species identified as endangered. The intent was to develop a design for which Colorado River diversions could be better matched to on-farm demands. It was determined that canal modernization, in the form of automated canal structures, in-system storage, and new operational procedures could significantly reduce operational spill. A systematic evaluation of the existing canal system and operations identified a potential savings of 28,500 acre-feet of water that could remain in the river or be returned to the river upstream of the 15-Mile Reach. This paper is an update to one done in 1999 for USCID about the Modernization Study. This paper will focus on the lessons learned from the actual implementation of the recommended structural and operational improvements, in particular the construction of the main components of this project including canal control structures.


We present an optimized algorithm to compute 3D distance fields using the bilinear interpolation capabilities of GPUs while preserving the features of the model. For a geometric model, our algorithm computes the Euclidean distance fields on each 2D slice of a 3D grid by applying linear decomposition to the non-linear distance function of each primitive and evaluating it using texture mapping hardware. We compute the bounds of the Voronoi region of each primitive on a 2D slice to reduce rasterization cost of the distance functions. Further more, culling techniques are incorporated to remove primitives that do not contribute to the distance field of a given slice. Our method is able to preserve the features of the model such as sharp edges and corners by detecting them and storing the associated information explicitly during the distance field computation. The experiment demonstrates that the algorithm is accurate and can compute 3D distance fields of complex models consisting of thousands of triangles while preserving the features efficiently.


Statistical coding techniques have been used for a long time in lossless data compression, using methods such as Huffman's algorithm, arithmetic coding, Shannon's method, Fano's method, etc. Most of these methods can be implemented either statically or adaptively. Canonical codes, in which the code words are arranged in a lexicographical order, are advantageous because they can be decoded extremely expediently. Although Huffman's algorithm is optimal, the generation of a canonical Huffman code is not straightforward. Conversely, while the Fano coding is sub-optimal, it can lead to canonical codes. In this paper, we resolve the dilemma by focusing on the static implementation of Fano's method. By taking advantage of the properties of the encoding schemes generated by this method, and the concept of "code word arrangement", we present an enhanced version of the static Fano's method, namely Fano/sup +/. We formally analyze Fanol by presenting some properties of Fano trees, and the theory of list rearrangements. Our enhanced algorithm achieves compression ratios arbitrarily close to those of Huffman's algorithm. Empirical results on files of the Canterbury corpus corroborate the almost-optimal efficiency of our enhanced algorithm and its canonical nature. We believe that the compression efficiency of Fano+ can be made to attain the compression ratios of the best known schemes if a structure model of the data is also incorporated.


Cell morphogenesis is the development of a specific cell morphology, which includes the acquisition of cell shape, cell polarity, cell–cell and cell–ECM (extracellular matrix) contacts. Cell morphogenesis is dependent on the interaction of the cell with its environment and therefore not a cell autonomous process. Crucial for cell morphogenesis is the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton. Furthermore, regulation of gene expression and activation of different intracellular signalling pathways contribute to cell morphogenesis. Rho guanosine triphosphatases (GTPases) are master regulators of the actin cytoskeleton, which affects cell shape and the position of integrins and cadherins, actin cytoskeleton attached cell surface receptors. In addition, Rho GTPases regulate endocytosis, vesicle transport, secretion and gene expression. Not surprisingly, therefore, this family of molecules was found to be particularly important for cell morphogenesis.

Key Concepts:

Rho GTPases are signal integrators.

Rho GTPases have overlapping functions.

Rho GTPases regulate cell shape by controlling remodelling of the actin cytoskeleton.

Cdc42 regulates different aspects of cell polarity in a cell type-specific manner.

Rho GTPases regulate cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix and to other cells.

Keywords:

Rho GTPases;
cell morphogenesis;
cell shape;
cell polarity;
cell–cell adhesion;
cell ECM adhesion


We illustrate the benefits of a thin, low pressure helium cell for efficient and safe heat removal in cryogenically-cooled active mirror laser amplifiers operating in the [100 J-1 kJ]/[1-10 Hz] range. A homogeneous gain medium temperature distribution averaging 160 K is obtained with a sub-mm helium-filled gap between the gain medium and a copper plate at 77 K. A significant degree of flexibility for tuning the temperature in the amplifier can be achieved by varying the pressure of the helium gas in the 10(2) to 10(5) Pa range.


This bulletin, based on contributions from various contributors and edited by Dr. D.W. Roubik, introduces the reader to various aspects of natural and insect pollination. It discusses the pollinators themselves, and the ecological and economic importance of pollination, as well as applied pollination in temperate, tropical oceanic islands and mainland tropics, and alternatives to artificial pollinator populations. Prospects for the future are also discussed. Chapter 2 deals with successful pollination with pollinator populations, the evaluation of pollinators and floral biology and research techniques. The behaviour of pollinators and plant phenology and various case studies on the preparation of pollinators for use in tropical agriculture are also discussed. A glossary and various appendices regarding cultivated and semi-cultivated plants in the tropics, pollination contracts and levels of safety of pesticides for bees and other pollinators are included.


While Robert Solow suggested not to think of Economics as Science, Andrew Lo warned us about the dangers of using Physics to build economic systems. Physics has been a late entrant to the world of Finance. The subject has reached critical mass to answer some of the biggest challenges of Finance of the last 50 years. The Nobel Prize-winning Finance has failed to reconcile efficiency and inefficiency, forcing the global money to rely on the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) as the last standing hypothesis, which can neither be rejected nor accepted. This has left trillions of dollars in Pension funds clueless regarding what to rely on. The consequence could be an unintended risk, which society is not prepared for.Though Smart Beta has brought in a rule-based thinking, it is primarily catering as an 'Active' solution to changing market cycles. Its foundation of financial theories remains structurally weak, the reason the industry does not have a coherent definition of the term Smart Beta. There is Factor proliferation, conflicting explanations of outperformance, lack of differentiation and a host of unanswered questions like why naive allocation is better than Factor selection? Is Multi-Factor better than Single Factor? Is everything that concentrates exposure of Market Capitalization (MCAP), smart? Whether timing helps or not? And larger questions like what drives the persistence of Premia? Will we ever take on Granger's (1992) challenge to build a better alternative to EMH? The solution providers are simply riding on the growth of the segment relying on their institutional clients to comprehend the risk and invest.Finance needs Physics to bring the needed clarity, usher in a simplified Factor thinking, move away from causal thinking and look at markets in a very objective quantifiable way to answer the various questions and explain the need and persistence of Free Lunch (Premia). The author makes the case by restating market Alpha as a process driven by the 'Reversion - Diversion' Framework that is at the heart of the 'Rich Get Richer' phenomenon. The paper explains how a simple probabilistic classification can address the insufficiencies of a behavioral or market efficiency model, explain how Smart and Dumb Beta work together and how Physics and the science of complex networks can be the savior for Finance.


Leisingera methylohalidivorans Schaefer et al. 2002 emend. Vandecandelaere et al. 2008 is the type species of the genus Leisingera. The genus belongs to the Roseobacter clade (Rhodobacteraceae, Alphaproteobacteria), a widely distributed lineage in marine environments. Leisingera and particularly L. methylohalidivorans strain MB2T is of special interest due to its methylotrophy. Here we describe the complete genome sequence and annotation of this bacterium together with previously unreported aspects of its phenotype. The 4,650,996 bp long genome with its 4,515 protein-coding and 81 RNA genes consists of three replicons, a single chromosome and two extrachromosomal elements with sizes of 221 kb and 285 kb.


Philosophy reads humanity against animality, arguing that "man" is man because he is separate from beast. Deftly challenging this position, Kelly Oliver proves that, in fact, it is the animal that teaches us to be human. Through their sex, their habits, and our perception of their purpose, animals show us how not to be them. This kinship plays out in a number of ways. We sacrifice animals to establish human kinship, but without the animal, the bonds of "brotherhood" fall apart. Either kinship with animals is possible or kinship with humans is impossible. Philosophy holds that humans and animals are distinct, but in defending this position, the discipline depends on a discourse that relies on the animal for its very definition of the human. Through these and other examples, Oliver does more than just establish an animal ethics. She transforms ethics by showing how its very origin is dependent upon the animal. Examining for the first time the treatment of the animal in the work of Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, Derrida, Agamben, Freud, Lacan, and Kristeva, among others, Animal Lessons argues that the animal bites back, thereby reopening the question of the animal for philosophy.


Timber bridges play a major role in the distribution of Brazil's agricultural products. Most of these bridges are located on secondary roads, whose maintenance is minimal. This neglect is reflected in the bridges, which usually show signs of degradation, putting their users' safety at risk and restricting the transportation of products and people. Log beams - especially of Eucalyptus species - are particularly suitable for the construction of bridges on secondary roads because they are widely available, have a low cost, and possess excellent structural properties. Additionally, log beams are suitable members for bridge spans of 10 to 12m, which are typical of bridges on secondary roads. Bridges with log-concrete composite decks composed of log beams laid along the length of the bridge, covered with a layer of reinforced concrete attached to the beams by means of steel connectors, have been studied and built by Brazilian researchers. These researches aim to provide alternatives for bridge construction, offering cost and safety benefits on these roads. Two case studies are presented here of bridges with log-concrete composite decks, both located in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Our analysis of the performance of these bridges confirms that the combination of reinforced concrete and timber offers advantages over decks made solely of timber, especially in terms of stiffness and durability


The aim of this essay is to place the Shakespearean character Sycorax as a symbol of anticolonia and anti-patriarchal resistance. Throughout the analysis of this figure in The Tempest and its re-writings, I suggest a change from the theories that turned Caliban into an antiimperial symbol towards a consideration of Sycorax for this role. I analyse the possibilities that this character opens in terms of re-writing, as well as the relation of the figure of the witch with her community. I also compare the ideas that Caliban personifies (including sexual violence), with those represented by Sycorax (the struggle against imperial and patriarchal forces). I ultimately defend that Sycorax fits better the position as a resistance symbol, since the struggles against masculine dominance must be addressed at the same level as those against imperialist oppressions.


Polypyrrole (PPY) functionalized 3 dimensional (3D) graphene foam (GF) with remarkable electrochemical performance has been synthesized in this work. The resulting 3D PPY–GF electrode is free standing and hence was used directly as a working electrode without using any binder or carbon additives. The unique features of the PPY–GF composites such as their hierarchically flexible 3D network, and high conductivity of p-doped PPY, afforded PPY–GF electrodes with enhanced pseudocapacitive properties. Under optimal conditions, a maximum specific capacitance of 660 F g−1, specific energy of 71 W h kg−1, comparable to battery performance, and a specific power of 2.4 kW kg−1 (at 0.5 mA) were obtained. Both GF and PPY–GF electrodes exhibited an excellent cycle life and retained almost 100% of their initial capacitances after 10 000 and 6000 charge–discharge cycles, respectively. This highly enhanced stability is attributed to the significant impact of the GF density on the flexibility of the electrode, and the hierarchical pore structures which provided short effective pathways for ion and charge transport and stayed unchanged after thousands of cycles. The PPY–GF pore size varies from a few nm for small pores to a hundred μm for macropores.


Background: Despite the development of molecular research and targeted therapy, patients with wild-type epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) still receive platinum doublet chemotherapy as the standard first-line treatment. We investigated the efficacy of first-line regimens in patients with wild-type EGFR nonsquamous NSCLC. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the efficacy of various platinum doublet regimens as first-line treatments. Between 2007 and 2013, a total of 165 patients with wild-type EGFR nonsquamous NSCLC were included in this study. Results: Seventy-one (43.0%) patients were treated with pemetrexed plus platinum (PP) and 94 (57.0%) with non-pemetrexed plus platinum (NPP). The overall response rate was not different between the PP- and NPP-treated groups (26.8 vs. 28.7%, respectively; p = 0.78). The median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) also showed no differences between the two treatment groups (p = 0.12 for PFS, p = 0.42 for OS). The median PFS and OS for the PP group were 4.6 months (95% CI, 3.8-5.4) and 18.7 months (95% CI, 11.7-25.8), respectively, and for the NPP group, they were 4.2 months (95% CI, 3.4-5.0) and 12.2 months (95% CI, 10.3-14.1), respectively. In the subgroup analysis, most subgroups showed no significant difference in PFS and OS between the two treatment groups. Conclusion: Our data showed that the efficacy of various platinum doublet regimens was similar in patients with wild-type EGFR nonsquamous NSCLC.


When thinking about Dred Scott, the issue is not how do we "rehabilitate" the opinion. The goal of scholarship here is to understand the opinion, place it in the context of its own time, and explain its enduring significance. After that, we may praise or damn it, and rehabilitate it or condemn it. No one today likes the Dred Scott opinion or the result. But, this article argues that Professor Daniel A. Farber is so incensed by the opinion that he vastly overstates its historical significance including incorrectly blaming Chief Justice Taney for causing the Civil War. This article rejects such an analysis. However, despite Farber's claims, the author of this article has not tried to "rehabilitate" Chief Justice Taney and his opinion. This article does not endorse Taney's opinion or attempt to rehabilitate his reputation. There is a huge difference between "rehabilitating" the opinion of the Chief Justice, and suggesting, as the author of this article did in a recent article, that some aspects of the opinion were at least reasonable and that the outcome — that Scott remained a slave and could not sue in diversity — was probably legally correct. Farber argues that Dred Scott was illegitimately decided and that Taney overreached in his attempt to solve the problem of slavery in the territories in a single opinion. Tied to this we must also interrogate the claim implied by Farber, and made by others, that somehow Dred Scott caused the Civil War. The answers to these questions will not be found in a law professor's narrow analysis of the structure of the opinion, but rather in a more thorough understand of the historical context of the decision as set out in this article.


A real-time process algebra, called ACSR, has been developed to facilitate the specification and analysis of real-time systems. ACSR supports synchronous timed actions and asynchronous instantaneous events. Timed actions are used to represent the usage of resources and to model the passage of time. Events are used to capture synchronization between processes. To be able to specify real-time systems accurately, ACSR supports a notion of priority that can be used to arbitrate among timed actions competing for the use of resources and among events that are ready for synchronization. In addition to operators common to process algebra, ACSR includes the scope operator, which can be used to model timeouts and interrupts. Equivalence between ACSR terms is based on the notion of strong bisimulation. This paper briefly describes the syntax and semantics of ACSR and then presents a set of algebraic laws that can be used to prove equivalence of ACSR processes. The contribution of this paper is the soundness and completeness proofs of this set of laws. The completeness proof is for finite-state ACSR processes, which are defined to be processes without free variables under parallel operator or scope operator.


A summary of methods for making dynamic lateral stability and response calculations and for estimating the aerodynamic stability derivatives required for use in these calculations is presented. The processes of performing calculations of the time histories of lateral motions, of the period and damping of these motions, and of the lateral stability boundaries are presented as a series of simple straightforward steps. Existing methods for estimating the stability derivatives are summarized and, in some cases, simple new empirical formulas are presented. Reference is also made to reports presenting experimental data that should be useful in making estimates of the derivatives. Detailed estimating methods are presented for low-subsonic-speed conditions but only a brief discussion and a list of references are given for transonic- and supersonic-speed conditions.