The problem of tracking time-varying linear systems is discussed. The focus is on the model quality in terms of the mean square error (MSE) between the true (momentary) transfer function and the estimated one. This MSE is thus a function of frequency. The exact expression for the MSE is complicated, but simple expressions that are asymptotic in the model order are developed for model structures of finite impulse response (FIR) character. Simulations verify that these simple expressions are quite reliable and insightful even for moderate model orders. Expressions are developed for three basic adaptation algorithms (recursive identification algorithms), viz. the least-mean-squares algorithm, the recursive least-squares algorithm with exponential forgetting, and a tracking algorithm based on the Kalman filter. The results apply both to slowly time-varying systems and to the model recovery after an abrupt change in the system dynamics. >


The present article seeks to advance the theoretical knowledge of entrepreneurial learning by reviewing and synthesizing available research into a conceptual framework that explains the process of entrepreneurial learning as an experiential process. The framework identifies three main components in the process of entrepreneurial learning: entrepreneurs' career experience, the transformation process, and entrepreneurial knowledge in terms of effectiveness in recognizing and acting on entrepreneurial opportunities and coping with the liabilities of newness. Based on the arguments in the article, five major propositions were developed to refine our understanding of entrepreneurial learning. Finally, theoretical and practical implications were discussed.


This work is focused on the design, fabrication and characterization of high performance MEMS-based micro gas chromatography columns having wide range of applications in the pharmaceutical industry, environmental monitoring, petroleum distillation, clinical chemistry, and food processing. The first part of this work describes different approaches to achieve high-performance microfabricated silicon-glass separation columns for micro gas chromatographic (µGC) systems. The capillary width effect on the separation performance has been studied by characterization of 250 µm-, 125 µm-, 50 µm-, and 25 µm-wide single-capillary columns (SCCs) fabricated on a 10A 8 mm2 die. The plate number of 12500/m has been achieved by 25 µm-wide columns coated by a thin layer of polydimethylsiloxane stationary phase using static coating technique. To address the low sample capacity of these narrow columns, this work presents the first generation of MEMS-based â multicapillaryâ columns (MCCs) consisting of a bundle of narrow-width rectangular capillaries working in parallel. The second contribution of this work is the first MEMS-based stationary phase coating technique called monolayer protected gold (MPG) for ultra-narrow single capillary (SCC) and multicapillary (MCC) microfabricated gas chromatography (I¼GC) columns yielding the highest separation performance reported to date. This new I¼GC stationary phase has been achieved by electrodepositing a uniform functionalized gold layer with an adjustable thickness (250nm-2µm) in 25I¼m-wide single columns as well as in four-capillary MCCs. The separation performance, stability, reproducibility and bleeding of the stationary phase have been evaluated over time by separating n-alkanes as non-polar and alcohols as polar gas mixtures.


Civil and military structures, such as helicopters, aircrafts, navies, tanks or buildings are exposed more and more to blast threats as both terroristic attacks in Western World and guerrilla warfare scenarios in Middle East are increasing. During an explosion the peak pressure produced by shock wave is much greater than the static collapse pressure. Metallic structures usually undergo large plastic deformations absorbing blast energy before reaching equilibrium. Due to their high specific properties, fibre-reinforced polymers are being considered for energy absorption applications in Armoured Fighting Vehicles (AFVs), where improved strategic and operational air mobility are key requirements. A deep insight into the relationship between explosion loads, composite architecture and deformation/fracture behaviour will offer the possibility to design structures with significantly enhanced energy absorption and blast resistance performance. This study examines the performance of both metallic and composite plates subjected to blast loads using commercial Finite Element Method (FEM) explicit code LS-DYNA with a particular attention to hybrid composite panels. The thesis deals with numerical 3D simulations of response caused by air blast waves generated by C-4 charges on fully clamped rectangular targets. Two different approaches have been used to simulate the blast load. Firstly CONWEP load function was applied in order to generate the blast equivalent pressure distribution on the Lagrangian plate model. The second approach considered Multi Materials Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (MMALE) formulation to simulate the shock phenomenon. Numerical results have been presented and compared with the tests performed by the EUROPA Research Technology Programme (RTP) military consortium and kindly provided by QinetiQ ® showing an acceptable agreement.


The study aims to investigate the profit persistence and identify the determinants of profitability in the Zimbabwean banking sector during the period 2009-2014. The study established that banks were inefficient operating under monopolistic competition. The study revealed that profitability does not persist implying banks are enjoying abnormal profits over time. The results further reveals that market power, cost efficiency, credit risk, liquidity risk and the size of the bank are significant factors influencing bank profits. The results indicate that bank profits are determined mostly by strategies adopted by bank management.


A lot has been written, and doubtless will continue to get written, about how Marx's ideas of class polarization and worker immiseration are quaint relics of a bygone age, now irrelevant for comprehending the complexities of late twentieth century "postindustrial" America. At first glance, this skepticism isn't entirely surprising. Several years back, for example, the New York Times ran a series of seven special articles called "The Downsizing of America" (March 3-9, 1996). The first report catalogued the "casualties" on the "battlefields of business:" "More than 43 million jobs have been erased in the United States since 1979…. Nearly three-quarters of all households have had a close encounter with layoffs since 1980…. While permanent layoffs have been symptomatic of most recessions, now they are occurring in the same large numbers even during an economic recovery that has lasted five years and even at companies that are doing well. This article can also be found at the Monthly Review website , where most recent articles are published in full. Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.


This thesis presents a transcendental argument to establish the existence of objectively necessary and categorical moral principles. The strategy followed might be called Analytic-Hegelian. It traces the necessary conditions of the possibility of the concepts at the heart of our philosophical endeavours, thereby reversing the line of development of the primary formation of concepts; and culminates in a self-recognition of the subject as a being for whom certain moral principles objectively and categorically hold. Chapter One shows that refutations of radical empiricism which take the concept of experience for granted, fail. Chapter Two examines the concept of experience required for empiricism to be possible. Chapter Three, investigating the necessary conditions of the possibility of this concept (rather than of experience itself), shows that empiricist scepticism is possible only if there exists an objective reality populated by items independent of experience. Empiricist scepticism is incoherent. Chapter Four deals with beginning philosophy. Some possible starting- points are considered, before discussing the concept of thought required for critical philosophy to be possible. The necessary conditions of the possibility of this concept include the existence of the external world, and (Chapter Five) of thinking, speaking subjects. The relationship between thought and language is elucidated. Chapter Six shows that the grasp of the thinking subject requires the subject to be engaged in communication, and to be a subject for whom communication is a value. Chapter Seven shows that the principle of maintaining communication is necessarily presupposed as an objectively necessary and categorical moral principle by anyone who questions it. It is thus unchallengeable. It serves, furthermore, as the foundation for a substantive non-relativistic ethics, with universal application. The transcendental foundation of ethics has been established.


Transition arising from a separated region of flow is quite common and plays an important role in engineering. It is difficult to predict using conventional models and the transition mechanism is still not fully understood. We report the results of a numerical simulation to study the physics of separated boundary-layer transition induced by a change of curvature of the surface. The geometry is a flat plate with a semicircular leading edge. The Reynolds number based on the uniform inlet velocity and the leading-edge diameter is 3450. The simulated mean and turbulence quantities compare well with the available experimental data. The numerical data have been comprehensively analysed to elucidate the entire transition process leading to breakdown to turbulence. It is evident from the simulation that the primary two-dimensional instability originates from the free shear in the bubble as the free shear layer is inviscidly unstable via the Kelvin–Helmholtz mechanism. These initial two-dimensional instability waves grow downstream with a amplification rate usually larger than that of Tollmien–Schlichting waves. Three-dimensional motions start to develop slowly under any small spanwise disturbance via a secondary instability mechanism associated with distortion of two-dimensional spanwise vortices and the formation of a spanwise peak–valley wave structure. Further downstream the distorted spanwise two-dimensional vortices roll up, leading to streamwise vorticity formation. Significant growth of three-dimensional motions occurs at about half the mean bubble length with hairpin vortices appearing at this stage, leading eventually to full breakdown to turbulence around the mean reattachment point. Vortex shedding from the separated shear layer is also observed and the 'instantaneous reattachment' position moves over a distance up to 50% of the mean reattachment length. Following reattachment, a turbulent boundary layer is established very quickly, but it is different from an equilibrium boundary layer.


The Sustainable Development Goals provide a spotlight on the need to provide water and sanitation and hygiene (WASH) for all individuals by 2030. Recent debates on ensuring equity and inclusion in WASH provision in the Global South have begun to explore the needs of excluded groups of individuals. Yet, the WASH needs of perimenopausal (PM) women, who are making the transition to menopause, are neglected. An ageing population, particularly in the Global South, raises the importance of meeting the wide-ranging WASH needs of increasing numbers of PM women. The WASH needs of PM women are hidden knowledge, known to, but not shared by, PM women with other people, nor recorded in literature. Hygiene practices are performed privately by PM women, behind closed doors. This study explores this new field of research and aims to provide recommendations to meet the WASH needs of PM women.Opening the doors to these needs warrants the use of adaptive, participative, feminist methodologies, placing PM women at the centre of the study to enable them to share their experiences. This research uses a six-stage case study methodology: a literature review, a phenomenological review, research design, case study selection, data collection, and data analysis. In the absence of literature on the WASH needs of PM women, a phenomenological review, using oral history narratives of PM women in the UK and USA, was used to set the research agenda. Oral history interviews, participatory mapping and PhotoVoice techniques complemented with ethnographic observations were used to identify the hidden WASH needs of PM women in two low-income urban communities in Accra and Kumasi, Ghana, where water and sanitation services are lacking. Hardware and software solutions for meeting PM women's WASH needs were identified by environmental health professionals using a vignette method. Ultimately, after trialling NVivo software and theoretical models, a thematic approach was used to analyse the data.This research identified several WASH needs as crucial to PM women's health. Bathing and laundry are important hygiene needs, but are neglected by the WASH sector. Effective menstrual hygiene management for PM women as well as adolescent girls, and related sanitation needs, warrants greater attention. This research contributes to recently emerging debates through identifying the incontinence needs of PM women. Drinking is an importantneed for good PM health. Whilst the WASH needs of PM women are new knowledge, they can be met through the adaptation of existing hardware and software WASH solutions.This research concludes that the hidden WASH needs of PM women require participatory techniques to reveal them. Relationships with certain people allow PM women to discuss and meet the WASH needs to a degree. PM symptoms vary in nature, between women and day to day. This research demonstrates that the WASH sector needs to become more attentive to bathing and laundry issues overall, learning from the needs of PM women.


Abstract. Volcanic aerosols resulting from the Eyjafjallajokull eruption were detected in south-eastern Italy from 20 to 22 April 2010, at a distance of approximately 4000 km from the volcano, and have been characterized by lidar, sun/sky photometer, and surface in-situ measurements. Volcanic particles added to the pre-existing aerosol load and measurement data allow quantifying the impact of volcanic particles on the aerosol vertical distribution, lidar ratios, the aerosol size distribution, and the ground-level particulate-matter concentrations. Lidar measurements reveal that backscatter coefficients by volcanic particles were about one order of magnitude smaller over south-eastern Italy than over Central Europe. Mean lidar ratios at 355 nm were equal to 64 ± 5 sr inside the volcanic aerosol layer and were characterized by smaller values (47 ± 2 sr) in the underlying layer on 20 April, 19:30 UTC. Lidar ratios and their dependence with the height reduced in the following days, mainly because of the variability of the volcanic particle contributions. Size distributions from sun/sky photometer measurements reveal the presence of volcanic particles with radii r > 0.5 μm on 21 April and that the contribution of coarse volcanic particles increased from 20 to 22 April. The aerosol fine mode fraction from sun/sky photometer measurements varied between values of 0.85 and 0.94 on 20 April and decreased to values between 0.25 and 0.82 on 22 April. Surface measurements of particle size distributions were in good accordance with column averaged particle size distributions from sun/sky photometer measurements. PM 1 /PM 2.5 mass concentration ratios of 0.69, 0.66, and 0.60 on 20, 21, and 22 April, respectively, support the increase of super-micron particles at ground. Measurements from the Regional Air Quality Agency show that PM 10 mass concentrations on 20, 21, and 22 April 2010 were enhanced in the entire Apulia Region. More specifically, PM 10 mass concentrations have on average increased over Apulia Region 22%, 50%, and 28% on 20, 21, and 22 April, respectively, compared to values on 19 April. Finally, the comparison of measurement data with numerical simulations by the FLEXPART dispersion model demonstrates the ability of FLEXPART to model the advection of the volcanic ash over the 4000 km from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano to Southern Italy.


Early visual areas have neuronal receptive fields that form a sampling mosaic of visual space, resulting in a series of retinotopic maps in which the same region of space is represented in multiple visual areas. It is not clear to what extent the development and maintenance of this retinotopic organization in humans depend on retinal waves and/or visual experience. We examined the corticocortical receptive field organization of resting-state BOLD data in normally sighted, early blind, and anophthalmic (in which both eyes fail to develop) individuals and found that resting-state correlations between V1 and V2/V3 were retinotopically organized for all subject groups. These results show that the gross retinotopic pattern of resting-state connectivity across V1-V3 requires neither retinal waves nor visual experience to develop and persist into adulthood. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Evidence from resting-state BOLD data suggests that the connections between early visual areas develop and are maintained even in the absence of retinal waves and visual experience.


This report presents the results from a pilot action project on energy saving in transport of goods in three Nordic countries. The main object of the project is to develop and implement actions, strategies and measures for improved energy efficiency in transport of goods. The project uses 3 cases: fish export in Norway, wood (paper) export in Finland and agricultural products (mainly grain) in Sweden. One company in each of the three countries are selected and possible pilot actions are identified in each of the companies. The project constitutes 3 main phases: 1) Basic analytic activities; 2) Pilot actions in 3 "case"-companies; and 3) Actions and measures in regional policies. This report presents the results from phase 1 of the project. This phase has included an analysis of transport means, transport volumes, load factors and energy use in transport of goods in the 3 Nordic countries. Historical data back to 1970 and prognosis up to year 2020 for the three major modes of goods transport, road, rail and sea, have been analysed. Both the volumes and the energy use have increased rapidly for road transport of goods in all the 3 countries. The increase appears to be largest in Norway with a more than doubling of transport volume between 1970 and 1995. The increase in energy use for road based goods transport is four-fold for the same period. Finland has doubled its energy-use for road transport of goods and the data for Sweden indicate a slightly lower increase. The prognosis for future road transport of goods calls for a continuation of the strong increase in all 3 Nordic countries. The sea transport has been reduced since 1970 in all 3 Nordic countries while the rail transport has remained fairly constant. The future prognosis for rail transport of goods indicates an increase in all 3 countries. A literature survey of energy saving in transport of goods has identified potential actions and measures at three levels; reduction of fuel consumption, increased load factor and transfer of goods from road to rail and sea. The possible energy saving effect of improved logistics has been identified as important. Case companies in all 3 countries have committed to participate in the project. The companies and the potential pilot actions to be carried out in the companies are described in the report. (A) The report is available as a PDF file (191 kB): http://www.vestforsk.no/dok/samandrag/r8-03.pdf.


This paper analyzes privatization and enterprise reform of three major countries in the transition region; Poland, Czechoslovakia (subsequently the Czech Republic), and the Soviet Union (subsequently Russia). For each, it discusses the prevailing ideologies of advisors prior to and during the transition process, the initial conditions faced by reformers and advisors, the policy frameworks that evolved, the results achieved, the mistakes made, and the opportunities missed. The ultimate conclusion is that while privatization could have and probably should have been done better, it nonetheless had to be done. The Czech Republic and Russia, and others in the region, are better off after the flawed privatizations they carried out than they would have been had they avoided or delayed divestiture. Poland, which did quite well at first in the absence of mass and rapid privatization, now finds itself burdened with a number of expensive and unproductive state firms. This paper shows how and why these outcomes came about, and what was the role of the external advisor community in the process.


PurposeThis study explores the different learning practices of Chinese incubators in Chongqing and Chengdu and delves into how these "learning huddles" influence incubatees' absorptive capacity (the ability to apply knowledge) to improve their chance of success (sustainable growth).Design/methodology/approachThis explorative study uses a qualitative case study approach by means of semi-structured interviews with business incubation managers and incubatees across three business incubators in Chengdu and Chongqing. The data are transcribed, coded and analyzed using an analytic map for the explanation of building and reflecting on the theoretical propositions, leading to a further understanding of the "learning huddle" mechanism.FindingsThe study finds that incubatees perceive that their absorptive capacity is increased through vicarious informal learning practices that promote access to networks and thereby builds social capital to improve their likelihood of success.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has limitations in sample size and design. The explorative case study approach uses a nonrandom case selection of three incubators in Chongqing and Chengdu and has a limited number of interviewees, which may lack representation of the general Chinese business incubation population and may not sufficiently be generalized beyond the sample itself.Practical implicationsThese findings have important implications for business incubation programs. Business incubators that build learning huddles (networks) create a nurturing shared learning environment, which is suitable for incubatees to collectively absorb knowledge at the early stage of their life cycle and improve their likelihood of sustainable growth.Social implicationsSince this study is limited to a Chinese context, it is also hoped that future researchers use the typology of business incubator learning practices to explore cross-culture variables, as these may influence the business incubation operations and performance.Originality/valueThis study adds to the discussion on how collective learning practices facilitate absorptive capacity and build social capital, which in turn improves incubatees' chance of sustainable growth and as such the authors hope that the learning practice's typology and how incubatees determine their success stimulates further research for measuring the likelihood of incubatees sustainable growth.


The large number of signature States together with the current speed of ratification from various regions of the world seems to indicate the general acceptance of the treaty; many of the problems first identified have since been clarified and resolved. It seems reasonable to expect the Rome Statute to come into operation as early as next summer. While it is necessary to ensure effective criminal investigation and prosecution to counter serious human rights violations, we need also to develop additional ways and means for addressing the root causes that led to violations and impunity. Justice is important but justice alone cannot bring peace. We need both justice and peace. Criminal prosecution through courts and tribunals will not and cannot suit all situations, bring justice to all, or, still less, end all conflicts. Accountability and criminal responsibility are important and necessary. But the tribunals cannot deal adequately when massive cases are involved. Massive trials require large resources and are time-consuming, particularly when there are large numbers of defendants. In recent years, various measures of accountability have been employed for managing situations involving past serious violations of human rights. These measures include acknowledging and publicizing responsibility through truth commissions, dismissing or suspending officials connected with the abuses of the previous regimes, seizure of property and assets of the perpetrators, blocking financial sources of rogue organizations, and compensation for victims and their families. All these are intended to demonstrate that a sense of sanctions has been applied to misdeeds, though such sanctions may not be sufficient in all cases. The parties concerned must work out by themselves the best solution to suit their need. AN ASSESSMENT OF THE ICC STATUTE


Motile cilia are plasma membrane projections that contain a central core of microtubules whose movement relative to each other contributes to ciliary beating. The left-right body patterning of developing embryos is thought to result from cilia-dependent differential distribution of morphogens. Knockout of inositol 1,3,4,5,6-pentakisphosphate (IP5) 2-kinase (Ipk1), the enzyme that synthesizes IP6, in zebrafish embryos results in defective left-right positioning of organs, although the mechanism involved is unknown. Sarmah et al. extended this work and knocked down expression of ipk1 in zebrafish by injecting embryos with an antisense morpholino oligonucleotide (MO) targeted to ipk1 mRNA (ipk1MO1 embryos). The Kupffer's vesicle (KV) is the organ that initiates left-right organ placement in the zebrafish. The authors found that whereas KV cilia from wild-type embryos beat with a regular frequency in a counterclockwise direction, those from ipk1MO1 embryos vibrated without a defined direction of motion. Furthermore, immunocytochemical analyses revealed that cilia in ipk1MO1 embryos were shorter than those in wild-type embryos. Although the ectopic expression in ipk1MO1 embryos of Ipk1 resulted in the rescue of ciliary length and motion, that of a catalytically inactive mutant of Ipk1 did not. Fluorescence microscopy showed that Ipk1 was localized to centrosomes in the basal bodies of cilia in wild-type embryos. Transmission electron microscopy demonstrated that the organization of microtubules in the cilia from ipk1MO1 embryos was similar to that in wild-type embryos. However, the anterograde microtubule-dependent movement of melanosomes (pigmented vesicles), which is mediated by kinesin proteins, was much slower in ipk1MO1 cilia than in wild-type cilia. Together these data implicate Ipk1, and potentially its product IP6, in the maintenance of cilia length and the regulation of ciliary motion. B. Sarmah, V. P. Winfrey, G. E. Olson, B. Appel, S. R. Wente, A role for the inositol kinase Ipk1 in ciliary beating and length maintenance. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 104, 19843-19848 (2007). [Abstract] [Full Text]


Dynamic time warping (DTW) is a widely used curve similarity measure. We present a simple and efficient (1 + ε)- approximation algorithm for DTW between a pair of point sequences, say, P and Q, each of which is sampled from a curve. We prove that the running time of the algorithm is O([EQUATION]n log σ) for a pair of k-packed curves with a total of n points, assuming that the spreads of P and Q are bounded by σ. The spread of a point set is the ratio of the maximum to the minimum pairwise distance, and a curve is called K- packed if the length of its intersection with any disk of radius r is at most Kr. Although an algorithm with similar asymptotic time complexity was presented in [1], our algorithm is considerably simpler and more efficient in practice. We have implemented our algorithm. Our experiments on both synthetic and real-world data sets show that it is an order of magnitude faster than the standard exact DP algorithm on point sequences of length 5, 000 or more while keeping the approximation error within 5--10%. We demonstrate the efficacy of our algorithm by using it in two applications - computing the k most similar trajectories to a query trajectory, and running the iterative closest point method for a pair of trajectories. We show that we can achieve 8--12 times speedup using our algorithm as a subroutine in these applications, without compromising much in accuracy.


Some people continue to defend trickle-down theories, which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world. This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the facts, expresses a crude and naive trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system. Meanwhile, the excluded are still waiting.


Using a panel of U.S. city-level building permits data, we estimate a Markov-switching model of housing cycles that allows cities to systematically deviate from the national housing cycle. These deviations occur for clusters of cities that experience simultaneous housing contractions. We find that cities do not form housing regions in the traditional geographic sense. Instead, similarities in factors affecting the demand for housing (such as population growth or availability of credit) appear to be more important determinants of cyclical co-movements than similarities in factors affecting the supply for land (such as the availability of developable land or the elasticity of land supply).


Conjuring up images of savagery and ferocity, Attila the Hun has become a byword for barbarianism. But, as the Romans of the fifth century knew, Attila did more than just terrorize villages on the edge of an empire. Drawing on original texts, this riveting narrative follows Attila and the Huns from the steppes of Kazakhstan to the opulent city of Constantinople and the Great Hungarian Plain, uncovering an unlikely marriage proposal, a long-standing relationship with a treacherously ambitious Roman general, and a thwarted Roman assassination plot. Attila the Hun and the Fall of Rome reframes the warrior king as a political strategist, capturing the story of how a small, but dedicated, opponent dealt a seemingly invincible empire defeats from which it would never recover.


Normal 0 false false false EN-AU JA X-NONE Apithology is a systems discipline that investigates the generative dynamics of living systems. Its specific focus is the causative dynamics of generative health and wellbeing. It provides a counterpart discipline to pathology, which examines the causes of dissipative dysfunction and disease. Apithology as a theory of practice is generated at the humanity-level of inquiry. It is applied in practice at individual-scales through practical applications. In this Workshop participants will be introduced to the principles of apithology. Participants will be provided with examples of applications and will generate their own. Apithology as a discipline presently has over 120 modalities. This workshop will cover five preliminary inquiry practices: Adequacies, Concordances, Dimensions, Actuations, and Healths. This workshop will focus on their application to the wellbeing of humanity as a generative system, in line with the ISSS 2015 Conference theme. This will be the first time this Workshop has been made available to practitioners in Europe. Systems practitioners, researchers and students with a humanitarian focus and a specific interest in generative systems are encouraged to attend.


Chaperone-Mediated Folding and Assembly of β-Propeller Proteins into Cellular Signaling Complexes Rebecca L. Plimpton Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, BYU Doctor of Philosophy G protein signaling depends on the ability of the individual subunits of the G protein heterotrimer to assemble into a functional complex. Formation of the G protein βγ (Gβγ) dimer is particularly challenging because it is an obligate dimer in which the individual subunits are unstable on their own. Recent studies have revealed an intricate chaperone system that brings the Gβ and Gγ subunits together. This system includes the cytosolic chaperonin containing TCP-1 (CCT) and a co-chaperone phosducin-like protein 1 (PhLP1). Two key intermediates in the Gβγ assembly process, the Gβ-CCT and the PhLP1-Gβ-CCT complexes, were isolated and their structures determined by cryo-electron microscopy, chemical cross-linking coupled with mass spectrometry, and unnatural amino acid cross-linking. These structures show that Gβ interacts with CCT in a near-native state through interactions of the Gγ-binding region of Gβ with the CCTγ subunit. PhLP1 binding stabilizes the Gβ β-propeller, disrupting interactions with CCT and releasing a PhLP1-Gβ dimer for assembly with Gγ. We also investigated the role of CCT and PhLP1 in folding and assembling mTOR complexes, which regulate cell growth through phosphorylation. We found that the β-propeller protein mLST8 and one of its binding partners called raptor, which is a large protein in which one domain forms a β-propeller, both bind to CCT. PhLP1 forms a ternary complex with mLST8 and CCT and may play a co-chaperone role. Depletion of PhLP1 or CCT reduces assembly of mTOR complexes in the cell. Collectively, this report reveals diversity in the contributions of CCT to the formation of protein complexes in signaling pathways and presents a molecular mechanism of Gβ folding by CCT and PhLP1.


In 1914, Ramanujan discovered 17 series for 1= , 16 are rational and one is irrational.
They are classi ed into four groups depending on a variable ` called the level, where
` = 1, 2, 3 and 4. Since then, a total of 36 rational series have been found for these
levels. In addition, 57 series have been found for other levels. Moreover, 14 irrational
series for 1= were found. This thesis will classify the series that involve quadratic
irrationals for the levels ` 2 f1; 2; 3; 4g. A total of 90 series are given, 76 of which are
believed to be new. These series were discovered by numerical experimentations using
the mathematical software tool \Maple" and they will be listed in tables at the end of
this thesis.


This paper describes an iterative combinatorial auction for single-minded bidders that offers modularity in the choice of price structure, drawing on ideas from kernel methods and the primal-dual paradigm of auction design. In our implementation, the auction is able to automatically detect, as the rounds progress, whether price expressiveness must be increased to clear the market. The auction also features a configurable step size which can be tuned to trade-off between monotonicity in prices and the number of bidding rounds, with no impact on efficiency. An empirical evaluation against a state of the art ascending-price auction demonstrates the performance gains that can be obtained in efficiency, revenue, and rounds to convergence through various configurations of our design.


We have studied the concentration dependent fluorescence decay kinetics of ceramic Nd:YAG, to resolve inconsistencies in the previous literature. Our data indicate that earlier reports of single exponential lifetimes even at Nd concentrations of a few percent were due to the effects of long-pulse excitation. Under short-pulse excitation the fluorescence decay is nonexponential for concentrations greater than about 1% atomic. Energy migration to sinks consisting of cross-relaxing Nd ions dominates at long times, whereas single-step energy transfer to randomly distributed quenching sites dominates at earlier times. The concentration dependence of this single-step transfer indicates direct cross-relaxation between individual ions at concentrations below 4% atomic, but resonant transfer to quenching sites consisting of Nd pairs at higher concentrations.


Introduction: Type 2 diabete is a kind of metabolic disease that it is associated with hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia and disturbed liver function. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the protective effects of Okra Powder on liver damage in high fat diet fed / streptozotocin (HFD-STZ)-induced type 2 diabetic rats. Methods: In this experimental study, 25 Wistar Albino female rats with an average weight of (200–220 g) were randomly divided into 5 groups: Group I: (control group) rats were fed the standard diet, Group II: healthy rats that received Okra Powder (200 mg/kg) for 4 weeks; Group III (HFD/STZ group): Rats were fed with high-fat diet (HFD) (60% fat) for 4 weeks and then injected low dose of STZ (35 mg/kg), Group IV: Diabetic rats that received Okra Powder (200 mg/kg) for 4 weeks. GroupV: Diabetic rats that received metformin (200 mg/kg) for 4 weeks. At the end of experiment, biochemical parameters were measured. Liver samples were removed and 5-6 µ sections were made and stained by H&E and Sudan black staining. Results: The results showed that all the biochemical parameters, except HDL-C and serum insulin were increased in diabetic rats, while they were decreased in Okra supplementation group compared to diabetic rats (p<0.05). The liver structure alterations were improved in treated diabetic rats with Okra Powder and metformin. Conclusion: Our findings confirmed the potential anti-hyperglycemic and hypolipidemic effects of Okra Powder. Thus, it seems it has an important role in the management of type 2 diabete.


Identifying lower respiratory pathogens in young, non expectorating cystic fibrosis (CF) patients has been problematic. Bronchial secretions are difficult to obtain, and little is known about lower airway flora in these patients. We collected simultaneous bronchial and oropharyngeal specimens in 43 CF patients in optimal respiratory status, including both expectorating (17) and nonexpectorating (26) patients, to determine the predictive value of oropharyngeal cultures for identifying lower airway pathogens. An additional goal was to characterize the lower respiratory flora of these patients. Predictive values were defined as the proportion of oropharyngeal culture results that accurately reflected the results of bronchial cultures. Predictive values of positive oropharyngeal cultures in nonexpectorating patients were 83% (95% confidence interval 36 to 100%) for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and 91% (59 to 100%) for Staphylococcus aureus. Predictive values of negative oropharyngeal cultures were lower: 70% (48 to 86%) for R aeruginosa and 80% (52 to 96%) for S. aureus. A relatively high proportion of nonexpectorating CF patients less than 10 yr old had R aerusginosa (11 of 24, 46%) or Klebsiella species (5 of 24, 21%) in their lower airways. The isolation of Klebsiella was associated with younger age (p = 0.03) and recent administration of antistaphylococcal antibiotics (p = 0.05). Our results suggest that oropharyngeal cultures yielding R aeruginosa or S. aureus are highly predictive, but such cultures lacking these organisms do not rule out the presence of these pathogens in the lower airways of CF patients.


Risk forecasting is central to financial regulations, risk management, and macroprudential policy. This column raises concerns about the reliance on risk forecasting, since risk forecast models have high levels of model risk – especially when the models are needed the most, during crises. Policymakers should be wary of relying solely on such models. Formal model-risk analysis should be a part of the regulatory design process.


The study aims to describe the external causes of death (ECD) mortality, specifically suicide and traffic death in Estonia 1970-2002 in relation to the political and economic development with a special focus on the unemployment and alcohol use impact. This analyse bases on the Statistical Office of Estonia and other governmental institutions published information. The highest mortality rates occurred for traffic accidents 1990-91 and for suicides 1994-95. Middle-age man excess ECD mortalityoccurred in early 1990s with the greatest politico-economic changes accompanied by high psychosocial stress before the population could acquire appropriate coping strategies. Impact of the first main reforms on the population health has been ascertained. Price liberalisation was followed by immense inflation and real wage fall in early 1990s. Privatisation and monetary reform influenced on the basic living security of the population. People faced unexpected living difficulties as work and dwelling insecurity, decreased real income, insufficiency to meetessential expenditures, declined living standard, social status loss, population stratification and inadequate social protection. Unemployment was just introduced and did not play a significant role for the high mortality. Traffic accidents' fatal consequences decreased with growing GDP as cars and roads became safer however accidents' number did not decrease. Western cars appearance euphoria could influence more than alcohol consumption. It could plausibly increase accidents but the reason and role of alcohol consumption in the intentional actions needs more information. Suicide could have been influenced mainly by social and traffic accidents mortality mainly by environmental factors. Earlier findings about the unemployment and alcohol consumption impact on the transition's high injurymortality have not been confirmed by the current study. Current paper provides framework within population worsening health factors during politico-economic changes could be better understood. The strongest impact on Estonia's population health could come from transition's political and economic reforms influencing dwelling and incomesecurity. Low salary and low purchasing power could hurt a human dignity even more than possible unemployment


Let us begin with considering actuality, and try to make out just what it consists in. If I ask you what the actuality of an event consists in, you will tell me that it consists in its happening then and there. The specifications then and there involve all its relations to other existents. The actuality of the event seems to lie in its relations to the universe of existents. A court may issue injunctions and judgments against me and I not care a snap of my finger for them. I may think them idle vapor. But when I feel the sheriff's hand on my shoulder, I shall begin to have a sense of actuality. Actuality is something brute. There is no reason in it. I instance putting your shoulder against a door and trying to force it open against an unseen, silent, and unknown resistance. We have a two-sided consciousness of effort and resistance, which seems to me to come tolerably near to a pure sense of actuality. On the whole, I think we have here a mode of being of one thing which consists in how a second object is. I call that Secondness.


CrossFit®, the most successful concept for high-intensity interval training (HIIT), consists of constantly varied training loads und and is usually performed as Workouts Of the Day (WOD) with a length of 6 minutes and more. However, regular CrossFit® training concepts also include shorter WODs, the physiology responses have rarely been investigated yet. In this Study we wanted to analyze the blood lactate concentration (LAC) after ultra-short, high-intensive CrossFit® workout and investigate whether the kinetics of LAC is related to heart rate (HR) or the ratings of perceived exertion measured by borg-scale (borg-RPE). To determine whether CrossFit® workouts induces increased LAC levels after the exercise load, ten participants (n= 10; 8 males; 2 females) volunteered in the study. The participants completed a WOD consisting of 30/20 Calories AirBike and ten repetitions Devil Press with 10 kg/5 kg dumbbell (men/female). LAC, HR, and borg-RPE were measured immediately after, until 12 min after the WOD. The lactate turning points (LTP1 /LTP2) were previously determined using a bicycle ergometer performance diagnostic. The LAC values increased immediately after the WOD by 2.3 ± 1.4 fold (mean ± SD) of the LTP2 up to the maximum by 3.9 ± 0.96- fold during the post-workout observation period.


The synthesis of 10-Bromo-1-Decandiol was monitored using Raman and near infrared spectroscopy. Optical fiber Raman and near infrared probes were immersed in the reaction mixture. Raman spectra were recorded every 50 second whereas near infrared spectra were recorded every 30 second. The reaction was carried out for 150 minutes. Data obtained from the spectroscopic techniques went through statistical pretreatment methods. The pretreated data then subjected to multivariate data analysis techniques. Principal component analysis, multivariate curve resolution and partial least square regression were used to identify major trends in the reaction, to identify and monitor the concentration and spectral profiles of the components involved in the reaction and to develop a regression model for the reaction respectively. For the purpose comparison and model development, GC-MS analysis of the reaction mixture was done in 15 minutes interval during the course of the reaction. Principal component analysis on Raman and near infrared data indicated that there were three main components in each data one component in decreasing trend and the other two in increasing trend. This was also confirmed by the GC-MS analysis as there were only three components in the reaction mixture. The decreasing component was assigned to 1,10-decanediol(reactant) while the other two components are assigned to 10-Bromo-1-Decandiol (Product) and 1,10dibromodecane(byproduct).From concentration profiles obtained from multivariate curve resolution it was also shown that the three components in the reaction mixture followed the same trend as suggested by the principal component analysis and GC-MS analysis. Partial least square regression model was built for both Raman and near infrared data using ten variables from the GC-MS analysis and ten variables from Raman and near infrared. A good prediction was obtained for both data when the model was tested under a different set of variables. As a result, it was concluded that monitoring the synthesis of 10-Bromo-1-Decandiol using Raman and near infrared spectroscopy proved to be feasible. Fasil Ayelegn Page 4 of 54


[Excerpt] As job-based health coverage declines and employers shift ever-growing health costs onto employees, workers increasingly must turn to taxpayer-funded programs like Medicaid to get health care for themselves and their families. Meanwhile, Medicaid is wrestling with explosive cost growth, increasing 56 percent since 2000. Medicaid is the second largest expense for most states, accounting for around 16 percent of state budgets, on average. States' spending on the program is expected to grow almost 12 percent this year, four times faster than the increase in states' general fund spending. Recent studies in 13 states have examined the extent to which employers' workers utilize public health programs to secure health coverage for themselves and their families. As the following summary of those analyses reflects, in each one of these states, Wal-Mart ranks at or near the very top of the list of employers that are shifting to the public the cost of providing health care for their workers. In so doing, Wal-Mart is directly contributing to the nation's Medicaid crisis.


A novel lightweight, free-standing, CNT-threaded nitrogen-doped porous carbon film (CNCF) has been synthesized as a binder-free electrode for supercapacitor and Li–S battery. The meticulous structural design of using CNT to thread the ZIF-8-derived porous carbon polyhedrons together endows the porous carbon thin film with nice flexibility, high surface area (645.2 m2 g−1), and hierarchical pore structure as well as good nitrogen doping (2.8 at%) and overall electrical conductivity. When used as binder-free electrode for a supercapacitor, the CNCF delivers a high specific capacitance of 340 F g−1 at 2 A g−1, long-term stability with a coulombic efficiency of 97.7% after 10 000 cycles at 20 A g−1, and high energy density of 21.1 W h kg−1 with a power density of 5000 W kg−1. It can also serve as an efficient sulfur host for the Li–S battery. The S@CNCF electrode exhibits a high discharge capacity of 926 mA h g−1 after 200 cycles at 1C, and 614 mA h g−1 after 1800 cycles with an ultra-low overall capacity decay of 0.02%/cycle with sulfur loading of 3 mg cm−2. Moreover, when the sulfur loading is increased to 6.9 mg cm−2, the electrode shows a high initial areal capacity of 7.3 mA h cm−2 and a volumetric capacity of 0.94 A h cm−3. This film holds promising potential for flexible or film-like high-energy storage systems.


This readable and informative survey, including both new research and synthesis, provides the first close comparison of race, class and internationalism in the British and American women's movements during this period. Sisterhood Questioned assesses the nature and impact of divisions in the twentieth century American and British women's movements. In this lucidly written study, Christine Bolt sheds new light on these differences, which flourished in an era of political reaction, economic insecurity, polarizing nationalism and resurgent anti-feminism. The author reveals how the conflicts were seized upon and publicised by contemporaries, and how the activists themselves were forced to confront the increasingly complex tensions. Drawing on a wide range of sources, the author demonstrates that women in the twentieth century continued to co-operate despite these divisions, and that feminist movements remained active right up to and beyond the reformist 1960s. It is invaluable reading for all those with an interest in American history, British history or women's studies.


Build self-reliance of farmers in rice breeding, seen from the re-emergence of local seed rice varieties. While the advantages of local rice seeds attract the surrounding farmers to plant local rice in paddy fields wider. This activity is the economic impact on farmers breeders and farmers around the common. Although not certified, but the creativity of farmers receive legal protection through MOJ Decision No. 99 / PUU-X / 2012, so that the seed and grain farmer breeders creative product can be marketed to its own community. Rice supply chain in Indramayu district involving nine marketing agency that farmers, wholesalers, middlemen grinder, grinding mill, Bulog partners, Bulog, retailers, and consumer markets outside the district. The shortest Marketing channel is from farmer breeders to consumers. The highest marketing margin is the middleman milling and rice mill factory respectively by 27.49% and 22.7%. This is because the rice milling process contained yield of 60% 75% of paddy to rice. The percentage share of farmers amounted to 46.86% with gains of 4.03%. Lastly, the added value of grain/ rice in Indramayu district is not occur due to processing, but the values formed by the treatment of labor inputs and activities to form a new, higher price. Total value added from upstream to downstream of the largest occurred in the shortest supply chain breeder farmers to consumers, with the added value of Rp. 9.252per kg, with the ratio of value added 67.7% which is high value added.


Triple-negative (ER , HER2 , PR ) breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive disease with a poor prognosis with no available molecularly targeted therapy. Silencing of microRNA-145 (miR-145) may be a defining marker of TNBC based on molecular profiling and deep sequencing. Therefore, the molecular mechanism behind miR-145 downregulation in TNBC was examined. Overexpression of the long intergenic noncoding RNA regulator of reprogramming, lincRNA-RoR, functions as a competitive endogenous RNA sponge in TNBC. Interestingly, lincRNA-RoR is dramatically upregulated in TNBC and in metastatic disease and knockdown restoresmiR-145 expression. Previous reports suggest that miR-145 has growth-suppressive activity in some breast cancers; however, these data in TNBC indicate that miR-145 does not affect proliferation or apoptosis but instead, miR-145 regulates tumor cell invasion. Investigation of miR-145-regulated pathways involved in tumor invasion revealed a novel target, the small GTPase ADP-ribosylation factor 6 (Arf6). Subsequent analysis demonstrated that ARF6, a known regulator of breast tumor cell invasion, is dramatically upregulated in TNBC and in breast tumor metastasis. Mechanistically, ARF6 regulates E-cadherin localization and affects cell–cell adhesion. These results reveal a lincRNA-RoR/miR-145/ARF6 pathway that regulates invasion in TNBCs. Implications: The lincRNA-RoR/miR-145/ARF6 pathway is critical to TNBC metastasis and could serve as biomarkers or therapeutic targets for improving survival. Mol Cancer Res; 13(2);


In this paper, we study the performance of dynamic routing and wavelength assignment (RWA) in filterless optical networks. These types of broadcast and select networks benefit from breakthroughs in advanced transmission technologies for replacing optical filters and active photonic switching devices, such as wavelength selective switches, with passive optical interconnections between nodes, creating passive optical light trees. We introduce an RWA scheme for establishing passive optical lightpaths in a filterless context and managing unfiltered channels at intermediate egress nodes, which, by propagating downstream of the terminating nodes, participate in wavelength usage and increase the risk of wavelength exhaustion. Simulation results are presented for six network topologies, along with the performance evaluation of active photonic and filterless optical network solutions with static and dynamic RWA schemes. We show that the performance of the proposed scheme depends on the average degree of node connectivity.


Software code review, i.e., the practice of having third-party team members critique changes to a software system, is a well-established best practice in both open source and proprietary software domains. Prior work has shown that the formal code inspections of the past tend to improve the quality of software delivered by students and small teams. However, the formal code inspection process mandates strict review criteria (e.g., in-person meetings and reviewer checklists) to ensure a base level of review quality, while the modern, lightweight code reviewing process does not. Although recent work explores the modern code review process qualitatively, little research quantitatively explores the relationship between properties of the modern code review process and software quality. Hence, in this paper, we study the relationship between software quality and: (1) code review coverage, i.e., the proportion of changes that have been code reviewed, and (2) code review participation, i.e., the degree of reviewer involvement in the code review process. Through a case study of the Qt, VTK, and ITK projects, we find that both code review coverage and participation share a significant link with software quality. Low code review coverage and participation are estimated to produce components with up to two and five additional post-release defects respectively. Our results empirically confirm the intuition that poorly reviewed code has a negative impact on software quality in large systems using modern reviewing tools.


The Pb-Zn-Cu deposit of Ulldemolins occurs within the Carboniferous sedimentary series of the southernmost Catalonian Coastal Ranges. It consists of sulphide-bearing calc-silicate assemblages, with epidote, Ca-amphiboles and Ca-garnet, which develop selectively along a dolomicrite bed near the contact with a granite porphyry. Two mineralisation styles can be differentiated: a) banded and b) irregular. Fluid inclusions and stable isotope compositions of sulphur in sulphides (sphalerite, galena and chalcopyrite) and carbon and oxygen in carbonates (calcite and dolomite) were studied in order to constrain the genesis and the source of mineralizing fluids. Fluid inclusions in sphalerite and calcite are aqueous, liquid+vapour and have a salinity between 1.2 and 7.2 wt% NaCl eq. and homogenization temperatures in the range of 273o to 368oC. The 34S(V-CDT) values in the banded mineralisation are mostly between –1.5 and +2.1‰, and those from the irregular mineralisation are between –1.1 and +20.5‰. These 34S values of the banded mineralisation are in agreement with a magmatic origin of sulphur. In addition, the 18O(SMOW) values of hydrothermal calcite, from +6.9 to +12.5‰, are consistent with a magmatic origin of the fluids that formed the banded ore deposit. Later, a new input of fluids interacted with the previously formed mineral assemblages and modified part of the deposit, leading locally to an irregular skarn mineralisation.


This article sets out to investigate how flexitime and teleworking can help women maintain their careers after childbirth. Despite the increased number of women in the labour market in the UK, many significantly reduce their working hours or leave the labour market altogether after childbirth. Based on border and boundary management theories, we expect flexitime and teleworking can help mothers stay employed and maintain their working hours. We explore the UK case, where the right to request flexible working has been expanded quickly as a way to address work–life balance issues. The dataset used is Understanding Society (2009–2014), a large household panel survey with data on flexible work. We find some suggestive evidence that flexible working can help women stay in employment after the birth of their first child. More evidence is found that mothers using flexitime and with access to teleworking are less likely to reduce their working hours after childbirth. This contributes to our understanding of flexible working not only as a tool for work–life balance, but also as a tool to enhance and maintain individuals' work capacities in periods of increased family demands. This has major implications for supporting mothers' careers and enhancing gender equality in the labour market.


This paper presents initial research into investigating the viability of large-scale biometric technology implementations. Literature provides considerable support to technical aspects of biometric viability, but there appears to be limited research concerning the equally significant hurdles facing social acceptance. It is argued that any large-scale social acceptance of biometrics will need to be achieved through a combination of legal and architectural control mechanisms established to allay social fears concerning the opportunities for the abuse of biometric systems. This paper considers a cross-section of legal concerns and controls before outlining research questions to be examined and a methodology for a discovery of issues and viable control mechanisms.


Technology-driven transactions, or e-commerce, should not involve a tradeoff in which consumers relinquish widening amounts of their privacy in return for greater convenience. Businesses that put customers in control of their online privacy options increase consumer faith in the online world - and promote greater acceptance of e-commerce. Ultimately, though, the issue comes down to consumer empowerment and trust. "Companies rolling out RFID must have a clear and rigidly enforced policy on the deactivation of their tracking mechanisms, as having a cost-effective supply chain will be pretty meaningless if nobody trusts you enough to buy from you," states Martin Butler. RFID is rapidly pushed to the existing markets with diversified applications, such as automatic tariffs payment in public transport, animal identification and tracking, and automated manufacturing and logistics control. Unprotected communications between tags and readers over a wireless channel can disclose information about the tags and their positions. Due to the potential wide deployment of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), the security of RFID systems has drawn extensive attention from both academia and industry, and the RFID authentication protocol is an important mechanism in the security of RFID systems. The desired security requirements of RFID authentication protocols include privacy, integrity, authentication, anonymity/untraceability, and even availability. To design an efficient protocol that satisfies all the requirements with limited resources is a challenge According to Benoit Calmels et.al - 2006 -Strong cryptography mechanisms need high computing resources which is not possible to be embedded into RFID tags. The approach would be an implementation of some low -cost but secure cryptographic functions in the tag. It would bring a high level of privacy where there is no need for any substantial change in the synopsis of communication between the tag and the reader. On the other hand, the tag broadcasts the same data to any reader, with dependency on given authorization, could read and process all or part of the said data. The major challenge faced when trying to provide security for low-cost radio frequency identification (RFID) tags in their very limited resources- for example, tag memory will be restricted to several hundred bits, and approximately 250–4000 logic gates out of the total tag space can be devoted to security- related tasks. So readers should bear in mind that these constrained devices are unable to support on-chip standard cryptographic primitives. During this research with an exploratory purpose some different protocols around authentication and cryptography in low cost RFID would be investigated and compared as the output and result with a qualitative approach. This strategy makes the opportunity to discover similarities and differences among protocols and solutions. So that specialists or executives who are looking for a proper protocol or scheme correspondent to their needs or priorities, could choose one or two among others, in other words when investigating the varied types of attacks against schemes, the administrator or the customer of the technology (technology buyer) could set up a comparison to find the suitable protocol according to his /her criterions or priorities like the value of data that is going to be transmitted by RFID transceivers in the air field or wireless media, or the probable attacks could happen according to situation of located RFID devices. For example, if the administrator or executive knows that the position or location that his/her RFID devices located are vulnerable to DOS attack would not choose RHLK or LCAP as the appropriate protocol, or if he/she assumes that spoofing or replay attack is more probable than other attacks then would not choose Li et al. or SRAC schemes for his/ her RFID transceivers authentication.


Quality of Service (QoS) is a tool to
measure the efficiency of the Ad-hoc network. QoS is a complex function because
it depends mainly on four factors (throughput, packet delivery ratio,
end-to-end delay and jitter). These four factors are functions of internal factors and are variables with the time. In the result the QoS is an ambiguous
tool. This paper proposes a brand-new method to solve this ambiguity, it will
use the fuzzy technique to simplify the QoS factor and summarize it in a simple
form or in a single value for each application. So it will summarize all
factors of the QoS in a single value for the network if the applications share
is defined. This paper will apply the propose method on Mobile
Ad-hoc NETwork (MANET) with different protocols. The new algorithm will
summarize the efficiency of each protocol in a single (crisp) value for all
applications. Finally, an important conclusion is proved, by experimental
result, implying that higher throughput does not usually mean high QoS
supported by the protocols.


Unsteady, hastily and inharmonic development of urban framework is one of the main factors in emerging urban issues especially social class status, bioenvironmental, framework decrease. In many years, most of development cases are not planed based on a system due to a wrong picture of development concept and method. At last, it is done by the simplest method in the original lands which are around the cities, it has followed some irrecoverable issues, for example, we did not care about the abandoned and unused areas in the cities, and the cities observe the horizontal and disjoined growth and it resulted in their instability. To solve these problems and reduce the incoming pressure on the cities peripheral lands and environment, a modern approach is introduced for internal development as the most stable development pattern for cities. Internal development is a policy which aims to achieve a balanced, harmonic and stable development in order to identify, plan for the optimum usage of existing development capabilities within the urban areas. We should mention that the optimum usage doesn't mean the framework development of existing opportunities, but the approach follows social, cultural, bioenvironmental and economic aims. The internal development emphasizes on the effective exploitation of vacant and abandoned lands within cities in compared to the other policies of urban development, it targeted a wide variety of vacant and unused parts within the cities and with different scales. Among these, military plants and lands can be an opportunity for cities revival with a wide range in the cities as one of the most important internal development capabilities. The revival of these areas has been resulted in many urban economic and social investments returns due to their urban infrastructure, so it enjoys a significant importance in the internal development policy. The current study aims to achieve comprehensive framework. To achieve this goal, first we review the internal development literature and present theories and policy background in Iran and other parts in the world, also we reread the concept of military lands development and its approaches, its importance is specified in the urban development, then in the second step with documentation of two internal and external experience and investigation of implemented plans weaknesses and strengths, the field of theoretical knowledge upgrade provides in the arena of internal development with reliance on the knowledge to have more effective policies. The Study method is an analytic interpretive based on studies and evaluation of case study, it is tried to deal with investigation of that subject by internet and library documents help. The obtained results of study showed that the redevelopment of military lands which are within the cities is one of the most important opportunities of internal development. These lands where in the past time were formed around the cities, by passing the time they have been located in the cities with urban framework growth, they assigned wide areas to themselves, finally they can offer some unique opportunities for the cities stable development. Military lands redevelopment, in addition to the district quality in the project field , and affecting on the peripheral context can be as a drive in the urban recreation plans. So planning should be done foe redevelopment of these areas by evaluating the capability related to the needs, services-functional shortages of peripheral context and these areas dominance. Also the results show that redevelopment of these fields requires the management systematic with internal development policy growing. A structure which performs well with coordination and consistent with other components. Otherwise, the present structure is fading and meeting the goals is not possible. Many of these projects are important due to management barriers which have not been solved and custodian support of these lands to transfer their ownership in an imperfect way and the final goal has not been met. In other words, existing treasure protection, which is countries contemporary heritage, is considered important. Finally, based on the results emphasized that there is a significant relation between presence and government involvement, mayoralty, local organizations and private sector with military lands successful revival, it shows that the redevelopment of ineffective lands, in addition to economic benefits, influence on increasing life quality , social benefits and environmental benefits. Six main components include: harmonic management, citizenship involvement, effort for social liveliness effect on peripheral environment, bottom up planning, realization principle.


In this paper a fuzzy inference system (FIS) is presented to predict the level of risk for a class of patients to be needing a repeated surgery for the herniated lumber disc (or more commonly known as slipped disc). The FIS is based upon a clinical study that was conducted by a number of doctors at Aga Khan University Hospital in Pakistan with the objective that certain clinical measures can be used from the beginning to assist the physician in making a better risk estimate for the patient at hand. As such, over 90 clinical markers were collected through patients' surveys over a period of 5 years (2000-2004). The presented study utilizes a subset of 16 markers and has recommendation for 7 of these markers for a reasonably accurate risk prediction. A set of 11 rules has been established that constitute the mapped understanding from the physicians' heuristics. Such a system will be a very helpful tool for medical professionals for making quick risk assessment for a patient and will enable them to more accurately define the treatment for the same.


The Ithaka S+R US Faculty Survey has focused since its inception on capturing an accurate picture of faculty members' practices, attitudes, and needs. In the fifth triennial cycle, fielded in fall 2012, the survey focused on research and teaching practices broadly, as well as the dissemination, collecting, discovery, and access of research and teaching materials. Findings from this cycle of the Ithaka S+R US Faculty Survey will provide colleges and universities, libraries, learned societies, and academic publishers with insight into the evolving attitudes and practices of faculty members in the context of substantial environmental change for higher education.
The development of the 2012 questionnaire was guided by an advisory committee of librarians, publishers, policy makers, and a scholarly society executive. The overall project was supported by some 20 colleges and universities, learned societies, and publishers / vendors.


Four-dimensional (4D) models link 3D construction models with schedule data. The visual representation of the schedule is capable of facilitating decision making during the planning and construction phases as well as the maintenance phase. However, the process of conventional data collection methods for progress monitoring is labour intensive, time consuming and error-prone; therefore, updating the virtual model based on status information is not practical. In this research, we propose a framework for lifecycle status tracking and visualization of constructed facility components using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. The proposed approach facilitates and enhances the process of data acquisition not only during the construction phase, but also during the subsequent maintenance phase. The components of the facility are tagged after being manufactured with RFID tags that remain on the components throughout their lifecycle. Each component is scanned in several phases and data are collected. The real-time interaction between the facility and its virtual model results in automatic creation of an accurate 4D model which can be used for progress monitoring and visual comparison of the planned schedule against the actual progress. The feasibility and challenges of the proposed framework are discussed and demonstrated using a prototype system and a real-world case study.


Acupressure is nonpharmacologic therapy for dysmenorrhea. The purpose of  this research was to identify the effect of acupressure on pain (intensity and quality) in adolescent with dysmenorrhea at SMK Muhammadiyah 2 Pekanbaru. This study was quasi-experimental with  non-equivalent pretest-posttest kontrol group design. The sample were 52 respondens, devided into intervention and control group with purposive sampling method. Acupressure reduce pain intensity and quality signicantly p-value (< α 0,05). Dismenorrhea can decrease as 0,615 point for the pain intensity and pain quality as 0,577 point. The research recommended that acupressure at LI4 (Hequ) and PC6 (Neiguan) is effective as self theraphy in aldolescent and can be use widely as part of nursing intervention. Key words : Acupressure, pain of intensity,  pain of quality


In the course of moving its student microcomputer lab as well as its own operations onto a 250-node local area network (LAN), the college of business for Oregon State University experienced a number of dramatic, positive changes both in its educational process and in its ability to accomplish day-to-day work. And electronic mail (e-mail) has played a major, causal role. For example, the school's clerical staff used to manually copy and file each piece of communication into every faculty member's box. Now as much as 99 percent of the college's internal communications are performed online. In addition, the move to e-mail has improved the quality of that communication among instructors, and between students and members of the educational staff. The school's Computer Services Group helped the network to evolve over the past four years. In the process, we've learned some lessons and drawn conclusions that may be of help to other educational organizations. Early Steps When the college of business first considered moving to an automated system in 1987, our concerns were twofold: 1) In order for our business students to succeed in industry, they would need to understand and have experience with the latest computing technology; and 2) As the college grew, faculty and students were finding it increasingly difficult to communicate with each other due to conflicting schedules. To answer both of these needs, our decision was to implement a LAN system. As centers of learning, universities, in particular, have a high degree of tolerance for risk-taking and experimentation. We responded to the first concern by creating a computer environment that fosters this kind of behavior. E-mail service has been a kind of experiment. In addition, we serve as a beta-test site for a number of network-product development firms. At present, our LAN is Novell-based. Nine Netware servers are linked to the school's Ethernet backbone. The servers link 250 workstations-a 125-node student lab and approximately 125 faculty. General Benefits One of the first lessons we learned as we moved to a network environment was that by eliminating the need for paper accumulation and manual distribution, we were able to facilitate a tremendous productivity gain. Today, three years after the installation of e-mail service, faculty at the business college are much more comfortable in communicating with superiors and subordinates. Because e-mail has no formal conventions, much more real communication occurs, yet memos and other paperwork have been reduced by an estimated 95 percent. The benefits of e-mail have increased the school's teaching abilities as well. In addition to providing greater access to shared peripherals such as laser printers, the LAN'S student workstations also provide greater access to professors-students communicate electronically with their class' instructors. Professor Marion J. Kostecki, who prepared a research paper on the LAN, notes that e-mail makes professors' out-of-class interactions with their students more effective. Before e-mail, teacher-student discussions would often take place in a hallway, on the run, or in the professor's office-but when there's a line of students at the door of the office, there's no easy way to distinguish between a person who has a quick, simple question and a student who requires a lengthy discussion. Furthermore, it's not at all unusual for professors to work in their offices at odd hours of the night or to review student projects and do other school-related work at home. With e-mail, faculty members are able to exchange information with students and with each other from multiple locations and at any time of the day or night. At Oregon State University's school of business, for example, MBA students were primary benefactors when the e-mail system initially went into place. Once students were given user accounts, they were able to pick up instructions for their assignments and, in some cases, even submit completed projects electronically. …


Sensors have been used for many years to gather information about their environment. The number of sensors connected to the internet is increasing, which has led to a growing demand of data transport and storage capacity. In addition, evermore emphasis is put on processing the data to detect anomalous situations and to identify trends. This paper presents a sensor data analysis platform that executes statistical analysis programs on a cloud computing infrastructure. Compared to existing batch and stream processing platforms, it adds the notion of simulated time, i.e. time that differs from the actual, current time. Moreover, it adds the ability to dynamically schedule the analysis programs based on a single timestamp, recurring schedule, or on the sensor data itself.


ABSTRACT This article assesses the European Union's (EU) performance in promoting societal resilience in the Eastern Partnership countries (EaP) on examples of Georgia and Ukraine. We examine two approaches to external resilience-building employed by the EU: support for the sources of societal resilience (social trust, legitimacy of governance actors, design of governance institutions) and prevention of domestic and external risks. Our research shows that while Ukraine and Georgia possess a moderate degree of societal resilience both countries also suffer from a high exposure to domestic and external risks, making them dependent on external resilience-building support from the EU. Analysis of the EU's resilience-building agenda in Georgia and Ukraine shows a mixed record for the EU. While the EU managed to strengthen sources of resilience and alleviate domestic risks in both countries, it failed to mitigate geopolitical risks: leaving the window open for new conflicts and endangering the sustainability of its resilience agenda.


Increasing numbers of Southern African school children seek entrance to international schools. Entrance procedures to these schools are a cornerstone event and should be further investigated. Consequently the current admission procedures used by a southern African international school were evaluated and compared with those of selected other international schools. The research group consisted of 69 learners (30 boys and 39 girls) from different racial groups. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine the best combination of predictive variables for academic achievement. Results indicated that the admission procedures compared favourably with those of the other international schools, and that the entrance tests had a significant predictive value. The Culture-Fair Intelligence Test (Scale 2 Form A) appeared to have more predictive value than the MAT-SF for academic achievement. Academic performance was best predicted by a combination of the Culture-Fair Intelligence Test (Scale 2 Form A), the MAT-SF, the English proficiency test and the form (level of progress in school) of students.
(South African Journal of Education: 2003 23 (3): 206-211)


Integrating learning and work has become important for several reasons. The recognition that the key resources for wealth creation, knowledge and ideas are embedded in human capital. Furthermore, fast-paced advances in knowledge, technology, and access to information ensure that capabilities rapidly become obsolete. Continuous learning and workplace learning have therefore become essential. These developments have highlighted the pivotal role of learning in individual career development and organisational performance and the construction industry needs to address these issues. The construction industry, however, continues to report skill gaps suggesting that construction businesses need to consider creative ways to deliver skill-enhancing opportunities for their workforce. The challenge is global but has added significance for African emerging economies considering their developmental needs.
Integrating workforce learning and development key practices into construction business was therefore the crux of this research which was aimed at developing a conceptual learning model that will enable construction firms to optimise performance in line with their business goals. Given the complexity of the construction domain and the need to allow integration of diverse processes, perceptions, experiences, practices and interactions, a pragmatic philosophical lens was employed allowing for a mixed methods research approach. A social constructionist ontology and a largely interpretivist stance was adopted. Surveys and case studies were conducted employing questionnaires, interviews and focus group discussions for data collection. Data analysis methods used were relative importance, correlational and constant comparative analyses.
The research investigated the two main elements of learning systems the learner and the learning environment. The learner aspect found that emotional and social attributes were significantly associated with the performance of intermediate construction skills while key workforce practices emerged from the learning environment studies. These findings were integrated to develop the construction learning and development optimising model (CLEARDO). The research was limited to Nigeria because of its current focal position in the African economy.


Abstract The formation process of a ferrite oxide film (which can effectively suppress radioactive nuclide deposition on piping surfaces) was evaluated from the viewpoints of forming optimum film structures and reducing waste disposal. Both pH and oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) of ferrite film formation solution were found to be important, and the film formation process could be understood on the basis of a Pourbaix diagram of the iron-water system. To make a thin and closely packed oxide film, the pH and ORP values should be maintained within the magnetite stability domain by controlling the hydrazine concentration, which promotes the film formation reactions. Use of chemical solutions such as formic acid and hydrazine was confirmed to get catalyst decomposition into easily handled substances. This film formation process could be evaluated taking into consideration the charge balance and chemical equilibrium equations of each reaction involved in the film formation. It was clarified that preoxidation of the ferrite film under certain oxidizing water chemistry conditions (such as normal water chemistry) in boiling water reactors could further improve the film cobalt deposition suppression performance due to the formation of hematite. Our selected film forming process and waste solution decomposition conditions were confirmed using the simulated flow system apparatus of one-tenth actual plant scale. The method was applied to the actual plant just after the chemical decontamination. After one cycle elapsed, dose rate of the reactor recirculation system piping coated with ferrite film was half that before the ferrite film was formed.


For close to four decades, the work of Hayao Miyazaki has been presented throughout the
world as the pinnacle of Japanese cinematic animation. Often referred to by fans as "the Walt
Disney of the East", Miyazaki has created films that delight people of all ages. Yet Miyazaki
does not see what he does as providing simple entertainment and distractions. Rather,
Miyazaki's entire filmography courses with his personal ideologies; from his
environmentalism to his anti-extreme capitalism stance, his views of pacifism, his concern
with interpersonal connection as well as the ideas of love and justice intrinsic to his view of
humanity. His works have also been used by various vested interests – including the Japanese
government and corporate-media entities – to push awareness of, and increase desire for,
Japanese brands, media (specifically anime), and cultural products.
This thesis focuses on a close reading of two of his works, Porco Rosso (1992) and Spirited
Away (2001), where the purpose is to examine how these two films demonstrate Miyazaki's
subversion of many national branding and soft power programmes. This is further supported
by drawing upon the works of academics such as Susan J. Napier, Ayumi Suzuki, Tai Wei
Lim, Kevin M. Moist and Michael Bartholow.
Within this context, this thesis demonstrates the central motifs and thematic representations
which can be seen as subversive or at least challenging to an imposed ideology. The core of
Miyazaki's works can be read as setting up subtle critiques of various social and
governmental policies and practices over the past few decades. With many of them centring
around how Japan should perceive itself, how its people should behave and how they should
codify their identities in order to conform to invented norms. This is done through the use of
visual and narrative markers as well as through the construction of characters to be reflections
of the times in which they were created – specifically the so-called Lost Decade (1991-2002),
a period in which a faltering economy pressured the Japanese government to increase their
national branding and soft power programmes in order to combat external and internal
perceptions of weakness and failure. With Porco Rosso and Spirited Away coming at the
beginning and end of that period, these films best demonstrate Miyazaki's subversion of the
way Japanese enactors and investors sought to control all discourses surrounding (self and
national) branding and soft power.


This paper takes Lebanon as a case study to examine the relationship between human development and immigration. It examines this issue from both ends: the sending and the receiving countries. The author suggests that by developing the concept of a diasporic civil society and a diasporic public sphere, a significant aspect of the relationship between human development and immigration is illuminated especially at the level of political, social and cultural capitals. The paper also argues that the double impact of the home country and that of destination has a lot to say about the influence of immigration on human development in Lebanon. In examining Australia as a destination country, the paper shows the particular impact that globalisation and September 11 have lately had on the capacity of the Lebanese migrants for human development. Finally, the paper concludes by showing the extent to which the diasporic civil society compensates for the 'negligent' character of the Lebanese state in the context of human development.


Corporate venture capital (CVC) is an important concept for large firms to manage innovation. CVC has been pioneered by major companies in the information technology, telecommunications and pharmaceutical industries. In 1999-2001, many large energy companies had launched CVC funds. In the most recent past, however, many energy companies have discontinued their activities, leading to what might be called the 'sudden death syndrome' of CVC in this industry. Our qualitative research suggests that one factor that has played an important role in the failure of CVC funds, and has largely been overlooked in previous research, is parent firm organisational culture. We develop a conceptual model that explains the relationship between organisational culture and CVC fund survival, including the moderating roles of decision-making practices in organisations and parent firm skills in managing and measuring success. Our findings are based on 27 qualitative in-depth interviews with corporate and independent VCs in the energy industry.


The last two decades have witnessed a 'paradigm shift' in conservation and natural resource management away from costly state-centred control towards approaches in which local people play a much more active role. The inefficiency of state control over woodland and water use, has partly led to the enactment of decentralisation policies to facilitate participation of local actors in resource management. Within the decentralisation discourse, there is a renewed debate on the role of institutions in community based natural resource management (CBNRM). Using a case study of Romwe catchment, Chivi district in southern Zimbabwe, this thesis examines the role of local level institutions, both formal and informal within donor supported CBNRM initiatives. Emphasis in the study is on the analysis of informal institutions, a focus that is rare in conventional CBNRM studies. Informal institutions are defined as those institutions that are not legally recognised by the state. These include cultural norms, beliefs and social networks. The study explores how these institutions influence patterns of women's and men's access to woodlands and water resources. The study further examines the gendered aspects of decision-making processes in CBNRM. The study finds that at community level, there are a multiplicity of institutions and management structures with unclear mandates and jurisdictions. This may partly explain the state's recentralisation of management authority at the Rural District Council (RDC) level rather than devolution to levels below the RDC. While there is often reference to formal and informal institutions in the CBNRM literature, the dichotomy between these institutions is overemphasised in theoretical debates. In practice, there are inter linkages and overlaps. Relations between the various forms of institutional structures are influenced by a diversity of factors that include power dynamics. These power dynamics influence processes of negotiating resource access by various actors. In the process of negotiating resource access and use, conflicts may inevitably emerge as was found in Romwe. Although women have historically been sidelined in formal decision-making processes, this study finds that with the emergence of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), women have become more actively involved. Women's access to productive resources such as land and water has also been enhanced through garden projects. There is some indication of changes in the institutional framework at the local level, with women playing a much bigger role in formal decision-making processes.


Hyperhomocysteinemia, is a risk factor for occlusive arterial disease. It may be caused by disruptions of homocysteine metabolism. The C677T mutation in methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene may contribute to elevated plasma homocysteine and is probably one of the atherosclerotic risk factors. This work was carried out to investigate the relationship between the MTHFR C677T mutation, plasma homocysteine concentration and the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) in 48 angiographically confirmed CAD male patients. Control group comprised 20 age-matched healthy subjects. The MTHFR gene mutation was detected by PCR and restriction digestion. Plasma homocysteine, Folic acid and vitamin B12 were assayed by a chemiluminescence method. The incidence of the mutated T allele and genotype CT was similar in patients and controls (0.156 vs 0.125, and 31.25% vs 25% respectively, p = 0.6). No TT homozygotes were detected. Homocysteine was significantly higher and folic acid signicantly lower in patients than controls (p = 0.0004 and <0.0001 respectively). Although CT heterozygotes had significantly higher homocysteine concentration than homozygous CC subjects in both patients and controls (p<0.0001), the odds ratio for CAD in genotype CT was 1.3 (p = 0.6, NS). The odds ratio for CAD in subjects with hyperhomocysteinemia was 7.6 (p = 0.01). After multivariate analysis, hyperhomocysteinemia remained an independent risk factor of CAD (OR 5.7, p = 0.04). in conclusion, hyperhomocysteinemia rather than the C677T mutation in the MTHFR gene, is an independent risk factor of coronary artery disease.


Modern database systems for online analytical processing (OLAP) typically rely on in-memory processing. Keeping all active data in DRAM severely limits the data capacity and makes larger deployments much more expensive than disk-based alternatives. Byte-addressable persistent memory (PMEM) is an emerging storage technology that bridges the gap between slow-but-cheap SSDs and fast-but-expensive DRAM. Thus, research and industry have identified it as a promising alternative to pure in-memory data warehouses. However, recent work shows that PMEM's performance is strongly dependent on access patterns and does not always yield good results when simply treated like DRAM. To characterize PMEM's behavior in OLAP workloads, we systematically evaluate PMEM on a large, multi-socket server commonly used for OLAP workloads. Our evaluation shows that PMEM can be treated like DRAM for most read access but must be used differently when writing. To support our findings, we run the Star Schema Benchmark on PMEM and DRAM. We show that PMEM is suitable for large, read-heavy OLAP workloads with an average query runtime slowdown of 1.66x compared to DRAM. Following our evaluation, we present 7 best practices on how to maximize PMEM's bandwidth utilization in future system designs.


Drug-induced blood dyscrasias, while uncommon compared with other reported ADRs, are associated with significant drug-related fatalities, varying from mild thrombocytopenia through to life-threatening aplastic anaemia and thrombosis. An understanding of the mechanism is essential for effective management and identification of possible causal agents. Anaemia, together with neutropenia and thrombocytopenia, are common presentations of drug-induced dyscrasias. A basis for understanding the pathogenesis, clinical presentation, and differential diagnosis of primary drug-induced anaemias is the focus of this article.


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Normative data for CSF OP have previously been established with patients in the LD position. During fluoroscopically guided LP procedures, radiologists frequently obtain these OP measurements with patients prone. In this prospective study, our goal was to determine the variability of OP measurements as a function of patient positioning and to assess whether there is a relationship with patient BMI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Consecutive patients reporting for fluoroscopically guided LP or myelography were enrolled. OP was measured with the patient in 3 positions, with the order of the technique randomized: prone with table flat, prone with table tilted until the hub of the needle was at the level of the right atrium, and LD with the needle hub at the level of the spinal canal. The BMI of each patient was calculated. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test and linear regression analysis with bivariate fit of difference were used for analysis. RESULTS: OP measurements with the patient in the prone position were significantly elevated compared with those in the LD position, with mean differences of 2.7 (P < .001) and 1.6 cm H2O, (P = .017) for prone flat and prone tilted, respectively. There was no significant difference in OP measurements for the prone flat versus prone tilted positions (P = .20). There was no correlation between BMI and observed differences (LD-flat: R2 = 0.00028; LD-tilt: R2 = 0.00038; prone-tilt: R2 = 0.00000020). CONCLUSIONS: Measuring OP with the patient in the prone position may result in overestimation of CSF pressure. Table tilt did not significantly impact mean prone OP. Radiologists should specify exact patient positioning when reporting OP measurements.


"In Melancholia and Moralism, Douglas Crimp confronts the conservative gay politics that replaced the radical AIDS activism of the late 1980s and early 1990s. He shows that the cumulative losses from AIDS, including the waning of militant response, have resulted in melancholia as Freud defined it: gay men's dangerous identification with the moralistic repudiation of homosexuality by the wider society.

With the 1993 march on Washington for lesbian and gay rights, it became clear that AIDS no longer determined the agenda of gay politics; it had been displaced by traditional rights issues such as gay marriage and the right to serve in the military. Journalist Andrew Sullivan, notorious for pronouncing the AIDS epidemic over, even claimed that once those few rights had been won, the gay rights movement would no longer have a reason to exist.

Crimp challenges such complacency, arguing that not only is the AIDS epidemic far from over, but that its determining role in queer politics has never been greater. AIDS, he demonstrates, is the repressed, unconscious force that drives the destructive moralism of the new, anti-liberation gay politics expounded by such mainstream gay writers as Larry Kramer, Gabriel Rotello, and Michelangelo Signorile, as well as Sullivan. Crimp examines various cultural phenomena, including Randy Shilts's bestseller And the Band Played On, the Hollywood films "Silence of the Lambs" and "Philadelphia," and Magic Johnson's HIV infection and retirement from the Los Angeles Lakers. He also analyzes Robert Mapplethorpe's and Nicholas Nixon's photography, John Greyson's AIDS musical "Zero Patience," Gregg Bordowitz's video "Fast Trip, Long Drop," the Names Project Quilt, and the annual "Day without Art." " -- Publisher's web site


We introduce a dual definition of the Factor Content of Trade (FCT) using the concept of the Equivalent Autarky Equilibrium. Estimating a symmetric normalized quadratic revenue function for the U.S. manufacturing sector between 1965 and 1991, we find that the FCT for capital is positive, while the FCT for skilled and unskilled labor is negative, suggesting that the Leontief Paradox is not present. Then the growth rate of the factor rewards is decomposed to the FCT, endowments, and technological change effects. We find that technological change is the most important determinant in explaining wage inequality between skilled and unskilled labor.