A much sought-after political advisor, Dick Morris is also a successful Internet entrepreneur. His popular Web site "vote.com" sponsors informal polls on political issues and hosts discussion of nonpolitical topics such as travel, technology, business, and sports. In Direct Democracy and the Internet, Dick Morris assumes yet another role, that of Internet prophet. His provocative essay demonstrates, however, that even the most politically astute observer faces difficulties in predicting the Internet's impact on the future of American politics. In his essay, as well as in his recently published book vote.com, Morris portrays a dramatically improved post-Internet political landscape, which he develops in three predictions. First, Morris forecasts cheaper elections due to the Internet's influence. Second, he argues that the move of the electoral franchise online will encourage greater voter participation. Third, Morris believes that the general movement of politics from television to the Internet will stimulate an evolution of our system of governance to a more direct form of democracy. In this essay, I examine each of Morris' three predictions in turn and find them contestable. Like Morris, however, I am unable to resist the role of cyberspace seer and throughout this paper speculate on the Internet's likely impact on democratic self-rule in the United States. My conclusions are generally pessimistic. I am skeptical that political use of the Internet in the United States will stimulate cheaper elections or lead to broader-based voter participation. As a normative matter, moreover, I am doubtful as to the glories of greater direct democracy through use of Internet referenda. Finally, I identify one additional point for pessimism, the impact of Internet politics on information privacy. Yet, the Internet, like our political system, is malleable. The question for the future is how we might shape cyberspace and the political process on it to avoid negative and encourage positive results from any move to online politics.


The different classes of neurones supplying the locust oviduct were individually identified by intracellular recording and staining. We could thus show that different regions of the oviduct are innervated by different sets of neurones. Three motor neurones (oviductal neurones 1–3, OVN1-3) supply the oviduct via nerve N2B of the seventh abdominal ganglion. Whereas all three motor neurones innervate the junctional area of the lateral and the common oviduct (OVN1, 2 and 3), the lateral oviduct is innervated by only one motor neurone (OVN2) and the common oviduct by two motor neurones (OVN1 and 2). The cell bodies of all three motor neurones lie ventrally, near the origin of the sternal root, and their neuropilar branches are confined to the seventh abdominal ganglion. The neuropilar branches of OVN1 and 2 extend mainly in the ipsilateral half of the ganglion; those of OVN3 reside exclusively in the contralateral half.

The oviductal motor neurones, produce a phasic motor pattern, the oviductal rhythm, which causes neurogenic contractions of the junctional area and the common oviduct. These contractions serve to retain eggs in the lateral oviduct.

The oviduct is also supplied by a large number (16–20) of median neurones with bilateral axons. All of these appear to innervate the lateral oviduct, but only two project to the junctional area and the common oviduct. The cell bodies of the median neurones are situated in the seventh abdominal ganglion and are arranged in two groups: a posterior group made up of 10–12 cells and an anterior group with 6–8 cells. Their primary neurites run towards the centre of the ganglion in the dorsal plane, where they bifurcate, sending a secondary neurite through each oviductal nerve. Their neuropilar branches are confined to the seventh abdominal ganglion, but some also possess thin axon collaterals projecting to the terminal abdominal ganglion. The anterior and posterior median neurones show considerable differences in their branching pattern within the ganglion. The posterior cells are all likely to be neurones of the well-known DUM cell group, but the anterior median cells probably represent a different class of neurone. Posterior median neurones support overshooting soma action potentials of 60–80 mV amplitude, with a characteristic undershoot of 6–15 mV. Orthodromic stimulation of these neurones results in a reduction of the amplitude and frequency of the oviductal contractions, suggesting that they have a modulatory role.

Note: To whom reprint requests should be sent.


In software development, requirements traceability is often mandated. It is important to apply to support various software development activities like result evaluation, regression testing and coverage analysis. Model-Driven Testing is one approach to provide a way to verify and validate requirements. However, it has many challenges in test generation in addition to the creation and maintenance of traceability information across test-related artifacts. This paper presents a model-based methodology for requirements traceability that relies on leveraging model transformation traceability techniques to achieve compliance with DO-178C standard as defined in the software verification process. This paper also demonstrates and evaluates the proposed methodology using avionics case studies focusing on the functional aspects of the requirements specified with the UCM (Use Case Maps) modeling language.


ABSTRACTThis paper explores the role of government for establishing an appropriate legal, social, and ethical framework to enhance cyber security. Previous doctrines of cyber security are briefly analyzed, and the concept of cybersecurity as a public good is explored. To better understand public cybersecurity, the paper compares it with safety, another public good. Similar to public safety, cybersecurity requires that federal, state, and local government, organizations, and individuals implement good cybersecurity controls that result in to the protection of national security. The paper concludes with a set of examples that illustrate the role of government to enhance cybersecurity and to mitigate cyber insecurities.INTRODUCTIONThe use of computers and information technology by organizations and individuals has grown drastically over the last few decades. Recent trends of globalization, outsourcing, offshoring, and cloud computing, have changed the structure of organizations and their cyberspace. Information is no longer confined within the walls of the organization (UMUC, 201 1). Today's organizations are constantly allowing their customers and suppliers to access their supply chain management systems. Customers can retrieve product information from their Electronic Commerce systems, and suppliers need to schedule data and their own employees to log on into the organizations' intranet. Trust is a key element of supply chain operations. Individuals have become more and more dependent on information technology. As employees, they use their computers and mobile devices to remotely access their organizational networks and connect to their friends and families through social networks. Professionals expand their connections and communicate with their colleagues through professional networks, such as Linkedln.The global reach of information systems at both the organizational and individual level has raised concerns over security and has made organizations and individuals more vulnerable to security threats. Organizations must pay special attention to cybersecurity. For example, a recent study about software vendors indicated that organizations lose around 0.6 percent in stock price when vulnerability is reported, and the impact is more severe when the cybersecurity flaws are not addressed in advance (Telang & Wattal, 2007). However, while most organizations consider cybersecurity management as critical to their operations, fewer than 25% of them have security measures as an integrated part of their operations (Bosen, 2006).There is an even darker side of computer systems. They are used to program weapons of mass destruction, biologic and chemical weapons, military applications, and financial applications where trillions of dollars are transferred every day. If these applications fall into the wrong hands, they can have a devastating impact on organizations and the lives of individuals. Because of this dependence on information systems, cybersecurity concerns have grown in parallel with the development of computer technology itself (Bosworth & Jacobson, 2009). As a result, organizations and computer professionals have developed new technologies for improving cybersecurity. But technological solutions must be deployed carefully and best practices must protect them from being circumvented by attackers. In addition, cybersecurity policy should create incentives for system developers, operators, and users to act in ways that enhance rather than weaken cybersecurity (Mulligany & Schneider, 201 1).Preparing an appropriate legal environment to deal with enhanced cybersecurity and mitigate cyber insecurities requires, among other things, a comprehensive legal framework. At the federal level, the legal framework in cybercrime is currently provided by US Code & 1030 section 1030(a), which includes seven actions considered to be federal offenses, as follows: access computer without authorization; access digital financial records; access a computer used by a federal agency; access a computer and benefit more than $5000 per year; create and use a computer program to do any of the above; cause physical or medical damage via a computer or computer program; and transmit a virus intending to benefit financially (Brenner, 2006). …


Sinusitis is one of the most common medical conditions and it affects people of all ages. In this article, we examine the symptoms, risk factors and causes of sinusitis. An understanding of the underlying causes of chronic sinusitis is particularly important, as it forms the basis for selecting the most suitable therapy. Numerous medications are available to manage this condition, both over-the-counter and on prescription, including saline sprays, decongestants, topical glucocorticosteroids and antibiotics.


This dissertation study focused on a feature of emergent interactions in the L2 classroom called unanticipated student utterances (USUs), which is defined as utterances spoken by the student that the teacher has not anticipated as part of the discussion at hand. The purpose of the study was to demonstrate why USUs are significant in the L2 classroom and worthy of attention by L2 researchers, teachers, and teacher educators.

There has been little investigation into the function of USUs in the English as a Second Language (ESL) classroom. The goal of the dissertation was to provide a detailed look at a study on USUs in a specific context—the ESL grammar classroom. Using Vygotsky's sociocultural theory and systemic functional linguistics (SFL), the study examined: teachers' perceptions of and responses to USUs, students' perceptions of USUs, and the function of teachers' responses to USUs.

The study took place during the course of a semester in an American university's intensive ESL program with ESL teachers and university-bound international students. Data collection for the study occurred in three phases: (1) a teacher questionnaire, (2) two classroom observations, and (3) two case studies of teachers, which included video-based stimulated recall, informal teacher interviews, and student focus group interviews. Data analysis also occurred in three phases using video-based stimulated recall, general inductive analysis, and SFL analysis.

Findings suggested that the ESL teachers in the study had more positive perceptions of USUs than negative, and were receptive to responding to USUs in their classrooms. Additionally, findings from the two case studies of the teachers' classrooms provided insight into the types of teacher responses to USUs, and the function of the teachers' responses to USUs. Furthermore, the students reported mixed feelings about their classroom conversations around USUs, but discussed the importance of their teachers' responses to USUs. Implications for the study include: (1) the critical role of teacher responses to USUs, (2) the critical role of teacher education to prepare teachers to respond to USUs, and (3) the power of SFL analysis as an alternative approach for understanding teacher-student interactions in the L2 classroom when USUs occur.


Recently, sequential Monte Carlo methods have been used in the telecommunications field, finding application in receiver design. Several properties of these receivers make their designs very attractive. These receivers do not require channel state information or training. Therefore, they are bandwidth efficient and no communication bandwidth needs to be wasted on training. The receivers are optimal in the sense that they achieve a minimum symbol error rate regardless of the noise distribution, nonlinearities in the system, or distribution of the transmitted symbol. Moreover, these receivers are capable of producing soft-information outputs, which enables the designer to utilize iterative receiver architectures for near-optimal performance. In this work we investigate the convergence properties of these algorithms when utilized in various types of receivers. We quantify the convergence rate. We describe how various parameters (e.g., noise power, channel fading rate, etc) and factors (e.g., state-space model mismatch) affect the convergence rate and point out the factors that should be improved first to gain speed and accuracy in the convergence


Many libraries have already have access to packages of electronic books and are either considering or putting into place two other methods of acquisition: title-by-title selection and patron-driven acquisitions (PDA). What issues are involved in planning for these two types of e-book purchases? How should they be treated alike and how different? This presentation will feature the experiences of Joyner Library East Carolina University through the process of setting up both firm order and PDA purchasing models including a frank assessment of our first year into PDA.


Census data from international sources covering 77% of the world's migrant population indicate that the skill composition of migrants in major destination countries, including the US, has been rising over the last four decades. Moreover, the population share of skilled migrants has been approaching or exceeding that of skilled natives. We offer theoretical propositions and empirical tests consistent with these trends via a general-equilibrium model of endogenous growth where human capital, population, income growth and distribution, and migration trends are endogenous. We derive new insights about the impact of migration on long-term income growth and distribution, and the net benefits to natives in both destination and source countries.


In the quest to establish communication as a critical management function, both literature and research have stressed the importance of effective communication as a prerequisite to the success of various programmes including service quality. Effective internal communication, leadership and employee issues (such as team building and incentivisation) seem to be three generic aspects of critical importance in the potential success of any organisation. This article will attempt to provide academic insight into the link between service quality initiatives and these three aspects and will attempt to underline the importance thereof with current research results.


This paper investigates the patterns and determinants of the co-movement of economic activity between regions in the European Union and the Euro Area. Using a panel data of 208 EU-15 regions over the period 1989-2002 we estimate a system of four simultaneous equations to analyse the impact of regional trade integration, specialisation and exchange rate volatility on correlations of regional growth cycles with the Euro area. We find that deeper trade integration with the Euro area had a strong direct positive effect on the synchronisation of regional growth cycles with the Euro area. Industrial specialisation and exchange rate volatility were sources of cyclical divergence. Industrial specialisation had however an indirect positive effect on growth cycles synchronisation via its positive effect on trade integration, while exchange rate volatility had an indirect additional negative effect on growth cycle correlations by reducing trade integration. Industrial specialisation had an indirect negative effect on growth cycle correlations by increasing the exchange rate volatility. The direct impact of trade integration on growth cycle correlations was stronger in the pre-EMU sub-period, while in the EMU sub-period, the negative direct effects of industrial specialisation and exchange rate volatility were stronger than in the pre-EMU sub-period. A distinct result is the positive and significant relationship between exchange rate volatility and growth cycle correlations in the pre-EMU sub-period, suggesting that over this period, country-specific exchange rate fluctuations acted as shock absorbers. Our analysis is relevant in the context of the discussion about the macroeconomic adjustment to region-specific shocks in the European Monetary Union.


Adhesives for load-bearing timber structures should be chosen considering the environmental conditions in service, the timber species, the preservative used (if any) and the production methods. The environmental impact of the adhesive may also be a consideration. Finally, compliance with relevant standards, especially where conformance to standards is stated or implied, is essential to mitigate risk for all interested parties. Resins based on formaldehyde chemistry are the only adhesives that meet the current standard AS/NZS 4364:1996 ("Adhesives, phenolic and amino plastic, for load-bearing timber structures – Classification and performance requirements") [1]. Resorcinol formaldehyde, phenol-resorcinol formaldehyde and tannin formaldehyde adhesives are also the only adhesives that are compliant with Service Class 3 (exterior conditions where the ambient moisture content can be greater than 18%) conditions as specified in the New Zealand and Australian standards for Fingerjointed Structural Timber and Glued Laminated Structural Timber [2, 3, 4, 5]. Indeed, standards for structural timbers around the world have been developed based on the performance of formaldehyde-containing adhesives.


Biometric identification systems, which use physical features to check a person's identity, ensure much greater security than password and number systems. Biometric features such as the face or a fingerprint can be stored on a microchip in a credit card, for example. A single feature, however, sometimes fails to be exact enough for identification. Another disadvantage of using only one feature is that the chosen feature is not always readable. Dialog Communication Systems (DCS AG) developed BioID, a multimodal identification system that uses three different features-face, voice, and lip movement-to identify people. With its three modalities, BioID achieves much greater accuracy than single-feature systems. Even if one modality is somehow disturbed-for example, if a noisy environment drowns out the voice-the ether two modalities still lead to an accurate identification. This article goes into detail about the system functions, explaining the data acquisition and preprocessing techniques for voice, facial, and lip imagery data. The authors also explain the classification principles used for optical features and the sensor fusion options (the combinations of the three results-face, voice, lip movement-to obtain varying levels of security).


We use a life satisfaction approach for the valuation of public goods and amenities in Latin American cities. We apply a homogenous database of seventeen cities gathered by the Development Bank of Latin America CAF. Using the estimated monetary value for several public goods and neighborhood amenities we construct a city level quality of life index. We find that access to electricity, access to running water and security are the three largest valued urban characteristics in terms of life satisfaction and housing satisfaction. The monetary equivalent valuations represent more than duplicating the household per capita income. Lacking access to them has a tremendous impact on quality of life. We also show that although richer households have more access, public good and amenities are a source for reductions in quality of life disparities.


Available remedies to challenge arbitral awards in Pakistan are modification, remission, annulment and revocation of recognition and enforcement. Arbitration is a method through which disputing parties resolve their disputes outside the Court by avoiding technicalities of procedural law. If there is irregularity regarding process and procedure of arbitral tribunal, parties to an arbitration agreement may apply against it in the Court. Arbitrator files an arbitral award in the Court after completion of arbitral proceedings. If arbitral award is domestic and comes under ambit of Civil Court, arbitrator files arbitral award there but in case of foreign arbitral award, parties to arbitration agreement are required to file arbitral award with arbitration agreement and in case if arbitral award and arbitration agreement are not in official language of Pakistan, translation in official language is required to be submitted before High Court for implementation of arbitral award in Pakistan. Aggrieved party to arbitration agreement may challenge arbitral award before the Court for modification under section 15, for remission under section 16 and for setting aside under section 30 of the Arbitration Act 1940. Recognition and enforcement of an arbitral award may be challenged under article 5 of the New York Convention 1958. The UNCITRAL Model Law 1985 and other relevant International Conventions are not applicable in Pakistan thus aggrieved party may not avail grounds mentioned in these Statutes for modification, remission, setting aside and revocation. Pakistan is an Islamic country hence no award can be implemented in Pakistan if it is against injunctions of Islam under the light of Holy Quran and Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad i·o which comes under ambit of public policy which is one of the grounds for revocation of recognition and enforcement of an arbitral award in Pakistan.


USDA defi nes beginning farmers and ranchers as those who have operated a farm or ranch for 10 years or less either as a sole operator or with others who have operated a farm or ranch for 10 years or less. Beginning farmers tend to be younger than established farmers and to operate smaller farms or ranches, some of which may provide no annual production. Beginning farmers often face obstacles getting started, including high startup costs and limited availability of land. USDA—through the Farm Service Agency and the Natural Resources Conservation Service—provides loans and conservation assistance to beginning farmers and ranchers. This report draws on data from annual surveys and the Census of Agriculture to provide policymakers with a better understanding of beginning farmers and ranchers, including how they contribute to U.S. agricultural production.


Binary classification is the problem of predicting the class a given sample belongs to. To achieve a good prediction performance, it is important to find a suitable model for a given dataset. However, it is often time consuming and impractical for practitioners to try various classification models because each model employs a different formulation and algorithm. The difficulty can be mitigated if we have a unified formulation and an efficient universal algorithmic framework for various classification models to expedite the comparison of performance of different models for a given dataset. In this paper, we present a unified formulation of various classification models (including C-SVM, l2-SVM, ν-SVM, MM-FDA, MM-MPM, logistic regression, distance weighted discrimination) and develop a general optimization algorithm based on an accelerated proximal gradient (APG) method for the formulation. We design various techniques such as backtracking line search and adaptive restarting strategy in order to speed up the practical convergence of our method. We also give a theoretical convergence guarantee for the proposed fast APG algorithm. Numerical experiments show that our algorithm is stable and highly competitive to specialized algorithms designed for specific models (e.g., sequential minimal optimization (SMO) for SVM).


The effects of free-stream turbulence intensity on the flow over a NACA 0018 airfoil are studied experimentally in a wind tunnel facility. A parametric study is performed over a range of chord Reynolds numbers from 100 000 to 200 000, angles of attack from 0° to 20°, and free-stream turbulence intensities from 0.09% to 2.03% in order to unravel the effects of each parameter on suction side laminar separation bubble topology and the resulting changes in airfoil lift. In order to investigate the effects of free-stream turbulence intensity on the streamwise and spanwise flow development within a separation bubble, flow field measurements are made using planar Particle Image Velocimetry for an angle of attack of 4°, chord Reynolds numbers of 80 000 and 125 000, and free-stream turbulence intensities between 0.10% and 1.94%. The results show that increasing the level of free-stream turbulence intensity leads to a reduction in the length of the separation bubble formed over the suction side of the airfoil. The reduction in bubble length is a result of a downstream shift in mean separation as well as an upstream shift in mean transition and, consequently, mean reattachment. At low angles of attack, the reduction in separation bubble length leads to a slight reduction in airfoil lift, while at pre-stall angles of attack the reduction in separation bubble length alleviates the loss of suction at the location of the suction peak, thereby increasing lift, and can delay stall. While the effects of turbulence intensity and chord Reynolds number on the mean flow are shown to be similar, their effects on transition are shown to be notably different. The upstream shift in mean transition with increasing turbulence intensity is shown to be the result of disturbances reaching higher amplitudes earlier upstream as the level of turbulence intensity is increased, despite increased bubble stability. This result suggests that the increased initial perturbation amplitude at elevated turbulence intensity levels is solely responsible for the upstream shift in mean transition. In contrast, the upstream shift in mean transition with increasing Reynolds number is a result of decreased bubble stability. Wavenumber-frequency spectra of velocity fluctuations in the separated shear layer show that disturbances become more broadband in both time and space with increasing turbulence intensity. In addition, the results show that as the level of free-stream turbulence intensity is increased, the spanwise coherence of shear layer rollers decreases at the location of roll-up, leading to earlier vortex breakdown. At elevated levels of turbulence intensity, streamwise streaks of low speed fluid are observed, and originate in the boundary layer upstream of the separation bubble. These streaks form as a result of the onset of bypass transition, leading to significant changes in bubble dynamics, particularly at the highest level of turbulence intensity investigated. The results suggest that the transition mechanism in the separation bubble at the highest level of turbulence intensity investigated is altered.


The performance and design of the novel single-RF-chain beam-space multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) antenna concept is evaluated for the first time in the presence of the user. First, the variations of different performance parameters are evaluated when placing a beam-space MIMO antenna in close proximity to the user body in several typical operating scenarios. In addition to the typical degradation of conventional antennas in terms of radiation efficiency and impedance matching, it is observed that the user body corrupts the power balance and the orthogonality of the beam-space MIMO basis. However, capacity analyses show that throughput reduction mainly stems from the absorption in user body tissues rather than from the power imbalance and the correlation of the basis. These results confirm that the beam-space MIMO concept, so far only demonstrated in the absence of external perturbation, still performs very well in typical human body interaction scenarios.


We consider the multiple-access relay channel with two source nodes, one relay node and one destination node. For practical simplicity, we consider orthogonal transmission of the source messages and half-duplex relaying. Further, we assume that the relay is memoryless and is implemented based on a two-to-one deterministic mapping. Essentially the proposed mappings combine the two incoming analog signals and forward them to the destination, thus we term them analog network coding mappings. We investigate both linear and non-linear mappings. In particular, we propose to use mappings based on the Archimedean spiral for analog non-linear combining. In addition, we also propose to couple spiral mappings with sawtooth-like mappings to exploit the potential side information provided by the direct links. We investigate the resulting achievable rate regions and sum rates, and demonstrate significant gains.


This ethnographic study traces the ageing process as conditioned by the migration experience, and the social, economic and cultural backgrounds of Gujarati and Sikh women in London. This research was conducted amongst women of the two communities who frequented various Asian organizations and places of worship in Wood Green, Wembley and Southall in London. The data were collected through unstructured interviews. The essential experiences which condition the lives of informants include their migratory history, their residential patterns, the perceived threat from western morality, concern for their cultural identity, and actual and perceived racism. These experiences have demanded various adjustments from Indian women, such as the need to go out of their houses to work. They have to face changes in ideas about masculinity, femininity and authority, balancing their expectations (based on the ideal Indian world) with practicalities of life in London. In the absence of wider familial kin networks they need to rely on other strategies of social contact and support. All these changes have affected most women equally, but from time to time, their responses may be guided by their specific religious, regional, caste and linguistic affiliations, or by individual perceptions which are independent of such factors. This research contributes to the study of the ageing process among first generation women migrants to Britain who are growing old in a western country. It aims to understand their ageing in terms of the conflicts they experience as they adjust their expectations in light of their experience of late twentieth century London. The thesis aims more generally at an understanding of ageing processes of migratory communities living in the West.


In this paper, an integration of a symbolic power series method - Pade approximation technique (PS - Pade), was utilized to solve a system of nonlinear differential equations arising from the similarity solution of laminar thermal boundary layer over a flat plate subjected to a convective surface boundary condition. As both boundary conditions tended to infinity, the combination of series solutions with the Pade approximants was used for handling boundary conditions on the semi-infinite domain of solution. The combination of power series and Pade proposed an alternative approach of solution which did not require small parameters and avoided linearization and physically unrealistic assumptions. The results of the present approach were compared with numerical results as well as those of previous works reported in the literature. The obtained results represented remarkable accuracy in comparison with the numerical ones. Finally, reduced Nusselt number, as an important parameter in heat transfer, was calculated by the obtained analytical solution. The present power series-Pade technique was very simple and effective, which could develop a simple analytic solution for flow and heat transfer over the flat plate. The results of the present study could be easily used in practical applications.


Natural regeneration of forests has significantly led to increased native forest cover in some regions. Several studies have explored the spatial drivers of forest cover increase, yet little is known about their effects on forest structure and species richness and diversity. We quantified the effects of local (forest age, remnant Eucalyptus basal area, slope, soil fertility, and clay content) and landscape drivers (surrounding land use, distance from streams, and surrounding forest cover and its change over time) on the aboveground biomass, species density, and phylogenetic diversity of native trees in second‐growth forests. We sampled 44 naturally regenerating forests established on former pastures and abandoned Eucalyptus plantations for 11–46 years in agricultural landscapes of the southeastern Atlantic Forest, Brazil. We used generalized linear mixed effect models to quantify the effect drivers on forest attributes. While only Eucalyptus basal area and proximity to sugarcane plantations had a consistent negative effect on forest biomass, other drivers were among the best models to explain forest attributes, but their effect was variable. Age increased tree biomass but the effect was not consistent. Similarly, species richness and phylogenetic diversity were mainly affected by landscape drivers such as surrounding forest cover. In tropical agricultural landscapes, effective forest recovery requires more than just time, as forest age can be less important in determining forest attributes than human land uses and surrounding native forest cover. Crucially, forest recovery can be improved through interventions and policies that promote less impactful human activities and enhance existing forest cover.


Undescribed deep-sea mussels containing methanotrophic endosymbionts (seep mytilid Ia) are found at high densities around hydrocarbon seeps of the Gulf of Mexico where methane, nitrate and ammonium are present at high concentrations. In this study we investigated assimilation of ammonium, nitrate, glycine and methane using I5Nand '3C-labelled tracers to determine sites of assimilation, rates of assimilation, and the chemcal form in which ass'imilated C and N appears. We then investigated the interaction between inorganic nitrogen assimilation and methane assimilation to assess whether they are directly dependent on each other. 15N03-, " N H ~ and I3CH, were assimilated primarily into the gills where the bacteria are located, with negligible incorporation into symbiont-free tissue. In c~nt ras t ,~~C'~N-glyc ine was assimilated equally into gill and symbiont-free tissue. These results indicate that inorganic N is assimilated in the gill tissue. The bulk of 13C and I5N label from methane and ammonium incubations was in the 80 % EtOH soluble fraction, suggesting that the primary assimilation product was low-molecular-weight metabolites. Some I3C was incorporated into carbon storage products. Mussels that assindated excess I 3 C ~ , converted 35 % of I3CH, into an EtOH insoluble form. Negligible I5N label was observed in this fraction. Inorganic N assimilation and methane assimilation were not tightly coupled. N assin~ilation was not affected by absence of methane or inhibition of methanotrophy. Methane assimilation was not stimulated by increased N assimilation. Seep mythds were capable of luxury consumption of inorganic N, i.e. C/N assimilation ratios below the average C/N ratio of mussel tissues (4.2). We believe that luxury consumption is supported by C reserves resulting in part from methanotrophy. From relations between CH, and N source concentration and assimilation rate, we estimated the environmental conditions that result in balanced C/N assimilation. From this analysis we predict that at environmentally realistic methane and inorganic N concentrations seep mytilids assimilate excess CH,.


America's surface transportation infrastructure needs significant improvements and rehabilitation, yet Congress is uncertain about how to do this. Some want to significantly increase federal spending on infrastructure. Others want to end deficit financing of transportation and end federal restrictions that reduce the efficiency and effectiveness of the funds that are spent.

To resolve this conundrum, this paper presents three principles that Congress should apply to a new surface transportation funding bill. These principles are pay-as-you-go, user fees, and subsidiarity.

Pay-as-you-go. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that limiting transportation expenditures to actual transportation revenues, rather than relying heavily on borrowing, will reduce deficit spending by at least $116 billion over the next decade. Putting transportation on a pay-as-you-go basis will also make transportation agencies more responsive to the needs of transportation users.

User fees. Congress should rely on and encourage state and local governments to rely more on user fees for transportation. This can be done by eliminating restrictions on road tolling and incorporating user fees into the formulas for distributing funds to the states.

Subsidiarity. Congress should give state and local transportation agencies greater latitude in deciding how to spend their shares of federal funds. This should promote the efficient use of those funds by reallocating decisionmaking closer to voters and taxpayers. Subsidiarity includes distributing funds using formulas that divide the funds between jurisdictions, not competitive grants that often reward inefficient proposals, and using as few funds as possible — preferably two, one for highways and one for transit — rather than the two dozen funds used today.

Together, these principles will increase the efficiency and effectiveness of federal transportation spending.


Safety-critical real-time systems must guarantee correct operation in all operational conditions - even if these conditions are very unlikely to occur (rare events). Hardware-in-the-Loop (HiL) simulation is a common validation technique of real-time systems. In an HiL simulation the environment of a System-Under-Test (SUT) is simulated by an assigned HiL simulator. Thereby, the SUT interacts with the HiL simulator in real-time which necessitates a model of time and interfaces of the HiL simulator that are identical to the model of time and the interfaces of the SUT. In this book an HiL simulation framework is proposed that allows predictable interaction of a distributed HiL simulator and an SUT. This HiL simulation framework comprises configurable simulation components which are interconnected via a time-triggered interaction mechanism. Information flow between the HiL simulator and the SUT is strictly controlled by the progression of synchronized global time and bound to a priori known latency and jitter. This book addresses researchers and engineers in safety-critical domains such as the avionics or automotive industries.


The usual methods applied to recover calcareous nannofossils from claystones are extremely simple, cost-effective and fast. Some samples, however, exhibit heterogeneous mixtures of biogenic materials, detrital particles and other aggregates that visually mask the coccoliths under the microscope. For instance, a high content of organic matter in associationwith calcareous nannofossil specimens was observed in outcrop samples of the Vaca Muerta Formation (Neuquén Basin, Argentina). To solve this problem, traditional preparation techniques are herein improved to aid better visualization of calcareous nannofossils. Sixteen tests were qualitatively and quantitatively evaluated, testing the efficiency of some chemicals and physicals methods such as the addition of a solvent (oxidizing agent) in the smear slide technique, as well as the use of ultrasound in the random decantation technique.


In this paper, a simulation tool specifically designed for the analysis of heterogeneous and (inter)dependent infrastructures is proposed. The simulator, named Critical Infrastructure Simulation by Interdependent Agents (CISIA), adopts a modular and sufficiently abstract representation of the different infrastructures' components to allow consistent descriptions, starting from the incomplete and generic data acquirable from stakeholders. An important part of the modelling effort was reserved for the representation of the dependencies and interdependencies, these being the cause of the complex behaviours we are interested in. Each component interacts with the others via a multitude of mechanisms that codify different concepts of proximity. The simulator has been used to analyse, in a simplified scenario, crisis evolution in the urban area of Rome, in the presence of a failure in the electric power system.


We present system designs for adaptive, distributed network monitoring and control. The ideas are to distribute some processing intelligence to network elements, and to design a dynamic interface such that the delegated agents could be managed remotely by the manager. The functionality of the delegated agents, and even that of the native software processes, could be extended dynamically without recompilation. The creation, deployment, operation, and management of the delegated agents require a standard infrastructure on each system where these agents need to be hosted. We use Java technology and C/C++ dynamic linkage mechanism to fulfil such a requirement under different situations and our system designs span a wide scope of applications.


Telomere dysfunction is a crucial event in malignant transformation and tumorigenesis. Telomere length in peripheral blood leukocytes has been associated with lung cancer risk, but the relationship has remained controversial. In this study, we investigated whether the association might be confounded by study of different histological subtypes of lung cancer. We measured relative telomere lengths in patients in a large case-control study of lung cancer and performed stratified analyses according to the two major histologic subtypes [adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)]. Notably, patients with adenocarcinoma had longer telomeres than controls, whereas patients with SCC had shorter telomeres compared with controls. Long telomeres were associated with increased risk of adenocarcinoma, with the highest risk associated with female sex, younger age (<60 years), and lighter smoking (<30 pack-years). In contrast, long telomeres were protective against SCC, particularly in male patients. Our results extend the concept that telomere length affects risk of lung cancer in a manner that differs with histologic subtype.


The idea of a free market has been one of the most influential and successful in history. According to many, it is one of the three fundamental characteristics that define the industrialized democracies-along with representative democracy and the protection of human rights. Today, the process of globalization has expanded the perimeters of a marketplace beyond national boundaries for many commodities to a global market. While not quite global, the market for other commodities may be transnational. Historically, there have been numerous examples of transnational violence caused by economic factors, where countries fought for economic gain or to protect their economic interests. A contemporary example is Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990 to acquire Kuwaiti oil. But this is an example of violence generated because governments and national leaders coveted economic gain, not from market forces where private parties - corporate and individual sellers and buyers – interacted with each other. Part I of this Article will discuss the way in which market forces such as supply and demand can lead to transnational violence. This section also includes examples of the effects of market-driven violence on various parties and explains why a completely effective solution to such violence is unlikely to materialize. In part II, the author analyzes types of markets and how competition and the globalization of markets inure to the benefit of individuals and society as a whole. Problems associated with globalization will also be discussed. Finally, Part III proposes methods by which international violence may be combated, including international agreements concerning market forces and the utilization of nongovernmental organizations.


Inva sive ant species represent a serious threat to many ecological communities, often causing decreases in the abundance, species richness and diversity of native ants and other arthropods. The invasive garden ant, Lasius neglectus VAN LOON, BOOMSMA & ANDRASFALVY, 1990, is an invasive tramp species that forms dense supercolonies. We studied the ecological impacts of the type supercolony of this species on other ants and surface-active arthropods in Budateteny, Budapest, Hungary. Arthropod abundance, species richness and diversity were estimated by using pitfall traps. The L. neglectus supercolony radically changed the composition of the arthropod assemblage. The diversity of total arthropods, Coleoptera and other Formicidae was lower in the areas with L. neglectus supercolony than in the control areas. The presence of L. neglectus caused a significant reduction in species richness of Isopoda and other Formicidae, but a significant increase in Hemiptera. Lasius neglectus had a significant negative effect on the abundance of the arthropod species Armadillidium vulgare (LATREILLE, 1804) (Isopoda: Armadillidiidae), Trachelipus rathkii (BRANDT, 1833) (Isopoda: Trachelipodidae), Harpalus rubripes (DUFTSCHMID, 1812) (Coleoptera: Carabidae), Ocypus olens (O. MULLER, 1764) (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae), Galeruca tanaceti (LINNAEUS, 1758) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), Myrmica sabuleti MEINERT, 1861 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Tetramorium cf. caespitum (LINNAEUS, 1758) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Tapinoma ambiguum EMERY, 1925 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Lasius niger (LINNAEUS, 1758) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and Formica sanguinea LATREILLE, 1798 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and total Isopoda. However, there was a significant increase in numbers of Kalama tricornis (SCHRANK, 1801) (Heteroptera: Tingidae), Lampyris noctiluca (LINNAEUS, 1767) (Coleoptera: Lampyridae), Dermestes laniarius ILLIGER, 1801 (Coleoptera: Dermestidae), Hahnia nava (BLACKWALL, 1841) (Araneae: Hahniidae), and in Oribatida, Cicadellidae (Hemiptera) and larvae of Clytrinae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae).


Stress impacts multiple systems within the CNS, including the hippocampus. A key molecular mediator in hippocampal functions, including learning and memory, is brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). BDNF mRNA is reported to be decreased following chronic (every day) immobilization stress (CIS) in the rat, however the effect on protein is unknown. Utilizing a mouse model of CIS, the hypothesis that total hippocampal BDNF protein, in addition to BDNF mRNA, would be decreased was tested. The effects of intermittent (alternating day) immobilization and cold stress on hippocampal BDNF protein levels was also examined.

In this study it was demonstrated that CIS results in a small (8 per cent decrease relative to non-stressed controls), but significant (p = 0.0013) decrease in the exon coding for mature BDNF (exon VI). In addition, there was a significant (34 per cent, p = 0.005) decrease in the mRNA coding for exon I in the stressed animals. Contrary to expectations, however, CIS resulted in a significant (116 per cent, p = 0.0087) increase in hippocampal BDNF protein levels. Furthermore, both intermittent immobilization and chronic cold stress both increased BDNF protein levels. Chronic stress, therefore, differentially regulates BDNF mRNA and protein levels in the hippocampus. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Can self-governance emerge in new and unfamiliar contexts, be restored following a sustained period of government control or provision, and exhibit resiliency in extreme disruption? Economic arguments for regulation, state provision of a good or service, and welfare state programs are often advanced on the basis that individuals lack the capacity for self-governance. Individuals may lack the capacity for self-governance out of fear of responsibility, lack of knowledge, and/or the proper informal institutions, culture, or morality. This paper uses three case studies to examine the capacity for self-governance in each of these contexts. We analyze the emergence of self-governance in new technological arenas, the restoration of self-governance in individual responsibility for saving/investing following pension reforms, and the resiliency of self-governance in the wake of natural disasters. In all three cases, we find that a robust capacity for self-governance indeed exists.


The living costs of households are not only set by the price of rent or mortgage but also by dwelling-related costs like energy and water. Especially the energy costs show an upward trend. The accumulation of housing costs and costs of energy occurs especially in the less insulated part of the housing stock, mostly the older dwellings. Often these dwellings are occupied by lower income households. If the situation remains unchanged, in the future some of them can hardly afford their housing costs. For those landlords that are responsible for the accommodation of lower income groups the steering on living costs (rent plus dwelling related costs) becomes more and more an issue. But also for the heavily mortgaged households in the owner occupied sector the accumulation of these costs can become problematic. This paper will explore which types of households in the rental as well as owner occupied sector will have affordability problems in the future as a consequence of the increase of dwelling related costs. The research is based on an extensive survey in the region of Eindhoven, in which the housing costs of several types of households are investigated in relation with the energy performance of different dwelling types. To look more closely to the housing costs of several households a lot of cost-items are listed (rent or mortgage, energy costs, cost for water, insurance, taxes, etc.). Another part of the questionnaire is used to get insight in the energy performance of their dwellings. This research gives not only understanding of the current housing costs of households. Moreover, it forms a good base to formulate some prognoses for the coming years. The main parameters in these prognoses are: - development of the energy costs; - energy-saving policy - development of the household incomes. By combining these prognoses with possible cost developments of energy, three types of scenarios are being formulated; a best case, basic case and worst case scenario. The paper ends with the way these prognoses and scenarios lay the foundations for a pro-active policy by the stakeholders involved.


BACKGROUND: A majority of patients with abdominal cancer report intractable abdominal pain as their disease progresses. For intractable abdominal pain related to malignancy, celiac plexus block can provide relief and reduce the use of oral opioids, helping to improve quality of life. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this article is to explore the feasibility and effectiveness of celiac plexus block as a pain management option for patients with late‐stage abdominal cancer. METHODS: A literature review of articles about pain in late‐stage patients with cancer, with a focus on abdominal pain, pain management techniques, and quality of life, was undertaken. FINDINGS: Celiac plexus block is an effective nontraditional pain management strategy that treats intractable abdominal pain and improves patients' quality of life.


This poster describes an ongoing research project that builds an IoT data management experimental environment based on Ethereum Blockchain and smart contracts. The goal of the project is to simulate the application of IoT devices in smart city initiatives, and explore how IoT data management could benefit from Blockchain technology. In this project, there are three basic questions we are attempting to answer. 1) How do you link various kinds of IoT devices to the Blockchain, as they have different computing capabilities? 2) How do you store data on Blockchain from different IoT devices, and retrieve data for further utilization? 3) To what extent, smart contracts can be designed to implement automated data access management?


The emergence of a broad range of network-driven applications (e.g., multimedia, online gaming) brings in the need for a network environment able to provide multiservice capabilities with diverse quality-of-service (QoS) guarantees. In this paper, a medium access control protocol is proposed to support multiple services and QoS levels in optical burst-switched mesh networks without wavelength conversion. The protocol provides two different access mechanisms, queue-arbitrated and prearbitrated for connectionless and connection-oriented burst transport, respectively. It has been evaluated through extensive simulations and its simplistic form makes it very promising for implementation and deployment. Results indicate that the protocol can clearly provide a relative quality differentiation for connectionless traffic and guarantee null (or negligible, and thus acceptable) burst loss probability for a wide range of network (or offered) load while ensuring low access delay for the higher-priority traffic. Furthermore, in the multiservice scenario mixing connectionless and connection-oriented burst transmissions, three different prearbitrated slot scheduling algorithms are evaluated, each one providing a different performance in terms of connection blocking probability. The overall results demonstrate the suitability of this architecture for future integrated multiservice optical networks.


In this paper, we present an object pose estimation algorithm exploiting both depth and color information. While many approaches assume that a target region is cleanly segmented from background, our approach does not rely on that assumption, and thus it can estimate pose of a target object in heavy clutter. Recently, an oriented point pair feature was introduced as a low dimensional description of object surfaces. The feature has been employed in a voting scheme to find a set of possible 3D rigid transformations between object model and test scene features. While several approaches using the pair features require an accurate 3D CAD model as training data, our approach only relies on several scanned views of a target object, and hence it is straightforward to learn new objects. In addition, we argue that exploiting color information significantly enhances the performance of the voting process in terms of both time and accuracy. To exploit the color information, we define a color point pair feature, which is employed in a voting scheme for more effective pose estimation. We show extensive quantitative results of comparative experiments between our approach and a state-of-the-art.


Social media has become prominently popular. Tens of millions of users login to social media sites like Twitter to disseminate breaking news and share their opinions and thoughts. For businesses, social media is potentially useful for monitoring the public perception and the social reputation of companies and products. Despite great potential, how bad news about a company influences the public sentiments in social media has not been studied in depth. The aim of this study is to assess people's sentiments in Twitter upon the spread of two types of information: corporate bad news and a CEO's apology. We attempted to understand how sentiments on corporate bad news propagate in Twitter and whether any social network feature facilitates its spread. We investigated the Domino's Pizza crisis in 2009, where bad news spread rapidly through social media followed by an official apology from the company. Our work shows that bad news spreads faster than other types of information, such as an apology, and sparks a great degree of negative sentiments in the network. However, when users converse about bad news repeatedly, their negative sentiments are softened. We discuss various reactions of users towards the bad news in social media such as negative purchase intent.


Energy saving and environmental protection don't represent only a technical problem but also, and maybe most of all, an ethical problem. From this point of view, the Mediterranean area, characterized by a considerable Sunshine for at least 8 months a year, is configured as particularly suitable for the use of all building systems that can reach the objectives provided by the latest global climate conferences. The architectural heritage of the Mediterranean area is various both in typological terms and in relation to building materials used. If you want to find materials and components common to the area certainly the windows, and exacting the glazing linked to them, represent a very significant element that can considerably contribute to energy savings. Our group is concerned, since 2009, to test the behaviour, in the energy field, of electrochromic glass. The phases of the studies, presented at many conferences, have already demonstrated efficiency in terms of savings that can be achieved by envelopes integrated with the EC. The testing, conducted on full scale models, was divided into three steps temporally sequential. We built two identical test rooms each other for exposure, size (4x4x2.70 m) and of the envelope composition. Traditional low-emission panels were put in place in the first room, the EC glass were placed in the second one. Measuring tools were positioned in the test rooms, to detect the most important internal thermo physical parameters. This study is divided in three steps, according to a facade configuration with glass surfaces gradually increasing. The research compares internal conditions, detected during the three phases, and it clarifies the relationships between facade configuration and both inside and outside circumstances.


Migration across well-developed countries has been overlooked in the immigration literature. The present study is designed to evaluate the interplay between the effects of host countries' characteristics and self-selection patterns of immigrants from a highly developed country on their economic assimilation in other developed countries. We focus on immigrants originated from Germany during 1990–2000 who migrated to Sweden and the US. We use the 5 percent 2000 Public Use Microdata files (PUMS) of the US census and a pooled file of the 2005–2007 American Community Survey, and the 2000 and 2006 Swedish Registers. We analyze eight groups of German immigrants – by country of desti¬nation (the US/ Sweden), gender, and skill level (with/without an acade¬mic degree). The results show that almost all German immigrants reached full earnings assimilation with natives of similar observed attributes, and that the assimilation of highly skilled Germans was better than that of the low skilled. We also found that the skilled immigrants were compensated for their human capital acquired in Germany prior to their migration. Finally, we find that despite higher educational levels of the Germans that headed to Sweden, the better assimilation of German immigrants, especially the highly educated, took place in the US. The better assimilation of Germans in the US was probably the result of an interaction between the Germans' pattern of self-selection (mainly on un¬observed attributes) and the US context of reception – mainly higher returns on their observed human capital in the US.


Real Time systems are systems which must give accurate results within a precise time period. These systems have now become an indispensable aspect of our day to day lives. As the importance of real time system increases, the need to ensure safety increases. Imagine an intelligent sentry android with decision making ability which guards a frontier. It has to make quick analysis of images in order to decide whether it has to shoot, warn or say "howdy partner". In such cases, it is desirable to make a correct calculation (to identify friends and foes) and also to make a correct timely behaviour after analysing data from its sensors. This is done by the inbuilt software of the android. There lies the risk of the sentry robot not matching the image within a given time and failing in functionality. For safety reasons, in such real time applications, where meeting deadlines is critical, it is sought-after to obtain the worst case execution time of programs. Worst Case Execution Time (WCET) analysis finds the upper bound on the execution time of a program. By obtaining this, we can design a system which works fine even in the most stressed state. SWEdish Execution time Tool (SWEET) is a tool for WCET analysis developed by the Malardalen WCET research group. SWEET performs static analyses on an intermediate code format named ALF (Artist2 Language for WCET flow Analysis) and finds an upper bound of the worst case execution time. aiT is another WCET tool developed by AbsInt company for static analysis in real time system. They maintain a format known as CRL (Control flow Representation Language) to represent various types of object code formats in terms of control flow graphs. The main objective of this thesis work is to write a translator from CRL2's representation of PowerPC assembler code to ALF.


Before 1964, the last piece of major federal civil rights legislation was the Civil Rights Act of 1875. (1) This Act prohibited race discrimination in public accommodations (2) until the Supreme Court, unfortunately, held it unconstitutional. (3) Thereafter, the combination of the Senate filibuster and Southern Democratic control of the Senate Judiciary Committee made the enactment of further civil rights legislation seemingly impossible. But, events such as the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, his replacement with President Lyndon B. Johnson, the arrests and marches of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Alabama Sheriff Bull Connor's use of police dogs and fire hoses against civil rights marchers--all displayed nightly on national television-made a federal response finally irresistible. The result was the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, (4) our greatest piece of civil rights legislation. The purpose of the Act was, quite simply, to ratify, effectuate, and extend what Congress and everyone else understood to be the principle of Brown v. Board of Education (5): the prohibition of all official race discrimination. (6) The meaning of Brown might be arguable, but what it was understood to mean at the time is not. Congress understood it to prohibit racial discrimination-as did everyone else. On the same day that Brown was decided, the Court also decided Boiling v. Sharpe. (7) Boiling involved segregation in the District of Columbia, and the Court decided the case on strictly "no-race-discrimination" grounds. (8) Later cases, however, present an incredible history of judicial and administrative abuse of power, perhaps unequaled in the history of law--certainly American law. They completely reversed the major provisions of the Act so that, instead of pro-hinting, they were made to require or permit race discrimination. (9) The Act has four major sections: Title II, Title IV, Title VI, and Title VII. (10) Title II prohibits race discrimination by restaurants, hotels, and other public accommodations. (11) Title IV addresses public grade school education. (12) Title VI prohibits discrimination by institutions that receive federal funds, (13) and Title VII prohibits discrimination in employment. (14) Title II is of little current interest because it is not in the interest of businesses to turn away black customers, and they are glad to be prohibited from doing so. Each of the other three Titles, however, soon came to be seen by civil rights professionals not as a victory but as an obstacle to racial advance. (15) Just as the movement to prohibit racial discrimination began with the schools, so did the movement to make racial discrimination a constitutional requirement. School racial segregation came to a quick and complete end as a result of the Act, but school racial separation did not. (16) Nonracial neighborhood assignment in areas of residential racial concentration resulted in racially concentrated schools. (17) Civil rights leaders saw this as a problem, and the obvious remedy was compulsory integration. (18) This meant a return to racial assignment, this time to increase integration. Brown's prohibition of race discrimination thus quickly went from being a great achievement to being an obstacle to be overcome. In the 1968 Green v. County School Board of New Kent County case, Justice William J. Brennan, Jr., writing for a unanimous Supreme Court, decided to make the move from prohibiting segregation to requiring integration. (19) This move was extraordinarily ambitious and extraordinarily unwise. After fourteen years of litigation, the Southern school districts were finally brought into compliance with Brown only to be told that Brown was no longer the constitutional requirement if insufficient integration resulted. An openly admitted requirement of racial integration of schools, however, was not possible. It would have required the Court at least to qualify, if not overrule, Brown, and it would also have been applicable to the whole country--not just the South. …


The Web provides not only several data sources with useful and relevant information with e-Learning purposes, but also information that is not easy to retrieve. The web of linked data is a repository based on semantic technologies. Several researchers have been oriented to this kind of interoperable e-Learning repositories and establish that the Linked Data approach has the potential to fulfill the e-Learning vision of Web-scale interoperability of e-Learning resources as well as highly personalized and adaptive e-Learning applications. The paper presents an automatic concept extraction system used to improve personalized searching framework. It could be considered as one possible instance of a more general concept concerning the transition from the Document Web to the Document/Data Web and the consequent managing of these immense volumes of data.


A stabilizing gradient of solute inhibits the onset of convection in a fluid which is subjected to an adverse temperature gradient. Furthermore, the onset of instability may occur as an oscillatory motion because of the stabilizing effect of the solute. These results are obtained from linear stability theory which is reviewed briefly in the following paper before finite-amplitude results for two-dimensional flows are considered. It is found that a finite-amplitude instability may occur first for fluids with a Prandtl number somewhat smaller than unity. When the Prandtl number is equal to unity or greater, instability first sets in as an oscillatory motion which subsequently becomes unstable to disturbances which lead to steady, convecting cellular motions with larger heat flux. A solute Rayleigh number, Rs, is defined with the stabilizing solute gradient replacing the destabilizing temperature gradient in the thermal Rayleigh number. When Rs is large compared with the critical Rayleigh number of ordinary Bénard convection, the value of the Rayleigh number at which instability to finite-amplitude steady modes can set in approaches the value of Rs. Hence, asymptotically this type of instability is established when the fluid is marginally stratified. Also, as Rs → ∞ an effective diffusion coefficient, Kρ, is defined as the ratio of the vertical density flux to the density gradient evaluated at the boundary and it is found that κρ = √(κκs) where κ, κs are the diffusion coefficients for temperature and solute respectively. A study is made of the oscillatory behaviour of the fluid when the oscillations have finite amplitudes; the periods of the oscillations are found to increase with amplitude. The horizontally averaged density gradients change sign with height in the oscillating flows. Stably stratified fluid exists near the boundaries and unstably stratified fluid occupies the mid-regions for most of the oscillatory cycle. Thus the step-like behaviour of the density field which has been observed experimentally for time-dependent flows is encountered here numerically.


Intensive agriculture is dominated by monocultures of high-yielding plants that receive large applications of nitrogen (N) fertilizers to boost plant productivity. However, these systems have low N use efficiency (NUE) as fertilized plants generally take up less than half of the N applied. A large fraction of the remainder N is susceptible to be lost from the agroecosystem generating a cascade of environmental and socio-economic problems. Climate change and projected global increases in fertilizer use pose further risks to N losses and yield stability. We review and translate concepts from ecology in natural systems to demonstrate that NUE in intensive agroecosystems can be strongly increased by fine-tuning the traits of the plant communities to the levels of N fertilization intensity. We present key plant traits of importance for N-cycling (architectural, morphological and physiological traits, as well as symbiotic associations and exudation patterns); discuss ecological (with soil fauna and N-cycling microbial communities) and agronomic interactions of this approach; propose interdisciplinary methodologies for future research ranging from pot to global scales; and highlight possible solutions leading to an optimal balance between N fertilizer use and productivity. Synthesis and applications. By showing the strong links between plant traits and nitrogen (N) cycling, our work opens possibilities to test ecologically informed hypotheses across gradients of soil fertility and N fertilizer management intensity, setting a research agenda for the coming years. Accordingly, the choice of plant species based on their functional traits will play a central role for the development of modern and productive agroecosystems that retain and use N more efficiently.


What makes an aesthetic practice communicative? A wide view of language as opposed to a narrow view of verbal language is the focus of this presentation. Pictures are significant as signs, communicating how a person refers to and thinks about the world. Generally we do not count the hand-drawn picture (chirographic) as a statement. The informants in this study are students at an art school. They are mentally retarded and have a minor intellectual dysfunction. A theoretical framework called the "educational socio-semiotic perspective" (Ahlner & Malmstrom 1998) forms the basis of the present analysis. The world is recognised and interpreted by means of signs; signs allow us to speak of, refer to and think about how we think. The present research demonstrates with the aid of observations, interviews and picture analysis how a unique aesthetic practice can usefully employ participation and acknowledgement to enable the members to develop presence of mind and artistic uniqueness. The matrix of an extended social picture ground developed by the author has clear benefits, particularly with regard to the explication processes of aesthetic learning and meaning construction.


Non-thermal, leptonic radiation processes have been extensively studied for the interpretation
of the observed radiation from jets of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN).
This work addresses the synchrotron and Inverse Compton scattering (ICS) mechanisms,
and investigates the potential of a self-consistent, time-dependent approach
to currently unsolved problems. Furthermore, it examines how deviations from standard,
one-zone models can modify the radiated spectrum. A detailed analysis of the
shape of the ICS spectrum is also performed.
In the first part a possible interpretation of the hard γ-ray blazar spectra in the
framework of leptonic models is investigated. It is demonstrated that hard γ-ray
spectra can be generated and maintained in the presence of energy losses, under the
basic assumption of a narrow electron energy distribution (EED). Broader spectra
can also be modeled if multiple zones contribute to the emission. In such a scheme,
hard flaring events, like the one in Mkn 501 in 2009, can be successfully interpreted
within a "leading blob" scenario, when one or few zones of emission become dominant.
In the second part the shape of the Compton spectrum close to the maximum cutoff is investigated. Analytical approximations for the spectral shape in the cutoff
region are derived for various soft photon fields, providing a direct link between the
parent EED and the upscattered spectrum. Additionally, a generalization of the
beaming pattern for various processes is derived, which accounts for non-stationary,
anisotropic and non-homogeneous EEDs. It is shown that anisotropic EEDs may
lead to radiated spectra substantially different from the isotropic case. Finally, a
self-consistent, non-homogeneous model describing the synchrotron emission from
stratified jets is developed. It is found that transverse jet stratification leads to
characteristic features in the emitted spectrum different to expectations in homogeneous
models.


We use rich brand level retail data to demonstrate that the firm size distribution in Carbonated Soft Drinks is mainly an outcome of the degree to which firms own a portfolio of brands across segments of the market, and not from performance within segments. In addition, while the number of firms in each segment is limited by segment size relative to sunk cost and competition in a segment, idiosyncratic firm effects make some firms more likely to participate in any given segment. This feature of the industry is the key to modelling firm size distribution in Carbonated Soft Drinks.


In order to recognize the information in multi-table images, we use deep learning and edge detection and propose a multi-table image recognition system based on deep learning and edge detection. After the image is preprocessed to the standard image, the table area in the image sample is located by Hough transform, morphological function and edge detection technology, and the cells in the table area are extracted from the image sample. The projection analysis method separates and extracts a single character in the cell, and finally uses a recognition model based on the deep learning convolution neural network to recognize each single character image. After experiments, we find that the system has the advantages of fast and accuracy, which brings great convenience and benefit to the companies engaged in information


This study presents the species composition of living coccolithophore communities in the Aegean Sea (northeastern Mediterranean), investigating their spatial and temporal variations in various environmental conditions from mesotrophic to ultra- oligotrophic regions. Coccolithophores of the photic zone in the Aegean Sea are relatively diverse (65 heterococcolithophores and 34 holococcolithophores) and dominated mostly by Emiliania huxleyi, Syracosphaera spp., Rhabdosphaeraceae and holococcolithophores. Hierarchical classification using R-mode cluster analysis distinguished five coccolithophore groups: Group Ia (Emiliania huxleyi, Syracosphaera molischii and Syracosphaera ossa) prevails in the high cell density and low diversity assemblages during the winter and early spring, when low temperatures and high nutrient concentrations are prevailing. Particularly in the north Aegean, E. huxleyi is dominating the upper photic zone being affected by the Black Sea Water inflow and the associated control on the water column stratification. Group Ib (Florisphaera profunda, Algirosphaera robusta, Syracosphaera anthos and Syracosphaera lamina) becomes important in the lower photic zone, making up the typical deep assemblages, whereas Group Ic (mainly Helicosphaera carteri and Gephyrocapsa oceanica) implies an opportunistic behavior in distinctly polluted neritic regions. Group IIa (Rhabdosphaera clavigera, Syracosphaera protrudens, Syracosphaera halldalii and numerous holococcolithophores) dominates the late spring-early autumn low cell density and high diversity assemblages, mainly in the thermally-stratified south Aegean and/or shallow, coastal environments with normal/ oligotrophic conditions, while Group IIb (Umbellosphaera tenuis and Syracosphaera pulchra) dominates the coccolithophore assemblages mainly during the early autumn in the north Aegean, thus reflecting the influence of Levantine Intermediate Water masses in the middle-lower photic zone. Our results suggest that abundance and variability in Aegean Sea coccolithophore assemblages are primarily controlled by surface water circulation and the associated water column stratification,with the sea temperature gradient affecting species composition.


Many species of lizard use tail autotomy to escape from potential predators. While frequency of tail loss is an unreliable indicator of predation intensity it may enable inter-populational comparisons of predation costs. This reasoning was applied to a study of the metallic skink Niveoscincus metallicus. A total of 368 lizards was sampled from across four populations to compare the frequency and position of tail loss and ultimately to examine whether the implications of tail autotomy differ between populations. The overall frequency of tail loss was 72%, although between populations the incidence of tail autotomy varied from 61.4% (Laughing Jack Lagoon) to 78.2% (Dynnyrne). No sexual differences were observed in the frequency of tail loss; however, the incidence of autotomy increased with age. The estimated position of tail loss did not vary between the sexes, although individuals from Dynnyrne experienced more proximal tail breaks than the other populations. This resulted in the predicted energetic cost of tail loss being significantly higher in the Dynnyrne population and, when combined with a high frequency of tail loss and relatively smaller body size, suggests that this population incurs relatively high costs as a result of autotomy. Overall, measures of tail loss in N. metallicus were found to be useful for examining inter-populational variation in the cost of tail autotomy.


The expression of genes is controlled by regulatory networks, which perform fundamental information processing and control mechanisms in a cell. Unraveling and modelling these networks will be indispensable to gain a systems-level understanding of biological organisms and genetically related diseases. In this thesis, we present an evolutionary reverse engineering method, which allows to simultaneously infer both the wirings and nonlinear dynamical models of gene regulatory networks from gene expression data. The proposed method reconstructs gene networks by mimicking the natural evolutionary process that constructed them. This is achieved by modelling both the way in which gene networks are encoded in the biological genome, and the different types of mutations and recombinations that drive their evolution, using an artificial genome called Analog Genetic Encoding (AGE). Since AGE mimics the evolutionary forces and constraints that shape biological gene networks, the reconstruction is naturally guided towards biologically plausible solutions. Consequently, the search space is explored more efficiently, and the networks are recovered more reliably, than with alternative methods. We have confirmed the state-of-the-art performance of AGE both in vivo (on real gene networks) and in silico (on simulated networks). In particular, AGE achieved winning performance in the in vivo gene network inference inference challenge of the 2nd DREAM (Dialogue on Reverse Engineering Assessment and Methods) conference, which consisted in predicting the structure of a synthetic-biology gene network in Saccharomyces cerevisiae from time-series data. In vivo performance assessment of network-inference methods is problematic because it is in general not possible to systematically validate predictions, except for few well-characterized gene networks. Consequently, in silico benchmarks are essential to understand the performance of network-inference methods. We have developed tools to generate biologically plausible in silico gene networks, which allow realistic performance assessment of network-inference methods. In contrast to previous in silico benchmarks, we generate network structures by extracting modules from known gene networks of model organisms, instead of using random graphs. Furthermore, we simulate network dynamics using more realistic kinetic models, which include both mRNA and proteins. We have implemented this framework in an open-source Java tool called GeneNetWeaver (GNW). Using GNW we have generated benchmarks for community-wide challenges of the 3rd and 4th DREAM conference (the DREAM in silico network challenges). Here, we assess the performance of 29 network-inference methods, which have been applied independently by participating teams of the DREAM3 challenge. Performance profiling on individual network motifs reveals that current inference methods are affected, to various degrees, by three types of systematic prediction errors. We find that these errors are induced by inaccurate prior assumptions of prevalent gene-network models. The evolutionary reverse engineering approach, which would have ranked 3rd in this challenge, can be used with a wide range of nonlinear models. It could thus provide the necessary framework for the development of models that better approximate different types of gene regulation, thereby enabling ever more accurate reconstruction of gene networks.


This Outlook presents some stark choices for human societies. On one hand it warns that the diversity of living things on the planet continues to be eroded as a result of human activities. The pressures driving the loss of biodiversity show few signs of easing, and in some cases are escalating. The consequences of current trends are much worse than previously thought, and place in doubt the continued provision of vital ecosystem services. The poor stand to suffer disproportionately from potentially catastrophic changes to ecosystems in coming decades, but ultimately all societies stand to lose.


The efficient use of available data to forecast future performance is one of the central concerns of modern business. In general insurance, especially, profit or loss depends upon charging the correct premium for the individual risk underwritten. When a new contract is signed, the insurer may know very little about the individual characteristics of the risk he has insured, and the premium charged is based upon prior statistics gathered from a large collective of similar, but also somewhat heterogeneous contracts grouped together under the same group rate. However, as the individual contract continues over several years, experience data can be gathered 'Co reflect individual risk characteristics. A simple but effective approach to estimating an experience rated premium is provided by credibility theory. Credibility theory
is concerned with the weight to be given to the small amount recent individual experience as compared with the mass of the data from the past collective experience. This research was undertaken to review different views and approaches to experience-rating in line with credibility theory considering fire insurance as an example of application ; also to develop a mathematical formula for experience rating for the pure premium keeping in mind- the conditions and the facilities available in the Egyptian market. The formula developed takes into account the variability of the claim amount and the claim frequency. Two classes of non-industrial fire insurance are analysed and tables for the credibility factors involved in the developed formula are constructed.


While the importance of receptor tyrosine kinase pathways in cancer has and continues to be carefully studied there are more than 100 tyrosine phosphatases, either receptor or non receptor, that also play an important role in cancer development. However there has been no comprehensive study of all PTPs or the protein tyrosine phosphatome (PTPome), to identify which have a role in cancer. We as a cancer community are fortunate to have access to a wide array of data types from a number of data sources such as TCGA, where we can determine if the PTPs are mis regulated in more than 20 types of cancers, totaling close to 4,000 samples. We utilized TCGA data for all tumor types with mature data sub setting the data to analyze the PTPome for all data types including expression, methylation, copy number and sequence data where available. Our intention was to use the genomic data to identify PTPs that were important to specific cancers as well as to understand which PTPs play an important role in multiple tumor types. Presently we have studied copy number variations, expression and methylation changes in 20 different tumor types. Thus far, copy number variations, as could be expected were extremely useful to determine the primary mutations in specific tumor types as well as PTPs that are found recurrently in multiple tumor types but not as useful to identify a number of PTPs that are co-altered or altered in the same individual tumors. We were surprised to find that the methylation data was not very useful to identify alterations but could use the methylation data to corroborate other alterations found. Presently we are also using the methylation data to determine if it can be used to identify possible clinical correlations. The expression data has been very useful to identify co-altered PTPs. Interestingly we found several PTPs that are altered together (for example, PTPN6, PTPN7, PTPN18, PTPN22, PTPRC, DUSP2 and DUSP22 with an overall pvalue of 0.02 and much lower if measured between any two PTPs in this list). In addition we have found PTPs that are co-altered in a specific tumor type but possibly more interesting PTPs that are co-altered in a number of tumor types. We are now studying if our results can be used to determine if these PTPs represent multiple specific pathways that are advantageously altered in carcinogenesis.


'Belonging to the World' surveys the treatment of women in American law from the nation's earliest beginnings in British North America to the present. An original work of historical synthesis, the book aims to build bridges between fields long thought to be unbridgeable - among them the history of women, American constitutional and legal history, political theory, and law. It delineates the shifting relationships between American law practice and women, both within the family and elsewhere, as Americans tried to implement republican constitutions in an emerging capitalist society without remaking patriarchal families and governments. And it uses women's stories and voices to drive home the extraordinary range and persistence of female rebellion since the 1630s; of particular importance are discussions of women's ongoing battles for freedom of speech and access to the marketplace.


Consumption of low-carbohydrate, high-protein, high-fat diets lead to rapid weight loss but the cardioprotective effects of these diets have been questioned. We examined the impact of high-protein and high-fat diets on cholesterol metabolism by comparing the plasma cholesterol and the expression of cholesterol biosynthesis genes in the liver of mice fed a high-fat (HF) diet that has a high (H) or a low (L) protein-to-carbohydrate (P/C) ratio. H-P/C-HF feeding, compared with L-P/C-HF feeding, decreased plasma total cholesterol and increased HDL cholesterol concentrations at 4-wk. Interestingly, the expression of genes involved in hepatic steroid biosynthesis responded to an increased dietary P/C ratio by first down-regulation (2-d) followed by later up-regulation at 4-wk, and the temporal gene expression patterns were connected to the putative activity of SREBF1 and 2. In contrast, Cyp7a1, the gene responsible for the conversion of cholesterol to bile acids, was consistently up-regulated in the H-P/C-HF liver regardless of feeding duration. Over expression of Cyp7a1 after 2-d and 4-wk H-P/C-HF feeding was connected to two unique sets of transcription regulators. At both time points, up-regulation of the Cyp7a1 gene could be explained by enhanced activations and reduced suppressions of multiple transcription regulators. In conclusion, we demonstrated that the hypocholesterolemic effect of H-P/C-HF feeding coincided with orchestrated changes of gene expressions in lipid metabolic pathways in the liver of mice. Based on these results, we hypothesize that the cholesterol lowering effect of high-protein feeding is associated with enhanced bile acid production but clinical validation is warranted. (246 words)


The following research is primarily concerned with the characterisation of the novel, unidimensional, zeolite theta-1 by solid-state multinuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Some study has also been made of the zeolites ZSM-5 and NaY. The high-silica form of as-synthesised theta-1 is studied by high-resolution (^13)C and (^29)Si MASNMR. The (^13)C spectra are interpreted as showing the presence of both neutral and protonated diethylamine template molecules. These observations are discussed in terms of the possible presence of acid sites and their spatial distribution. The (^29)Si NMR results are consistent with the template molecules occupying the 10-T channels only. The (^29)Si spin-lattice relaxation mechanism is investigated under a variety of conditions. Changes in the (^29)Si NMR spectra on calcinations indicate the possibility of a minor framework rearrangement.Theta-1 synthesised using a diethanolamine template is also investigated. The template distribution is examined, and evidence for structural modification by the presence of the template is presented. The nature of the non-framework aluminium species produced on hydrothermal dealumination and the broad linewidths observed for such species in (^27) A1 NMR are also investigated. The signal response to the application of a single pulse of finite duration to a system of I=(^3)/2 nuclei is used to illustrate the differences between selective and non-selective excitation of the central transition, and the requirements for quantitivity. A series of model compounds is investigated by quadrupole nutation NMR, and more complex zeolite systems containing quadrupolar nuclei are investigated by a variety of techniques.


In this paper we examine the Vision 2016 document with a view to ascertaining the chances of its success. Policies such as this one are normally intended to advance any nation on the path of growth. However, there are many other intervening variables in achieving success in the anticipated directions. These are some of the things we consider in coming to a conclusion on the chances of success in regards to the Vision 2016 policy document in Botswana.


This article provides an insight into water availability and usage in the Muslim world, based on the global data on water consumption and availability with respect to specific geographical regions and an extensive literature review to categorize the regions with similar socio-economic and hydro-geological make up into distinct water zones. Causal Layered Analysis futures technique is used to examine the way water has been valued and managed, and the systems and worldviews that have influenced the current human-water relationships in the Muslim world. The zones and their inherent water paradigms are then contrasted with emerging international perspectives and trends that might herald a change in the way water is managed in the Muslim world. Finally Muslim religious philosophy and the importance of water is revisited as a potential linchpin that could influence future policies and begin to answer some of the water demand challenges these nations face in the 21st century.


For millions of fans around the globe, the wait is over. Sequel to the international blockbuster bestseller "A Crown of Swords," "The Path of Daggers" continues one of history's greatest fictional journeys and the most extraordinary work of American fantasy ever published--"The New York Times," "Wall Street Journal," and worldwide bestselling series--Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time.The phenomenal tale that is mesmerizing a generation of readers now continues in Book Eight.The Seanchan invasion force is in possession of Ebou Dar. Nynaeve, Elayne, and Aviendha head for Caemlyn and Elayne's rightful throne, but on the way they discover an enemy much worse than the Seanchan.In Illian, Rand vows to throw the Seanchan back as he did once before. But signs of madness are appearing among the Asha'man.In Ghealdan, Perrin faces the intrigues of Whitecloaks, Seanchan invaders, the scattered Shaido Aiel, and the Prophet himself. Perrin's beloved wife, Faile, may pay with her life, and Perrin himself may have to destroy his soul to save her.Meanwhile the rebel Aes Sedai under their young Amyrlin, Egwene al'Vere, face an army that intends to keep them away from the White Tower. But Egwene is determined to unseat the usurper Elaida and reunite the Aes Sedai. She does not yet understand the price that others--and she herself--will pay.


The present study is aimed to evaluating the mechanical properties of aluminium metal matrix composite (AMMC). An effort is made to enhance the mechanical properties like hardness, tensile strength, yield strength, % of elongation of AMMCs by reinforcing AA6061 matrix with Boron carbide (B4C) particles. AMMCs were made, AA6061 as matrix material and B4C as reinforcement material, through stir casting method. AMMCs with varying percentage by different wt. %, 1%,2 %, 3%, 4%,5% B4C were fabricated. A systematic study of the matrix metal and AMMCs were done to evaluate the mechanical properties (hardness, yield strength and tensile strength) in as cast and heat treated condition. It was observed that in comparison to the matrix metal, the precipitation kinetic was accelerated by adding the B4C particles. It was noticed that, mechanical properties are increase with the increase in wt. % of the reinforcement up to 4% B4C further addition there is a diminution in both the conditions (as cast and heat treatment condition). It was also thought-out that 4% B4C composite shows better mechanical (hardness, yield strength and tensile strength) properties and low % of elongation than all other compositions in both the conditions. Optical microscopy and Scanning electron micrographs were carried out to authenticate the mechanical properties of the matrix metal and AMMCs.


Question: Does the influence of plant canopy on seedling establishment interact with climate conditions, and particularly, do intensified drought conditions, enhance a positive effect of the vegetation canopy on seedlings in Mediterraneantype ecosystems. Location: Mediterranean shrubland near Barcelona, Spain at 210 m a.s.l. Methods: Over the course of four years we recorded seedling emergence and survival in open areas and below vegetation under control, drier and warmer experimental climatic conditions. Results: Seedling emergence is more sensitive to climate conditions than later stages of growth. When considering the whole set of species, the total number of established seedlings at the end of the experiment was lower in the drought and warming stands than in control ones, and vegetation canopy increased the number of these seedlings in the drought stands. Drought reduced seedling emergence but not warming, while the interaction between climate treatments and vegetation canopy was not significant. Seedling survival was lower in the warming treatment than in the control. Under drought conditions, vegetation canopy increased seedling emergence of the dominant Globularia alypum. In control stands, vegetation canopy reduced their survival. Vegetation canopy increased the survival of the dominant Erica multiflora in warming stands, and it reduced the survival of G. alypum in drought stands. No significant effects of drought and warming were observed in the seed rain of these two species. Conclusions: The balance of the facilitation-competition interactions between vegetation canopy and seedling establishment in Mediterranean-type ecosystems determined by water availability, and drought conditions enhance the positive effect of vegetation canopy. This interaction is species-specific and shows important between-year variability.


Definitive in its scholarship and thrilling in its scope, this lavishly illustrated volume offers the first book-length study of Luca Signorelli (1450-1523), sometimes described as the "least-known major artist" of the Renaissance. Twenty years of painstaking archival research have produced this portrait of Signorelli in public and private life-an adventurous painter who believed art was divinely inspired, and an affectionate family man who participated energetically in public life. In his paintings-of which the Last Judgement in Orvieto cathedral is his undisputed masterpiece-Signorelli integrated his observations of daily life with a fresh and sensitive approach to representing religious subjects. A student of Piero della Francesca, Signorelli was influential into the early 16th century, though he was ultimately eclipsed by his friends Raphael and Michelangelo. Signorelli's work is represented in museums around the world, and this book now offers new audiences and scholars a complete picture of one of the Renaissance's most significant and intriguing artists.


Juvenile courts in the United States processed an estimated 1.5 million delinquency cases in 1993. This number represented a 2% increase over the 1992 caseload and a 23% increase over the number of cases handled in 1989. More than half (53%) of the delinquency cases disposed by U.S. courts with juvenile jurisdiction in 1993 were processed formally (that is, a petition was filed charging the youth with delinquency). Of the cases that were formally petitioned and scheduled for adjudicatory or waiver hearings in juvenile court, 58% were adjudicated delinquent, and slightly more than 1% were transferred to adult criminal court. Transfers to criminal court were more common in cases involving person offenses (2.7%) and drug offenses (2.2%). Of all delinquency cases adjudicated in juvenile court in 1993, 28% resulted in outof-home placement and 56% were placed on probation.