I was a friend of Bob Bork's for many years. I worked with him, under Attorney General Edward Levi, in Gerald Ford's Justice Department, where he was Solicitor General and I was Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel. Our other colleagues included Carla Hills and, later, Rex Lee as heads of the Civil Division, Richard Thornburgh as head of the Criminal Division, and Stanley Pottinger as head of the Civil Rights Division--a distinguished group, but none more distinguished than Bork. Later, I worked with Bob as a colleague on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, where I very much liked the high diet of administrative law cases, and he not so much (I always thought he should have accepted the Administration's earlier offer to nominate him for the Second Circuit, where his interests in antitrust and business law would have had fuller play). Robert Bork was a rare combination of integrity and intellectual brilliance. And it was both of those qualities that led to the regrettable rejection of his nomination to the Supreme Court. His integrity caused him, as the ranking officer at the Department of Justice after the resignations of the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General, to execute President Nixon's directive to fire Archibald Cox. As he explained it, the President had the lawful authority to fire Cox (who had no independent status protected by law, as later Independent Counsels had); and while it was appropriate for some of the President's appointees to register their disagreement with that action by resigning, it was not appropriate, or, indeed, compatible with the Constitution, for all presidential appointees to denude the Justice Department of leadership, thereby frustrating lawful presidential action. I never knew Bob to be a man who deeply admired Richard Nixon, but he became The Man Who Fired Archibald Cox. As for intellectual brilliance, Robert Bork's scholarship led the rationalization of antitrust law that has endured until today. And more importantly, he was the intellectual point-man for the movement to curb the pretentions of the Warren Court and return the meaning of the Constitution to what it said. All discussions of "original intent" relied heavily upon his fertile and often combative scholarship. He became more than a leader of change; he became, for the opposition, the very symbol of change. His views were not, to tell the truth, much different from my own, but when his nomination to the Supreme Court came up, that symbol ("Robert Bork's America") had to be rejected. History will treat Robert Bork more kindly than Congress has. Those of us who were his friends or intellectual allies are grateful that he was with us. ANTONIN SCALIA, Associate Justice, United States Supreme Court, 1986--present; Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, 1982-86. Judge Robert H. Bork was, like St. Thomas More, a man for all seasons. His brilliance, wit, charm, and sense of humor helped him to revolutionize constitutional law. Judge Bork was the first and, for a time the only, academic to challenge the judicial activism of the Warren and Burger Courts. Two years before the decision in Roe v. Wade, (1) Judge Bork wrote a seminal law review article entitled Neutral Principles and Some First Amendment Problems, (2) which laid the intellectual groundwork for the originalism of Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas. Judge Bork's criticisms of judicial activism were withering and effective. He transformed constitutional law just as earlier in his career he had transformed antitrust law, which he infused with the idea of promoting consumer welfare. Judge Bork was the rare academic whose work caught on, was read, and had a huge impact on the real world. He wrote and spoke eloquently, elegantly, wittily, and from the heart. Judge Bork was a man of action as well as a man of ideas. He was thus a kind of platonic philosopher king--a label he would have vigorously resisted. …


The relationship between beef price stabilization and beef import policies is examined. The formula developed to calculate the floor and ceiling prices for beef in Japan is explained. The current complicated administrative arrangements designed to control beef imports is outlined. Some of the major controversial aspects of present import and price policies for protecting the domestic beef industry are examined in some detail. The domestic marketing channels for beef in Japan are being substantially modernized. The development of the central and sub-central wholesale markets; the rationalization of meat slaughtering in producing areas; the development of the trade in part-cuts; and the development of transaction standards and grades for both beef carcasses and more recently beef part-cuts; are all discussed. These changes have influenced, and will continue to influence, beef policy decisions in Japan. Finally, some future beef price support and import policy options are considered. Assuming no legislative alterations, the scope for modest changes to the present arrangements is examined. Should the Japanese Government decide to change the laws governing beef price-support and import policies, it is likely to move to a deficiency payments scheme modelled on the present arrangements for dairy-steer feeder-calves and financed by a variable levy on all beef imported.


Flooding is a serious threat in many regions in the world and is a problem of international interest. Hydrodynamic models are used for the prediction of flood water levels to support flood safety and are often applied in a deterministic way. However, the modelling of river processes involves numerous uncertainties. Previous research has shown that the hydraulic roughness is one of the main sources of in hydrodynamic computations. Knowledge of the type and magnitude of uncertainties is crucial for a meaningful interpretation of the model outcomes and the usefulness of model outcomes in decision making. The objective of this thesis is to quantify the uncertainties in the hydraulic roughness that contribute most to the uncertainty in the water levels and quantify their contribution to the uncertainty for the 2D hydrodynamic WAQUA model for the river Waal under design conditions.

This research showed that the uncertainty of a complex model factor, such as the hydraulic roughness, can be quantified explicitly. The hydraulic roughness has been unravelled in separate components, which have been quantified separately and then combined and propagated through the model. In chapter 2, a method is presented to identify the sources of uncertainty in an environmental model. In chapter 3, expert opinion is used to determine the sources of uncertainty that contributed most to the uncertainty in the design water levels. Chapter 4 describes the quantification of the uncertainty in the bedform roughness and in chapter 5 the uncertainty in bedform roughness is combined with the uncertainty in the vegetation roughness. The results show a best estimate of the uncertainty range under design conditions, due to roughness, given that we did not account for the effect of calibration. The final uncertainty range is significant in view of Dutch river management practise. The research demonstrates that the uncertainties in a modelling study can be made explicit. The process of uncertainty analysis helps in raising the awareness of the uncertainties and enhances communication about the uncertainties among both scientists and decision makers.


There is a growing interest in societal concerns in machine learning systems, especially in fairness. Multicalibration gives a comprehensive methodology to address group fairness. In this work, we address the multicalibration error and decouple it from the prediction error. The importance of decoupling the fairness metric (multicalibration) and the accuracy (prediction error) is due to the inherent trade-off between the two, and the societal decision regarding the "right tradeoff" (as imposed many times by regulators). Our work gives sample complexity bounds for uniform convergence guarantees of multicalibration error, which implies that regardless of the accuracy, we can guarantee that the empirical and (true) multicalibration errors are close. We emphasize that our results: (1) are more general than previous bounds, as they apply to both agnostic and realizable settings, and do not rely on a specific type of algorithm (such as deferentially private), (2) improve over previous multicalibration sample complexity bounds and (3) implies uniform convergence guarantees for the classical calibration error.


Breach of contract and non-patrimonial damages: does the adage "keep one's promises" ring true for injuries to feelings and mental distress as well?
Twenty years ago Van Heerden JA imposed a prohibition in the (then) highest South African court in the case of Administrator, Natal v Edouard on the recourse of non-patrimonial damages ex contractu. With this finding the court reinforced the traditional view that all contracts are of a monetary nature and that the invasion of personality rights resorts under delictual liability. This approach does not, however, reflect trends in modern society. If non-compliance with "bargained for" mental and psychological life experiences are not being compensated, it exposes a lacuna in the law that needs to be addressed to prevent considerable injustice. As a consequence, the pronouncement in Administrator, Natal v Edouard has not only stifled legal development, but also left the South African law poorer. The aim of this article is to proffer a simple solution to issues of injured feelings and mental distress within the orthodox rules of contract law. The cardinal question to be asked is: What was promised in the contract? This relatively simple basis of explanation runs like a golden thread through other legal systems subjected to scrutiny. In England there has been a subtle change in tenor from the classification (and more or less ban) of the type of mental injury to the compensation of a frustrated right to a contractual performance (whether it be tangible or not) by the house of lords in Farley v Skinner (2001). A more overt stance is taken by the supreme court of Canada. In Fidler v Sun Life Assurance (2006), and confirmed in Keays v Honda Canada (2008), an outright recognition of an independent rule allowing claims for non-patrimonial damages upon breach of contract is prominent. Even in France the courts and writers have interpreted the general civil liability and non cumul of the French Civil Code in such a way that dommages moraux are freely available in instances of breach of a contractually bargained for non-patrimonial advantage. In Louisiana (United States of America) the recoverability of non-pecuniary damages for breach of contract was pertinently codified. Section 1998 stipulates that non-pecuniary damages can be claimed if the very essence of the contract aims at fulfilling a moral interest, whether known to or foreseen by the defendant, but there is a failure to comply. The conclusion reached is that parties to a contract are absolutely bound by the contractual duties undertaken (whether these be patrimonial or non-patrimonial) and that they have to fulfil all their obligations in terms of the contract (pacta sunt servanda). Promises are there to keep - applicable to injured feelings and mental distress as well.


Glacial lake outbursts are a major hazard in the South Asian Himalaya and other glacier regions of the world. Climate change and glacier retreat have heightened the danger of outburst events, as new glacial lakes have formed and expanded. The outburst discharge from glacial lakes may cause catastrophic flooding and damage in downstream areas. It is thus important to investigate the impact of climate change on glacial lakes and to understand lake behavior. This study examined glacierand sediment-related hazards in the Rolwaling Valley of Nepal, and field-assessed the Tsho Rolpa glacial lake in the valley. Potential causes of moraine dam failure at Tsho Rolpa include overflow and erosion of the dam caused by ice or boulders falling into the lake, seepage inside the dam, melting of the ice core inside the dam, or an earthquake. The peak outburst discharge from Tsho Rolpa was estimated to range from 7,759 to 90,296 m/s using different empirical equations. The resulting flood would cause serious damage up to 100 km or more downstream, threatening many people, agricultural lands, forests, hydroelectric projects, and other infrastructure.


In this review, we discuss how samples comprising monozygotic and dizygotic twin pairs can be used for the purpose of strengthening causal inference by controlling for shared influences on exposure and outcome. We begin by briefly introducing how twin data can be used to inform the biometric decomposition of population variance into genetic, shared environmental, and nonshared environmental influences. We then discuss how extensions to this model can be used to explore whether associations between exposure and outcome survive correction for shared etiology (common causes). We review several analytical approaches that can be applied to twin data for this purpose. These include multivariate structural equation models, cotwin control methods, direction of causation models (cross-sectional and longitudinal), and extended family designs used to assess intergenerational associations. We conclude by highlighting some of the limitations and considerations that researchers should be aware of when using twin data for the purposes of interrogating causal hypotheses.


Saving More Than Seeds advances understandings of seed-people relations, with particular focus on seed saving. The practice of reusing and exchanging seeds provides foundation for food production and allows humans and seed to adapt together in dynamic socionatural conditions. But the practice and its practitioners are easily taken for granted, even as they are threatened by neoliberalisation. Combining original ethnographic research with investigation of an evolving corporate seed order, this book reveals seed saving not only as it occurs in fields and gardens but also as it associates with genebanking, genetic engineering, intellectual property rights, and agrifood regulations. Drawing on diverse social sciences literatures, Phillips illustrates ongoing practices of thinking, feeling, and acting with seeds, raising questions about what seed-people relations should accomplish and how different ways of relating might be pursued to change collective futures.


The paper describes a method whereby the distribution of fatigue damage along riser tensioner ropes is calculated, taking account of heave motion, set tension, system geometry, tidal range and rope specification. From these data the distribution of damage along the rope is calculated for a given time period using a Miner's summation method. This information can then be used to help the operator decide on the length of rope to 'slip and cut' whereby a length from the end of the rope is removed and the rope moved through the system from a storage drum such that sections of rope that have already suffered significant fatigue damage are not moved to positions where there is another peak in the distribution. There are two main advantages to be gained by using the fatigue damage model. The first is that it shows the amount of fatigue damage accumulating at different points along the rope, enabling the most highly damaged section to be removed well before failure. The second is that it makes for greater efficiency, as damage can be spread more evenly along the rope over time, avoiding the need to scrap long sections of undamaged rope.


If you already have trouble sleeping at night, don't read any further. Not to minimize anything going on in Congress or the statehouse, but a pending state lawsuit concerning customer data has drawn little banking industry press and yet poses the risk of setting some awful precedents in the areas of identity theft, data breaches, and privacy law violations. The case is considered a test of the relative responsibilities between banks and their customers over ensuring the security of online financial transactions and it is believed to be the first case of a customer suing their bank over cyber crime losses. While the case involves only one firm thus far, the plaintiff's attorney has been quoted as hoping to turn the matter into a class action suit. Officially known as Ahlo, Inc. vs. Bank of America, N.A., the case, filed Feb. 3 with the 11th Judicial Circuit of Florida, Miami-Dade County, draws its colloquial name--the "Lopez case"--from that of the owner of Ahlo, Joe Lopez. Ahlo is a small supplier of business goods. The case had not gone to trial as of mid-May, but the two sides had already been trading motions and BofA had already moved to dismiss the civil suit. This is Lopez' case, in a nutshell. He alleges that an unknown third party infiltrated the company's computer and initiated an unauthorized wire transfer for $90,348.65, and that the beneficiary bank, Parex Bank, in Latvia, refuses to return the money to Ahlo. Some has already been withdrawn and the rest is frozen. Here's where the bank comes in. Ahlo blames the bank for allowing the wire to be sent, for failing to recall the wire, and for not reimbursing Ahlo. The firm charges the bank with breach of contract, breach of good faith, and more, including fraud. Getting to particulars The cause of the breach of Ahlo's accounts, according to the firm's case, was a computer virus called Coreflood, which it claims the bank should have warned it about. In a extended legal argument for dismissal, the bank stated that: "Ahlo alleges that the Bank owed a fiduciary duty to advise Ahlo that on-line accounts are subject to exploitations by computer viruses. However, superior knowledge alone is insufficient to transform a banking relationship into a fiduciary relationship.... Moreover, the Plaintiff does not allege that Bank of America promised to protect the Plaintiff's computer from viruses. Indeed, there is no allegation that Bank of America allowed its own system to be compromised." The bank declines to comment specifically on the case because of customer confidentiality. However, a spokeswoman did state that, "Safeguarding information is a priority for Bank of America. Completion of wire transfer transactions requires multiple levels of security to initiate and complete. Our internal review of the transaction in question determined that all of the required account and personal information required to complete the transaction was provided and all appropriate security steps took place within our systems." Symantec Corp.'s website defines Coreflood as a trojan horse virus. It has been known of since late 2002, according to the site, and though it is frequently used to initiate denial of service attacks, it allows a hacker to gain unauthorized access to an infected computer. Reportedly, the virus was detected when the Secret Service analyzed Ahlo's machine for infiltration. However, reports indicate that the Secret Service has not determined that the virus caused the loss. The case has been the source of a furious debate on the internet between IT experts and other parties. However, in a commentary posted on the website FindLaw for Corporate Counsel, Anita Ramasastry, Associate Professor at the University of Washington School of Law and a director of the Shidler Center for Law, Commerce & Technology, wrote an analysis of the case. If the bank loses it, she wrote, one could envision a massive duty to advise online banking clients of every potential risk posed by hackers and other internet fraud, potentially even including remedial steps. …


The study aims to explore the relationship of study habits with socio-economic status and gender. The research was carried out on a sample of 224 students studying in class IX of Aligarh district. Standardized scales were used to collect the data which in turn was analyzed by applying Mean (M), Standard Deviation (SD), Product moment correlation (r), t-test and ANOVA. Findings revealed that significant difference exists in the study habits of students in relation to gender. Significant and positive relationship exists between study habits and Socio-economic status but interaction effect of gender and SES was not found on study habits. Finally the study puts forth some suggestions to enhance the study habits of secondary school students.


Finance is at the heart of UN climate diplomacy. Through the long-term finance pledge, developed countries have committed to mobilize USD 100 billion annually from 2020 onwards to support climate action in developing countries. The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is also expected to become a key player in the climate finance landscape. This viewpoint presents the views of representatives of developed and developing countries' governments on how the annual sum of USD 100 billion should be dispensed by the GCF, based on a survey conducted at the 2013 UN Climate Change Conference in Warsaw. Respondents' give their views on (1) the mitigation/adaptation ratio in GCF support and (2) the public/private ratio in financial sources. Respondents from developing countries would prefer to channel a substantially higher amount of the long-term finance pledge through the GCF. The extent to which the long-term finance pledge should be governed by the GCF is contentious, because governments pledge long-term finance without specifying the mitigation/adaptation ratio, whereas the GCF Board is tasked with balancing the allocation of its funds between adaptation and mitigation. This contention is fuelled by the fact that developing countries have a greater say in the allocation of funds from the GCF than from alternative sources of finance for the long-term finance pledge. We suggest that it is time to (1) reformulate the pledge to clarify its mitigation/adaptation ratio and (2) agree to definitions of key concepts such as "climate finance" and "private finance" to allow for more distinct negotiating positions on sources of finance.


This thesis described the research carried out on the development of a novel hardwired tactile sensing system tailored for the application of a next generation of surgical robotic and clinical devices, namely a steerable endoscope with tactile feedback, and a surface plate for patient posture and balance. Two case studies are examined. The first is a one-dimensional sensor for the steerable endoscope retrieving shape and 'touch' information. The second is a two-dimensional surface which interprets the three-dimensional motion of a contacting moving load. This research can be used to retrieve information from a distributive tactile sensing surface of a different configuration, and can interpret dynamic and static disturbances. This novel approach to sensing has the potential to discriminate contact and palpation in minimal invasive surgery (MIS) tools, and posture and balance in patients. The hardwired technology uses an embedded system based on Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) as the platform to perform the sensory signal processing part in real time. High speed robust operation is an advantage from this system leading to versatile application involving dynamic real time interpretation as described in this research. In this research the sensory signal processing uses neural networks to derive information from input pattern from the contacting surface. Three neural network architectures namely single, multiple and cascaded were introduced in an attempt to find the optimum solution for discrimination of the contacting outputs. These architectures were modelled and implemented into the FPGA. With the recent introduction of modern digital design flows and synthesis tools that essentially take a high-level sensory processing behaviour specification for a design, fast prototyping of the neural network function can be achieved easily. This thesis outlines the challenge of the implementations and verifications of the performances.


We still know remarkably little about the extent to which neutral markers can provide a biologically relevant description of population structure. In the present study, we address this question, and quantify microsatellite differentiation among a small, structured island population of great tits (Parus major), and a large mainland population 150 km away. Although only a few kilometres apart, we found small but statistically significant levels of differentiation between the eastern and the western part of the island. On the other hand, there was no differentiation between the western part of the island and the mainland population, whereas the eastern part and the mainland did differ significantly. This initially counterintuitive result provides powerful support for the hypothesis that the large genetic difference in clutch size between both parts of the island found earlier is maintained by different levels of gene flow into both parts of the island, and illustrates the capac! ity of microsatellites to provide a meaningful description of population structure. Importantly, because the level of microsatellite differentiation is very low, we were unable to infer any population structure without grouping individuals a priori. Hence, these low levels of differentiation in neutral markers could easily remain undetected, or incorrectly be dismissed as biologically irrelevant. Thus, although microsatellites can provide a powerful tool to study genetic structure in wild populations, they should be used in conjunction with a range of other sources of information, rather than as a replacement.


In recent years, numerical approaches have become indispensable in studies on particle-fluid flows. In this thesis, various numerical models have been developed and applied to study the particle-fluid flows in three typical complex pipe systems which are widely encountered in many industry sectors such as energy, chemical, and mineral, to name a few. The systems considered here are: industrial scale circulating fluidized beds (CFBs), long-distance high-pressure dense-phase (LHD) pneumatic conveying systems, and novel and complex bypass pneumatic conveying systems. The numerical models used are: the two fluid model (TFM), combined model of computational fluid dynamics and discrete element method (CFD-DEM), and coarse-grained CFD-DEM model. The numerical results of the simulations are validated either qualitatively or quantitatively depending on the availability of experimental data and simulation results for comparison. The work is useful to understand, design, control and optimize the considered systems. Specifically, for industrial-scale CFBs, it is shown that the typical flow structures in the CFBs can be captured by the coarse-grained CFD-DEM approach. The particle clustering phenomenon near walls, phenomenon of solids back-mixing, and core-annular flow structure are observed. Gas-solid flow regime is a bulk behaviour resulting from the collective interactions between particles, particles and particles, particles and wall, particles and gas. Therefore, analysis of the interaction forces in conjunction with the flow behaviour of individual particles can help understand the underlying mechanisms. There is a reasonable agreement between the simulation results and experimental ones for the interaction forces. The effects of some influential variables on the gas-solid flow pattern are also studied to investigate to what extent the coarse-grained model can be used to study the large scale CFB riser and to identify the limitations and weaknesses of this model. In investigating the LHD pneumatic conveying systems, both TFM and CFD-DEM are used. Some key flow features in a stepped-pipe are captured by the developed models and analysed. The mechanisms governing the complex gas-solid flow in the stepped-pipe have been identified by the numerical results. The forces governing the motion of gas and solids have also been obtained by simulations and their importance investigated. Further, to improve the performance of pneumatic conveying by lowering the chance of pipe blockage in the stepped-pipe, a new method using inserts is proposed and tested for the first time. The effect of inserts in a conventional single pipe and a stepped pipeline has been investigated. The effects of different insert shapes on the conveying performance of a single pipe have also been studied. The results show that the conveying performance of both the single pipe and stepped pipe can be improved by implementing the inserts method. In the last part of the thesis, the CFD-DEM method is used to study the particle-fluid behaviour in a bypass system for the first time. It is shown that this model can satisfactorily capture the key features of gas-solid two-phase flow in a bypass system. The forces governing the motion of gas-solid phases have also been investigated. The simulation results are in good agreement with experimental ones. In addition, the particle-fluid flow characteristics for different geometrical conditions are also studied. The numerical results have been analysed in terms of distribution of static pressure, gas and solid velocity, gas-solid flow pattern, and interaction forces. Overall, the numerical simulation methods are proven to be vital in understanding flow mechanisms in various particle-fluid systems.


In the 21 century, the advancement of technology has changed how people, especially the younger generation communicate and socialise with each other, as well as how they learn, acquire and process information. Therefore, this study aims to explore the impact on the employment of digital game-based learning in Arabic class at the tertiary level. This study is a qualitative study and data obtained through semi-structured interview sessions with 16 students at tertiary level, who exposed to the mobile digital game in learning the Arabic language. The students were chosen purposively based on several determining characteristics. The major findings indicated that the mobile digital game produces a significant effect on their learning achievement and enhances their Arabic vocabulary acquisition. Besides, the digital game-based learning also promotes a student-centred and interactive learning, while additionally creates an enjoyable environment for learning that could encourage student participation in class activities, sustain their learning engagement, and improve their motivation. This study explored opportunities for Arabic language lecturers to practice digital game-based learning as it promotes studentcentred learning, which would enhance student's participation in language activities and provide them with a joyful, fun, and active learning environment.


The aim of radiotherapy treatment is to deliver a specified radiation dose throughout a definite target volume within predetermined levels of accuracy and homogeneity; at the same time ensuring adequate dose sparing of surrounding normal tissue. Radiotherapy is a complex process involving a number of steps and the accuracy of each stage has a direct impact on the treatment outcome. At each stage, comprehensive quality assurance procedures are required to ensure safe and accurate delivery of the prescribed dose. This project will aim to determine the currently achievable accuracy and reproducibility of radiotherapy dosimetry and assess the current recommendations for quality assurance tolerances. Alongside, it will examine the traceability of different codes of practice in measuring absorbed dose results from high energy photon and electron beams. The study will present a theoretical and a practical comparison between different codes of practice: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA TRS-398), American Association of Physics in Medicine, (AAPM TG-51), Institute of Physical Engineering in Medicine (IPEM-2003) for electron beams, and Institute of Physical Science in Medicine (IPSM-1990) for photon beams. Our study confirms that our results are within the ± 5 % internationally suggested accuracy and provides detailed comparison between the mentioned protocols. We measured the data and analyzed them in detail and presented them with the reference conditions to determine the absorbed dose to water for high energy photon and electron beams with the chosen protocols. Our obtained results are consistent with the reference beam data from Varian Medical Systems. This enhances the confidence on Tawam hospital's Quality Assurance on the Linear Accelerators.


In this paper, four apodization functions are proposed for silicon-on-insulator (SOI) strip waveguides with sidewall-corrugated gratings. The effects of apodization functions on the full width at half maximum (FWHM), the side-lobe level, and the reflectivity of the reflection spectrum are studied using the coupled-mode theory (CMT) and the transfer-matrix method (TMM). The results show that applying proposed apodization functions creates very good filtering characteristics. Among investigated apodized waveguides, the apodization functions of Polynomial and z-power have the best performance in reducing side-lobes, where the side-lobe oscillations are entirely removed. Four functions are also used for precise adjustment of the bandwidth. Simulation results show that the minimum and maximum values of the FWHM are 0.74 nm and 8.48 nm respectively. In some investigated functions, changing the apodization parameters decreases the reflectivity which is compensated by increasing the grating length.


This paper explores the roles of technical and musical familiarity in shaping audience response to digital musical instrument (DMI) performances. In an audience study conducted during an evening concert, we examined two primary questions: first, whether a deeper understanding of how a DMI works increases an audience's enjoyment and interest in the performance; and second, given the same DMI and same performer, whether playing in a conventional (vernacular) versus an experimental musical style affects an audience's response. We held a concert in which two DMI creatorperformers each played two pieces in differing styles. Before the concert, each half the 64-person audience was given a technical explanation of one of the instruments. Results showed that receiving an explanation increased the reported understanding of that instrument, but had no effect on either the reported level of interest or enjoyment. On the other hand, performances in experimental versus conventional style on the same instrument received widely divergent audience responses. We discuss implications of these findings for DMI design.


Abstract : The 2001 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) will have to address all the relevant issues about the future course of American national security strategy and provide useful recommendations to the new administration as it develops a new security strategy. The Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College and the Georgetown University Center for Peace and Security Studies convened a conference on "Alternative Military Strategies for the United States" to highlight the key issues that will have to be analyzed by the QDR and the new administration's security planning. This report summarizes the presentations from a distinguished group of panelists that included many prominent American commentators on national security issues. The report closes with an analysis of the most important issues that must be resolved to produce a viable national security strategy for the new millennium. This strategy will require some combination of new mission priorities, additional force structure, and Department of Defense economizing. This report provides a useful overview of the various positions in those areas, and is a good starting point for those trying to grasp the intricacies of future QDR debates. The 2001 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) will have to address all the relevant issues about the future course of American national security strategy and provide useful recommendations to the new administration as it develops a new security strategy. The Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College and the Georgetown University Center for Peace and Security Studies convened a conference on "Alternative Military Strategies for the United States" to highlight the key issues that will have to be analyzed by the QDR and the new administration's security planning. This report summarizes the presentations from a distinguished group of panelists that included many prominent American commentators on national security issues.


The paper review introduction about the change management and innovation in general, then an overview of a selected definitions for innovation and change management from the point of view of some researchers. For the benefits of the readers the researcher prepared and tabulated these definitions into two tables, table (1) for change management definitions & table (2) for innovation definitions.Also there is a question arises that; is the innovation risky? Many researchers argued that yes it is risky but there is a large return on investment. Others say that "you can't innovate and grow unless you're willing to take risks".The paper also discussed the relationship between innovation and culture of the firm, Research has shown that a strong corporate culture can give a company a powerful advantage over its competitors; others say that; In order for innovative efforts to succeed, the firm's culture should be supportive of innovation.Then the relationship between incentives and innovation where found that there are a strong relationship between them as some authors say that a company needs to provide staff with an incentive to innovate. With no reward, there is no good reason for employees to suggest or try new ideas. Table (3) shows some change kinds that lead to innovations.Finally, a list of the top 20 countries of the world for innovation, as ranked by the Global Innovation Index (by overall score) in table(4), then in table(5) a list of some Arab countries according to their  rank and their efficiency ratio out of 1. Keywords : Change, Change Management, Innovation


For more than two decades, the law and economics movement has been one of the most influential and controversial schools of thought in American jurisprudence. In this authoritative intellectual history, James R. Hackney Jr. situates the modern law and economics movement within the trajectory of American jurisprudence from the early days of the Republic to the present. Hackney is particularly interested in the claims of objectivity or empiricism asserted by proponents of law and economics. He argues that the incorporation of economic analysis into legal decision making is not an inherently objective enterprise. Rather, law and economics often cloaks ideological determinations—particularly regarding the distribution of wealth—under the cover of science.

Hackney demonstrates how legal-economic thought has been affected by the prevailing philosophical ideas about objectivity, which have in turn evolved in response to groundbreaking scientific discoveries. Thus Hackney's narrative is a history not only of law and economics but also of select strands of philosophy and science. He traces forward from the seventeenth-century the interaction of legal thinking and economic analysis with ideas about the attainability of certitude. The principal legal-economic theories Hackney examines are those that emerged from classical legal thought, legal realism, law and neoclassical economics, and critical legal studies. He links these theories respectively to formalism, pragmatism, the analytic turn, and neopragmatism/postmodernism, and he explains how each of these schools of philosophical thought was influenced by specific scientific discoveries: Newtonian physics, Darwin's theory of evolution, Einstein's theories of relativity, and quantum mechanics. Under Cover of Science challenges claims that the contemporary law and economics movement is an objective endeavor by historicizing ideas about certitude and empiricism and their relation to legal-economic thought.


Despite the successful implementation of immunotherapies, the response rates of tumor patients are still limited and often resistances develop. This might be a result of the immune suppressive nature of the tumor microenvironment as well as the immune escape mechanisms of tumor cells. While several tumor infiltrating immune cell subpopulations can foster tumor development, exhibit immune suppressive activity and decrease the efficacy of effector immune cells, tumor cells have also developed multiple mechanisms to escape immune recognition and to modulate immune cell function. These include in particular abnormalities in the classical HLA class I antigen, the interferon (IFN) signal transduction pathways and overexpression of non-classical HLA antigens as well as of immune checkpoint molecules. These different strategies have recently been shown to be crucial for the efficacy of immunotherapies against solid tumors and might be associated with the acquired resistances to these treatment options. Thus, a deeper understanding of the key immune players and regulatory pathways of tumor cells involved in the complexity and dynamic interaction between tumor and immune cells might be important for the identification of prognostic factors and the reversion of the immune escape processes. This might lead to increased immune responses against cancer cells and avoidance of immune resistances in order to improve the efficacy of immunotherapies. HLA class I abnormalities frequently occur in tumors, which are associated with a worse prognosis of patients. These defects are mainly due to deregulation rather than structural alterations of HLA class I antigens and antigen processing machinery (APM) components. Reversion of loss or downregulated HLA class I APM component expression could be obtained by cytokine treatment, in particular IFN-, but also by epigenetic drugs, proteoglycans, and anti-oxidant substances as well as microRNAs and RNA-binding molecules. Thus, the control of HLA class I APM expression is highly complex and this novel knowledge could be used for the design of immunotherapeutic approaches to enhance treatment efficacy.


Photon detectors based on single-crystalline materials are of great interest for high performance imaging applications due to their low noise and fast response. The major detector materials for sensing in the long-wavelength infrared (LWIR) band (8-14 µm) are currently HgCdTe (MCT) and AlGaAs/GaAs quantum wells (QW) used in intraband-based quantum-well infrared photodetectors (QWIPs). These either suffer from compositional variations that are detrimental to the system performance as in the case of MCT, or, have an efficient dark current generation mechanism that limits the operating temperature as for QWIPs. The need for increased on-wafer uniformity and elevated operating temperatures has resulted in the development of various alternative approaches, such as type-II strained-layer superlattice detectors (SLSs) and intraband quantum-dot infrared photodetectors (QDIPs).In this work, we mainly explore two self-assembled quantum-dot (QD) materials for use as the absorber material in photon detectors for the LWIR, with the aim to develop low-dark current devices that can allow for high operating temperatures and high manufacturability. The detection mechanism is here based on type-II interband transitions from bound hole states in the QDs to continuum states in the matrix material.Metal-organic vapor-phase epitaxy (MOVPE) was used to fabricate (Al)GaAs(Sb)/InAs and In(Ga)Sb/InAs QD structures for the development of an LWIR active material. A successive analysis of (Al)GaAs(Sb) QDs using absorption spectroscopy shows strong absorption in the range 6-12 µm interpreted to originate in intra-valence band transitions. Moreover, record-long photoluminescence (PL) wavelength up to 12 µm is demonstrated in InSb- and InGaSb QDs.Mesa-etched single-pixel photodiodes were fabricated in which photoresponse is demonstrated up to 8 µm at 230 K with 10 In0.5Ga0.5Sb QD layers as the active region. The photoresponse is observed to be strongly temperature-dependent which is explained by hole trapping in the QDs. In the current design, the photoresponse is thermally limited at typical LWIR sensor operating temperatures (60-120 K), which is detrimental to the imaging performance. This can potentially be resolved by selecting a matrix material with a smaller barrier for thermionic emission of photo-excited holes. If such an arrangement can be achieved, type-II interband InGaSb QD structures can turn out to be interesting as a high-operating-temperature sensor material for thermal imaging applications.


We describe a possible new defensive behaviour of larval stages of mantis shrimps (Stomatopoda). Mantis shrimp larvae are rarely observed in nature, thus the study is based on postures of museum material and functional morphological aspects. Specimens described here are tightly enrolled, their pleon is bent forward,and the telson is locked into the frontal margin of the shield. This margin has two lobes into which the two posterolateral spines of the telson fit. The shield shows further adaptions to enrolment; e.g., the ventral gape of the shield perfectly matches the width of the pleon and leaves no major gaps when the pleon is bent forward. Based on these observations, we briefly discuss the possibilities to infer behavioural aspects from functional morphological aspects. Enrolment in modern day organisms is primarily known from terrestrial arthropods, e.g., pill bugs and pill millipedes, but in the Palaeozoic it was mainly performed by marine organisms such as trilobites, agnostines and their relatives. Stomatopod larvae that appear to be able to perform enrolling in a marine environment are therefore a potential functional equivalent for better understanding the functional aspects of enrolment in extinct marine arthropods.


The immunosuppressive effects of Sophorae radix (SR) make this plant an attractive agent for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. The effect of SR on systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in the New Zealand Black/White F1 (NZB/w F1) mouse model system was investigated. Three-month-old NZB/w F1 mice were separated into two groups: one treated with SR (1% SR solution by oral administration, daily for 15 weeks) and one with water as a control. Experimental parameters include proteinuria, anti-dsDNA antibody titers, T-cell response and renal histopathological analysis. Results in the SR-treated group showed a significant reduction in proteinuria and anti-dsDNA antibodies either in serum or in glomerular capillaries, along with significant recovery from renal glomerular damage. The lymphocyte population was significantly increased in the SR-treated mice compared with the control group. In the T helper (Th)1/Th2 cytokine secretion profile, interferon-γ in splenocyte culture was significantly reduced in the SR-treated mice, while interleukin-4 secretion was not altered. These results strongly suggest SR therapy corrects the deviated Th1/Th2 balance, thereby alleviating SLE-like symptoms in the NZB/w F1 mice. Therefore, SR may be useful in the clinical treatment of SLE. Lupus (2007) 16, 335—341.


Novelist, playwright, film actor, martial artist, and political commentator, Yukio Mishima (1925-1970) was arguably the most famous person in Japan at the time of his death. Henry Scott Stokes, one of Mishima's closest friends, was the only non-Japanese allowed to attend the trial of the men involved in Mishima's spectacular suicide. In this insightful and empathetic look at the writer, Stokes guides the reader through the milestones of Mishima's meteoric and eclectic career and delves into the artist's major works and themes. This biography skillfully and compassionately illuminates the achievements and disquieting ideas of a brilliant and deeply troubled man, an artist of whom Nobel Laureate Yasunari Kawabata had said, "A writer of Mishima's caliber comes along only once every two or three hundred years."


Neural progenitors typically divide asymmetrically to renew themselves, while producing daughters with more limited potential. In the Drosophila embryonic ventral nerve cord, neuroblasts initially produce daughters that divide once to generate two neurons/glia (type I proliferation mode). Subsequently, many neuroblasts switch to generating daughters that differentiate directly (type 0). This programmed type I>0 switch is controlled by Notch signaling, triggered at a distinct point of lineage progression in each neuroblast. However, how Notch signaling onset is gated was unclear. We recently identified Sequoia (Seq), a C2H2 zinc-finger transcription factor with homology to Drosophila Tramtrack (Ttk) and the positive regulatory domain (PRDM) family, as important for lineage progression. Here, we find that seq mutants fail to execute the type I>0 daughter proliferation switch and also display increased neuroblast proliferation. Genetic interaction studies reveal that seq interacts with the Notch pathway, and seq furthermore affects expression of a Notch pathway reporter. These findings suggest that seq may act as a context-dependent regulator of Notch signaling, and underscore the growing connection between Seq, Ttk, the PRDM family and Notch signaling. Summary: During Drosophila embryonic CNS development, the zinc-finger protein Sequoia interacts with the Notch pathway to control lineage progression.


: Gamma-secretase is an enzyme complex that mediates both Notch signaling and beta-amyloid precursor protein (APP) processing, resulting in the generation of Notch intracellular domain, APP intracellular domain, and the amyloid beta peptide (Abeta), the latter playing a central role in Alzheimer disease (AD). By a hitherto undefined mechanism, the activity of gamma-secretase gives rise to Abeta peptides of different lengths, where Abeta42 is considered to play a particular role in AD. In this study we have examined the role of the large hydrophilic loop (amino acids 320-374, encoded by exon 10) of presenilin 1 (PS1), the catalytic subunit of gamma-secretase, for gamma-secretase complex formation and activity on Notch and APP processing. Deletion of exon 10 resulted in impaired PS1 endoproteolysis, gamma-secretase complex formation, and had a differential effect on Abeta-peptide production. Although the production of Abeta38, Abeta39, and Abeta40 was severely impaired, the effect on Abeta42 was affected to a lesser extent, implying that the production of the AD-related Abeta42 peptide is separate from the production of the Abeta38, Abeta39, and Abeta40 peptides. Interestingly, formation of the intracellular domains of both APP and Notch was intact, implying a differential cleavage activity between the epsilon/S3 and gamma sites. The most C-terminal amino acids of the hydrophilic loop were important for regulating APP processing. In summary, the large hydrophilic loop of PS1 appears to differentially regulate the relative production of different Abeta peptides without


Calcium spiking can regulate neurotransmitter specification through c-Jun–dependent modulation of tlx3 expression. Various aspects of neuronal development are influenced by electrical activity. Indeed, activity-dependent calcium signals prior to synapse formation can affect even such a fundamental property as neurotransmitter phenotype (and thus whether the synapse is excitatory or inhibitory). For instance, at a critical period during Xenopus spinal cord development, increased calcium spiking promotes the specification of neurons that produce the inhibitory neurotransmitters GABA and glycine, whereas decreased spiking promotes specification of neurons that produce excitatory neurotransmitters (glutamate and acetylcholine). Marek et al. injected one cell of two-cell-stage X. tropicalis embryos with mRNA encoding an inward rectifier potassium channel (Kir) to hyperpolarize neurons and thereby decrease calcium spiking unilaterally and found an increase in the area and intensity of expression of tlx3 (t-cell leukemia homeobox-3) in the dorsal spinal cord of the injected side. Manipulation of tlx3 expression with morpholino-oligonucleotides or overexpression constructs indicated that it specified glutamatergic over GABAergic fate, as it does in mouse and chick; manipulation of tlx3 combined with overexpression of Kir or of mRNA encoding sodium channels (Nav) (to increase spiking) indicated that the effects of activity on GABA or glutamate specification were upstream of tlx3. Expression of a luciferase construct driven by a conserved 384-bp region of the tlx3 promoter was modulated by coinjection of Kir or Nav, with Kir injection resulting in increased tlx3 expression and Nav injection resulting in decreased expression, and mutational analysis implicated a variant cyclic AMP response element (CRE) in this response. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays revealed that the transcription factor c-Jun bound to the CRE; moreover, a dominant-negative c-Jun mutant elicited a CRE-dependent increase in expression of the tlx3 reporter. c-Jun was present in embryonic spinal cord, and its conditional manipulation modulated neurotransmitter specification, with c-Jun overexpression promoting a GABAergic phenotype, whereas dominant-negative c-Jun promoted a glutamatergic phenotype. Although c-Jun abundance was unaffected by unilateral injection of Kir or Nav, phosphorylation of two of four residues crucial for regulation of its transactivation domain was decreased by injection of Kir and increased by injection of Nav, and expression of a c-Jun mutant in which all four residues were substituted with alanines (and thus not phosphorylatable) promoted the glutamatergic phenotype. The authors thus conclude that the calcium spiking can regulate neurotransmitter specification in this system through c-Jun–dependent modulation of tlx3 expression. K. W. Marek, L. M. Kurtz, N. C. Spitzer, cJun integrates calcium activity and tlx3 expression to regulate neurotransmitter specification. Nat. Neurosci. 13, 944–950 (2010). [PubMed]


At present many countries in the world consume too much fossil fuels such as petroleum, natural gas and coal to meet their energy needs. These fossil fuels are not renewable; their sources are limited and reducing gradually. More importantly they have been becoming more expensive day by day and their damage to the environment has been increasing. In spite of it, renewable energy sources are renewed and never run out. In addition there are many benefits of renewable energy. In this study a puzzle is prepared for primary-school students aiming at teaching of energy sources as a supplementary source. In the mean time, the puzzle we prepared reveals the advantages and disadvantages of renewable and fossil energy sources. Here, the student's aim is to complete the puzzle by answering the questions respectively.


A self-contained introduction to microprocessor theory and applications This book presents the fundamental concepts of assembly language programming and system design associated with typical microprocessors, such as the Motorola MC68000/68020 and Intel? Pentium?. It begins with an overview of microprocessors--including anexplanation of terms, the evolution of the microprocessor, and typical applications--and goes on to systematically cover: Microcomputer architecture Microprocessor memory organization Microprocessor Input/Output (I/O) Microprocessor programming concepts Assembly language programming with the 68000 68000 hardware and interfacing Assembly language programming with the 68020 68020 hardware and interfacing Assembly language programming with Pentium Pentium hardware and interfacing The author assumes a background in basic digital logic, and all chapters conclude with a Questions and Problems section, with selected answers provided at the back of the book. Microprocessor Theory and Applications with 68000/68020 and Pentium is an ideal textbook for undergraduate- and graduate-level courses in electrical engineering, computer engineering, and computer science. (An instructor's manual is available upon request.) It is also appropriate for practitioners in microprocessor system design who are looking for simplified explanations and clear examples on the subject. Additionally, the accompanying CD-ROM, which contains step-by-step procedures for installing and using Ide 68k21 (68000/68020) and MASM32 / Olly Debugger (Pentium) software, provides valuable simulation results via screen shots.


Many membrane proteins are modulated by external stimuli, such as small molecule binding or change in pH, transmembrane voltage or temperature. This modulation typically occurs at sites that are structurally distant from the functional site. Revealing the communication, known as allostery, between these two sites is key to understanding the mechanistic details of these proteins. Residue interaction networks of isolated proteins are commonly used to this end. Membrane proteins, however, are embedded in a lipid bilayer which may contribute to allosteric communication. The fast diffusion of lipids hinders direct use of standard residue interaction networks. Here, we present an extension which includes cofactors such as lipids and small molecules in the network. The novel framework is applied to three membrane proteins: a voltage-gated ion channel (KCNQ1), a G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR - β2 adrenergic receptor) and a pH-gated ion channel (KcsA). Through systematic analysis of the obtained networks and their components, we demonstrate the importance of lipids for membrane protein allostery. Finally, we reveal how small molecules may stabilize different protein states by allosterically coupling and decoupling the protein from the membrane.


Due to recent developments in data acquisition mechanisms, called 3d scanners, mesh compression has become an important tool for manipulating geometric data in several areas. In this context, a recent approach to the theory of signs called Compressive Sensing states that a signal can be recovered from far fewer samples than those provided by the classical theory. In this paper, we investigate the applicability of this new theory with the purpose of to obtain a compressive representation of geometric meshes. We developed an experiment which combines sampling, compression and reconstruction of various mesh sizes. Besides figuring compression rates, we also measured the relative error between the original mesh and the recovered mesh. We also compare two measurement techniques through their processing times, which are: the use of Gaussian matrices; and the use of Noiselet matrices. Gaussian matrices performed better in terms of processing speed, with equivalent performance in compression capacity. The results indicate that compressive sensing is very useful for mesh compression showing quite comparable results with traditional mesh compression techniques.


Excavations at the Etruscan site of Poggio Civitate (Murlo) have uncovered a seventh-century B.C.E. building complex. Two of the buildings in the complex are securely identified: one is an aristocratic residence (OC1/Residence) and the other a multifunctional workshop (OC2/Workshop). The function of a third building in the complex, which has a tripartite floor plan (OC3/Tripartite Building), is uncertain. Excavators note that the internal structure of the building makes it tempting to interpret it as a religious structure. They are appropriately cautious in their assessment of the material remains recovered on the floor of the building, but they do not consider the muluvanice inscriptions on pieces of bucchero pottery found there. I argue that this evidence contributes to the debate about the function of the OC3/Tripartite Building, suggesting that it served as the public center of the site in its broadest conception.


Abstract. The issue of data quality (DQ) is of growing importance in Remote Sensing (RS), due to the widespread use of digital services (incl. apps) that exploit remote sensing data. In this position paper a body of experts from the ISPRS Intercommission working group III/IVb "DQ" identifies, categorises and reasons about issues that are considered as crucial for a RS research and application agenda. This ISPRS initiative ensures to build on earlier work by other organisations such as IEEE, CEOS or GEO, in particular on the meritorious work of the Quality Assurance Framework for Earth Observation (QA4EO) which was established and endorsed by the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) but aims to broaden the view by including experts from computer science and particularly database science. The main activities and outcomes include: providing a taxonomy of DQ dimensions in the RS domain, achieving a global approach to DQ for heterogeneous-format RS data sets, investigate DQ dimensions in use, conceive a methodology for managing cost effective solutions on DQ in RS initiatives, and to address future challenges on RS DQ dimensions arising in the new era of the big Earth data.


ABSTRACT Sandstone compositional data can be a powerful tool in the interpretation of tectonic and climatologic influences on sedimentary basin fill, in addition to yielding important information about porosity in sandstone petroleum reservoirs. In order to explore these relationships, a modified Gazzi-Dickinson point-counting technique was used to analyze the composition of 143 Mesozoic sandstone samples from the southern Junggar, northern Tarim, and western Turpan basins of northwestern China. Results indicate that a Mesozoic, ancestral version of the Tian Shan physiographically separated the Junggar and Tarim basins and provided sand of very different composition to each basin. Mesozoic sandstone from the northern Tarim basin is diverse in composition and lithic-rich (Qm41F14L45; Qp42Lvm26Lsm32), is locally micaceous, and contains common radiolarian-chert grains and few dense accessory minerals. Inferred source rocks include upper Paleozoic alkali granite and metamorphic complexes, thick Silurian bedded-chert sequences, and lower Paleozoic strata of a passive continental margin. In contrast, sandstone from the southern Junggar and western Turpan basins is uniformly volcanic-rich (Qm21F21Lt58; Qp13Lvm68Lsm19), and contains abundant dense accessory minerals and only local radiolarian chert and mica. Inferred principal source rocks are Devonian-Carboniferous andesitic arc volcanics. The effect of sampling scale on sandstone composition outweighs that of plate-tectonic setting. Samples were derived mostly from medium- and coarse-grained fluvial systems that likely drained only portions of the ancestral Tian Shan and hence preserve local source-rock signatures, rather than an integrated compositional signal that can be directly compared to plate-tectonic petrofacies models. In addition, though Mesozoic basins of western China were most akin to broken foreland basins, Mesozoic sandstone is considerably more compositionally diverse and lithic-rich than that of modern or ancient broken foreland basins because of the variety of accreted terranes constituting the ancestral Tian Shan. Temporal changes in sandstone composition are consistent with episodes of Mesozoic deformation in the Tian Shan. Each deformational episode increased physiographic relief of the ancestral range, produced renewed downcutting and erosion of source rocks, and resulted in the deposition of compositionally very immature sandstone in adjacent basins. Although a regional early Mesozoic megamonsoon and an Early Cretaceous rain shadow cast across the northern Tarim basin are interpreted from regional facies and paleontologic data, neither paleoclimatic phenomenon appears to have significantly modified sandstone composition in the study area. Calculations of intergranular volume (% porosity + % cement) indicate that porosity in sandstone from the Tarim and Junggar basin depocenters was reduced principally by burial compaction and that the rate of porosity reduction was highest for lithic-rich samples.


Technological evolution has been compared to biological evolution by many authors over the last two centuries. As a parallel experiment of innovation involving economic, historical, and social components, artifacts define a universe of evolving properties that displays episodes of diversification and extinction. Here, we critically review previous work comparing the two types of evolution. Like biological evolution, technological evolution is driven by descent with variation and selection, and includes tinkering, convergence, and contingency. At the same time, there are essential differences that make the two types of evolution quite distinct. Major distinctions are illustrated by current specific examples, including the evolution of cornets and the historical dynamics of information technologies. Due to their fast and rich development, the later provide a unique opportunity to study technological evolution at all scales with unprecedented resolution. Despite the presence of patterns suggesting convergent trends between man-made systems end biological ones, they provide examples of planned design that have no equivalent with natural evolution.


Abstract The mitigation hierarchy is a decision-making framework designed to address impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services through first seeking to avoid impacts wherever possible, then minimizing or restoring impacts, and finally by offsetting any unavoidable impacts. Avoiding impacts is seen by many as the most certain and effective way of managing harm to biodiversity, and its position as the first stage of the mitigation hierarchy indicates that it should be prioritized ahead of other stages. However, despite an abundance of legislative and voluntary requirements, there is often a failure to avoid impacts. We discuss reasons for this failure and outline some possible solutions. We highlight the key roles that can be played by conservation organizations in cultivating political will, holding decision makers accountable to the law, improving the processes of impact assessment and avoidance, building capacity, and providing technical knowledge. A renewed focus on impact avoidance as the foundation of the mitigation hierarchy could help to limit the impacts on biodiversity of large-scale developments in energy, infrastructure, agriculture and other sectors.


Region-based object detection infers object regions for one or more categories in an image. Due to the recent advances in deep learning and region proposal methods, object detectors based on convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have been flourishing and provided the promising detection results. However, the detection accuracy is degraded often because of the low discriminability of object CNN features caused by occlusions and inaccurate region proposals. In this paper, we therefore propose a region decomposition and assembly detector (R-DAD) for more accurate object detection.In the proposed R-DAD, we first decompose an object region into multiple small regions. To capture an entire appearance and part details of the object jointly, we extract CNN features within the whole object region and decomposed regions. We then learn the semantic relations between the object and its parts by combining the multi-region features stage by stage with region assembly blocks, and use the combined and high-level semantic features for the object classification and localization. In addition, for more accurate region proposals, we propose a multi-scale proposal layer that can generate object proposals of various scales. We integrate the R-DAD into several feature extractors, and prove the distinct performance improvement on PASCAL07/12 and MSCOCO18 compared to the recent convolutional detectors.


Introduction: Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma (NPC) is the second most common cancer
among men in Malaysia. Establishing local data will help to improve the treatment strategies
and lower the anxiety and depression level among NPC patients. Our aim was to compare
the level of symptoms of anxiety and depression and the coping strategies employed
between NPC and cancer-free patients. Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study
with universal sampling was conducted on 22 NPC patients and 30 cancer-free patients
from the Oncology and Radiotherapy Department and Ear, Nose and Throat clinic of
Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) between 12 to 29 May 2008. In this study, the symptoms
of depression and anxiety were obtained by using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression
Scale (HADS) while Brief COPE questionnaire was used to understand patients' coping
strategies. Results: The prevalence of NPC was higher in the Chinese, men, aged between
40 and 59 years, and those from the lower income group. The levels of anxiety and
depression symptoms were found to be higher in the NPC group as compared to the
cancer-free group. However, only the level of depression was found significantly related to
the NPC group (p=0.002). This study also found that the two comparison groups were
using different types of coping strategies. The NPC patients mainly used 'acceptance' as
their coping strategy while the comparative group most often used 'religion'. Among the
types of coping strategies reported by the patients, 'use of instrumental support' type
was found to be associated with a lower level of anxiety (p = 0.035) and 'humour' type
was associated with lower depressive symptoms (p = 0.269). On the contrary, 'selfblame'
type was associated with both anxiety (p =0.0001) and depression (p = 0.001)
symptoms. In addition, patients with different gender, ethnicity, educational levels, and
monthly income were also found to have significant differences in their levels of anxiety
and depression as well as type of coping strategies. Conclusions: NPC patients had
higher anxiety and depression levels as compared to the comparative group. Different
socio-demographic backgrounds and different types of coping strategies had an influence
on patients resulting in different levels of anxiety and depression.


This study examined which factors were related to increased protest activity in European Union member countries from 2007 through 2012. Of particular interest to this study were growing unemployed youth populations and the widespread adoption of online, mobile, and social media, and where these factors converged in relation to off-line protest activities. Analyses indicated that certain forms of emerging media (most notably SMS activity levels) were, indeed, related to greater sociopolitical instability, and this effect was augmented where there were higher levels of youth unemployment rates. Separate data collection and algorithmic sorting of more than 3 million tweets from 2012 shed additional light on networked topics of discussion and users who were active in communicating online about the euro crisis and austerity. Altogether, results suggest that actual measures of usage, users, and content of emerging media contexts are important to the cultivation and sustainability of protest in pan-national social movements.


Fourteen mouse monoclonal antibodies raised against tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) and polyclonal antisera raised against six other flaviviruses, Edge Hill (EHV), Japanese encephalitis (JEV), Langat (LGTV), louping ill (LIV), West Nile (WNV) and yellow fever (YFV), were tested for their ability to enhance the replication of TBEV in cells of the mouse macrophage-like line P388 D1, and for their reactivity in ELISA and haemagglutination inhibition (HI) tests. Irrespective of their specificity for either the 51K or 58K polypeptide present in TBEV-infected cells, 13 of the 14 monoclonal antibodies enhanced the replication of TBEV but not of WNV. The remaining monoclonal antibody, which immunoprecipitated the 58K polypeptide of TBEV enhanced WNV but not TBEV, although it reacted strongly with both viruses in ELISA and HI tests. Only polyclonal antisera against viruses within the tick-borne encephalitis virus complex (TBEV, LGTV and LIV) enhanced TBEV replication, although all the polyclonal antisera reacted with TBEV by ELISA; two (against JEV and WNV) also reacted by HI test and all enhanced the replication of WNV. These findings suggest that with TBEV, enhancement may be TBEV complex-specific rather than flavivirus-specific. Data derived from testing both polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies suggest further that not all antibodies that bind to the envelope glycoprotein of TBEV are able to enhance the replication of TBEV, and that enhancement is epitope-specific.


We introduce a poset structure on the reduced galleries in a supersolvable arrangement of hyperplanes. In particular, for Coxeter groups of type A or B, we construct a poset of reduced words for the longest element whose Hasse diagram is the graph of reduced words. Using Rambau's Suspension Lemma, we show that these posets are homotopy equivalent to spheres. We furthermore conjecture that its intervals are either homotopy equivalent to spheres or are contractible. One may view this as a analogue of a result of Edelman and Walker on the homotopy type of intervals of a poset of chambers of a hyperplane arrangement.


The importance of investing in host country-specific human capital such as domestic language proficiency and domestic education is often cited as a determining factor for the labor market success of immigrants. This suggests that entirely domestic educations should even out the playing field providing equal labor market opportunities for natives and immigrants with similar (domestic) educations. This study follows a cohort of students from Swedish compulsory school graduation in 1988 until 2002 in order to document ethnic differences in education, including grades and field of education, and subsequent labor market outcomes. Results indicate both initial differences in youth labor market status and long term differences in employment rates, most notably for those with Non-European backgrounds. Differences in level or field of domestic education cannot explain persistent employment gaps. However, employment gaps are driven by differences among those with secondary school only. No employment or income gaps are found for the university educated.


Most studies of invasive species have been in highly modified, lowland environments, with comparatively little attention directed to less disturbed, high-elevation environments. However, increasing evidence indicates that plant invasions do occur in these environments, which often have high conservation value and provide important ecosystem services. Over a thousand non-native species have become established in natural areas at high elevations worldwide, and although many of these are not invasive, some may pose a considerable threat to native mountain ecosystems. Here, we discuss four main drivers that shape plant invasions into high-elevation habitats: (1) the (pre-)adaptation of non-native species to abiotic conditions, (2) natural and anthropogenic disturbances, (3) biotic resistance of the established communities, and (4) propagule pressure. We propose a comprehensive research agenda for tackling the problem of plant invasions into mountain ecosystems, including documentation of mountain invasion patterns at multiple scales, experimental studies, and an assessment of the impacts of non-native species in these systems. The threat posed to high-elevation biodiversity by invasive plant species is likely to increase because of globalization and climate change. However, the higher mountains harbor ecosystems where invasion by non-native species has scarcely begun, and where science and management have the opportunity to respond in time.


POLAR is a novel compact Compton X-ray polarimeter designed to measure the linear polarization of the prompt emission of Gamma Ray Bursts (GRB) and other strong transient sources such as soft gamma repeaters and solar flares in the energy range 50−500 keV. A detailed measurement of the polarization from astrophysical sources will lead to a better understanding of the source geometry and emission mechanisms. POLAR is expected to observe every year several GRBs with a minimum detectable polarization smaller than 10%, thanks to its large modulation factor, effective area, and field of view. POLAR consists of 1600 lowZ plastic scintillator bars, divided in 25 independent modular units, each read out by one flat-panel multi-anode photomultiplier. The design of POLAR is reviewed, and results of tests of one modular unit of the engineering and qualification model (EQM) of POLAR with synchrotron radiation are presented. After construction and testing of the full EQM, we will start building the flight model in 2011, in view of the launch foreseen in 2013.


Abstract. Recent studies of the α-pinene + ozone reaction that address particle nucleation show relatively high molar yields of highly oxidized multifunctional organic molecules with very low saturation concentrations that can form and grow new particles on their own. However, numerous smog-chamber experiments addressing secondary organic aerosol (SOA) mass yields, interpreted via equilibrium partitioning theory, suggest that the vast majority of SOA from α-pinene is semivolatile. We explore this paradox by employing a dynamic volatility basis set (VBS) model that reproduces the new-particle growth rates observed in the CLOUD experiment at CERN and then modeling SOA mass yield experiments conducted at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). We find that the base-case simulations do overpredict observed SOA mass but by much less than an equilibrium analysis would suggest; this is because delayed condensation of vapors suppresses the apparent mass yields early in the chamber experiments. We further find that a second VBS model featuring substantial oligomerization of semivolatile monomers can match the CLOUD growth rates with substantially lower SOA mass yields; this is because the lighter monomers have a higher velocity and thus a higher condensation rate for a given mass concentration. The oligomerization simulations are a closer match to the CMU experiments than the base-case simulations, though they overpredict the observations somewhat. However, we also find that if the chemical conditions in CLOUD and the CMU chamber were identical, substantial nucleation would have occurred in the CMU experiments when in fact none occurred. This suggests that the chemical mechanisms differed in the two experiments, perhaps because the high oxidation rates in the SOA formation experiments led to rapid termination of peroxy radical chemistry.


"Plastics - they are everywhere." The first sentence of this book hints at the problem it seeks to address. The shear diversity of plastics materials has led to their use in products as varied as disposable packaging, life-saving medical devices, giant wind-turbine blades and tiny electronic components. Their prices and properties vary as widely, and they can be moulded, extruded, blown, formed, and shaped in many other ways. Traditionally made from petrochemicals, designers can now also choose from a range of natural materials. Performance will depend on chemical constitution, but also on the selection of processing aids and property modifiers which can be added to the basic material. For years, people have asked for a simple book to help them understand this complex subject. This is that book! Managers, sales personnel, industry newcomers, designers and end-users are all confronted with a bewildering range of technology and terminology by their colleagues, customers and suppliers. The Instant Expert: Plastics, Processing and Properties provides clear descriptions of the wide range of plastic materials, and explanations of the basic shaping and finishing processes. The author also talks about materials properties and testing, and provides some simple examples of why particular plastics are used in common or more challenging applications. Common abbreviations are explained. Readable from cover-to-cover, or easily referred to when questions arise, this book will be indispensible.


Abstract Ballasted rail tracks are the most important mode of transportation in terms of traffic tonnage serving the needs of bulk freight and passenger movement, but under train loads, the particles degrade due to breakage and the progressive accumulation of external fines or mud-pumping under the subgrade, all of which reduce its shear strength and increase track instability. These actions adversely affect the safety, passenger comfort and efficiency of tracks, as well as enforcing speed restrictions and more frequent track maintenance. In spite of advances in rail track geotechnology, the optimum choice of ballast for track design is still considered critical because ballast degradation is influenced by the amplitude and number of load cycles, particle gradation, track confining pressure and the angularity and fracture strength of individual grains. One of the most effective methods of enhancing track stability and reducing the stresses transmitted to a soft subgrade layer is to increase the stiffness of the overlying granular media. This paper presents our current knowledge of rail track geomechanics, including important concepts/topics related to laboratory testing and computational modelling approaches used to study the load–deformation behaviour of ballast improved with waste tyres, synthetic geogrids and geocells.


We examine the mechanism by which human capital affects economic growth and convergence, using provincial level panel data from China. We specify alternative measures of human capital and apply them to an enhanced growth model which we estimate parametrically, nonparametrically, and with a threshold model. Our results show that economic convergence is pronouncedly conditional on human capital across all our measures of human capital. The positive "benefit of being backward" due to lower initial income is almost trumped by the negative impact of low levels of human capital among the poorest areas.


Mixing music is the process of combining tracks of recorded audio to an overall piece. This is a complicated process and, hence, automatic mixing or metering tools would be useful. The aim of the current research project was to work towards measuring the perceived quality of music mixes by establishing predictors for one important perceptual attribute of high- quality mixes (spectral clarity).

A review of academic and non-academic literature revealed that the high-level parameters that are responsible for determining the perceived quality of a music mix are 'clarity and separation', 'balance', 'impact and interest' and 'freedom from technical faults', alongside context-specific parameters. A further in-depth literature review established that clarity and separation—the chosen focus for this research—depend on spectral, spatial and intensity factors, and temporal changes in these factors. Spectral factors play an important role across all areas of literature consulted (namely timbral clarity, clarity in concert halls, masking, loudness, auditory scene analysis and speech intelligibility), and so the impact of mix EQ on spectral clarity was investigated in a series of experiments.

These experiments determined that two important factors contribute to the spectral clarity of single sounds. These are the harmonic centroid (spectral centroid divided by the sound's average fundamental frequency) and mid-range spectral peakiness (related to sharp peaks in the frequency spectrum). For sounds modified by simple spectral filtering, these two factors are sufficient to model clarity changes with a Spearman correlation ranging from 0.631 (bass and vocal stimuli) to 0.848 (string stimuli). For sounds in a mix, however, other factors become important. Adding a peak audibility measure proved useful. This measure determined whether the audibility of peaks in the spectra of the target sounds was increased or decreased through EQ. Target and overall mix harmonic centroids and mid- range spectral peakiness, combined with peak audibility, correlated positively with target spectral clarity (r=0.568).

Findings could contribute to the development of marketable products such as a piece of software able to judge the overall sound quality of a mix, automatic mixers or sonically improved music production software. Further work will allow a more comprehensive and generalizable model to be developed.


Teleaulax amphioxeia is a photosynthetic unicellular cryptophyte alga that is distributed throughout marine habitats worldwide. This alga is an important plastid donor to the dinoflagellate Dinophysis caudata through the ciliate Mesodinium rubrum in the marine food web. To better understand the genomic characteristics of T. amphioxeia, we have sequenced and analyzed its plastid genome. The plastid genome sequence of T. amphioxeia is similar to that of Rhodomonas salina, and they share significant synteny. This sequence exhibits less similarity to that of Guillardia theta, the representative plastid genome of photosynthetic cryptophytes. The gene content and order of the three photosynthetic cryptomonad plastid genomes studied is highly conserved. The plastid genome of T. amphioxeia is composed of 129,772 bp and includes 143 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNA operons and 30 tRNA sequences. The DNA polymerase III gene (dnaX) was most likely acquired via lateral gene transfer (LGT) from a firmicute bacterium, identical to what occurred in R. salina. On the other hand, the psbN gene was independently encoded by the plastid genome without a reverse transcriptase gene as an intron. To clarify the phylogenetic relationships of the algae with red-algal derived plastids, phylogenetic analyses of 32 taxa were performed, including three previously sequenced cryptophyte plastid genomes containing 93 protein-coding genes. The stramenopiles were found to have branched out from the Chromista taxa (cryptophytes, haptophytes, and stramenopiles), while the cryptophytes and haptophytes were consistently grouped into sister relationships with high resolution.


Altitudinal gradients are an important variable in testing the life history traits (e.g., longevity, age at maturity, and body size) of organisms. In this study, the life history traits of the Anatolian lizard Apathya cappadocica were examined from 3 populations from different altitudes (Kilis, 697 m; Şanliurfa, 891 m; Diyarbakir, 1058 m) from southeastern Anatolia, Turkey. Age structure was determined by using skeletochronology. Males in all populations were the larger sex; therefore, the populations showed male biases that were negative by the sexual size dimorphism index. Males in Diyarbakir (high altitude) were also younger than males in the other populations. There were no significant differences between the males and females of all 3 populations in terms of either age or snout-vent length except in the Şanliurfa population, in which males were larger than females. Life history traits of A. cappadocica across altitudinal gradients may be affected by climatic factors, as males from the middle altitude population in Şanliurfa, which inhabits a warmer and more arid environment, tended to be larger than males and females in Kilis and Diyarbakir.


This article examines how students and teachers at a non-Orthodox Jewish day school in New York City negotiate the use of translation within the context of an institutionalized language policy that stresses the use of a sacred language over that of the vernacular. Specifically, this paper analyzes the negotiation of a Hebrew-only policy through the ethnographic examination of language choices during activities surrounding scripture study and prayer. The ethnographic data reveal not only how the translating choices were linked with the discourses of authenticity, intentionality, and affect, but also how the language policy was challenged in daily classroom practices. A key finding is that choices to translate from the sacred language, Hebrew, to the vernacular, English, were neither ideologically neutral nor simply limited to the linguistic sphere of rendering a sacred text comprehensible. Rather, they offer insight into the ways in which translation practices reflect broader questions regarding religious socialization and cultural hybridization within the American context.


Penile plication has become the preferred surgical technique for Peyronie's disease (PD) as it can be performed efficiently, safely, with a high success rate, low morbidity and a low complication rate. Here in we describe two modern plication techniques in detail: the Kiels Knot plication and the minimally invasive penoscrotal plication. Benefits of the techniques include no palpable sutures for the Kiels Knot Plication and less surgical trauma for the penoscrotal plication. Plication has a low rate of failure. However, when it does occur it is usually secondary to under-correction. Failures typically present early postoperatively and a contributing factor to underestimating the deformity is a poor intraoperative artificial erection. Complex, severe, or multiplanar deformities will require more sophisticated intraoperative decision-making, but can be managed effectively with penile plication nonetheless.


Initiated in May 2011, several months after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, Germany's energy transformation (Energiewende) has been presented as an irrevocable plan, and – due to the speed of change required – it represents a new quality in Germany's energy strategy. Its main objectives include: nuclear energy being phased out by 2022, the development of renewable energy sources (OZE), the expansion of transmission networks, the construction of new conventional power plants and an improvement in energy efficiency.The cornerstone of the strategy is the development of renewable energy. Under Germany's amended renewable energy law, the proportion of renewable energy in electricity generation is supposed to increase steadily from the current level of around 20% to approximately 38% in 2020. In 2030, renewable energy is expected to account for 50% of electricity generation. This is expected to increase to 65% in 2040 and to as much as 80% in 2050.

The impact of the Energiewende is not limited to the sphere of energy supplies. In the medium and long term, it will change not only to the way the German economy operates, but also the functioning of German society and the state. Facing difficulties with the expansion of transmission networks, the excessive cost of building wind farms, and problems with the stability of electricity supplies, especially during particularly cold winters, the federal government has so far tended to centralise power and limit the independence of the German federal states with regard to their respective energy policies, justifying this with the need for greater co-ordination. The Energiewende may also become the beginning of a "third industrial revolution", i.e. a transition to a green economy and a society based on sustainable development. This will require a new "social contract" that will redefine the relations between the state, society and the economy. Negotiating such a contract will be one of the greatest challenges for German policy in the coming years.


Knowledge management can be closely linked with activities that overlapped with library practices. Lack of credence on how this two concept interwoven makes library and information science professionals to held distinct understanding of the concept knowledge management, most especially on how it relate to librarianship and information management, and at that, that there is no unity of consensus on which knowledge management definition should be considered universally acceptable. The study adopted a survey research design in exploring the perception and attitude of library and information science professionals in Nigeria toward knowledge management. Certified librarians in Nigeria (CLNs) constitute the unit of analysis and their total population stood at 5,437 from which a sample size of 3,000 was drawn using clustered random sampling techniques. Questionnaire is the instrument for data collection which was administered on a web-based platform, Proprofs survey maker (www.proprofs.com). But due to difficulties associated with web-based questionnaire, Only 389 participants respond to the survey, and a total number of usable, fully completed questionnaire is 369. Collected data was subjected to descriptive statistical analysis. The study reported that LIS professionals in Nigeria perceived knowledge management as an allied field of study that expands the horizon of the profession, even though some still perceived it as another name for information management or librarianship in another cloth/case of old wine in new bottle. Most participants prefer IFLA definition of KM to other definitions. In order to embrace the opportunities and as well curb the threats of knowledge management to library and information science profession, the study suggested that regulatory bodies and library associations should educate professionals on the position of LIS professionals in knowledge management through seminars, research report, conference proceedings, symposiums and any other means at their disposal.


Genetic Variation for Chilling Stress and Spectral Reflectance in Short-Season Maize Wisam Obeidat Co-advisors: Dr. Hugh Earl University of Guelph, 2017 Dr. Lewis Lukens Increasing early season cold tolerance of maize (Zea mays L.) has the potential to lengthen its growing season and enhance yields. We evaluated cold tolerance across 44 inbred and 102 hybrid genotypes in field and controlled environment experiments. Cold tolerance was quantified as the proportion of dry weight (PDW) of plants subjected to cold temperatures or planted early, relative to dry weight of plants grown in control temperatures or planted late. Also, leaf reflectance spectroscopy was used as an alternate indicator of cold stress response. In field experiments, significant effects of genotype, planting date, environment and their interactions were detected for PDW; the mean dry weight per plant for the early planting was considerably lower than for the late planting in five field environments. Cold stress exposure resulted in higher leaf reflectance in the 500  ̶ 680 nm region and lower reflectance between 758 ̶ 1000 nm. We identified novel reflectance predictors, both normalized difference indices and specific wavelengths of first derivative reflectance spectra, that correlated with PDW. In some cases the strongest correlations were found when reflectance data came from unstressed plants. Multiple regression models combining first derivative reflectance at multiple wavelengths, measured on plants not exposed to cold stress, provided the best correlation with PDW; however in general these models were unique to an experiment. Genetic control and heritability of plant dry weight and leaf spectral reflectance under control and early planting conditions was investigated in the field using a North Carolina Design II mating experiment. Consistent general combining ability estimates from early and late planting indicated that additive and dominant gene effects explained hybrid biomass variation across both planting dates. A number of spectral traits were heritable, but parental contributions to hybrid values were moderate. In conclusion, we find that parents explain at most moderate levels of hybrid spectral reflectance variation, across all spectral analysis tools. Thus, selection of traits such as hybrid biomass using spectral reflectance will be inefficient. Nonetheless, we find spectral reflectances stably distinguish maize genotypes within a population irrespective of temperature treatments, so selecting inbred lines using spectral reflectance may advance breeding efforts.


Summary: The smooth clam Callista chione is an Atlantic-Mediterranean species that is commercially exploited in several European countries. Several aspects of its reproduction were studied in a coastal location of the northwestern Mediterranean as a tool for sustainable fisheries management. Gonadal development was classified into 6 different stages, ranging from immature to degradation of the remaining sexual structures. Results showed that C. chione was able to reproduce throughout the year but a main spawning period occurred in spring. First records of hermaphrodites were found for this species. The mature spermatozoa measured 4.70±0.66 µm (without the flagellum), including a very short acrosome of 0.75±0.09 µm. The mid-piece of the spermatozoa had a mitochondrial sheath composed of five mitochondria. Ripe oocytes ranged from 60 to 80 µm in length. Size at first maturity (SL50) was estimated for the first time in a Mediterranean population, showing values of 30.26 mm in 2005-2006 but only 21.45 mm in 2014.


In previous work, we presented a case study using an estimated pitch value as the conditioning variable in conditional Gaussians that showed the utility of hiding the pitch values in certain situations or in modeling it independently of the hidden state in others. Since only single conditional Gaussians were used in that work, we extend that work here to using conditional Gaussian mixtures in the emission distributions to make this work more comparable to state-of-the-art automatic speech recognition. We also introduce a rate-of-speech (ROS) variable within the conditional Gaussian mixtures. We find that, under the current methods, using observed pitch or ROS in the recognition phase does not provide improvement. However, systems trained on pitch or ROS may provide improvement in the recognition phase over the baseline when the pitch or ROS is marginalized out.


A number of studies on electronic brainstorming have found that large electronic groups can facilitate the number of ideas generated relative to control groups of similar numbers of solitary performers (nominal groups). Thus far there is no clear evidence for the basis of this facilitative effect. The most likely explanation is that group members benefit from exposure to the wide range of ideas in large groups. Since most electronic brainstorming studies appear to divide the presented ideas into subfolders to avoid overloading participants with too many ideas, this practice may be important for demonstration of a benefit of exposure to a large number of ideas. The present study was designed to assess the role of number of ideas and number of folders on individual idea generation and to eliminate some alternative interpretations for the group size effect. Participants performed an idea generation task on computers while being exposed to either no ideas, 28 ideas, or 112 ideas. The 28 and 112 ideas were presented in either one, four, or eight folders. The results indicated that only the number of ideas factor was important for facilitating idea generation.