OBJECTIVE
To determine the effects of avocado/soybean unsaponifiables (ASU) on osteoblast-induced dysregulation of chondrocyte metabolism.

METHODS
Human chondrocytes were isolated from osteoarthritis (OA) cartilage and cultured in alginate beads for 4 or 10 days in the absence or presence of osteoblasts isolated from nonsclerotic (NSC) or sclerotic (SC) zones of OA subchondral bone plate in monolayer. Before co-culture, osteoblasts were incubated or not with 10 microg/ml ASU for 72 hours. Aggrecan, type II collagen, matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) and MMP-13, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP-1), transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) and TGF-beta3, inducible NO synthase (iNOS), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) mRNA levels in chondrocytes were quantified by RT-PCR. Aggrecan, osteocalcin, TGF-beta1, interleukin 1beta (IL-1beta), and IL-6 production were assayed by immunoassays.

RESULTS
In co-culture, SC osteoblasts induced a significant inhibition of matrix protein production and a significant increase of MMP synthesis by chondrocytes. In contrast, SC osteoblasts did not modify TIMP-1, TGF-beta1 and TGF-beta3, iNOS, or COX-2 mRNA levels in chondrocytes. The pretreatment of SC osteoblasts with ASU fully prevented the inhibitory effects of SC osteoblasts on matrix component production, and even significantly increased type II collagen mRNA level over the control (chondrocytes alone) value. In contrast, pretreatment of SC osteoblasts with ASU did not significantly modify the expression of MMP, TIMP-1, TGF-beta1, TGF-beta3, iNOS, or COX-2 gene by chondrocytes.

CONCLUSION
ASU prevent the osteoarthritic osteoblast-induced inhibition of matrix molecule production, suggesting that this compound may promote OA cartilage repair by acting on subchondral bone osteoblasts. This finding constitutes a new mechanism of action for this compound, known for its beneficial effects on cartilage.


Stigma by association occurs when members affiliated with a marginalized group become discredited themselves. The purpose of this paper is to explore associative stigma among mental health (MH) clinicians working with individuals diagnosed with serious mental illness (SMI).,In total, 47 eligible service providers completed an online qualitative study, with open-ended questions about areas touching on associative stigma such as assumptions about the MH profession, personal experiences of work-related stigma, and ways of coping.,The data revealed that MH clinicians commonly endorse experiences of associative stigma. The following themes were derived: experiences of stigma in describing the profession to others, media portrayal of MH professionals, assumptions about the field, ascriptions of personal characteristics, job devaluation, means of coping with associative stigma, and impact of associative stigma on work on clients.,This is the first qualitative study to examine the phenomenon of associative stigma with MH clinicians. This study suggests that MH providers working with people with SMI do encounter associative stigma when discussing their profession with community members. Professionals discussed encountering the stereotype that the work that they do is dangerous, that it is something "unwanted" and that it does not require much skill but could be done by anyone. Associative stigma could be an important component in the understanding of factors related to professional burnout.


In this paper, a novel resin-based crystallisation method was developed for the recovery of succinic acid (SA) crystals from fermentation broths (FB) using Actinobacillus succinogenes. Direct crystallisation of synthetic fermentation broths was firstly investigated and the results indicated that the synthetic fermentation broth consisting of a mixture of organic acids (in the free acid form rather than in the salt form) could significantly benefit in succinic acid recovery. Therefore, a commercially available cation-exchange resin Amberlite IR 120H was employed to convert the fermentation end-products such as succinate, formate, acetate and pyruvate from the salt form into the free acid form. Then, succinic acid was selectively separated from the acid mixture by vacuum evaporation and crystallisation. Highly purified SA crystals were successfully recovered from both synthetic and real fermentation broths using this method. A higher SA crystal purity (99%) and yield (89.5%) were obtained in the direct crystallisation method using an ion-exchange resin as compared to the direct acid addition method (46% and 35%, respectively). The work presented here sets the stage for the development of an efficient resin-based vacuum-distillation and crystallisation system for the recovery of succinic acid crystals from fermentation broths.


ABSTRACT The article aims to determine the extent of gender-related differences in user satisfaction with websites with a focus on the asymmetric and nonlinear effects of customer satisfaction. An experiment was conducted with 15 men and 15 women who undertook a typical task (scenario) on 44 websites. Overall, 1,320 evaluations of website quality attributes were obtained and analyzed. The results reveal that men and women differ in their website quality assessment. Marketing professionals should consider their target audience's gender when designing a quality website, or even devise ways of approaching both gender groups through distinct means.


What is a rule, if it appears to become confused with life? And what is a human life, if, in every one of its gestures, of its words, and of its silences, it cannot be distinguished from the rule? It is to these questions that Agamben's new book turns by means of an impassioned reading of the fascinating and massive phenomenon of Western monasticism from Pachomius to St. Francis. The book reconstructs in detail the life of the monks with their obsessive attention to temporal articulation and to the Rule, to ascetic techniques and to liturgy. But Agamben's thesis is that the true novelty of monasticism lies not in the confusion between life and norm, but in the discovery of a new dimension, in which "life" as such, perhaps for the first time, is affirmed in its autonomy, and in which the claim of the "highest poverty" and "use" challenges the law in ways that we must still grapple with today. How can we think a form-of-life, that is, a human life released from the grip of law, and a use of bodies and of the world that never becomes an appropriation? How can we think life as something not subject to ownership but only for common use?


Chronic HCV infections represent a major worldwide public health problem and are responsible for a large proportion of liver related deaths, mostly because of HCV-associated hepatocellular carcinoma and cirrhosis. The treatment of HCV has undergone a rapid and spectacular revolution. In the past 5 years, the launch of direct acting antiviral drugs has seen sustained virological response rates reach 90% and above for many patient groups. The new treatments are effective, well tolerated, allow for shorter treatment regimens and offer new opportunities for previously excluded groups. This therapeutic revolution has changed the rules for treatment of HCV, moving the field towards an interferon-free era and raising the prospect of HCV eradication. This manuscript addresses the new challenges regarding treatment optimisation in the real world, improvement of antiviral efficacy in 'hard-to-treat' groups, the management of patients whose direct acting antiviral drug treatment was unsuccessful, and access to diagnosis and treatment in different parts of the world.


Robust hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline solution using a cost-effective catalyst is still a critical challenge for industrial H2O electrolysis. The dramatic depletion of interfacial H2O and hindered OH− diffusion bring about a harsh interfacial environment and thereby lead to sluggish hydrogen evolution. Here we develop heterogeneous catalysts based on defect-rich three-dimensional graphene (M/3D graphene) and achieve improved HER kinetics via surface hydroxyl group modification on the graphene surface. Our theoretical studies suggest that the surface hydroxyl groups derived from the hydroxylation process effectively attract multi-overlayer H2O clusters without any thermodynamic barrier and form a reservoir to continuously supply H2O for catalytic sites. Electrochemical characterizations indicate that the HER kinetics per active electrochemical surface area have been greatly improved after crafting abundant hydroxyl groups on the 3D graphene framework, which can be attributed to sufficient proton donors and an ameliorative interfacial pH environment. Benefiting from the surface hydroxyl group modification, the MoS2/3D graphene structure facilitates the HER at a low onset potential of 60 mV in alkaline medium and exhibits excellent durability after 3000 cycles. This surface modification strategy reveals the importance of interfacial H2O supply in HER kinetics and provides general guidance on designing highly efficient catalysts in alkaline medium.


In this essay, I review the fourth edition of Gary Born's International Litigation in United States Courts (ICL), now co-authored by Peter Rutledge. This is a well-established case book/treatise that has influenced the thinking of many lawyers, both in the United States and abroad. In reviewing ICL, I explore some of the recent changes in cross-border litigation in the United States reflected in the fourth edition. Those changes demonstrate that transnational litigation has become a separate field of law in the sense that its independent study has acquired considerable practical importance. But there is more. The changes I review also support my argument that transnational litigation is different from domestic litigation in four distinct ways: (1) it involves widely different laws of other nations; (2) most attorneys, judges, and law reformers lack (adequate) knowledge about differences in those laws; (3) a limited number of transnational actors do possess such knowledge and thus have effective access to foreign litigation systems, legislatures, and executives; and (4) transnational litigation involves foreign nations and thus issues of sovereignty and relative state power. At the same time, there is considerable transnational interconnectedness in the enterprise of making and applying law in this area. Practicing lawyers, judges, and law reformers disregard these features at their peril. That in itself, I suggest, is sufficient reason to subject the distinct problems posed by cross-border proceedings to learned study. Thus, viewed properly, transnational litigation is emerging as a separate field of research. In this new field of research, scholarship in comparative law and international and comparative politics, both theoretical and empirical, will play a central role.


The "IWAMA" (Interactive Water Management) project, funded by the BSR INTERREG 2014 - 2020 program aims to improve the water quality of the Baltic Sea. One of the most important tasks is to train the participating operators of the treatment plants, with regard to energy efficiency and sludge management. WWTP Grevesmuhlen currently has a capacity of approx. 65,000 PE. The incoming wastewater is characterized by high proportions of industrial discharges (dairy, coffee production). In addition to the biological treatment, based on the activated sludge process, a central sludge treatment forms the core of the plant. Due to additional digestion of sewage sludge from surrounding WWTPs and various co-substrates, the biogas yield is improved/high. Besides a sludge thickening and co-substrate receiving station the plant is equipped with a thermal hydrolysis unit to intensify the digestion processes, aiming to further improve the biogas production and dewatering characteristics of the digested sludge. The sludge liquor is treated in a partial flow treatment, based on a two-stage deammonification to significantly reduce the nitrogen load. The complex overall system allows an energy-efficient treatment of wastewater without compromising the effluent quality. The decision-making tool aims to link the inter-dependent treatment components. For this reason a simulation model of the WWTP Grevesmuhlen was developed in a step-by-step approach, based on a detailed baseline study and operational data analysis. Based on a successful calibration and validation of the simulation model including pre-treatment, aerobic biological treatment, sludge digestion, co-fermentation, thermal hydrolysis and deammonification, optimization potentials will be identified. Subsequently, the findings will be implemented in the full-scale operation of the treatment plant. The verification process includes a detailed measurement campaign before and after implementation of the optimization measures. The IWAMA project started in March 2016 and has a term of three years with a total budget of € 4.6 million.


In recent years groups of young people, educators, and leaders of peace and reconciliation processes internationally , have met to learn from each other' s experiences of various reconciliation settings from across the world. Let's Talk is a project that facilitates cross-cultural and international exchange amongst people from diverse regions including Australia, Latin America, the European Union, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. One of the key issues in the process of Reconciliation between Indigenous and non Indigenous peoples in Australia relates to the widespread removal of Aboriginal children from their families as an instrument of assimilation; what has become intemationally known as the ' Stolen Generations' . It has been five years since the largely critical findings of a National Inquiry into the policies and practices of Aboriginal child removal were tabled in the Australian Parliament. Let's Talk has provided a vehicle for Aboriginal women and men to telJ their stories , stimulating new insights about the politics of identity, and better understandings of the complexities of families and communities, especiall y where children have been displaced. A recent visit of an Australian delegation to University ColJege, Cork, focused on potential social and political implications of child removal in cross-cultural settings. ' The story of Australia provides a cautionary note, as this paper reveals. The mistakes of our history show that 'good intentions ' are not adequate reasons in explaining child removal and must entail critical reflection and analysis. Policies must be well thought out and developed with all stakeholders in mind, particularly conceming children from diverse cultural backgrounds. There are impOltant lessons to be learnt from the traumatic impact of policies of child removal in Australia during the twentieth century.


The Williamsburg Bridge, which has connected Brooklyn to Manhattan for more than 97 years, is midway through an ambitious 14-year, $800-million reconstruction that will save the venerable structure from being demolished and replaced. The refurbishment includes wire and strand splicing to preserve the existing suspension cables; repairs to the cable anchorages to improve the bridge's factor of safety; replacing the bridge deck with a new orthotropic steel deck that will eliminate the need for the stringers that had supported the old deck; replacing the subway tracks on the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit (BMT) line; replacing the riveted, built-up stringers on the main span with rolled members and aligning them closer to the train rails to avoid cracking; and replacing all of the built-up bracing members in the towers with roll-shaped members that will not corrode as fast as the older members. Other features included increased safety measures, such as newly designed roadway barriers and improved lighting. Work is scheduled to be completed in May 2005.


This article reports two studies which examine the role of social support in the context of the demand–discretion theory of job stress, with particular reference to additive versus interactive models. In Study I, data from a heterogeneous sample of health-care workers (N = 145) were analyzed using regression methods; after control for demographic factors, occupational group, and negative affectivity, job satisfaction was predicted by the main effect of support (p < .001), and by the demand × discretion interaction (p = .04). In contrast, somatic symptoms were predicted by a three-way demand × discretion × support interaction (p < .02), support mitigating the adverse effects of high strain as compared with low strain conditions. In Study II, longitudinal data from a homogeneous sample (N = 180) student teachers) were analyzed using a similar predictive model to examine Time 2 somatic symptoms, controlling for Time 1 levels. Again, the demand × discretion × support interaction was significant (p < .05); its form was closely similar to that found in Study I. These results are discussed in relation to the existing literature, with reference to theoretical and methodological issues.


Carbon dots (CDs) have recently garnered significant attention owing to their excellent luminescence properties, thereby demonstrating a variety of applications in in vitro and in vivo imaging. Understanding the long-term metabolic fate of these agents in a biological environment is the focus of this work. Here we show that the CDs undergo peroxide catalysed degradation in the presence of lipase. Our results indicate that differently charged CD species exhibit unique degradation kinetics upon being subjected to enzyme oxidation. Furthermore, this decomposition correlates with the relative accessibility of the enzymatic molecule. Using multiple physico-chemical characterization studies and molecular modelling, we confirmed the interaction of passivating surface abundant molecules with the enzyme. Finally, we have identified hydroxymethyl furfural as a metabolic by-product of the CDs used here. Our results indicate the possibility and a likely mechanism for complete CD degradation in living systems that can pave the way for a variety of biomedical applications.


We report a photoluminescence observation of the coupling of donor-bound excitons and longitudinal optical phonons in high-quality ZnO crystals at 5 K. The first-order phonon Stockes line of donor-bound excitons exhibits a distinct asymmetric line shape with a clear dip at its higher energy side, suggesting that quantum mechanical interference occurs during the annihilation of donor-bound excitons. The donor binding energy is determined to be 49.3 meV from spectral featural.


Affiliated to the Association of Surgeons in Training and the British Transplantation Society, the Carrel Club is the transplant trainee surgical society. The Carrel Club held a joint meeting with the Chapter of Transplant Surgeons, a subsidiary organisation of the British Transplantation Society, at the Manchester Hilton Hotel on 31 January and 1 February 2013. As part of the meeting, ten abstracts were presented. A selection is printed below. The winner of the Best Presentation award was Mr Mownah.


For students, DIY hobbyists, and science buffs, who can no longer get real chemistry sets, this one-of-a-kind guide explains how to set up and use a home chemistry lab, with step-by-step instructions for conducting experiments in basic chemistry - not just to make pretty colors and stinky smells, but to learn how to do real lab work: purify alcohol by distillation; produce hydrogen and oxygen gas by electrolysis; smelt metallic copper from copper ore you make yourself; analyze the makeup of seawater, bone, and other common substances; synthesize oil of wintergreen from aspirin and rayon fiber from paper; perform forensics tests for fingerprints, blood, drugs, and poisons; and much more.From the 1930s through the 1970s, chemistry sets were among the most popular Christmas gifts, selling in the millions. But two decades ago, real chemistry sets began to disappear as manufacturers and retailers became concerned about liability. "The Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments" steps up to the plate with lessons on how to equip your home chemistry lab, master laboratory skills, and work safely in your lab.The bulk of this book consists of 17 hands-on chapters that include multiple laboratory sessions on the following topics: Separating Mixtures; Solubility and Solutions; Colligative Properties of Solutions; Introduction to Chemical Reactions and Stoichiometry; Reduction-Oxidation (Redox) Reactions; Acid-Base Chemistry; Chemical Kinetics; Chemical Equilibrium and Le Chatelier's Principle; Gas Chemistry; Thermochemistry and Calorimetry; Electrochemistry; Photochemistry; Colloids and Suspensions; Qualitative Analysis; Quantitative Analysis; Synthesis of Useful Compounds; and Forensic Chemistry. With plenty of full-color illustrations and photos, Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments offers introductory level sessions suitable for a middle school or first-year high school chemistry laboratory course, and more advanced sessions suitable for students who intend to take the College Board Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry exam. A student who completes all of the laboratories in this book will have done the equivalent of two full years of high school chemistry lab work or a first-year college general chemistry laboratory course. This hands-on introduction to real chemistry - using real equipment, real chemicals, and real quantitative experiments - is ideal for the many thousands of young people and adults who want to experience the magic of chemistry.


Context: The data transmission mechanisms in a multi-homed network has gained importance in the past few years because of its potentials. Concurrent multipath transmission (CMT) technique uses the available network interfaces for transmission by pooling multiple paths together. It allows transport mechanisms to work independent of the underlying technology, which resembles the concept of Transport Virtualization (TV). As a result, in the development of Future Internet Architectures (FIA), TV plays a vital role. The leading commercial software technologies like IOS and Android have implemented such mechanisms in their devices. Multipath TCP and CMT-SCTP are the protocols under development which support this feature. The implementation and evaluation of CMT in real-time is complex because of the challenges like path binding, out-of-order packet delivery, packet-reordering and end-to-end delay. Objectives: The main objective of this thesis is to identify the possibilities of implementing CMT in real-time using multiple access technologies, and to evaluate the performance of transmission by measurements and analysis under different scenarios. Methods: To fulfill the objectives of the thesis, different methods are adopted. The development of CMT scenario is based on a spiral methodology where each spiral refers to different objectives. The sub-stages in a spiral are mainly implementation, observations, decisions and modifications. In order to implement and identify the possibilities of CMT in real-time, a deep literature study is performed beforehand.Results: The throughput of data transmission is less affected by varying the total number of TCP connections in transmission. Under different cases it is observed that the throughput has significant impact by varying number of efficient paths in transmission.Conclusion: From the experimental methodology of this work it can be observed that, CMT can be implemented in real-time using off-the-shelf components. Based on the experimentation results, it can be concluded that the throughput of transmission is affected by increasing number of paths. It can also be concluded that the total number of TCP connections during the transmission have less impact on throughput.


How can the global environment be safeguarded in the absence of a world government? In the vanguard of efforts to address this critical question, Oran R. Young draws on environmental issues to explore the nature of international governance. Young's analysis invokes the distinction between "governance," a social function involving the management of interdependent individuals or groups, and "government," a set of formal organizations that makes and enforces rules.


A gap exists in implementing information systems (IS) policy making it difficult to achieve desired impact of securing systems. The resultant problem is fraud which prevails in organizations even though there are documented policies. Four objectives which guided this study included: to establish the level of implementation of IS policy framework, to determine the extent of fraud occurrence on IS, to determine the potential fraud level exposure, and to identify implementation framework for IS policy. The research adopted a descriptive survey design. The targeted population consisted 43 licensed deposit taking Credit Unions within Nairobi Metropolitan Region in Kenya. A total of 140 questionnaires were distributed out of which 125 were returned and validated. Results demonstrated that low level of implementation of policies leads to high fraud rate and higher chances of future occurrence of fraud. The enforcement level of the policies was realized to be directly proportional to the impact level. This indicated that the documented policies within the organizations required an implementation framework. Presence of IS policies in isolation as studied was not sufficient to control fraud in organizations. This study concluded with demonstrating use of the 6x6 Zachman's framework to implement IS policies.


ABSTRACT 'L-ʿalwa', a sung poem whose text recounts the pilgrimage to a saint's shrine in Morocco, is celebrated for its ability to convey images and emotions stirred up by the sacred journey. As part of the repertory of ʿaiṭa—a genre of sung poetry from the Moroccan plains and plateaus traditionally performed by professional female singer-dancers [shikhat] and nowadays categorised as popular music [shʿabi]—'L-ʿalwa' presents an interesting case study through which it is possible to analyse the porosity between local constructions of the sacred and the secular in relation to a genre which is not explicitly associated with the sacred or with sacred performances. My analysis of salient moments of a performance of 'L-ʿalwa' at a wedding celebration in Morocco explores how the shikhat move across the sacred and the secular, and the central role that eroticism [ghram or mshka] plays in the porosity between these categories in performance.


Graphics processing units (GPUs) have become an attractive option for accelerating scientific computations as a result of advances in the performance and flexibility of GPU hardware, and due to the availability of GPU software development tools targeting general purpose and scientific computation. However, effective use of GPUs in clusters presents a number of application development and system integration challenges. We describe strategies for the decomposition and scheduling of computation among CPU cores and GPUs, and techniques for overlapping communication and CPU computation with GPU kernel execution. We report the adaptation of these techniques to NAMD, a widely-used parallel molecular dynamics simulation package, and present performance results for a 64-core 64-GPU cluster.


Peripheral nerve injuries (PNI) resulting in a gap to be bridged between the transected nerve ends are commonly reconstructed with autologous nerve tissue, but there is a need for valuable alternatives. This experimental work considers the innovative use of the biomaterial Gellan Gum (GG) as a luminal filler for nerve guidance channels made from chitosan with a 5% degree of acetylation. The engineered constructs should remodel the structural support given to regenerating axons by the so-called bands of Büngner. Four different GG formulations were produced by combining varying amounts of High-Acyl GG (HA-GG) and Methacrylated GG (MA-GG). The effective porosity of the freeze-dried networks was analysed by SEM and micro-CT 3D reconstructions, while the degradation and swelling abilities were characterized in vitro for up to 30 days. The metabolic activity and viability of immortalized Schwann cells seeded onto the freeze-dried networks were also evaluated. Finally, the developed hydrogel formulations were freeze-dried within the chitosan nerve guides and implanted in a 10 mm rat sciatic nerve defect. Functional and histomorphological analyses after 3, 6, and 12 weeks in vivo revealed that although it did not result in improved nerve regeneration, the NGC25:75 formulations could provide a basis for further development of GG scaffolds as luminal fillers for hollow nerve guidance channels.


A revision of the best selling historical geology text, completely updated to provide a thorough but lucid introduction to the principles of historical geology. Stanley's assertion that 'the physical history and the biological history of the earth are inextricably interwined shapes his text throughout. The material is organized clearly and logically. The two-part progression resents basic principles first, then proceeds with a chronological study of the history of life. For everv interval, global events (such as general patterns of geographic change and major occurrences in the evolution and extinction of life) are reviewed within the context of plate tectonics. This review is followed bv a description of important regional events and their place within this global framework. Stanlev offers insightful observations on how environmental conditions have affected life through the ages. Numerous attractive illustrations enhance textual material. Chapter-ending reviews and exercises reinforce students' understanding and there are additional reading lists, a thorough glossary and useful appendices. Stanley has updated and improved his text to make i-t even more accessible to students. Notable changes include: Streamlined and reorganized chapter on mountain building, with new discussions of ancient plate movements Condensed and updated coverage of the Precambrian Updated and expanded discussions of mass extinctions throughout the text Additional material on isotopes and dating techniques Updated discussion of human evolution.


Generation of asymmetry within the early embryo is a critical step in the establishment of the three body axes, providing a reference for the patterning of the organism. To study the establishment of asymmetry and the development of the anteroposterior axis (AP) in culture, we utilised our 'Gastruloid' model system. 'Gastruloids', highly reproducible embryonic organoids formed from aggregates of mouse embryonic stem cells, display symmetry-breaking, polarised gene expression and axial development, mirroring the processes on a time-scale similar to that of the mouse embyro. Using Gastruloids formed from mouse ESCs containing reporters for Wnt, FGF and Nodal signalling, we were able to quantitatively assess the contribution of these signalling pathways to the establishment of asymmetry through single time-point and live-cell fluorescence microscopy. During the first 24-48h of culture, interactions between the Wnt/β-Catenin and Nodal/TGF/β signalling pathways promote the initial symmetry-breaking event, manifested through polarised Brachyury (T/Bra) expression. Neither BMP nor FGF signalling is required for the establishment of asymmetry, however Wnt signalling is essential for the amplification and stability of the initial patterning event. Additionally, low, endogenous levels of FGF (24-48h) has a role in the amplification of the established pattern at later time-points. Our results confirm that Gastruloids behave like epiblast cells in the embryo, leading us to translate the processes and signalling involved in pattern formation of Gastruloids in culture to the development of the embryo, firmly establishing Gastruloids as a highly reproducible, robust model system for studying cell fate decisions and early pattern formation in culture.


To determine whether the vasoconstriction evoked by A1-adenosine receptor stimulation in the skin circulation caused the release of other substances or whether A1 stimulation modulated the vasoconstriction evoked by other compounds, a potent A1-selective, synthetic agonist, cyclohexyladenosine (CHA), was topically applied simultaneously with several different vasoconstrictor agonists or antagonists. CHA was chosen instead of adenosine because the parent compound is metabolized quickly and also does not discriminate between A1 or A2 receptors. Blood flow was calculated from measurements of arteriolar diameter (40-60 microns) and red blood cell velocity using intravital videomicroscopy. Responses were recorded only in a steady state. The dose-related vasoconstriction evoked by CHA (ED50, 2.07 +/- 0.80 nM; half-minimal response, 93 +/- 1%) was not attenuated by antagonists to norepinephrine (phentolamine [11 microM] or prazosin [10 microM]), serotonin (methysergide [11 microM]), angiotensin II (saralasin [0.11 microM]), thromboxane (SK&F 88046 [13 microM]), or leukotrienes (SK&F 102922 [2.1 microM]). The vasoconstriction evoked by 2 nM CHA was attenuated by a subthreshold concentration (1 nM) of norepinephrine, whereas the vasoconstriction evoked by 0.1-1 microM norepinephrine was attenuated by a threshold concentration (1 nM) of CHA. Higher concentrations (10-100 nM) of CHA had no additional inhibitory effect. In contrast, CHA had no effect on the vasoconstrictions evoked by angiotensin II (10 nM or 1 microM) or serotonin (100 or 500 nM). Therefore, it is unlikely that A1-receptor stimulation causes the release of norepinephrine, serotonin, angiotensin, thromboxane, or leukotrienes in the skin microcirculation. Because norepinephrine attenuated the vasoconstriction evoked by CHA while CHA attenuated that evoked by norepinephrine, there appears to be a negative interaction between alpha-adrenergic and A1-adenosinergic receptors.


Abstract A classification system for the segmentation of driving maneuvers and its validation in autonomous parking using a small-scale vehicle are presented in this work. The classifiers are designed to detect points that are crucial for the path-planning task, thus enabling the implementation of efficient autonomous parking maneuvers. The training data set is generated by simulations using appropriate vehicle-dynamics models and the resulting classifiers are validated with the small-scale autonomous vehicle. To achieve both a high classification performance and a classification system that can be implemented on a microcontroller with limited computational resources, a two-stage design process is applied. In a first step an ensemble classifier, the Random Forest (RF) algorithm, is constructed and based on the RF-kernel a General Radial Basis Function (GRBF) classifier is generated. The GRBF-classifier is integrated into the small-scale autonomous vehicle leading to excellent performance in parallel-, cross- and oblique-parking maneuvers. The work shows that segmentation using classifies and open-loop control are an efficient approach in autonomous driving for the implementation of driving maneuvers.


Monitoring enzymatic processes is of fundamental importance for the understanding of the associated biological phenomena. In this work, we show that amino acid decarboxylase activity can be readily monitored by a colorimetric assay with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), which undergo selective product-induced aggregation. Once the carboxylate group is eliminated, the resulting diamine products trigger AuNP aggregation, leading to a significant color change. Furthermore, this new method provides a rapid way for potential inhibitor screening.


Free space optical communication systems have witnessed a significant rise in attention over the last half a decade owing largely to their enormous bandwidth and relative ease of deployment. Generally, free space optical communication systems differ in their detection mechanism as various detection mechanisms are being reported, including intensity modulation/direct detection FSO, differential FSO and coherent FSO. In this chapter, we explore the prospect of obtaining an optimally performing FSO system by harnessing the cutting-edge features of coherent FSO systems and the coding gain and diversity advantage offered by a four-state space-time trellis code (STTC) in order to combat turbulence-induced fading which has thus far beleaguered the performance of FSO systems. The initial outcomes of this technique are promising as a model for various visible light communication applications.


Background and Aim: Since the intensity and duration of exercise and recovery time are one of the influencing factors on injuries and adaptations, the current study examined changes in muscle damage active in overweight male students after exhaustive aerobic and anaerobic exercises. Materials and Methods: In this semi-experimental study, 22 overweight male students were randomly divided into experimental (n = 12) and control (n = 10) groups.The subjects first tested the aerobic test of astrand (including running on a treadmill at the rates of 5 to 8 mph with a gradient of 0, for 3 minutes, and after 3 minutes every 2 minutes, a steep gradient of 2.5%, and the rate was constant and the activity continued until the time of exhaustion, and one week after an anaerobic Rast test (including 6 repetitions of two fast running 35 meters and with a maximum intensity performed after the rest interval of 10 seconds in each repetition) The control group continued to their daily activities without any interruption. Finally, the obtained data were analyzed through covariance and T-dependent analyses at the significant level of 0.05. Results: It was found that in the pre-test, post-test LDH(17.16±0.9), AST(140±5.61) and CPK(147.5±7.65) levels in the experimental group, compared to the control, due to aerobic and anaerobic exercise, showed a significant increase. The level of CPK and LDH between the experimental and control groups was significant in aerobic exercise (P≤ 0.05), (P≤ 0.01); respectively, and in anaerobic exercise (P = 0.004), (P = 0.006) ; respectively, but the AST values between the two groups increased except for the aerobic exercise sessions (P = 0.7), (P = 0.1); respectively. Conclusion: In general, the study showed that the muscle damage in exhausted aerobic exercise is less than that anaerobic exercise. that performing activities should be done at appropriate resting intervals.


Tracking neuronal transcriptional programs Early in brain development, cortical neurons are born near the ventricles, then migrate to their functional destinations. Telley et al. used a fluorescent labeling technique to see what transcripts characterize these earliest stages of neural development. Waves of transcriptional programs are initiated, then passed by as the neuron progresses from proliferative to migratory and finally to connectivity phases. Science, this issue p. 1443 In vivo fluorescence labeling reveals neuron-specific primordial transcriptional programs as they dynamically unfold. During corticogenesis, excitatory neurons are born from progenitors located in the ventricular zone (VZ), from where they migrate to assemble into circuits. How neuronal identity is dynamically specified upon progenitor division is unknown. Here, we study this process using a high-temporal-resolution technology allowing fluorescent tagging of isochronic cohorts of newborn VZ cells. By combining this in vivo approach with single-cell transcriptomics in mice, we identify and functionally characterize neuron-specific primordial transcriptional programs as they dynamically unfold. Our results reveal early transcriptional waves that instruct the sequence and pace of neuronal differentiation events, guiding newborn neurons toward their final fate, and contribute to a road map for the reverse engineering of specific classes of cortical neurons from undifferentiated cells.


This study results from a need to have more precise knowledge of the recently approved Energy Reform, and its secondary laws and regulations. It identifies opportunities that may arise for implementing policies and practices that affect the percentage of local content of acquisitions and contracting to be undertaken by the various entities and companies in the sector, as well as the real possibilities of stimulating development of productive corridors to ensure the emergence, growth and consolidation of industries, companies and businesses of various types which support the energy sector in Mexico, strengthen the economy and reduce social inequality and poverty. The study includes case studies of the Brazilian, Colombian, Trinidadian, and Indonesian experiences with local content in their hydrocarbon sectors and compares them to Mexico.


Abstract Oligocene and Lower Miocene sediments of the Lučenec Depression were studied to demonstrate the planktonic bioevents and climatic proxies from the Číž Formation (Rupelian) and Lučenec Formation (Chattian-Aquitanian) on the basis of quantitative analyses of foraminifers and calcareous nannofossils. The oldest nannofossil assemblages of the Číž Formation belonged to the NP23 Zone and were dominated by Reticulofenestra ornata known for preference of temperate eutrophic water conditions. An increase in bioproductivity was documented by abundant large-sized planktonic foraminifers (e.g. Turborotalia ampliapertura, Paragloborotalia nana, Subbotina gortanii) and epifaunal to shal-low-infaunal benthic species. The middle part of the Číž Formation reveals a lowstand progradation of deltaic sediments of the Rapovce Member. There, the planktonic foraminifers are impoverished in both size and diversity, containing mostly tenuitellid and cassigerinellid species, probably as a result of decreased salinity and increased anoxia in the Tard Clay. Contrary of this, the benthic foraminifers are rich, mainly the infaunal forms of uvigerinid species. They probably proliferated due to a high organic flux from riverine input. Open marine conditions were restored in the upper part of the Číž Formation above the lowest occurrence (LO) of Cyclicargolithus abisectus on the NP23-NP24 zone boundary. The transitional interval between the Číž and Lučenec formations (O5/O6 - NP24/25) was approximated by the HOs of Paragloborotalia opima and Sphenolithus distentus and the LOs of Globigerinoides primordius and Pontosphaera enormis. Benthic foraminifera of the Lučenec Formation indicate a high productivity and oxygen-deplected environ-ments. The Oligocene-Miocene boundary in the Lučenec Formation was appointed by the HOs of Helicospahera recta and Dictyococcites bisectus. Foraminiferal markers of this boundary were established from the HO of Globigerina ciperoensis and the LO of G. ottnangiensis. The highest nannofossil dating in the Lučenec Formation is recorded by the LOs of Helicosphaera mediterranea (NN1 Zone) and Discoaster druggi (NN2 Zone). The uppermost part of the Lučenec Formation contained many Paratethys benthic foraminifera, such as Uvigerina posthantkeni.


The choice of the language of instruction in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is a fundamental educational issue with ramifi cations for educational access and effectiveness and ultimately national development. Indigenous SSA languages have suffered devaluation in colonial and post-colonial SSA education, and this devaluation alienates the majority of SSA people, thus preventing them from participating in their own economic and political growth. Developmental policies that neglect to utilize local people's talents and knowledge are failed policies. The language of instruction, specifi cally the use of the fi rst or native language (L1) as the medium of instruction, is the key to unlocking these talents and knowledge because doing so will foster knowledge acquisition and preservation of SSA cultures and identities. This will in turn liberate SSA from neocolonialism and pave the way to true progress. This is a literature-based, position paper that redresses common arguments against L1 instruction, defends the notion of linguistic rights, and demonstrates the ways in which SSA languages can be integrated into instruction via examples that have been successfully implemented throughout SSA.


A triangle strip is one of the standard rendering primitives used to reduce the amount of data transmitted to the graphics pipeline. In order to exploit such efficient triangulation data in level-of-detail-based rendering applications, real-time updating of triangle strips is required, and it can be done by repeating vertices. However, the number of degenerate triangles increases in strips as the mesh degrades to a coarser level. Such triangles only add overhead to the rendering task. In this paper, we propose a simple and efficient triangle strip filtering algorithm to convert a strip into a more suitable one for display. The proposed algorithm eliminates the vertices of degenerate triangles from a strip and then reorders the remaining vertices in such a way that the two consecutive triangles share a common edge. In addition, the filtering process takes O(n) time units since it scans vertices only once and does so sequentially from the first vertex to the last one in a strip. Experimental results show that the proposed filtering algorithm not only reduces the amount of data transmitted to the graphics pipeline by 22.2% on average, but also slightly reduces the filtering time by 7.1% on average, compared with the previous method.


The current processes for building machine learning systems require practitioners with deep knowledge of machine learning. This significantly limits the number of machine learning systems that can be created and has led to a mismatch between the demand for machine learning systems and the ability for organizations to build them. We believe that in order to meet this growing demand for machine learning systems we must significantly increase the number of individuals that can teach machines. We postulate that we can achieve this goal by making the process of teaching machines easy, fast and above all, universally accessible.
While machine learning focuses on creating new algorithms and improving the accuracy of "learners", the machine teaching discipline focuses on the efficacy of the "teachers". Machine teaching as a discipline is a paradigm shift that follows and extends principles of software engineering and programming languages. We put a strong emphasis on the teacher and the teacher's interaction with data, as well as crucial components such as techniques and design principles of interaction and visualization.
In this paper, we present our position regarding the discipline of machine teaching and articulate fundamental machine teaching principles. We also describe how, by decoupling knowledge about machine learning algorithms from the process of teaching, we can accelerate innovation and empower millions of new uses for machine learning models.


The late Andre Reville had projected a work on this movement, and had got together a vast collection of records of trials, inquests, petitions, and escheators' rolls for this purpose. Professor Oman has enjoyed the use of all of these documents, and also includes some new and unpublished material regarding the poll-tax.


Abstract: The most commonly used and discussed videoconferencing mode for teaching languages from a distance is two-way simultaneous, or point-to-point, videoconferencing. Applications of multipoint videoconferencing to language classes, however, are not very common. This article aims to fill that gap by presenting the technical and pedagogical dimensions of a pilot project in teaching an introductory course in Turkish (102) via multipoint videoconferencing, which was conducted among students at Syracuse University, Cornell University, and Colgate University. This study shows how multipoint videoconferencing works for language classes and gives some pedagogical pointers to language instructors who plan to use such a system for the first time. Key words: distance learning, multipoint videoconferencing, room-based videoconferencing, technology for multipoint videoconferencing Language: Relevant to all languages Introduction The development of technology has dispensed with the obstacles of distance in communication among people. The dazzling improvement of technology has reached a stage where it is now possible for people to see each other while communicating from a distance. Due to the application of such technology to language classes, teaching languages at a distance in real time is now gaining wide recognition. While at first, distance teaching was commonly used between two sites or two schools-a procedure called point-to-point videoconferencing-it is now possible to teach languages at a distance to more than two sites. A language instructor can teach a language from a school in the United States, for example, to students at schools in France, Germany, Turkey, and Italy via multipoint videoconferencing technology. While some reports of the applications of point-to-point videoconferencing are already available in the literature (e.g., Katz, 2001; Kinginger, 1998), this article aims to explain the use of multipoint videoconference systems in language classes, including specifics such as their technological and pedagogical dimensions, participants and their roles, out-of-class activities, and classroom activities. Technological Dimension Videoconferencing is the use of communication technologies to allow two or more people in different locations to see and hear one another in full motion video.1 Videoconferencing systems vary from room-based to desktop-based videoconferencing, which may employ different kinds of software. For language classes, which require interaction among groups of learners, room-based videoconferencing works better and this is what we used in our multipoint videoconferencing project. There was a large screen in the technology room at each site (Syracuse, Cornell, and Colgate Universities) where the participants could view and communicate with each other. We used the CUsee-me software2 originally developed by Cornell University. In distance learning technology, there are two videoconferencing modes: point-to-point and multipoint. A videoconference between two sites is called point-to-point; when more than two sites are involved it is called a multipoint videoconference. The technology for the latter requires additional equipment for its implementation. A videoconference unit consists mainly of a monitor, microphone, video camera, speaker, and coder-decoder (CODEC). Through the use of CODEC, the audio-video signal is converted to digital data, which are compressed so that they can be sent efficiently to the other site over a digital line. CODEC also decompresses and decodes the received signals so that the receiving site can view them. A multipoint unit requires an additional component called multiple conference unit (MCU, also called a bridge), which allows three or more sites to connect to one another. All videoconferencing systems work by encoding and decoding sound and video signals in both directions simultaneously. The signal can be sent in mainly two ways; schools can connect to each other via the following two networks: 1. …


Bullying in rural school settings is clearly a problem and some of our students are suffering as a result.. Bullying is defined in this study of 819 rural middle and high school students as when a student is exposed repeatedly to negative actions by one or more other students. Students responded to a questionnaire about how often and where bullying occurred and who students told. Analysis of the data reported frequencies, and the Pearson chi-square was used to test for significance (p <.05) for gender and school level. Results indicated that while there are many similarities, there are some differences in bullying at these two levels that should be considered when reducing bullying. First, students should be encouraged to develop positive strategies to react to name calling and teasing particularly at the middle school level. Second, administrators and teachers must communicate better with students that they care about reducing bullying, especially at the high school level.


Blob trackers have become increasingly powerful in recent years largely due to the adoption of statistical appearance models which allow effective background subtraction and robust tracking of deforming foreground objects. It has been standard, however, to treat background and foreground modelling as separate processes-background subtraction is followed by blob detection and tracking-which prevents a principled computation of image likelihoods. This paper presents two theoretical advances which address this limitation and lead to a robust multiple-person tracking system suitable for single-camera real-time surveillance applications. The first innovation is a multi-blob likelihood function which assigns directly comparable likelihoods to hypotheses containing different numbers of objects. This likelihood function has a rigorous mathematical basis: it is adapted from the theory of Bayesian correlation, but uses the assumption of a static camera to create a more specific background model while retaining a unified approach to background and foreground modelling. Second we introduce a Bayesian filter for tracking multiple objects when the number of objects present is unknown and varies over time. We show how a particle filter can be used to perform joint inference on both the number of objects present and their configurations. Finally we demonstrate that our system runs comfortably in real time on a modest workstation when the number of blobs in the scene is small.


We theoretically study a parallel configuration of two interacting whispering gallery mode optical resonators and show a narrow-band modal structure as a basis for a widely tunable delay line. For the optimum coupling configuration the system can possess an unusually narrow spectral feature with a much narrower bandwidth than the loaded bandwidth of each individual resonator. The effect has a direct analogy with the phenomenon of electromagnetically induced transparency in quantum systems where the interference of spontaneous emission results in ultra-narrow resonances. OCIS:230.5750,230.2090


A propeller behind a ship hull (the Hamburg test case) at full scale is optimized to minimize the delivered power at a given ship speed by adjusting the geometry and the revolution speed. An uncertainty analysis and a wake validation are made for the CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) code SHIPFLOW. The minimum iteration number and grid density were carefully selected to decrease the computation time needed. The optimization is done with a parallel Adaptive Range Genetic Algorithm in the coarse grid and a local optimization starting from the optimized design is performed to check whether it is a local optimal, at least. Then the verification of the optimal propeller for both objective function and constraint in three finer grids is made. To satisfy the constraints in the finer grids, we make a manual correction by adjusting one design variable. At the same time, an automatic optimization starting from the optimum we obtained in the coarse grid is made in the finest grid with a local optimization method, DHC (Dynamic Hill Climbing). The designs by manual correction and automatic optimization are compared. Furthermore, an off-design propeller behind the same ship is also optimized with the same design variables, constraint and objective function. An optimum close to the one obtained in the near-optimum propeller optimization is found. Results indicate that the present optimization procedure can yield lower delivered power for both a near-optimum and an off-design propeller.


This paper proposes a polarization-selective light emitter that can enhance preferentially the spontaneous emission rate of one desired polarization state using a one-dimensional metal grating mirror. Systematic numerical simulations were performed to determine the optimized structural parameters of the metal grating mirror consisting of ITO/silver, in which the two orthogonally polarized lights reflected from the grating mirror undergo completely opposite phases. This metal grating mirror was incorporated into a GaN medium, and the spontaneous emission rate of one linearly polarized light was 1.3 times higher than that of the other at a specific distance between the light source and mirror. In addition, the polarization ratio can be increased to 15:1 by considering the extracted power in a practical vertical GaN slab light-emitting diode structure. This study will be useful for demonstrating high-efficiency polarization-selective light-emitting diodes without using additional optical components, such as a polarizer.


Steady-state absorption and fluorescence techniques have been used to study the photophysical properties of the fluorescent 3-(1′H-Indol-3′-yl)-1-phenylprop-2-en-1-one (IC) derivatives  via Kamlet-Taft and Catalan treatments. In a refined work of the non-specific interactions of these derivatives in various solvents, a complete set of Kamlet-Taft and Catalan scales has been employed, which enables to separate the polarizability, hydrogen-bond donor and hydrogen-bond acceptor abilities of these derivatives. The Kamlet-Taft and Catalan treatments of these derivatives in the ground state suggest that the IC derivatives can well behave both as hydrogen bond acceptors and donors due to the simultaneous presence of carbonyl and NH groups, whereas, in excited state only the hydrogen bond accepting ability counts.


Teaching Web designers, developers, and IT professionals how to use the new version of SharePoint Designer Covering both the design and business applications of SharePoint Designer, this complete Wrox guide brings readers thoroughly up to speed on how to use SharePoint Designer in an enterprise. Youll learn to create and modify web pages, use CSS editing tools to modify themes, use Data View to create interactivity with SharePoint and other data, and much more. Coverage includes integration points with Visual Studio, Visio, and InfoPath. Shows web designers, developers, and IT professionals how to use SharePoint Designer 2010 to customize Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 and Windows SharePoint Services 4.0 Covers both the design and business application of SharePoint Designer 2010 Delves into modifying and enhancing every aspect of your SharePoint sitenot just the look and feel Explores creating and modifying web pages, how to add interactivity with SharePoint and other data, and using CSS editing tools to modify themes With the explosive growth in SharePoint, this book is your key to customizing your SharePoint sites with SharePoint Designer 2010.


The Tieton Dam outlet works installation geometry is the most common type used in U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) earthfill dams. An emergency guard gate is located in a gate chamber at the axis of the dam. Regulating gates, located in a control house at the toe of the dam, are connected to the emergency gate by free standing steel conduits located in a tunnel. This type of outlet works presents unique problems during an unbalanced-head gate test. One must be concerned not only with the ability of the gate to operate under unbalanced head, but also with providing adequate air venting in the system to prevent negative pressures and possible collapse of the outlet conduit downstream of the guard gate. This paper will discuss the special procedures required in conducting emergency closure tests for gates with the above-type geometry. Procedures for determining the adequacy of air vents are discussed, along with problems encountered in testing the gates at Tieton and at other dams with gates of similar geometry.


This report investigates occupancy/emission metrics for public and private domestic urban transportation and develops an emissions/sustainability matrix for the future development of a 'Green Travel Planning Tool'. The objective of this research is to 1) Review the current methods of estimating occupancy/emissions for various modes of transportation and to update these for accuracy; 2) Produce a sustainability/emissions matrix; 3) Compare the metrics developed with results from existing door-to-door journey planners producing their own estimates. Existing journey planners providing emission estimates typically use distance, estimated travel time and different modes of transportation as factors. The matrix produced here incorporates multiple additional factors (E.g. travel speed, embodied energy use based on fuel type) in an attempt to accurately estimate emissions per journey. The study includes the following:- 1. Identification of the latest average emissions for each mode of urban transport (normalised by occupancy) 2. A List of emissions occupancy estimation proxies and conversion factors where applicable 3. Identification of measurements and variables required for emissions and occupancy estimates. 4. Study of how existing journey planners produce their emissions results using different metrics. 5. A dynamic matrix that can be used to compute emissions results for new journey planners.


In this dissertation we analyze networks of coupled phase oscillators. We consider systems where long range chemical coupling and short range electrical coupling have opposite effects on the synchronization process. We look at the existence and stability of three patterns of activity: synchrony, clustered state and asynchrony. In Chapter 1, we develop a minimal phase model using experimental results for the olfactory system of Limax. We study the synchronous solution as the strength of synaptic coupling increases. We explain the emergence of traveling waves in the system without a frequency gradient. We construct the normal form for the pitchfork bifurcation and compare our analytical results with numerical simulations. In Chapter 2, we study a mean-field coupled network of phase oscillators for which a stable two-cluster solution exists. The addition of nearest neighbor gap junction coupling destroys the stability of the cluster solution. When the gap junction coupling is strong there is a series of traveling wave solutions depending on the size of the network. We see bistability in the system between clustered state, periodic solutions and traveling waves. The bistability properties also change with the network size. We analyze the system numerically and analytically. In Chapter 3, we turn our attention to a very popular model about network synchronization. We represent the Kuramoto model in its original form and calculate the main results using a different technique. We also look at a modified version and study how this effects synchronization. We consider a collection of oscillators organized in m groups. The addition of gap junctions creates a wave like behavior.


New empirical evidence from nine research sites presented in Volume 1 (Warner et al., 2012b) and Volume 2 (this publication) show that loss and damage occurs when there are barriers that impede planning and implementation of adaptation, and when physical and social limits to adaptation are reached or exceeded. Across the nine research sites, households struggle to manage climatic stressors on their household economy and their livelihoods. Despite their efforts to cope with the impact of extreme weather events and to adapt to slow-onset climatic changes, many incurred residual impact that they could not adequately manage.


Introduction Thriving and performing well in entry-level programmes is important to occupational therapy students, but also for the competitive status of the institutions providing their education. The literature is sparse concerning the factors of importance for occupational therapy students' academic performance in, and satisfaction with, their education programme. Method This cross-sectional study explored sociodemographic, relationship, education and work-related variables and their associations with the students' academic performance and satisfaction with the education programme. The data were analysed with multivariate linear regression. Results Participants were 123 students (mean age 24 years, 80% women) enrolled in an undergraduate occupational therapy programme in Norway. Having prior experience of higher education was associated with better academic performance, whereas having occupational therapy as the highest priority line of study at entry, and spending fewer hours on self-studies, were associated with lower satisfaction with the education programme. Conclusion To improve academic performance, occupational therapy educators are encouraged to help students learn about the tasks, requirements, standards and culture that constitute higher education. To improve satisfaction, it may be most efficient to target students who initially indicate the most interest in studying occupational therapy.


Two new species of triclad flatworm are described from artesian springs in Queensland, Australia, viz. Dugesia artesiana Sluys and Grant, sp. nov. and Weissius capaciductus Sluys, gen. et sp. nov. Some historical biogeographic scenarios are discussed that may explain the occurrence of the new species and their close relatives in Australia.


This paper investigates the lexical semantics and relative distributions of verbs describing putting and taking events in Kuuk Thaayorre, a Pama-Nyungan language of Cape York (Australia). Thaayorre put/take verbs can be subcategorised according to whether they may combine with an NP encoding a goal, an NP encoding a source, or both. Goal NPs are far more frequent in natural discourse: initial analysis shows 85% of goal-oriented verb tokens to be accompanied by a goal NP, while only 31% of source-oriented verb tokens were accompanied by a source. This finding adds weight to Ikegami's (1987) assertion of the conceptual primacy of goals over sources, reflected in a cross-linguistic dissymmetry whereby goal-marking is less marked and more widely used than source-marking.


The supercontinuum generation results generally from the synergy between several fundamental nonlinear processes, such as selfphase modulation, cross-phase modulation, stimulated Raman scattering, and four-wave mixing. The relative importance of these processes depends on the spectral location and power of the pump, as well as the nonlinear and dispersive characteristics of the medium. Several types of microstructured optical fibers with optimized designs, have been developed during the recent years in order to enhance the supercontinuum generation. This paper provides an overview of the peculiar dispersive and nonlinear properties exhibited by these fibers, including the supercontinuum generation by femtosecond pumping.


Documentary Linguistics is a discipline with a philological-conservatory goal that aims at collecting, organizing, and preserving language records (cf. among others Woodbury 2003, Himmelmann 2012). Metadata and annotation serve to make the collected archival corpus accessible. When dealing with the design and content of metadata and the annotation apparatus much thought has been given to linguistic annotation and basic metadata (cf. among others Himmelmann 2012, 2006) as well as comparability and searchability (cf. among others Pepper 2011, EMELD 2010), but less has been said about the open nature of the apparatus and the varying possibilities of shaping metadata and the apparatus for communicative needs. This undervalues the communicative and contextualizing possibilities of metadata and annotation which are needed to make language archives more attractive and relevant for users beyond the linguistic disciplines. Thus in, to a certain extent, a counterpoint to the topic of this conference, I would like to look at the production of language archives from a more philological point of view, instead of limiting the view on language archives and their role in the complex, albeit, narrow parameters of the linguistic disciplines. In my view archives should be conceived, treated, and created as meaning and narrative generating entities for, among others, communities and future researchers of varying backgrounds and the conception of metadata and annotation should reflect this. While a lot of work has been done on community interaction and instrumentalization of archives, less thought has been given to how to make archives accessible for a wider audience. In this talk I conceptualize the production of language archives as a "communicative act" (cf. Payne 2006) with a transdisciplinary audience and I will try to start answering the following question "What might a 'philologist 500 years from now' want to know in addition to the content of the recordings, in order to tract meaningful narratives from the archive?" In an attempt to partially answer this question I will concentrate here on two interrelated aspects that should be addressed in a commentary on the language recordings/documents: human agency and the non-technical aspects of recording genesis. To underscore the points made in this talk I will use examples from two documentary linguistic projects that I undertook in Africa in order to illustrate how I tried to include information on these two aspects in the apparatus.
 References
 EMELD. 2010. Electronic Metastructure for Endangered Languages Data. Available at: www.emeld.org. (last accessed July, 14, 2014)
 Himmelmann, Nikolaus P. 2006. Language Documentation. What is it and what is it good for? In: Jost Gippert, Nikolaus P. Himmelmann, Ulrike Mosel (eds), Essentials of Language Documentation. Berlin/New York: Mouton de Gruyter:1-30.
 Himmelmann, Nikolaus P. 2012. Linguistic Data Types and the Interface between Language Documentation and Description. Language Documentation and Conservation 6:187-207.
 Payne, Thomas E. 2006. A grammar as a communicative act or What does a grammatical description really describe? Studies in Language 30,2: 367-383.
 Pepper, Steve. 2011. The Role of Ontologies in Language Documentation. Language Documentation and Description, vol. 9:199-218.
 Woodbury, Anthony C. 2003. Defining documentary linguistics. In: Peter K. Austin (ed.), Language Documentation and Description 1. London: School of Oriental and African Studies: 35–51.


Model interpretability is an increasingly important component of practical machine learning. Some of the most common forms of interpretability systems are example-based, local, and global explanations. One of the main challenges in interpretability is designing explanation systems that can capture aspects of each of these explanation types, in order to develop a more thorough understanding of the model. We address this challenge in a novel model called MAPLE that uses local linear modeling techniques along with a dual interpretation of random forests (both as a supervised neighborhood approach and as a feature selection method). MAPLE has two fundamental advantages over existing interpretability systems. First, while it is effective as a black-box explanation system, MAPLE itself is a highly accurate predictive model that provides faithful self explanations, and thus sidesteps the typical accuracy-interpretability trade-off. Specifically, we demonstrate, on several UCI datasets, that MAPLE is at least as accurate as random forests and that it produces more faithful local explanations than LIME, a popular interpretability system. Second, MAPLE provides both example-based and local explanations and can detect global patterns, which allows it to diagnose limitations in its local explanations.


Social Network Analysis has emerged as a key paradigm in modern sociology, technology, and information sciences. The paradigm stems from the view that the attributes of an individual in a network are less important than their ties (relationships) with other individuals in the network. Exploring the nature and strength of these ties can help understand the structure and dynamics of social networks and explain real-world phenomena, ranging from organizational efficiency to the spread of information and disease.
 In this paper, we examine the communication patterns of millions of mobile phone users, allowing us to study the underlying social network in a large-scale communication network. Our primary goal is to address the role of social ties in the formation and growth of groups, or communities, in a mobile network. In particular, we study the 'evolution of churners in an operator's network spanning over a period of four months. Our analysis explores the propensity of a subscriber to churn out of a service provider's network depending on the number of ties (friends) that have already churned. Based on our findings, we propose a spreading activation-based technique that predicts potential churners by examining the current set of churners and their underlying social network. The efficiency of the prediction is expressed as a lift curve, which indicates the fraction of all churners that can be caught when a certain fraction of subscribers were contacted.


Combining philological, anthropological and cultural tools, this study sheds new light on issues of rabbinic gender economy and sexual morality, and contributes to the nascent scholarship on the formation of the temple in the Mishnah.


Abstract. It is expected that the calcification of foraminifera will be negatively affected by the ongoing acidification of the oceans. Compared to the open oceans, these organisms are subjected to much more adverse carbonate system conditions in coastal and estuarine environments such as the southwestern Baltic Sea, where benthic foraminifera are abundant. This study documents the seasonal changes of carbonate chemistry and the ensuing response of the foraminiferal community with bi-monthly resolution in Flensburg Fjord. In comparison to the surface pCO2, which is close to equilibrium with the atmosphere, we observed large seasonal fluctuations of pCO2 in the bottom and sediment pore waters. The sediment pore water pCO2 was constantly high during the entire year ranging from 1244 to 3324 μatm. Nevertheless, in contrast to the bottom water, sediment pore water was slightly supersaturated with respect to calcite as a consequence of higher alkalinity (AT) for most of the year. Foraminiferal assemblages were dominated by two calcareous species, Ammonia aomoriensis and Elphidium incertum, and the agglutinated Ammotium cassis. The one-year cycle was characterised by seasonal community shifts. Our results revealed that there is no dynamic response of foraminiferal population density and diversity to elevated sediment pore water pCO2. Surprisingly, the fluctuations of sediment pore water undersaturation (Ωcalc) co-vary with the population densities of living Ammonia aomoriensis. Further, we observed that most of the tests of living calcifying foraminifera were intact. Only Ammonia aomorienis showed dissolution and recalcification structures on the tests, especially at undersaturated conditions. Therefore, the benthic community is subjected to high pCO2 and tolerates elevated levels as long as sediment pore water remains supersaturated. Model calculations inferred that increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations will finally lead to a perennial undersaturation in sediment pore waters. Whereas benthic foraminifera indeed may cope with a high sediment pore water pCO2, the steady undersaturation of sediment pore waters would likely cause a significant higher mortality of the dominating Ammonia aomoriensis. This shift may eventually lead to changes in the benthic foraminiferal communities in Flensburg Fjord, as well as in other regions experiencing naturally undersaturated Ωcalc levels.


Developing countries need to grow their economies to meet the needs of their people, while ensuring that the productivity and viability of the underlying ecosystems are maintained at healthy levels. Resilient ecosystems are vital to achieve global sustainable development through the direct contributions they make to livelihoods. Although progress has been made to better value and manage these 'global commons', SAIIA research shows that human pressures and economic activities compromise their resilience and erode their capacity to deliver vital ecosystem services. This research analyses mechanisms to help decision-makers understand the extent to which ecosystem services contribute to the well-being of their constituents and their countries' envisaged economic development. It also considers tools to minimise trade-offs between environmental, economic and social benefits; and offers insights into the governance and sustainable management of Africa's natural resources.


Victims of childhood sexual abuse can develop mental illness or maladaptive behaviors due to the traumatization. Although individual, group, and family psychotherapy are offered to victims of intrafamilial sexual abuse, few approaches include sessions where rebuilding a relationship between the perpetrator and the victim is emphasized. Given the importance of approaches to include the perpetrator, the focus of this qualitative research is to gain an understanding of how a clinician can help intrafamilial child sexual abuse victims rebuild and heal the relationship with their perpetrators. Individual, family, and group therapy are ways of delivering therapeutic services. Within these sessions, clinicians utilize a variety of approaches, techniques, and conceptual frameworks to guide their interventions. This study found that the child victim of intrafamilial sexual abuse must want to rebuild the relationship with his/her perpetrator, and that there is no identified preferred therapeutic approach in order to accomplish this task. This study also established the importance of individualized therapy sessions for the victim prior to therapy involving the perpetrator. For social workers, this study is imperative due to the fact that the child may remain in contact with his/her perpetrator following allegations of intrafamilial sexual abuse.


Doctors claim to have cured a child of HIV through the very early administration of antiretrovirals.

The initial treatment was carried out at the University of Mississippi, and the follow-up search to detect the virus was done at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore. The case was presented at the 20th annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Atlanta this week.

The girl was born somewhat prematurely to a mother who did not know that she was infected with the virus and who had a high viral load. The girl was born with HIV. The virus can be transmitted from mother to child in utero or at delivery, and the likelihood of transmission increases with the viral load.

A blood test of the …


Resilient provision of Position Navigation and Timing (PNT) data is one of the key enablers of the e-Navigation strategy of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Currently Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) are the primary source for the determination of absolute position, velocity and time (PVT) for merchant vessel navigation. On a ship bridge a number of systems like Electronic Chart and Information Systems (ECDIS), automatic track control systems and the Automatic Identification System (AIS) are relying on that PVT provision. Nevertheless it is well known that GNSS performance can strongly degrade due to space weather events, jamming and spoofing.
Especially the availability and usage of low cost jammers, so called personal privacy devices (PPD) lead to the question on how the navigation equipment onboard a vessel would perform on the presence of a PPD jammer. In the past the General Lighthouse Authorities (GLA) had conducted jamming sea trials, focusing mainly on the question, how resilient PNT provision can be assured by using a backup radio navigation system like e-LORAN. However, the potential of novel GNSS receiver technologies, which are supposed to lead to higher resilience against jamming, as well as the opportunities of multi-sensor fusion for real-time provision of PNT data on board the vessel so far have not been systematically investigated and a careful evaluation is needed in order to evaluate their performance during real maritime jamming measurement campaign.
In order to address the aforementioned issues the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in cooperation with the German Federal Network Agency has allocated a civil maritime GNSS jamming testbed in the Baltic Sea. The test area is located approximately 6 nm north of the Dars peninsula with the first jamming measurement campaign in the area conducted in November 2015.

The goal of the first measurement campaign was to evaluate the impact of a commercial PPD jammer on the position accuracy and the availability of the position fix of standard GPS/GNSS receivers. For that measurement campaign a PPD Jammer was mounted on the monkey deck of the tugboat AARON (length 26m, beam 8m). During the campaign the AARON was anchoring in the center of the Jamming test area, keeping a fixed position and orientation (heading). Due to some waves (wave height: 1-2m) the roll and pitch angle of the vessel was varying significantly. The applied PPD Jammer was sweeping a cw signal around the GPS L1 frequency covering a bandwidth of 17 MHz. Therefore this device was affecting both GPS L1 and Galileo E1 signal tracking, but not GLONASS L1. This enabled us the usage of GLONASS for the calculation of a highly precise PPP reference trajectory in post processing even in the direct vicinity of the Jammer.
The measurement equipment was installed on the multipurpose research and diving vessel BALTIC TAUCHER II (length 29 m, beam 7 m), which was navigating around the tugboat AARON with a max. speed of 8 knots and a distance to the jammer varying from ~50m to 4000m. The vessel was equipped with three separate dual frequency GNSS antennas and receivers (Javad Delta), FOG and MEMS IMUs, gyrocompass, Doppler Velocity Log (DVL) and echo sounder. All relevant sensor measurements were provided either directly via Ethernet or via serial to Ethernet adapter to a Box PC where the measurements were processed in real-time and in parallel stored in a SQlite3 database along with corresponding time stamps. The described setup enables a record and replay functionality for further processing of the original sensor data. The system consists of a highly modular hardware platform and a Real-Time software Framework (RTF) implemented in ANSI-C++.

Results:
The GPS L1 based single point positioning results using the pseudorange measurements of the three GNSS receivers/antennas show large differences in both accuracy and availability. As all the three receivers were completely identical with the same firmware versions and were identically configured, the only difference is in the mounting of three corresponding antennas to be distributed throughout the vessel.

Therefore the mounting environment of the antenna seems to have a relatively large impact on the position performance in the presence of a jamming signal, especially, when the jammer is located in a comparable altitude like the antennas themselves. The largest horizontal position errors in the presence pf a jamming signal were found to be ~250m.

In a second step the performance of a state-of-the-art Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring (RAIM) approach in the presence of a jamming signal was evaluated for all three antennas. While the availability of position results, which were declared as 'safe' by the RAIM algorithm, is obviously reduced, no large horizontal position errors (HPE) (>10m) were found. Moreover, the calculated horizontal protection level (HPL) was reported to be always larger than the actual HPE for the whole time period evaluated here. The preliminary results confirm that the navigator can mostly avoid getting an erroneous position fix without a warning by applying properly designed RAIM approaches. Further improvements both in accuracy and the availability of the solution are expected due to complementary behavior of spatially distributed antennas and corresponding extension of the RAIM-like methods. Finally, the performance of the corresponding integrated navigation solutions supported by inertial sensors and Doppler Velocity Log (DVL) and corresponding extensions for multiple-antenna setup should be evaluated.


Most Americans believe that if a chemical is in their cosmetics, their coat, or their couch, someone is making sure it's safe for their health. In reality, little toxicity information or regulation is required for 80,000 industrial chemicals used in commerce in the United States. To address this, legislation to update the ineffective 1976 Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) is currently moving through Congress. The hope is that it will lead to improved regulation of chemicals, but the extent and timeliness of the reform are not certain. In the meantime, the widespread use of harmful chemicals continues to pose a threat to our health and environment.


Since the early 1900s, numerical methods have been used to predict the trajectory of material discharged from a belt conveyor. These methods range from the very basic to complex iterative approaches. Some methods predict similar paths and others vary noticeably, however it is clear that they cannot all be correct. The discrete element method (DEM) is also becoming more widely accepted as a design tool, however, hesitation still exists in some quarters stemming from the lack of experimental validation available. A conveyor transfer research facility has been commissioned at the University of Wollongong to experimentally investigate particle flow mechanisms through a variety of conveyor transfers. As part of this research, preliminary investigations into conveyor trajectories have been undertaken at varying belt speeds and material flow rates using granular polyethylene pellets. This paper presents the trajectory results of an experimental test program and compares these findings with numerous numerical trajectory methods as well as DEM simulations in an attempt to validate the predictive approaches available to generate conveyor trajectories. Early findings suggest the method of Booth provided the most accurate prediction, while the DEM also compares favourably to the experimental results.


The development of distributed real-time systems often relies on clock synchronization. However, achieving precise synchronization in the field of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) is hampered by competing design challenges, such as energy consumption and cost constraints, e.g., in Internet of Things applications. For these reasons many WSN hardware platforms rely on a low frequency clock crystal to provide the local timebase. Although this solution is inexpensive and allows for a remarkably low energy consumption, it limits the resolution at which time can be measured. The FLOPSYNC synchronization scheme provides low-energy synchronization that takes into account the quartz crystal imperfections. The main limitation of the approach are the effects of quantization.
 In this paper we propose a clock synchronization scheme that explicitly takes into account quantization effects caused by low frequency clock crystal, thus addressing the clock synchronization issue in cost-sensitive WSN node platforms. The solution adopts switched control for minimizing the effect of quantization, with minimal overhead. We provide experimental evidence that the approach manages to reach a synchronization error of at most 1 clock tick in a real WSN.


This book is an indispensable resource for anyone interested in the roots, current debates and future development of social theory. It draws together a team of outstanding international scholars and presents an authoritative and panoramic critical survey of the field.

The volume is divided into three parts. The first part examines the classical tradition. Included here are critical discussions of Comte, Spencer, Marx, Durkheim, Weber, Simmel, Mead, Freud, Mannheim and classical feminist thought. This part conveys the classical tradition as a living resource in social theory, it demonstrates not only the critical significance of classical writings, but their continuing relevance.

The second part moves on to examine the terrain of contemporary social theory. The contributions discuss the significance and strengths and weaknesses of structural functionalism, recent Marxian theory, critical theory, symbolic interactionism, phenomenology, ethnomethodology, exchange theory, rational choice, contemporary feminism, multiculturalism, postmodernism, the thought of Foucault and Habermas, and figurational sociology. The reader gains a comprehensive and informed picture of the key issues and central figures of the day.

The final part ranges over the key debates in current social theory. Questions relating to positivism, metatheorizing, cultural studies, consumption, sexualities, the body, globalism, nationalism, socialism, knowledge societies, ethics and morality, as well as post-social relations are fully discussed. The dilemmas and promise of contemporary social theory are revealed with pinpoint accuracy.


In our study we aimed to evaluate the growing characteristics of new prospective apple cultivars and their canopies. The following parameters were measured: I) thickness of the trunk and the central leader, II) ratio of the trunk thickness and the basic branches (Zahn indexes), III) number of the branches of the central leader, and iv) thickness of the branches of the central leader. The main branches of the trunk and the central leader tend to over thickening in the case of cvs 'Red Idared', 'Wilton's Red Jonaprince' and 'Jeromine'. The density of the branches of certain parts of the canopy was too low for cvs 'Crimson Crisp', 'Wilton's Red Jonaprince', 'Fuji September Wonder' and 'Red Idared'. The density of the branches of certain parts of the canopy was too high for cvs 'Gala Venus Fengal', 'Wilton's Red Jonaprince' and 'Red Cap Valtod'. Relationship was found between the tapering dynamics of the central axis and the thickness of the main branches, which was stronger in super spindle canopies than in slender spindle crown forms.


Aspen ( Populus tremula), rowan (Sorbus auquparia) and sallow (Salix caprea) are deciduous tree species of low economic value for forestry and contribute to biodiversity of boreal forests. The species are rare in managed forest landscapes, and severely browsed by moose. Their recruitment needs to increase to meet requirements of sustainable forestry to factors that affect occurrence need to be indentified. Paper I is an exploratory study on distribution of these species in relation to natural and cultural factors. In paper II moose browsing on saplings, in young forests and the influence of the landscape at three spatial scales: stand (8.6 ± 0.8 SE ha), winter home range of moose (10 km2) and annual home range of moose (25 km2). Presence of these rare species was depending on a multitude of factors acting at different spatial scales. The most important variables were soil quality, successional stage, and ownership at the stand scale and area of deciduous forest at the landscape scale. Moreover, saplings occurred at low densities in young forests (paper II) and most interestingly, saplings occurred most in middle-aged forests (20-80 years) and less than expected in younger forests (<20y) (Paper I). Browsing intensity on the different species corresponded with moose food preference and annual home range scale was most relevant for understanding browsing. Browsing on rowan was highest where the volume of deciduous food and overall young forest area were low. Browsing on birch increased when pine volume and mean patch size of young forest increased, whereas browsing on aspen was negatively related to the same variables. Thus, my results strengthen the idea that food selection is a scale-dependent process and that trade-offs between food and cover may exist for moose. Moreover, I conclude that the presence of deciduous species was a result mainly of soil quality, forest management intensity, landscape context and that the distribution of food for moose at landscape scales similar to or larger than their home range may be useful for predicting browsing on the stand scale. I propose that deciduous forests may be valuable predictors of regeneration potential in the forested landscape, and that understory deciduous sapling in middle-aged forests may be important to promote restoration and conservation actions.


This paper assesses the impact of institutional characteristics of corporate
governance on corporate system of firms using survey questionnaire based on international
corporate governance norms. Data were collected from listed firms in Ghana, Nigeria and
South Africa. The conclusions are follows: (1) In Ghanaian and South African firms show
that regulatory framework and enforcement of corporate governance have a positive
significant impact on corporate governance system. However, in Nigerian firms' regulatory
framework has a negative significant relationship with corporate governance system. This
result suggests that in Ghanaian and South African firms' regulatory frameworks and
enforcement may be stronger than that in Nigerian firms. (2) In Nigerian firms, there are
violations of minority shareholders right. (3) Ownership concentration is significant with
corporate governance system in the region. This indicates that ownership concentration is
prevalent in firms of Sub-Saharan African Anglophone countries. We recommend that there
should be prudent monitoring of corporate governance rules and enforcement.


In a series of 32 unselected consecutive autopsies of Egyptian male adults, we found a significant prevalence of schistosomal obstructive uropathy (SOU) and of precursor lesions of stenosis, fibrosis and induration of the ureters (62.5%). Lower urinary tracts with obstructive uropathy had a significantly higher total egg burden (TEB) than did lower urinary tracts with any other type of gross lesion (i.e., benign prostatic hypertrophy, other urethral outlet obstruction, or SOU precursor lesions). In turn, lower urinary tracts with any type of gross change had higher egg burdens than did tracts which appeared grossly normal. Lower urinary tracts with any type of gross lesion had significantly larger seminal vesicles than did tracts which were grossly normal. Moreover, relative weight of seminal vesicles could be correlated with the S. haematobium egg burdens in the seminal vesicles. In a series of lower urinary tracts taken from unselected consecutive American autopsies, seminal vesicle weight could be correlated with increase in prostatic weight in those tracts with prostatic hypertrophy; the same correlation could not be found in tracts without prostatic hypertrophy. Thus, seminal vesicle hypertrophy appears to correlate with obstructive uropathy in general, not solely obstructive uropathy of schistosomal origin. Digital evaluation of seminal vesicle size may be useful in the clinical evaluation of such patients.


In many combinatorial domains, simple stochastic algorithms often exhibit superior performance when compared to highly customized approaches. Many of these simple algorithms outperform more sophisticated approaches on difficult benchmark problems; and often lead to better solutions as the algorithms are taken out of the world of benchmarks and into the real-world. Simple stochastic algorithms are often robust, scalable problem solvers.
This thesis explores methods for combining sets of heuristics within a single stochastic search. The ability of stochastic search to amplify heuristics is often a key factor in its success. Heuristics are not, however, infallible and in most domains no single heuristic dominates. It is therefore desirable to gain the collective power of a set of heuristics; and to design a search control framework capable of producing a hybrid algorithm from component heuristics with the ability to customize itself to a given problem instance. A primary goal is to explore what can be learned from quality distributions of iterative stochastic search in combinatorial optimization domains; and to exploit models of quality distributions to enhance the performance of stochastic problem solvers. We hypothesize that models of solution quality can lead to effective search control mechanisms, providing a general framework for combining multiple heuristics into an enhanced decision-making process. These goals lead to the development of a search control framework, called QD-BEACON, that uses online-generated statistical models of search performance to effectively combine search heuristics. A prerequisite goal is to develop a suitable stochastic sampling algorithm for combinatorial search problems. This goal leads to the development of an algorithm called VBSS that makes better use, in general, of the discriminatory power of a given search heuristic as compared to existing sampling approaches.
The search frameworks of this thesis are evaluated on combinatorial optimization problems. Specifically, we show that: (1) VBSS is an effective method for amplifying heuristic performance for the weighted tardiness sequencing problem with sequence-dependent setups; (2) QD-BEACON can enhance the current best known algorithm for weighted tardiness sequencing; and (3) QD-BEACON and VBSS together provide the new best heuristic algorithm for the constrained optimization problem known as RCPSP/max.