This article describes our experience with test suites and automated branch coverage tools for APL software maintenance, based on our use of them to verify Y2K compliance of an APL-based database system. We introduce egregion, a simple, easy-to-use tool that assesses branch coverage in APL functions. The tool comprises a pair of APL functions that report detailed and summary function-level information about code coverage of test suites. The egregion tool provides a line-by-line analysis of statement coverage, labels not branched to, branches never taken, branches always taken, transfer of control via non-branches, and branches to non-labeled lines. Although we do not consider this groundbreaking work, we do believe that the coverage tool will be valuable to APL programmers who are engaged in the creation of large, reliable applications.


It is shown that the multidimensional signal subspace method, termed weighted subspace fitting (WSF), is asymptotically efficient. This results in a novel, compact matrix expression for the Cramer-Rao bound (CRB) on the estimation error variance. The asymptotic analysis of the maximum likelihood (ML) and WSF methods is extended to deterministic emitter signals. The asymptotic properties of the estimates for this case are shown to be identical to the Gaussian emitter signal case, i.e. independent of the actual signal waveforms. Conclusions concerning the modeling aspect of the sensor array problem are drawn. >


In order to face the new market environment which is in constant change, the company must place the customer in the center of its attention. As a result, the company will not follow, first of all, the benefit brought by a certain successful business, but to develop long-term business relationships with the same customers. The integration of Web technologies has an important place into the process of accomplishing companies' objectives to increase the competitiveness degree on the market by generating customers' loyalty. Developing a web-site makes it possible a very good communication with the clients , and this leads, finally, to a constant adaptation of the company's offer to the continuously changing customers' requests.


Global identification and monitoring programs for invasive species aim to reduce imminent impacts to biodiversity, ecosystem services, agriculture, and human health. This study employs a 658 base pair fragment of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene to identify and categorize clades of the banded grove snail (Cepaea nemoralis (Linnaeus, 1758)) from native (European) and introduced (North American) ranges using a maximum-likelihood phylogeny and haplotype networks. This work corroborates the existence of eight clades within C. nemoralis and further identified three clades that were common to both Europe and North America (A, D, O). Clades A and D were found in eastern Canada, Ontario (Canada), and British Columbia (Canada), whereas clade O was restricted to Ontario, possibly introduced from Poland or central Europe. Haplotype networks suggest clade A was introduced from northern Europe, whereas clade D was introduced from western and central Europe. Networks contained many private haplotypes and a lack of haplotype sharing, suggesting strong genetic structure in this system, possibly resulting from reduced dispersal in this species. This study describes the contemporary distribution of C. nemoralis in Canada and demonstrates the efficacy of DNA barcoding for monitoring the spread of invasive species, warranting its widespread adoption in management policies.


Human protein farnesyltransferase (FTase) catalyzes the addition of a C15-farnesyl lipid group to the cysteine residue located in the COOH-terminal tetrapeptide motif of a variety of important substrate proteins, including well-known Ras protein superfamily. The farnesylation of Ras protein is required both for its normal physiological function, and for the transforming capacity of its oncogenic mutants. Over the last several decades, FTase inhibitors (FTIs) were developed to disrupt the farnesylation of oncogenic Ras as anti-cancer agents, and some of them have entered cancer clinical investigation. On the other hand, some substrates of FTase were demonstrated to be related with other human diseases, including Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome, chronic hepatitis D, and cardiovascular diseases. In this review, we summarize the roles of FTase in malignant transformation, proliferation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, and metastasis of tumor cells, and the recently anticancer clinical research advances of FTIs. The therapeutic prospect of FTIs on several other human diseases is also discussed.


If robots are to act intelligently in everyday environments, they must have a perception of motion and its consequences. This book describes experimental advances made in the interpretation of visual motion over the last few years that have moved researchers closer to emulating the way in which we recover information about the surrounding world. It describes algorithms that form a complete, implemented, and tested system developed by the authors to measure two-dimensional motion in an image sequence, then to compute three-dimensional structure and motion, and finally to recognize the moving objects.The authors develop algorithms to interpret visual motion around four principal constraints. The first and simplest allows the scene structure to be recovered on a pointwise basis. The second constrains the scene to a set of connected straight edges. The third makes the transition between edge and surface representations by demanding that the wireframe recovered is strictly polyhedral. And the final constraint assumes that the scene is comprised of planar surfaces, and recovers them directly.David W. Murray is University Lecturer in Engineering Science at the University of Oxford and Draper's Fellow in Robotics at St Anne's College, Oxford. Bernard F. Buxton is Senior Research Fellow at the General Electric Company's Hirst Research Centre, Wembley, UK, where he leads the Computer Vision Group in the Long Range Research Laboratory.Contents: Image, Scene, and Motion. Computing Image Motion. Structure from Motion of Points. The Structure and Motion of Edges. From Edges to Surfaces. Structure and Motion of Planes. Visual Motion Segmentation. Matching to Edge Models. Matching to Planar Surfaces.


Free-space optical communication holds great promise for future space missions requiring high data rates. For data communication in deep space, the current architecture employs pulse position modulation (PPM). In this scheme, the light is transmitted and detected as pulses within an array of time slots. While the PPM method is efficient for data transmission, the phase of the laser light is not utilized. The phase coherence of a PPM optical signal has been investigated with the goal of developing a new laser communication and ranging scheme that utilizes optical coherence within the established PPM architecture and photon-counting detection (PCD). Experimental measurements of a PPM modulated optical signal were conducted, and modeling code was developed to generate random PPM signals and simulate spectra via FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) analysis. The experimental results show very good agreement with the simulations and confirm that coherence is preserved despite modulation with high extinction ratios and very low duty cycles. A real-time technique has been developed to recover the phase information through the mixing of a PPM signal with a frequency-shifted local oscillator (LO). This mixed signal is amplified, filtered, and integrated to generate a voltage proportional to the phase of the modulated signal. By choosing an appropriate time constant for integration, one can maintain a phase lock despite long dark times between consecutive pulses with low duty cycle. A proof-of-principle demonstration was first achieved with an RF-based PPM signal and test setup. With the same principle method, an optical carrier within a PPM modulated laser beam could also be tracked and recovered. A reference laser was phase-locked to an independent pulsed laser signal with low-duty-cycle pseudo-random PPM codes. In this way, the drifting carrier frequency in the primary laser source is tracked via its phase change in the mixed beat note, while the corresponding voltage feedback maintains the phase lock between the two laser sources. The novelty and key significance of this work is that the carrier phase information can be harnessed within an optical communication link based on PPM-PCD architecture. This technology development could lead to quantum-limited efficient performance within the communication link itself, as well as enable high-resolution optical tracking capabilities for planetary science and spacecraft navigation.


Abstract Starting from the pioneering work on Linda and Gamma, coordination models and languages have gone through an amazing evolution process over the years. From closed to open systems, from parallel computing to multi-agent systems and from database integration to knowledge-intensive environments, coordination abstractions and technologies have gained in relevance and power in those scenarios where complexity has become a key factor. In this paper, we outline and motivate 25 years of evolution of coordination models and languages, and discuss their potential perspectives in the future of artificial systems.


Aim/Purpose: This paper investigates the educational gap between males and females caused by gender segregation in Saudi educational institutions and the role of Mobile Learning Technology (MLT) in bridging this gap through the emphasis on teaching practices, learning resources, and opportunities, as well as participation in campus life.

Background: There is a gender gap over the access to educational opportunities and facilities raised by the segregation in educational institutions in Saudi Arabia. In Saudi society, school campuses have been always been restricted due to the cultural and social values of the native people. The practice of segregation extends across all social aspects of life including education. This has resulted in a gender preferred educational system that highly favors males over females in terms of teaching, learning opportunities, facilities, and resources, as well as the participation of activities on campus. This has become disadvantageous for female students because it has limited their equal access to learning opportunities, sometimes trained by less experienced instructors, and has led thus to an unfair academic performance.

Methodology: An online surveying system was used with a population of all female students who are enrolled in 13 colleges located in Jeddah. The size of the population was 15,171 students. The sampling technique was probabilistic random in which only 300 questionnaires were received back, and only 187 out of 300 questionnaires were fully answered. The study is descriptive, and it used a quantitative survey method with a cross-sectional collected data.

Contribution: This study supported instructors and higher education administrators in adopting MLT to overcome some cultural gaps caused due to segregation by adding literature on MLT contribution to the enhancement of higher education opportunities for women in Saudi Arabia. This study is the first of its kind in the context of Saudi Arabia to delve into the role of MLT in closing the gender gap through making an effective Saudi higher education system policy.

Findings: There are some challenges experienced by Mobile Learning Technology to close the gap caused by gender segregation in the Saudi educational institutions in relation to some dimensions that include demographic data, teaching gap, content, educational opportunities, participation in campus life, and the use of mobile learning.

Recommendations for Practitioners: This study recommends that the educators should consider the need to implement Mobile Learning Technology in the educational system of Saudi Arabia as a means of bridging the everlasting gap of gender separation, especially in schools, and also to empower female students to compete at the same level with their counterpart male students.

Recommendation for Researchers: Further research is expected to focus on effective implementation in Mobile Learning in female campuses as well as government assistance of promoting Mobile Learning in both public and private schools of female campuses.

Impact on Society: The study findings could be highly beneficial for understanding the problems that confront equality and transparency in education between male and female and how Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools could help guarantee equality in education.

Future Research: Future studies could be extended to other areas of assisted online education tools. Furthermore, measures can be implemented to enhance transparency and equality between males and females in education, which could be associated with satisfaction levels for both sides.


Memory-based meta-learning is a powerful technique to build agents that adapt fast to any task within a target distribution. A previous theoretical study has argued that this remarkable performance is because the meta-training protocol incentivises agents to behave Bayes-optimally. We empirically investigate this claim on a number of prediction and bandit tasks. Inspired by ideas from theoretical computer science, we show that meta-learned and Bayes-optimal agents not only behave alike, but they even share a similar computational structure, in the sense that one agent system can approximately simulate the other. Furthermore, we show that Bayes-optimal agents are fixed points of the meta-learning dynamics. Our results suggest that memory-based meta-learning might serve as a general technique for numerically approximating Bayes-optimal agents - that is, even for task distributions for which we currently don't possess tractable models.


Purpose of review This article provides a thorough review of the literature highlighting the articles that have advanced our knowledge about the sensitivity of the larynx to allergens in the air or ones consumed. This area of inquiry requires continued interest and investigation. As the field of clinical laryngology changes, and more information is discovered about the possible causal association between allergy and vocal pathologies, practicing otolaryngologists, allergists, and other medical professionals may discover more comprehensive methods to evaluate and treat their allergic patients, particularly those who present with complaints of dysphonia, dysphagia, laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR), and/or dyspnea. Recent findings There continues to be epidemiological studies designed to describe the relationship of allergy to vocal symptoms and signs. Both population and smaller studies have recently attempted to link these two conditions. Unfortunately, the patient with chronic laryngeal complaints is often tagged by default with the diagnosis of LPR and treated with proton pump inhibitors, which are not always beneficial. The endoscopic assessment may not be as reliable to make the diagnosis of LPR as the examination is subjective and the inter-rater reliability is low. It has been demonstrated by direct laryngeal provocation studies that sticky-viscous endo-laryngeal mucous is the only reliable finding consistently associated with allergy potential allergic tissue reactivity. Summary The interrelationship of allergic sensitivity and chronic laryngitis in certain individuals is becoming clearer because our knowledge of inquiry has increased and the available routine technology to diagnose these conditions has remarkably improved. Notwithstanding these advancements, much more research is needed on this subject to reduce the frequency of mis-diagnoses and mis-management of allergic patients.


The aim of this thesis is twofold. The first and major one is to develop an objectoriented Kaplan turbine model to support control design for hydropower systems. The model is developed in the Modelica language and implemented in the Dymola simulation environment. Using the equation-based modelling formalism of Modelica, the model exploits water flow and pressure balance equations to capture the relationship between the hydraulic and mechanical energy. A particular feature of the model is a detailed description of how the water flow and turbine torque are affected by the wicket gate and turbine runner blade angles. The second aim of the thesis is to demonstrate how the Kaplan turbine model can be used to design hydropower control systems. To this end, a relatively complete hydropower system model is developed using the model components and several dam control strategies are evaluated. This study clearly demonstrates the utility of the model in the design of hydropower control systems.


The variation of the electron density properties and optical rotatory power of the monomers and dimers of seven monosubstituted hydrogen peroxide derivatives, HOOX (X = CCH, CH(3), CF(3), t-Bu, CN, F, Cl), upon racemization has been studied using DFT (B3LYP/6-31+G) and MP2 (MP2/6-311+G) methods. The geometrical results have been rationalized on the basis of natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis. The atomic partition of the electron density properties within the atoms in molecules (AIM) methodology has allowed investigating the energy and charge redistribution in the different structures considered. The calculated optical rotatory power (ORP) of the dimers are, in general, twice of the values obtained for the monomers.


This article invokes a neoliberal and disciplinary governmentality lens in a political ecology of education framework to analyze educational programming at Long Beach, California's Aquarium of the Pacific. I begin by briefly describing governmentality as Foucault and neo-Foucauldian scholars have theorized the concept, followed by a discussion of the emergence of green governmentality and environmentality in political ecology. Next, I invoke a political ecology of education framework informed by neoliberal and disciplinary environmentality to analyze institutional and teaching practice at the Aquarium. In this analysis, I demonstrate how the institution's funding structure, placement within the entertainment markets of the southern California area, and commitment to ocean conservation education all influence how the Aquarium conceptualizes itself and its work. I focus on the case of the Blue Cavern Show and the Seafood for the Future program, which work in tandem to define a problem (declining fish stocks; possible seafood shortages) and then structure a neoliberal solution through the market (sustainable seafood consumption). I conclude by discussing the implications of this research for environmental education, which include unpacking how neoliberalism impacts teaching practice, especially as it relates to notions of framing environmentally responsible action.


Abstract The precision health initiative is leading the discovery of novel biomarkers as important indicators of biological processes or responses to behavior, such as physical activity. Neural biomarkers identified by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) hold promise to inform future research, and ultimately, for transfer to the clinical setting to optimize health outcomes. This study investigated resting-state and functional brain biomarkers between midlife women who were maintaining physical activity in accordance with the current national guidelines and previously acquired age-matched sedentary controls. Approval was obtained from the Human Subjects Committee. Participants included nondiabetic, healthy weight to overweight (body mass index 19–29.9 kg/m2) women (n = 12) aged 40–64 years. Control group data were used from participants enrolled in our previous functional MRI study and baseline resting-state MRI data from a subset of sedentary (<500 kcal of physical activity per week) midlife women who were enrolled in a 9-month exercise intervention conducted in our imaging center. Differential activation of the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and greater connectivity with the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) was identified between physically active women and sedentary controls. After correcting for multiple comparisons, these differences in biomarkers of physical activity maintenance did not reach statistical significance. Preliminary evidence in this small sample suggests that neural biomarkers of physical activity maintenance involve activations in the brain region associated with areas involved in implementing goal-directed behavior. Specifically, activation of the IFG and connectivity with the dlPFC is identified as a neural biomarker to explain and predict long-term physical activity maintenance for healthy aging. Future studies should evaluate these biomarker links with relevant clinical correlations.


Abstract To develop tomato hybrids and varieties with a high fruit quality, we gradually solved the following tasks: development of DNA-marking methods for long shelf life genes; the genes modifying the biosynthesis of carotenoids and their composition; testing of the elaborated methods on the developed breeding material; the selection of samples with different allelic composition of fruit quality genes; the development of F1 hybrids using the method of successive crosses and their study; the selection of tomato forms by DNA-typing methods with target genes in F2 populations to develop valuable breeding samples; the study of carotenoids' accumulation peculiarities and their inheritance. We used DNA-identification methods for fruit quality genes: nor, rin, norA (long shelf life), B, ogc, hp2dg, gf-3 (carotenoid content). The tomato hybrids, combining two pigment content genes and one long shelf life gene and the model forms with different combinations of fruit quality genes (B/rin/gf-3, B/rin/hp2dg; B /nor/gf-3, B /nor/hp2dg; оgc /rin/gf-3, оgc /rin/hp2dg; оgc /nor/gf-3, оgc /nor/hp2dg) in a homozygous state were developed. Use of the developed accessions with carotenoid content genes (ogc/hp2dg, B/hp2dg) as maternal forms and the accessions with complex fruit quality genes (ogc/hp2dg/nor, ogc/hp2dg/rin, B/hp2dg/nor, B/hp2dg/rin, ogc/gf-3/nor, ogc/gf-3/rin, B/gf-3/rin, B/gf-3/nor) as paternal forms for hybridization contributes to high accumulation of carotenoids and a lond period of fruit storability.


From November 2002 to June 2003, we carried out experiments to determine the temporal variability of P vs. E curves and the effects of solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR, 280-400 nm) on photosynthetic parameters of natural phytoplankton assemblages from Patagonia. Samples were collected at 2 sites, Bahia Nueva and Bahia Camarones (Chubut, Argentina), and exposed to solar radiation for 4 to 6 h under 3 quality radiation treatments (i.e. PAR + UVR, 280-700 nm; PAR + UV-A, 320-700 nm; and PAR only, 400-700 nm), and under 6 to 8 levels of ambient irradiance (i.e. by using 0 to 5-7 layers of neutral density screens). Samples collected at Bahia Nueva had relatively high Pmax values (~3-4 µg C (µg chl a) -1 h -1 ) during the pre-bloom period (i.e. late summer to late fall) and relatively low values (~1.5-2.5 µg C (µg chl a) -1 h -1 ) during the post-bloom period (i.e. late spring to early summer); similar results were observed in samples collected at Bahia Camarones. The light saturation parameter Ek, on the other hand, did not show a clear pattern and values ranging from 50 to 400 µmol m -2 s -1 were observed throughout the study period. High Pmax values were significantly correlated with the concentration of large diatoms (R 2 = 0.6, p < 0.05), the taxonomic group that characterized the pre-bloom period. UVR significantly reduced Pmax values (p < 0.05) during the pre- bloom but not during the post-bloom period. UVR also significantly affected Ek (p < 0.05) in all Bahia Camarones samples but only in some from Bahia Nueva. UV-A was responsible for the bulk of photosynthetic inhibition throughout the study period; the highest UV-A-induced integrated inhibi- tion values in the water column were ~16.5 and 7% for Bahia Nueva and Bahia Camarones, respec- tively. On the other hand, UV-B-induced photosynthetic inhibition reached maximum values of 2.3 and 3.9% for Bahia Nueva and Bahia Camarones, respectively. Since under certain environmental conditions P vs. E parameters can be significantly reduced by UVR, we suggest that remote sensing algorithms using these parameters should also consider the impact of UVR in their estimates of primary production.


An acclaimed fashion photographer provides a personal, luminous, and moving account of post-tsunami Japan. This volume is an extraordinary photographic report by the famous Japanese fashion photographer Yasushi Handa, taken a few weeks after the terrible earthquake and tsunami that battered the eastern coastline of Japan in March 2011. It includes the detailed history of the provinces affected by the disaster, an accessible scientific explanation of the reasons why such an event can occur, and a look to the future that talks clearly about how damage can be limited and how nuclear disasters can be prevented. The book also reveals the composure of the Japanese people and their incredible capacity to resurrect themselves. The photographs were exhibited in Tokyo, Kobe, and Okinawa between January and March 2012 and were admired by a great number of visitors.


Rigosertib (ON 01910.Na) is an inhibitor of the phosphoinositide 3‐kinase and polo‐like kinase pathways that induces mitotic arrest and apoptosis in neoplastic cells, while sparing normal cells. Our purpose is to summarize the clinical activity and safety of intravenous (IV) rigosertib delivered by an external ambulatory infusion pump in patients with refractory anemia with excess blasts‐1, ‐2, or, ‐t myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) following prior treatment with DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) inhibitors. A total of 39 patients with MDS who fulfilled these criteria were enrolled in four phase 1‐2 clinical trials of IV rigosertib. Thirty five (88%) had higher risk disease according to the Revised International Prognostic Scoring System. Median overall survival for this group of 39 patients was 35 weeks. Of 30 evaluable patients with follow‐up bone marrow biopsies, 12 (40%) achieved complete (n = 5) or partial (n = 7) bone marrow blast responses. In addition, 15 patients achieved stabilization of bone marrow blasts. One patient with a complete bone marrow response also achieved a complete cytogenetic response. A second patient with stable bone marrow blasts achieved a partial cytogenetic response. Two of the responding patients and three patients with stable disease had hematological improvements. Rigosertib‐induced bone marrow blast decreases and stability appeared to be predictive of prolonged survival. IV rigosertib had a favorable safety profile without significant myelosuppression. Most common drug‐related toxicities included fatigue, diarrhea, nausea, dysuria, and hematuria. In summary, IV rigosertib is well tolerated and has clinical activity in patients with higher risk MDS following DNMT inhibitor treatment. A multinational pivotal phase 3 randomized clinical trial of rigosertib versus best supportive care for patients with MDS with excess blasts following prior treatment with DNMT inhibitors (ONTIME: ON 01910.Na Trial In Myelodysplastic SyndromE) has recently completed enrollment. © 2014 The Authors. Hematological Oncology published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


A membrane permeability test (cell digestion assay) was used to quantify the proportion of living cells (%LC) in the natural populations of Synechococcus and Prochlorococcus across the Central Atlantic Ocean. %LC varied greatly from 48 to 100% for Prochlorococcus and from 15 to 100% for Synechococcus. The %LC was smaller in surface (5 to 30 m) waters of the South Atlantic subtropical gyre, where lower values were observed for Prochlorococcus (64 ± 4%, mean ± SE) than for Synechococcus (74 ± 6%). The %LC increased in the North Atlantic. This is probably associated with the nutrient enrichment by the equatorial upwelling, with Synechococcus showing a more significant response than Prochlorococcus. The vertical distribution of %LC differed between the 2 picocyanobacteria groups, with the maximal %LC of Synechococcus found at shallower depths (i.e. those receiving 25% light) than that of Prochlorococcus. Prochlorococcus showed increased viability as light decreased, suggesting a lower resistance to high light and probably a greater capacity to survive at low irradiance than Synechococcus. These contrasting vertical and spatial distributions of picocyanobacteria %LC suggest that these organisms have differing optimal niches in the Central Atlantic, segregated by their different sensitivity to stress conditions. The results indicate that Prochlorococcus experiences higher cell death than Synechococcus in the Central Atlantic Ocean. This study identifies cell death as a process structuring phytoplankton communities, which is likely to affect the carbon flow in the Central Atlantic Ocean.


Designing more sustainable cities is increasingly pressing, and mobility behaviour plays an important role in how much cities are socially, economically and environmentally sustainable. We report our experience in deploying the third edition of an urban game that exploits gamification for promoting a positive behavioural change of mobility habits. This edition of Play&Go ran for 6 months and involved 635 active players who tracked their trips on sustainable transportation means such as by bike, bus, train and walking trips. Players tracked 54293 trips in total, corresponding to 244.394 sustainable kilometres. We evaluated the user experience of Play&Go and its impact through questionnaires, interviews and game log analysis, and we report on players' participation and engagement, reported behaviour change and impact of different gamification motivational elements.


The onset of nuclear warfare in Hiroshima and Nagasaki had far-reaching implications for the world of medicine. The study of the A-bomb and its implications led to the launching of new fields and avenues of research, most notably in genetics and radiation studies. Far less understood and under-studied was the impact of nuclear research on psychiatric medicine. Psychological research, however, was a major focus of post-war military and civilian research into the bomb. This research and the perceived revolutionary impact of atomic energy and warfare on society, this paper argues, played an important role in the global development of post-war psychiatry. Focusing on psychiatrists in North America, Japan and the United Nations, this paper examines the reaction of the profession to the nuclear age from the early post-war period to the mid 1960s. The way psychiatric medicine related to atomic issues, I argue, shifted significantly between the immediate post-war period and the 1960s. While the early post-war psychiatrists sought to help society deal with and adjust to the new nuclear reality, later psychiatrists moved towards a more radical position that sought to resist the establishment's efforts to normalise the bomb and nuclear energy. This shift had important consequences for research into the psychological trauma suffered by victims of nuclear warfare, which, ultimately, together with other research into the impact of war and systematic violence, led to our current understanding of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).


We present the Bayesian Extinction And Stellar Tool (BEAST), a probabilistic approach to modeling the dust extinguished photometric spectral energy distribution of an individual star while accounting for observational uncertainties common to large resolved star surveys. Given a set of photometric measurements and an observational uncertainty model, the BEAST infers the physical properties of the stellar source using stellar evolution and atmosphere models and constrains the line of sight extinction using a newly developed mixture model that encompasses the full range of dust extinction curves seen in the Local Group. The BEAST is specifically formulated for use with large multi-band surveys of resolved stellar populations. Our approach accounts for measurement uncertainties and any covariance between them due to stellar crowding (both systematic biases and uncertainties in the bias) and absolute flux calibration, thereby incorporating the full information content of the measurement. We illustrate the accuracy and precision possible with the BEAST using data from the Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury. While the BEAST has been developed for this survey, it can be easily applied to similar existing and planned resolved star surveys.


Intensification of agriculture and the corresponding increase in herbicide use has led to concern regarding the effects these chemicals may have on nontarget plants of agroecosystems. Current pesticide registration guidelines are focused on testing crop species grown singly in pots under greenhouse conditions and may not provide adequate measures of protection to noncrop species. The objective of the present study was to compare the response of terrestrial and wetland plants to the herbicides glyphosate and atrazine when grown singly in pots versus under different microcosm conditions. Greenhouse microcosms were generally more sensitive than single‐species tests. Plants grown for an extended test period or in seminatural field conditions were generally less sensitive to herbicides. Sensitivity was found to be dependent on interactions between species and test conditions. Changes in community structure were observed in herbicide‐treated microcosms that would not be predicted from single‐species testing. Single‐species tests are useful because they are inexpensive, can demonstrate clear dose–response patterns uncomplicated by other factors influencing growth, and are able to provide a measure of the sensitivity of a given species to glyphosate and atrazine. However, they are unable to predict subtle changes in community structure that may have important long‐term consequences. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2010;29:2304–2315. © 2010 SETAC


This datasheet on Ips pini covers Identity, Overview, Distribution, Dispersal, Hosts/Species Affected, Diagnosis, Biology & Ecology, Natural Enemies, Impacts, Prevention/Control, Further Information.


Aging is the accumulation of changes in an organism over time that leads to reduced viability. Studies in model organisms indicate that aging is genetically determined and that alterations to specific genes can extend or shorten lifespan. Some organisms exhibit negligible aging with no loss of metabolic functions or fertility over time, despite a high metabolic rate, raising the question as to why and how some organisms age and die. A number of theories of aging have been proposed, including telomere shortening, wear and tear (somatic mutations, error accumulation, loss of protein function, etc.), autoimmune disease and reduced mitochondrial function leading to oxidative stress and damage to DNA and proteins 1 .


— Programmable radio is one of the latest trends in the construction of multi-standard receivers. The technology, called Software Defined Radio (SDR), is also an ideal test platform that allows to try out different algorithms of signal receiving. This particular feature led to choose this platform to implement a DS-CDMA receiver (Direct Sequence Code Division Multiple Access). The use of SDR allows for a gradual upgrade of data processing algorithms in terms of correctness of the received signal and, what is equally important, its processing time. This paper mainly focuses on these two aspects. Subsequently, the plans are submitted for further development of the software receiver.


The electroretinogram (ERG) has been a traditional tool for the measurement and the analysis of spectral sensitivity. With the appropriate choices of stimulus and measurement conditions, the ERG permits a noninvasive examination of photopigment complement and provides the means for studying the combination of spectral signals at various locations throughout the retina. There are a number of practical problems associated with making spectral measurements with the ERG. One approach to minimizing these problems is to exploit the advantages of a flicker-photometric procedure. We summarize a method used to conduct ERG flicker photometry and illustrate a range of problems to which this technique can be successfully applied.


People congregate in cities to improve their prospects for social and economic interactions. As Jane Jacobs recognized, the layout of streets in a city's central business district can significantly affect individuals' ability to obtain the agglomeration benefits that they seek. The costs and benefits of alternative street designs are capitalized into the value of abutting lots. A planner of a street layout, as a rule of thumb, should seek to maximize the market value of the private lots within the layout. By this criterion, the street grid characteristic of the downtowns of most U.S. cities is largely successful. Although a grid layout has aesthetic shortcomings, it helps those who frequent a downtown to orient themselves and move about. A grid also is conducive to the creation of rectangular lots, which are ideal for siting structures and minimizing disputes between abutting landowners. Major changes in street layouts, such as those accomplished by Baron Haussmann in Paris and Robert Moses in New York City, are unusual and typically occur in bursts. Surprisingly, the aftermath of a disaster that has destroyed much of a city is not a propitious occasion for the revamping of street locations.


Worldwide, the mining of uranium has generated 938 × 10 6 m 3 of mill tailings. The radioactivity of these tailings depends on the grade of ore mined and varies from less than 1 Bq/g to more than 100 Bq/g. The most common mode of disposal is near-surface impoundment in the vicinity of the mine or mill. The principal radiation risks from uranium tailings are gamma radiation, essentially from radium decay; windblown radioactive dust dispersal; and radon gas and its radioactive progeny, which are known to cause lung cancer. Uranium mill tailings are also often associated with elevated concentrations of highly toxic heavy metals, which are a major source of surface and groundwater contamination. Due to their high sulfide content (a few to tens of wt%), tailings may acidify groundwater, accelerating the release of radioactive and hazardous elements.


Regression testing is an important activity performed to validate modified software, and one of its key tasks is regression test selection (RTS) -- selecting a subset of existing test cases to run on the modified software. Most existing RTS techniques focus on changes made to code components and completely ignore non-code elements, such as configuration files and databases, which can also change and affect the system behavior. To address this issue, we present a new RTS technique that performs accurate test selection in the presence of changes to non-code components. To do this, our technique computes traceability between test cases and the external data accessed by an application, and uses this information to perform RTS in the presence of changes to non-code elements. We present our technique, a prototype implementation of our technique, and a set of preliminary empirical results that illustrate the feasibility, effectiveness, and potential usefulness of our approach.


International Cooperation and the Campaign to Ban Landmines The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) was formally launched by six nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in October 1992. It galvanized world opinion against anti-personnel landmines to such a degree that within five years a clear and simple ban treaty had been negotiated. Signed by 122 nations in December 1997, the treaty became binding international law more quickly than any other such agreement in history. The treaty has, for the first time, comprehensively prohibited a widely used conventional weapon. In the late 1980s, a number of NGOs began to recognize that the tens of millions of landmines contaminating dozens of countries around the world posed a humanitarian crisis. Human-rights organizations, children's advocacy groups, development and refugee organizations, and medical and humanitarian relief groups were being forced to make significant adjustments in their field programs to address the impact of landmines on the people they were trying to help. It became very clear that the only way to eliminate the problem was to eliminate the weapon. The NGO community did not wait for others to take action; they recognized a critical problem and initiated an effort to address it. These organizations had expertise on a wide range of issues related to landmines, and they worked diligently to gather field-based information that supported their demands for a global ban on the weapon. As the ICBL effort was getting off the ground, the changing global situation helped set favorable conditions for talks on the use of conventional weapons. The end of the Cold War and shifting centers of power made it possible to approach issues of conflict in ways other than simply trying to avoid a nuclear holocaust. Organizations and individuals began to look at how conflicts had actually played out during the Cold War and at what weapons and methods of warfare had produced the most significant impact on the lives of civilians. In addition, possible responses by governments to issues of global concern were no longer as constrained as during the Cold War, when the two major powers dominated diplomacy. The process that brought about the Mine Ban Treaty has added a new dimension to diplomacy, and its success has generated hope for its wider applicability. When the Nobel Committee announced that the ICBL had been awarded the 1997 Nobel Prize for Peace, the Committee recognized not only the achievement of the ban, but also the promise of the model established by the ICBL. The Committee noted that the ICBL had been able to "express and mediate a broad range of popular commitment in an unprecedented way. With the governments of several small and medium-sized countries taking the issue up...this work has grown into a convincing example of an effective policy for peace." The Committee concluded that, "as a model for similar processes in the future, it could prove of decisive importance to the international effort for disarmament and peace." What made the ICBL so successful that it could serve as a possible model for others? Critical to the strength of the ICBL has been its loose structure, a phenomenon that is often misunderstood. The ICBL is a true coalition made up of independent NGOs. There has never been a secretariat or central office. The NGOs that comprise the ICBL have come together with the common goal of banning landmines, but there has never been an overarching, bureaucratic structure to dictate how members should contribute to the ICBL. The ICBL deliberately did not establish a central office; each NGO had to find a way to participate in making the campaign work. This structure helped to ensure that the ICBL "belonged" to all of its members. Members of the ICBL meet regularly to develop comprehensive strategies and plan joint actions; beyond that each NGO and national campaign has carried out its work in a manner that best fits its individual mandate, political culture, and circumstances. …


In this paper we present novel input devices that combine the standard capabilities of a computer mouse with multi-touch sensing. Our goal is to enrich traditional pointer-based desktop interactions with touch and gestures. To chart the design space, we present five different multi-touch mouse implementations. Each explores a different touch sensing strategy, which leads to differing form-factors and hence interactive possibilities. In addition to the detailed description of hardware and software implementations of our prototypes, we discuss the relative strengths, limitations and affordances of these novel input devices as informed by the results of a preliminary user study.


ABSTRACT Histone modifications occur in precise patterns and are proposed to signal the recruitment of effector molecules that profoundly impact chromatin structure, gene regulation, and cell cycle events. The linked modifications serine 10 phosphorylation and lysine 14 acetylation on histone H3 (H3S10phK14ac), modifications conserved from Saccharomyces cerevisiae to humans, are crucial for transcriptional activation of many genes. However, the mechanism of H3S10phK14ac involvement in these processes is unclear. To shed light on the role of this dual modification, we utilized H3 peptide affinity assays to identify H3S10phK14ac-interacting proteins. We found that the interaction of the known phospho-binding 14-3-3 proteins with H3 is dependent on the presence of both of these marks, not just phosphorylation alone. This is true of mammalian 14-3-3 proteins as well as the yeast homologues Bmh1 and Bmh2. The importance of acetylation in this interaction is also seen in vivo, where K14 acetylation is required for optimal Bmh1 recruitment to the GAL1 promoter during transcriptional activation.


Abstract:European democracies are going through what may be their most difficult period since the Great Depression. Europe's mess can be traced to a number of distinct causes, but one that has been largely undervalued is the decline of the center- or social democratic left. This decline has hurt European democracy both directly, as many of these parties' voters have fled to extremist parties, and also indirectly, for these parties played a crucial role creating and maintaining the postwar order upon which stable democracy was built. Absent a revivification of the center-left, it is hard to see how this order—and perhaps even well-functioning democracy generally—can be resuscitated in Europe.


Abstract Increasing production of artificial snow in ski resorts is controversially discussed, but only few investigations have been carried out systematically to specify the environmental impacts. We measured snow depth and density from groomed ski pistes (runs) with compacted snow and their effects on ground temperatures and timing of snowmelt. We analyzed groomed pistes with and without artificial snow (10 each) as well as adjacent ungroomed off-piste control plots beside the piste. On pistes with natural snow, the thin and compacted snow cover led to severe and long lasting seasonal soil frost. On pistes with artificial snow, soil frost occurred less frequently because of increased insulation due to the greater snow depth. However, due to the greater snow mass, the beginning of the snow-free season was delayed by more than 2 wk. Average winter ground temperatures under a continuous snow cover were decreased by approximately 1°C on both piste types compared with off-piste control plots. The results suggest that the heat balance of alpine soils is changed by both piste types, either by an extensive heat loss on pistes with natural snow or by prolonged snow cover on pistes with artificial snow.


Breastfeeding is the single most powerful and well documented preventive intervention to reduce the risk of common causes of infant morbidity. In response to the positive outcomes of breastfeeding for both mothers and infants, the American Academy of Pediatrics has declared that it is no longer a lifestyle choice, but a critical public health decision. A common method to promote breastfeeding is through support services provided by hospitals after discharge. Some hospitals have adopted the Baby-Friendly program, which is a part of a national coalition to promote higher breastfeeding rates across the country. Despite the coalition, a large percentage of post partum mothers remain misinformed regarding the importance of continuing breastfeeding after discharge from the hospital. Barriers such as fatigue, isolation, and fearing judgment from their health care provider inhibit some new mothers from seeking professional help. Blogging is an innovative method to promote education to breastfeeding mothers after discharge. Blogs, as an individually maintained webpage or online journal, provide health care organizations with a platform to promote education via the internet. Recommendations for health care organizations seeking to provide breastfeeding support within the community after discharge from the hospital are as follows: (a) incorporate an industry-affiliated blog as a form of patient education and support; (b) develop a policy in which to maintain the blog; (c) provide blog topics that will address barriers known to interrupt women in maintaining lactation beyond discharge; and (d) utilize the comments section by encouraging open-dialogue between the blog author and reader. BLOGGING: A BABY-FRIENDLY TOOL 3


Objective To investigate the effect of donepezil hydrochloride on changes of cognitive functions and Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) scores in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Methods A total of 50 patients diagnosed as having MCI,admitted to our hospital from September 2010 to March 2011, were recruited; these patients were randomly assigned into treatment group (treated with donepezil hydrochloride,n=30) and control group (treated with Ginkgo biloba,n=20); the changes of MoCA scores were noted at 12 and 24 weeks after treatment.The data were analyzed by the statistical software SPSS 10.0. Results MoCA scores of treatment group 12 and 24 weeks after treatment were significantly higher than those before treatment (P<0.05); MoCA scores of treatment group were significantly higher than those of control group 12 and 24 weeks after treatment (P<0.05).Mann-Whitney rank sum test showed significant improvement in digit span,verbal fluency and delayed memory after the treatment of donepezil hydrochloride for 12 weeks as compared with those before treatment (P<0.05). Conclusion By MoCA scale,MCI patients could get early diagnosis; MCI patients with early diagnosis and early application of donepezil hydrochloride will delay their entry into the course of AD.

Key words:
Mini Mental State Examination; Montreal Cognitive Assessment; Mild cognitive impairment; Donepezil hydrochloride


Over the past decade, Congress, the press, and the academy have devoted substantial attention to the system for judicial oversight of deportation matters. There has been scant attention, however, to a parallel judicial role in determining whether a lawful permanent resident meets the standards for citizenship. This role concerns one of the most paramount interests of immigrants. Through citizenship, immigrants gain many rights, including the right to vote, to engage in all forms of employment, and to be free from the threat of deportation. Although the judicial role in naturalization dates back to 1790, the current statutory scheme was put in place in 1990. Courts exercising jurisdiction in naturalization cases have been unsure of their proper institutional role under this scheme. Some courts have adopted a classic administrative review model, which ignores the specific statutory provisions for naturalization cases. Other courts have adopted a civil litigation model that completely ignores the record developed in the agency adjudication as well as statutory language that allows for a determination on that record. This article seeks to unpack the origins of the current statutory scheme for judicial review, to provide some initial evaluation of whether it is working to achieve the goals Congress sought to achieve in 1990, and to explore criteria for the judicial role in naturalization cases. The article argues that neither a pure administrative review nor a pure civil litigation model works well in light of the special nature of claims to citizenship. Instead, a hybrid model, that combines features of each, is well designed to protect the interest in fair access to citizenship and best explains the structure of the current law.


In this paper, we introduce an architecture for addressing the problem of video classification based on a set of compressed features, without the need of accessing the original full-resolution video data. In particular, the video frames are acquired directly in a compressed domain by means of random projections associated with a set of compressive measurements. This initial dimensionality reduction step is followed by distance metric learning for the construction of an informative distance matrix, which is then embedded in a manifold learning approach to increase the discriminative power of the random measurements in a lower-dimensional space. Classification results using a set of activity videos suggest that the proposed approach can be used effectively in cases when the acquisition and processing of full-resolution video data is characterized by increased consumption of the available power, memory and bandwidth, which may impede the operation of systems with limited resources.


This paper contributes to a burgeoning body of literature which seeks to highlight the importance of studying small cities. Dissatisfaction with urban theory dominated by study of 'the city' defined in terms of a small number of 'global' cities has led theorists to consider what is lost as a consequence of this bias. Although there is long way to go to challenge the orthodoxies of urban theory dominated by study of the 'biggest and best', here we focus on an area of small cities research where progress has been made towards developing a more inclusive agenda. This study reviews research into the cultural economy of small cities and highlights a growing body of rich and detailed literature. Despite this progress, however, we argue that a coherent and clear research agenda is yet to emerge. To this end, we signpost ways in which bolder theoretical and empirical questions can be developed that can begin to make more of a significant impact on urban theory.


Background: There has been a rapid increase in
the number, range of specialities, and
responsibilities undertaken by CNS's in the UK.
There exists wide disparity in terms of
qualification, experience and remuneration and
little rigorous evidence of the effectiveness of
these roles (Castledine 1997; 2000). There is
some evidence to suggest patient benefits
whereas other work suggests that CNS deskill
nurses generalist; nurses (Jack et al 2002). There
is an urgent need to establish the added value of
the CNS.
Method: This paper will present data from Phase
I of a multi-centre study examining the impact of
the CNS on generalist nurses. A survey was
administered to soon to be qualified adult branch
students nurses from three UK higher education
institutions. The specially designed questionnaire
explored the student's perceptions of CNS
involvement in care, reasons for referral and
advantages and disadvantages of the role(s).
Results and Discussion: The results indicated
that CNS are routinely involved in the care of
patients across a range of diagnoses and needs.
Generally CNS's were seen as bringing benefit to
patients, although problems associated with
delays following referral were noted. The
participants identified education and support as
beneficial but this was contrasted against the
negative impact of growing conflict between
nurses and CNS post holders. The students
identified the potential for generalist nurses to be
undervalued and de-skilled. This paper will
discuss the results and explore the potential
reasons underlying these findings including
confusion surrounding the role of the CNS.
Intended learning outcomes:
• Have an awareness of the expansion of CNS
• Be aware of the need to evaluate the impact of
the CNS
• Appreciate the potential benefits and
disadvantages that CNS can have


Many U.S. ranchers implant cattle with the synthetic androgen trenbolone acetate to beef them up, but concerns have been raised that its metabolites leach into streams and ponds, disrupting endocrine systems of aquatic life. Sunlight was though to permanently degrade such metabolites but a study shows that the degradation products can revert at night, zombielike, back into the endocrine-disrupting metabolites. The same could be true of metabolites of other hormones that make their way into the environment.


"The Chromosomes of Terraranan Frogs" is the most comprehensive, original and comparative cytogenetic study of vertebrates ever performed, presenting results obtained over a 36-year period of more than 70 expeditions to the Neotropics (Central and South America and the Caribbean) and from several laboratories (Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Germany, USA, and Venezuela). The karyotypes and genomes of 227 recognized species and 2,548 individual specimens of Terrarana were examined using a variety of staining techniques, molecular probe in situ hybridization, and genome size measurements. Furthermore, all previously published data on the cytogenetics of Terrarana have been included. The karyotype characters were mapped onto the molecular phylogeny obtained by analyses of several mitochondrial and nuclear genes. This allowed reconstruction of the various karyophylogenies as well as calculation of the chromosomal mutation rates. The results were always interpreted in context with the cytogenetic data published for other amphibian taxa or vertebrates. The general properties of eukaryote chromosomes, the rules governing structural and numerical chromosome repatterning as well as the principles of chromosome evolution are explained. An extensive 'Material and Methods' section was compiled with the intention of providing the necessary guidance for everyone interested in studying amphibian chromosomes. This monograph provides detailed current and archival information on terraranan karyotypes and genomes to colleagues who are already recognized specialists in amphibian or vertebrate cytogenetics. It is also valuable reading for herpetologists involved in the evolution of neotropical amphibians and provides comprehensive insights into vertebrate cytogenetics for students.


Back-arc spreading is initiated with rifting along the volcanic zone of an island arc under extensional tectonics. The width of the volcanic zone of the arc, which is closely related to the dip angle of the subducting slab, should cause a variation in the style of initial rifting and subsequent back-arc spreading. Two modes of back-arc spreading, single-rift type and multirift type, are introduced from the comparative study of the Bonin arc and the Japan Sea. Divergent tectonics in an island arc above a steeply dipping slab will cause a single-rift system in a narrow volcanic zone but will cause a multirift system in a broad volcanic zone, which is related to a shallow-dipping angle of subduction.


In 2003, the Assembly of Christian Churches of Fiji (ACCF ) invited evangelist Reinhard Bonnke, who is reputed to have raised a man from the dead, to conduct a revival in Fiji. Three years later, an invitation was also extended to American televangelist Benny Hinn. The Qarase government welcomed Bonnke's visit as an act of reconciliation for the nation, despite the fact that about 42 percent of the population of Fiji are not Christian, and many of those who are Christian disparage miracle workers. Hinn's visit was rationalized somewhat differently-as a draw for tourists, and in terms of the media coverage he was expected to have. This essay explores the rationalizations for the visits of these evangelists, the types of politico-religious alliances that have developed since the 2000 coup, and the politico-religious ethos that was to lead to the events of the 2006 coup.


This qualitative instrumental case study explores Finnish student music teachers' experiences of teaching and learning as participants in an intercultural project in Cambodia. The Multicultural Music University project aimed at increasing master's level music education students' intercultural competencies by providing experiences of teaching and being taught abroad in traditional music and dance programs run by two Cambodian NGOs. The article suggests that beside the importance of learning new music and dance traditions, the student music teachers regarded the learning experiences gained through peer-teaching in an unfamiliar context as significant, as these experiences provoked them to step out from their pedagogical comfort zones and to engage in a deep reflection on the nature of teaching and the purpose of music education. Rather than perceiving their teaching as individual achievements the student teachers' reflections proceeded towards an increasing emphasis put on the quality of joint interaction and the benefits gained from having to spontaneously create the structure of lessons in fast-changing situations. Based on the analysis of individual and focus group interviews and other research data, we discuss the concept of teaching as improvisation and its implications for teacher education.


Rigorous coupled-wave reflection grating analysis and Kukhtarev's equations have been solved in the time domain to determine the optical intensity, electron density, and dielectric modulation in BaTiO3. A novel Green's-function approach has been developed to analyze Kukhtarev's material equations. The Green's-function approach allowed Kukhtarev's equations to be reduced to a matrix form, from which the electron density could be obtained. A temporal state variable matrix equation was also developed from which full time-dependent solutions of Kukhtarev's equations could be determined. An electron balance equation was developed from which the different terms in Kukhtarev's equation could be studied and compared. Numerical simulations were carried out that showed the growth of a photorefractive BaTiO3 reflection grating. The simulation showed that an asymmetric, blazelike pattern resulted for the dielectric modulation. The blazelike pattern was shown to arise from spatial differentiation of a cusplike shape that the electron-density function assumed for its solution.


The Partially Observable Markov Decision Process (POMDP) provides a rich mathematical model for designing agents that have to formulate plans under uncertainty. The curses of dimensionality and history associated with solving POMDPs have lead to numerous refinements of the value iteration algorithm. Several exact methods with different pruning strategies have been devised, yet, limited scalability has lead research to focus on ways to approximate the optimal value function. One set of approximations relies on point-based value iteration, which maintains a fixed-size value function, and is typically executed offline. Another set of approximations relies on tree search, which explores the implicit tree defined by the value iteration equation, and is typically executed online. In this paper we present a hybrid value iteration algorithm that combines the benefits of point-based value iteration and tree search. Using our approach, a hybrid agent executes tree search online, and occasionally updates its offline-computed lower bound on the optimal value function, resulting in improved lookahead and higher obtained reward, while meeting real-time constraints. Thus, unlike other hybrid algorithms that use an invariant value function computed offline, our proposed scheme uses information from the real-time tree search process to reason whether to perform a point-based backup online. Keeping track of partial results obtained during online planning makes the computation of point-based backups less prohibitive. We report preliminary results that support our approach.


This paper describes the Expressive Velocity Engine library, an object oriented C++ library designed to ease the process of writing efficient numerical applications using AltiVec, the SIMD extension designed by Apple, Motorola and IBM. AltiVec-powered applications typically show off a relative speed up of 4 to 16 but need a complex and awkward programmation style. By using various template metaprogramming techniques, E.V.E. provides an easy to use, STL-like, interface that allows developer to quickly write efficient and easy to read code. Typical applications written with E.V.E. can benefit from a large fraction of theorical maximum speed up while being written as simple C++ arithmetic code.


Drawing on exclusive interviews with Clement Greenberg before his death, this is the first comprehensive biography of America's greatest, and most controversial, critic. Clement Greenberg was born in the Bronx in 1909, the child of Jewish immigrants from Polish Lithuania. He attended Syracuse University, spent three years sleeping late, reading, and frequenting museums, and then toured the country as a traveling salesman for a necktie business owned by his father. By 1935 he was back in New York working at a routine civil service job. One could hardly have predicted that from these inauspicious beginnings would emerge one of the century's premier cultural critics. In 1939 he wrote "Avant-Garde and Kitsch", the landmark essay that catapulted him from anonymity to the center of a stellar group of intellectuals known as the Partisan Review crowd-- Saul Bellow, Irving Howe, Meyer Schapiro, and Lionel Trilling, among others. The subject of Greenberg's essay was modem society examined through popular culture and painterly abstraction. It was his uncanny response to the form abstraction was going to take in advanced American painting that placed him-- with no formal training in art history-- at the apex of the art world for the next fifty years. Greenberg's independent opinions and combative style soon made him enemies. William Phillips, a founding editor of Partisan Review and a close friend, explained: "Clem would declare his dislike and lack of respect for other people's ideas, behavior, character. I'm not saying he was wrong, he was usually right. But... it creates friction." Greenberg criticized the taste of the Museum of Modem Art, while he sang the praises of artists such as Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Arshile Gorky, and David Smith when few in the art world took them seriously. By the end of the forties, when his ideas began appearing in Life, Time, and Newsweek, the establishment was compelled to react. Greenberg had become a kingmaker. The artists he praised dominated the leading art magazines and monopolized the exhibition schedules of the great museums of the world. But Greenberg flew too close to the sun and paid the price. Although he routinely denied having any power at all, he was accused of telling artists how to paint and of being a dictator who laid down laws and destroyed the careers of those who did not follow them. The artists he excluded, and the critics who supported them, were so embittered that when the backlash came it lasted for two decades. By the late seventies, "Clembashing" had become the art world's favorite indoor sport. Ironically, though, the uneven and obsessive nature of the battle-- the majority of the art world against one lone voice-- ensured his position at the center of the art conversation. To this day no one has appeared with the charisma or authority to replace him. Florence Rubenfeld traces the rise and fall of this impassioned and provocative critic, telling his story, in part, through his words and the words of the dazzling array of personalities who surrounded him. She provides a new assessment of his profound contribution to art criticism, insights into his influences and identity, and an engaging social history of an infamous postwar milieu, peopled by brilliant intellectuals and groundbreaking artists. "Clement Greenberg: A Life" is an authoritative account of a remarkable man and the vibrant New York art world he helped to define.


As large ground-dwelling birds, pheasants are widely hunted for food, plumage and the live bird trade - consequently many species are threatened. They are largely dependent on forested habitats, making them highly vulnerable to deforestation and habitat degradation. The first edition covered 1995-1999, and many of its recommendations have been addressed. This new edition provides an update, including a new set of conservation projects with international priority for initiation during the period 2000-4. It contains details of practical work that is most urgently required to help protect each of the threatened species


A high quality drug must exhibit a balance of many properties, including potency, ADME and safety. Identifying an optimal solution that balances multiple factors is known as 'multi-parameter optimisation' (MPO). In drug discovery this is particularly challenging due to complex, often conflicting property requirements combined with uncertain data because of experimental variability or predictive error. These make it difficult to decide with confidence which lines of enquiry to pursue and which compounds to prioritise. We will review recent developments in MPO to guide decision-making during hit-to-lead and lead optimisation. We will present a flexible approach that allows project-specific property criteria and their weights to be easily defined and integrates the available data to provide an overall compound score, explicitly taking uncertainty into account. These scores can be used to prioritise compounds with the highest chance of success while mitigating risk by exploring a diverse range of possible chemistries. These are the slides that Matt presented. A copy of Matt's slides is available as a PDF file.


A common assumption in motion blur rendering is that the triangle vertices move in straight lines. In this paper, we focus on scenarios where this assumption is no longer valid, such as motion due to fast rotation and other non-linear characteristics. To that end, we present a higher-order representation of vertex motion based on Bézier curves, which allows for more complex motion paths, and we derive the necessary mathematics for these. In addition, we extend previous work to handle higher-order motion by developing a new tile vs. triangle overlap test. We find that our tile-based rasterizer outperforms all other methods in terms of sample test efficiency, and that our generalization of an interval-based rasterizer is often fastest in terms of wall clock rendering time. In addition, we use our tile test to improve rasterization performance by up to a factor 5× for semi-analytical motion blur rendering


Purpose: Universities assess and evaluate students concerning competence in essential disciplinary knowledge and skills. Those assessments impact learners' attitudes, beliefs, and emotions. Negative impacts may be overcome if students regulate their responses to assessment and feedback. Design/Approach/Methods: This article systematically locates research studies that cite three key early papers around student conceptions of assessment (SCoA). A narrative synthesis is based on 22 papers. Findings: In addition to the SCoA, 11 different research inventories reveal a variety of regulatory responses that are enhanced when assessments are deliberately formative, fair, and trustworthy. There is broad interest in this phenomenon but little consistency in methods, and even the SCoA has little consistency in factor structure across jurisdictions. Only one study provided an objective behavioral measure to validate self-reports, which are the dominant form of research. Originality/Value: This review gives readers insights into how assessment influences student thinking and how student cognition can regulate success.


Systems techniques are integral to current research in molecular cell biology, and system-level investigations are often accompanied by mathematical models. These models serve as working hypotheses: they help us to understand and predict the behavior of complex systems. This book offers an introduction to mathematical concepts and techniques needed for the construction and interpretation of models in molecular systems biology. It is accessible to upper-level undergraduate or graduate students in life science or engineering who have some familiarity with calculus, and will be a useful reference for researchers at all levels. The first four chapters cover the basics of mathematical modeling in molecular systems biology. The last four chapters address specific biological domains, treating modeling of metabolic networks, of signal transduction pathways, of gene regulatory networks, and of electrophysiology and neuronal action potentials. Chapters 3--8 end with optional sections that address more specialized modeling topics. Exercises, solvable with pen-and-paper calculations, appear throughout the text to encourage interaction with the mathematical techniques. More involved end-of-chapter problem sets require computational software. Appendixes provide a review of basic concepts of molecular biology, additional mathematical background material, and tutorials for two computational software packages (XPPAUT and MATLAB) that can be used for model simulation and analysis.


General Systems is a theory of absolute relativity. Its aim is to describe all the isomorphisms, invariances and conservation laws of the Universe – 3 concepts that mean the same: an immortal reality that keeps reproducing self similar forms in space and self similar events/cycles in time. Relativity showed all systems are invariant to motions in space.  But physical invariance is only one of the 5 invariances of the Universe. When we widen the concept of invariance to 'self-similarity' - a more general term - the Universe remains invariant to motion but also becomes:  - Invariant to changes of 'in/form/ation' (topological invariance), shown in the existence of only 3 topologies in a 4-dimensional Universe, which correspond to the 3 formal functions of all systems, the energetic membrane or sphere, the toroid body that exchanges energy and information with the hyperbolic, informative, central zero point of the system. And derived from the invariance of those essential parameters of reality, motion and form, its complex combinations: - Invariance of the 4 actions that combine energy (e) and in/form/ation (i): energy feeding, information processing, reproduction of both (exi) and social evolution, of parts into wholes, origin of the 4 th invariance:  -  Invariance of scale which define a 5 th , fractal, scalar dimension made of growing scales of size and self-organization that evolve reality from the smallest particles into the complex organisms and galaxies of the upper scales. - And invariance of time frequencies, which determine the causality laws of the Universe and life-death cycles of all systems of the Universe, among them the invariance of 3 time ages of life and the parallel 3 states of matter in physical systems. Formalism of absolute relativity. Topology, Fractal, non-Euclidean Geometries, and ternary logic, further evolved by this author (definition of the first four non-Euclidean postulates and the paradoxical logic of information) become the formal tools to study those invariances represented by a feed-back, fractal generator equation. The 5 invariances of the Universe, motion & energy (E), form or information (i), its combined actions, its cyclical time frequency or quantization, ∑E, ∏I, and their self-similarity through discontinuous space-time scales (i can be formalized with a feed-back equation, the Fractal Generator of the Universe - Max. ∑ Ei-1 ∏ Ti - which maximizes them, under the restrictions of the Non-Euclidean, Non- Aristotelian mathematical and logic laws that describe each invariance. The fractal generator represents many things: the principle of conservation of energy and information; the complementary structure of all systems made of energy fields/bodies and informative heads/particles, the actions all systems enact to improve their chances of survival by maximizing their invariances; while its maximal points become the topological forms, ages and allowed states of all biological and physical systems: Max. E (sphere, energetic youth, gas); Max. ExI -> E=I, (toroid, reproductive age, liquid) and Max. I (zero point, 3 rd informative age, solid). Since all stable systems are a combination of the 3 topologies that maximize the fractal generator and all existences a motion in time through its 3 maximal points, while all failed mutations and unstable particles are incomplete sets or 'vibrational modes' created around them. Reason why I call the Fractal Generator, the Equation of Exi=stence - an algorithm, constantly run by the Universe that generates all its living and non-living systems in space and its ages/states of time and matter. In this conference we introduce the 5 invariances and the fractal generator, showing how they create in its maximal points the species of all sciences across the 5 th dimension of fractal scales of space-time.


This study explores the intrahousehold impact of transfer of modern agricultural technology from a gender perspective. The data suggest that group-based programs targeting women have a greater potential to address gender relations within the household and society than do programs targeting women as individuals. In male-dominated societies where women have limited access to internal or external support networks, programs targeting women as individuals that do not also provide alternative sources of support are bound to fail in their gender goals.


The reception of "Asyla" since its premiere in 1997 by Sir Simon Rattle and the CBSO has been staggering. Instantly hailed as a classic, "Asyla" won the 1997 Royal Philharmonic Society Award for Large-Scale Composition. Simon Rattle included "Asyla" in his farewell concert with the CBSO in 1998, and introduced it to Berlin audiences in his first concert as principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmoniker (2001). An internationally-acclaimed recording made of the work was nominated for the 1999 Mercury Music Prize, and in 2000, Ades became the youngest composer (and only the third British compser) to win the Grawemeyer prize, for "Asyla". "Ecstasio", the third movement of the work, draws heavily on gestures and forms of rave music in a manner analogous to the use of contemporary dance genres in the Romantic scherzo. Although not the first orchestral work to include material derived from rave music, "Asyla"'s spectacular history means that it is almost certainly the most prominent. The relative novelty of the rave idiom in the symphonic repertoire has resulted in early critics of the work focussing their attention on the unusual gestures and forms that are alluded to in "Ecstasio". The resulting emphasis on the social, political and physical implications of rave music promotes an oversimplified picture of the movement; no mention is made of those symphonic processes that comment on, conflict with, and ultimately compromise the projected 'rave voice'. In this paper I will show how the elements that are used to signify the rave voice in "Ecstasio" are created, combined and eventually nullified by more traditional symphonic elements. The resulting dysphoric narrative questions and contradicts early readings of the movement, suggesting instead an ambiguous yet probing artistic position towards rave music.


The incidence of severe sepsis and septic shock is increasing in the older population leading to increased admissions to the intensive care units (ICUs). The elderly are predisposed to sepsis due to co-existing co-morbidities, repeated and prolonged hospitalizations, reduced immunity, functional limitations and above all due to the effects of aging itself. A lower threshold and a higher index of suspicion is required to diagnose sepsis in this patient population because the initial clinical picture may be ambiguous, and aging increases the risk of a sudden deterioration in sepsis to severe sepsis and septic shock. Management is largely based on standard international guidelines with a few modifications. Age itself is an independent risk factor for death in patients with severe sepsis, however, many patients respond well to timely and appropriate interventions. The treatment should not be limited or deferred in elderly patients with severe sepsis only on the grounds of physician prejudice, but patient and family preferences should also be taken into account as the outcomes are not dismal. Future investigations in the management of sepsis should not only target good functional recovery but also ensure social independence and quality of life after ICU discharge.


Subjective stress is a well-documented predictor of early smoking relapse, yet our understanding of stress and tobacco use is limited by the reliability of current available measures of stress. Functional magnetic reasoning imaging (fMRI) could provide a much-needed objective measure of stress reactivity. The goal of this dissertation is to contribute to the understanding of abstinence-induced changes in stress reactivity by examining neural, neuroendocrine (cortisol), and subjective measures of stress response during abstinence. In addition, this study investigated the influence of individual variation in nicotine metabolism rates on these measures of stress reactivity. Seventy-five treatment-seeking smokers underwent blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) fMRI during the Montreal Imaging Stress Task (MIST) on two occasions: once during smoking satiety and once following biochemically confirmed 24-hour abstinence (order counter-balanced). The primary outcome measure was brain response during stress (vs. control) blocks of the MIST. Neural stress reactivity during abstinence (vs. satiety) was associated with significantly increased activation in the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), a brain region previously associated with inhibitory control. Greater abstinenceinduced change in brain response to stress was associated with greater abstinence-induced change in subjective stress. However, there was no association with abstinence-induced change in cortisol response. In addition, higher rates of nicotine metabolism were associated with increased abstinence-induced change in self-reported stress, but not with brain or cortisol response. This study provides novel evidence that the brain response to stress is altered during the first 24 hours of a quit attempt compared to smoking satiety. These results underscore the importance of stress response during abstinence, and suggest that neuroimaging may provide a useful biomarker of stress response during the early smoking cessation, a period when smokers are most vulnerable to relapse. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Pharmacology First Advisor Caryn Lerman Subject Categories Pharmacology This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/3295 i THE EFFECT OF ABSTINENCE FROM SMOKING ON STRESS REACTIVITY


Using a lifecycle model of consumption, saving and portfolio choice combined with linked survey and administrative data on wealth and lifetime earnings we evaluate measures of retirement preparedness. We estimate heterogeneous discount factors for households and compare these estimates of their patience to their replacement rates—the simple measure often used to evaluate the adequacy of retirement savings. We find first that the specification of the model's asset structure matters quantitatively for preference parameter estimates—households appear to be much more patient when they are assumed to have access only to a risk‐free asset compared to when we account for the fact that much of their wealth is stored in higher‐return tax‐advantaged private pensions and in housing. Second, we find that only the most patient households achieve the replacement rates out of
 final earnings that are often recommended by policymakers and industry as sensible benchmarks for retirement preparedness. Notwithstanding this, we find that even quite impatient households in the population we study achieve high replacement rates out of lifetime
 average income—a more sensible summary measure of preparedness for retirement.


The 11C-labeled tracer meta-hydroxyephedrine (11C-HED) is a noradrenaline analog that was developed to visualize the sympathetic nervous system with PET. Initial clinical studies show a rapid uptake of 11C-HED in localized tumors of this system. Whole-body imaging with 11C-HED PET is now possible as PET/CT scanners allow a rather short examination time. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of whole-body 11C-HED PET/CT for examination of tumors of the sympathetic nervous system and to directly compare the results with 123Ilabeled meta-iodobenzylguanidine (123I-MIBG) scintigraphy, including SPECT/CT. Methods: In 19 consecutive patients, 9 mo to 68 y old (median, 32 y), 24 whole-body 11C-HED PET/CT (low-dose CT) examinations were performed. Scans were compared with attenuation-corrected 123I-MIBG SPECT/CT scans (24-h scan, low-dose CT). The intensity of tracer accumulation above background was visually analyzed in both scans, PET and SPECT, using a 4-value scale. In 11C-HED PET, mean and maximum standardized uptake values were determined for all lesions. Results: In 14 patients with 19 pairs of examinations, the following tumors were confirmed histologically: 6 neuroblastomas, 5 pheochromocytomas, 1 ganglioneuroblastoma, and 2 paragangliomas. In 5 patients, each having 1 pair of examinations, clinical follow-up and/or histologic examination did not reveal any tumor deriving from the sympathetic nervous system. 11C-HED PET/CT detected 80 of 81 totally depicted tumor lesions (sensitivity, 0.99; soft tissue, 61; bone, 19). 123I-MIBG SPECT/CT detected 75 of 81 lesions (sensitivity, 0.93; soft tissue, 56; bone, 19).With bothmethods, therewere no false-positive lesions. The tumor-to-background contrast of 11C-HED uptake was higher in comparison with 123I-MIBG uptake in 26 lesions (0.32; soft tissue, 18; bone, 8), equal in 39 lesions (0.48; soft tissue, 30; bone, 9), and lower than 123I-MIBG uptake in 16 lesions (0.20; soft tissue, 14; bone, 2).Conclusion:Whole-body imaging using 11C-HED PET/CT is feasible in the clinical setting of patients with tumors of the sympathetic nervous system. 11C-HED PET/CT detected more tumor lesions than 123I-MIBG SPECT/CT. However, tumor-to-background contrast of 11CHED in lesions can be higher, equal, or lower compared with 123I-MIBG.


Anisotropy and heterogeneity of hydraulic conductivity (K) are seldom considered in models of mire hydrology. We investigated the effect of anisotropy and heterogeneity on groundwater flow in bog peat using a steady‐state groundwater model. In five model simulations, four sets of K data were used. The first set comprised measured K values from an anisotropic and heterogeneous bog peat. These data were aggregated to produce the following simplified data sets: an isotropic and heterogeneous distribution of K; an isotropic and homogeneous distribution; and an anisotropic and homogeneous distribution. We demonstrate that, where anisotropy and heterogeneity exist, groundwater flow in bog peat is complex. Fine‐scale variations in K have the potential to influence patterns and rates of groundwater flow. However, for our data at least, it is heterogeneity and not anisotropy that has the greater influence on producing complex patterns of groundwater flow. We also demonstrate that patterns and rates of groundwater flow are simplified and reduced when measured K values are aggregated to create a more uniform distribution of K. For example, when measured K values are aggregated to produce isotropy and homogeneity, the rate of modelled seepage is reduced by 28%. We also show that when measured K values are used, the presence of a drainage ditch can increase seepage through a modelled cross‐section. Our work has implications for the accurate interpretation of hydraulic head data obtained from peat soils, and also the understanding of the effect of drainage ditches on patterns and rates of groundwater flow. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The literature strongly indicates that secondary school performance is highly predictive of university performance. Moreover, scholars have identified that successful performance in university mathematics and science courses depends on the level of mathematics studied in secondary school. This paper investigated the extent to which particular mathematics and science courses (e.g. Stage 2; intermediate and Stage 3; advanced) completed at secondary school affected the Grade Point Average (GPA) of 521 first-year Health Science, Physiotherapy and Nursing students within an Australian university. Based upon a statistical analysis of student performance (secondary Australian Tertiary Admissions Ranking (ATAR) score & first-year university GPA), the authors used a general linear model to investigate which secondary science and mathematics courses were associated with higher first-year university GPA. The key findings of this quantitative research project were that: the level of secondary mathematics studied, studying physical science courses at secondary school, and the completion of both advanced level mathematics and science courses were all associated with higher first-year university GPA.


This research study focused on how students engaged in Critical Literacy practices and the ways their teacher attempted to foster such practices. The study included one experienced critical educator (Lewison, Flint, & Van Sluys, 2002) from an ethnically diverse school in the southeastern United States. This early/middle college high school setting included one tenth grade English class and one eleventh grade English class taught by a fourth year English teacher. A total of 22 students were invited to participate in the study and 21 returned parental consent and student assent forms. The study drew on multiple data sources, including: audio/videotaped observations, fieldnotes, teacher and student interviews, informal conversations, and student work samples. Data analysis focused on what the teacher did to foster student Critical Literacy practices, how the students engaged in those literacy practices, and the degree to which the practices aligned with specific Critical Literacy components (Lewison et al., 2002; Vasquez, Tate, & Harste, 2013). Findings suggested that the teacher used: (a) open-ended questions and model texts, drew on personal experiences and popular culture texts, and positioned students as co-learners in order to foster critical conversations (Leland, Harste, Ociepka, Lewison, & Vasquez, 1999; Schieble, 2012); and (b) in order to foster critical text production (Janks, 2010; Morrell, 2003) familiarized the students with rhetorical appeals, and used critical conversations in conjunction with multimodal text sets to model how one might take up a critical perspective. While fostering such practices, the teacher drew on his personal Critical Pedagogy as well as teaching practices related to a New Literacy Studies perspective. Findings associated with the students suggested they engaged in critical conversations and critical text production by drawing on: (a) personal experience; and (b) new (digital/online) media texts (Janks, 2010). These student literacy practices aligned variably with specific Critical Literacy components. While most students, at one time or another, drew on personal experiences and/or new media texts to engage in critical conversations and/or critical text production, at times other times, certain students did not do either.


The mechanism by which potassium deficiency per se impairs glucose tolerance was studied in seven subjects who were potassium depleted experimentally (mean depletion = 326 mEq.). In five subjects studied using the oral glucose tolerance test, all showed impairment during the potassium depletion phase compared to the predepletion control period, and four of five subjects showed improvement with potassium repletion. The four subjects with impaired glucose tolerance compared to both control periods showed a delay in the initial phase of total immunoreactive insulin release. None of the five subjects showed a significant variation in the per cent proinsulin-like component from the potassium depletion phase to either control period. Two subjects studied using the intravenous glucose tolerance test showed no impairment of glucose tolerance with potassium depletion, and no evidence of insulin resistance was found following the injection of 0.05 U. per kilogram of insulin. These two subjects did manifest impaired growth hormone responses to the hypoglycemic stimulus, however. Potassium depletion per se impairs glucose tolerance. The defect is mild; severe glucose intolerance, alterations in total immunoreactive insulin, and plasma insulin components seen in clinical hypokalemic states involve a complex interplay between potassium deficiency and the primary disease state.


One of the reasons for using variability in the software product line (SPL) approach (see Apel et al., 2006; Figueiredo et al., 2008; Kastner et al., 2007; Mezini & Ostermann, 2004) is to delay a design decision (Svahnberg et al., 2005). Instead of deciding on what system to develop in advance, with the SPL approach a set of components and a reference architecture are specified and implemented (during domain engineering, see Czarnecki & Eisenecker, 2000) out of which individual systems are composed at a later stage (during application engineering, see Czarnecki & Eisenecker, 2000). By postponing the design decisions in such a manner, it is possible to better fit the resultant system in its intended environment, for instance, to allow selection of the system interaction mode to be made after the customers have purchased particular hardware, such as a PDA vs. a laptop. Such variability is expressed through variation points which are locations in a software-based system where choices are available for defining a specific instance of a system (Svahnberg et al., 2005). Until recently it had sufficed to postpone committing to a specific system instance till before the system runtime. However, in the recent years the use and expectations of software systems in human society has undergone significant changes.Today's software systems need to be always available, highly interactive, and able to continuously adapt according to the varying environment conditions, user characteristics and characteristics of other systems that interact with them. Such systems, called adaptive systems, are expected to be long-lived and able to undertake adaptations with little or no human intervention (Cheng et al., 2009). Therefore, the variability now needs to be present also at system runtime, which leads to the emergence of a new type of system: adaptive systems with dynamic variability.


The "Black Atlantic" rhythmic diaspora, be it realized in jazz, blues, gospel, reggae, rock, candomblee, cumbia, hip-hop or whatever, seems to have widespread capacity to facilitate dance, engagement,
 social interaction, expression and catharsis. This article examines the reasons for this. Black Atlantic rhythm is founded on the idea of groove or feel, which forms a kinetic framework for reliable prediction
 of events and time pattern communication, its power cemented by repetition and engendered movement. Overlaid on this are characteristic devices that include syncopation, overlay,displacement, off-beat phrasing,
 polyrhythm/polymeter, hocketing, heterophony, swing, speech-based rhythms, and call-and-response. Using an evolutionary argument, I point out here that nearly all of these have at their heart the establishment
 of perceptual multiplicity or rivalry, affecting expectation, which acts as either a message or a message enhancement technique (via increased engagement and focusing of attention), or both. The causal
 path for the remaining devices is based on adopting structures shared with speech, notably prosody, conversational interaction, and narrative. Several examples illustrate how, particularly in jazz and jazz-related
 forms, extensions and relatively complex creative adaptations of traditional African and African diasporic rhythmic techniques are a natural consequence of a culture of questioning and reflection that encompasses
 maintenance of historical reference and accommodation to innovation.


The two-year post-MSc technological design traineeships organized by the Dutch Universities of Technology, and leading to the Professional Doctorate in Engineering (PDEng) degree, are still going strong after 28 years of existence. In 1986 the Dutch government and the Dutch industry - both aiming to increase the level of design competencies and personal and business skills of selected top-level MSc graduates in selected technical areas - jointly initiated these traineeships. The technical content of these traineeships, and the one-year design thesis projects from industry have been continuously adjusted to the industry's needs and the universities' research, design and education capabilities. Currently 20 PDEng programmes spread over many technical disciplines (automotive, (bio)chemical, food, energy, logistics, robotics, civil engineering industries) and where industry is actively pursuing innovation, are active. Six of these programmes were started in the last four years and cooperation with new industrial partners was initiated. The design theses (almost without exception executed under confidentiality agreement between the partners) lead to new innovation leads and trade secrets or patents. The vast majority of the PDEng graduates recruited from all over the globe, find employment at one of these innovative companies in the Netherlands, and populate the companies' technical career track for a very extended period of time.