We discuss an automatic method for the construction of hypertext links within and between newspaper articles. The method comprises three steps: determining the lexical chains in a text, building links between the paragraphs of articles, and building links between articles. Lexical chains capture the semantic relations between words that occur throughout a text. Each chain is a set of related words that captures a portion of the cohesive structure of a text. By considering the distribution of chains within an article, we can build links between the paragraphs. By comparing the chains contained in two different articles, we can decide whether or not to place a link between them. We also present the results of an experiment designed to measure inter-linker consistency in the manual construction of hypertext links between the paragraphs of newspaper articles. The results show that inter-linker consistency is low, but better than that obtained in a previous experiment.


Background Primordial ovarian follicles, which are often present in the ovaries of premature ovarian failure (POF) patients or are cryopreserved from the ovaries of young cancer patients who are undergoing gonadotoxic anticancer therapies, cannot be used to generate mature oocytes for in vitro fertilization (IVF). There has been very little success in triggering growth of primordial follicles to obtain fertilizable oocytes due to the poor understanding of the biology of primordial follicle activation. Methodology/Principal Findings We have recently reported that PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten) prevents primordial follicle activation in mice, and deletion of Pten from the oocytes of primordial follicles leads to follicular activation. Consequently, the PTEN inhibitor has been successfully used in vitro to activate primordial follicles in both mouse and human ovaries. These results suggest that PTEN inhibitors could be used in ovarian culture medium to trigger the activation of primordial follicle. To study the safety and efficacy of the use of such inhibitors, we activated primordial follicles from neonatal mouse ovaries by transient treatment with a PTEN inhibitor bpV(HOpic). These ovaries were then transplanted under the kidney capsules of recipient mice to generate mature oocytes. The mature oocytes were fertilized in vitro and progeny mice were obtained after embryo transfer. Results and Conclusions Long-term monitoring up to the second generation of progeny mice showed that the mice were reproductively active and were free from any overt signs or symptoms of chronic illnesses. Our results indicate that the use of PTEN inhibitors could be a safe and effective way of generating mature human oocytes for use in novel IVF techniques.


Background Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ABU) should only be treated in cases of pregnancy or in-patients undergoing urologic procedures; however, unnecessary treatment of ABU is common in clinical practice. Objective To identify risk factors for unnecessary treatment and to assess the impact of an educational intervention focused on these risk factors on treatment of ABU. Design Quasi-experimental study with a control group. Setting Two tertiary teaching adult care hospitals. Participants Consecutive patients with positive urine cultures between January 30th and April 17th, 2012 (baseline) and January 30th and April 30th, 2013 (intervention). Intervention In January 2013, a multifaceted educational intervention based on risk factors identified during the baseline period was provided to medical residents (monthly) on one clinical teaching unit (CTU) at one hospital site, with the CTU of the other hospital serving as the control. Results During the baseline period, 160/341 (46.9%) positive urine cultures were obtained from asymptomatic patients at the two hospitals, and 94/160 (58.8%) were inappropriately treated with antibiotics. Risk factors for inappropriate use included: female gender (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.1-4.3), absence of a catheter (OR 2.5, 1.2-5), bacteriuria versus candiduria (OR 10.6, 3.8-29.4), pyuria (OR 2.0, 1.1-3.8), and positive nitrites (OR 2.2, 1.1-4.5). In 2013, only 2/24 (8%) of ABU patients were inappropriately treated on the intervention CTU as compared to 14/29 (52%) on the control CTU (OR 0.10; 95% CI 0.02-0.49). A reduction was also observed as compared to baseline on the intervention CTU (OR 0.1, 0.02-0.7) with no significant change noted on the control CTU (OR 0.47, 0.13-1.7). Conclusions A multifaceted educational intervention geared towards medical residents with a focus on identified risk factors for inappropriate management of ABU was effective in reducing unnecessary antibiotic use.


BACKGROUND
Previous in vitro experiments have demonstrated that prostaglandin F2-alpha (PF2α) reduced proliferation and adipogenesis in a murine cell line and human orbital fibroblasts derived from subjects with inactive Graves' orbitopathy (GO). The objective of this study was to determine if the PGF2α analogue bimatoprost is effective at reducing proptosis in this population.

METHODS
A randomized controlled double-masked crossover trial was conducted in a single tertiary care academic medical center. Patients with long-standing, inactive GO but persistent proptosis (>20 mm in at least one eye) were recruited. Allowing for a 15% dropout rate, 31 patients (26 females) were randomized in order to identify a treatment effect of 2.0 mm (p = 0.05; power 0.88). Following informed consent, participants were randomized to receive bimatoprost or placebo for three months, after which they underwent a two-month washout before switching to the opposite treatment. The primary outcome was the change in exophthalmometry readings over the two three-month treatment periods.

RESULTS
The mean exophthalmometer at baseline was 23.6 mm (range 20.0-30.5 mm), and the mean age of the patients was 55 years (range 28-74 years). The median duration of GO was 7.6 years (interquartile range 3.6-12.3 years). The majority were still suffering from diplopia (61.3%) with bilateral involvement (61.3%). Using multi-level modeling adjusted for baseline, period, and carry-over, bimatoprost resulted in a -0.17 mm (reduction) exophthalmometry change ([confidence interval -0.67 to +0.32]; p = 0.490). There was a mean change in intraocular pressure of -2.7 mmHg ([confidence interval -4.0 to -1.4]; p = 0.0070). One patient showed periorbital fat atrophy on treatment, which resolved on stopping treatment. Independent analysis of proptosis by photographic images (all subjects) and subgroup analysis on monocular disease (n = 12) did not show any apparent benefit.

CONCLUSIONS
In inactive GO, bimatoprost treatment over a three-month period does not result in an improvement in proptosis.


Biofilms are communities of microbial cells attached on surfaces and embedded in a selfproduced extracellular matrix comprised of polysaccharides, DNA, and proteins. Biofilms of pathogenic bacteria cause serious chronic infections due to high tolerance to antibiotics and host immune systems compared to their planktonic compartments. Biofilm formation is known to be influenced by many properties of substrate materials, such as surface chemistry, hydrophobicity, roughness, topography, and charge. However, few studies have been conducted to investigate the effects of substrate stiffness. In this study, Escherichia coli RP437 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 were used as model strains to investigate the early stage biofilm formation on poly(dimethylsil-oxane) (PDMS) with varying stiffness of 0.1 MPa to 2.6 MPa, which were prepared by controlling the degree of crosslinking. An inverse correlation between cell adhesion and substrate stiffness was observed for both E. coli and P. aeruginosa. Interestingly, it was found that the cells attached on relatively stiff substrates were significantly shorter than those on relatively soft substrates, and the distribution of cell length was narrower on stiff substrates. In addition to the difference in size, the cells on stiff substrates were also found to be less susceptible to antimicrobials, such as ofloxacin, ampicillin, tobramycin and lysozyme, than the cells attached on soft substrates. The cell tracking results revealed that the E. coli cells on stiff surfaces were more mobile than those on soft surfaces, suggesting that the cells attached on soft surfaces may enter biofilm stage faster. Consistently, the intracellular level of c-di-GMP (an important signal for biofilm formation) in the cells on soft surfaces was higher than that of cells on stiff surfaces. Comparison of the wild-type strains and isogenic mutants revealed that the motB mutant of E. coli RP437 has defects in response to the stiffness of PDMS, which was rescued by complementation of the motB gene. Additionally, the cell tracking results indicate that the mutation of motB rendered the cells much less mobile compared to wild type E. coli RP437 strains, and the decrease in the velocity of motility is higher on stiff surfaces than on soft surfaces. Those results suggest that motB may play a role in mechanosensing of material stiffness by E. coli. Similarly, mutation of oprF in P. aeruginosa also caused major defects in response to PDMS stiffness and abolished the difference in adhesion, growth, morphology and antibiotic susceptibility of attached cells between soft and stiff PDMS surfaces. These defects were rescued by genetic complementation of oprF, suggesting that oprF is involved in mechnosensing of P. aeruginosa. In summary, the findings from this study indicate that material stiffness has potent effects on bacterial adhesion and the physiology of attached cells. To our best knowledge, this is the first study on the effects of material stiffness of silicon-based polymers on biofilm formation, and the first report of the effects of material stiffness on the physiology of attached cells. These results are helpful for designing better anti-fouling and anti-microbial materials. EFFECTS OF SUBSTRATE STIFFNESS ON BACTERIAL BIOFILM FORMATOIN


The CELTA Course is the only CELTA preparation course endorsed by Cambridge ESOL. It provides full coverage of the CELTA syllabus in a ready-to-use course. The CELTA Course is divided into user-friendly sections: * Input sessions (40 units on 'The learners and their contexts', 'Classroom teaching', 'Language awareness', and 'Professional development') * Teaching practice * Classroom observation * Written assignments and tutorials * 'Resource file'. The Trainer's Manual includes suggestions on how to best use the material with trainees, as well as help and advice on how to prepare trainees for teaching practice, lesson observations, written assessment and tutorials.


MELODY AS PROSODY: TOWARD A USAGE-BASED THEORY OF MUSIC Thomas M. Pooley Gary A. Tomlinson Rationalist modes of inquiry have dominated the cognitive science of music over the past several decades. This dissertation contests many rationalist assumptions, including its core tenets of nativism, modularity, and computationism, by drawing on a wide range of evidence from psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, and cognitive music theory, as well as original data from a case study of Zulu song prosody. An alternative biocultural approach to the study of music and mind is outlined that takes account of musical diversity by attending to shared cognitive mechanisms. Grammar emerges through use, and cognitive categories are learned and constructed in particular social contexts. This usage-based theory of music shows how domaingeneral cognitive mechanisms for patterning-finding and intention-reading are crucial to acquisition, and how Gestalt principles are invoked in perception. Unlike generative and other rationalist approaches that focus on a series of idealizations, and the cognitive `competences' codified in texts and musical scores, the usage-based approach investigates actual performances in everyday contexts by using instrumental measures of process. The study focuses on song melody because it is a property of all known musics. Melody is used for communicative purposes in both song and speech. Vocalized pitch patterning conveys a wide range of affective, propositional, and syntactic information through prosodic features that are shared by the two domains. The study of melody as prosody shows how gradient pitch features are crucial to the design and communicative functions of song melodies. The prosodic features shared by song and speech include: speech tone, intonation, and pitch-accent. A case study of ten Zulu memulo songs shows that pitch is not used in the discrete or contrastive fashion proposed by many cognitive music theorists and most (generative) phonologists. Instead there are a range of pitch categories that include pitch targets, glides, and contours. These analyses also show that song melody has a multi-dimensional pitch structure, and that it is a dynamic adaptive system that is irreducible in its complexity. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Music First Advisor Gary A. Tomlinson This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/1407


DNA sequencing technologies have advanced rapidly in the 21st century and there are now an abundance of microbial genomes available to mine in search of novel biosynthetic gene clusters and the bioactive natural products they encode. Whilst an enormously exciting prospect, this abundance of genomic data presents a challenge in determining how to select clusters for further study.
To address this issue, this project focusses on the biosynthesis of the β-lactone antibiotic obafluorin produced by the soil bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens. β-Lactones occur infrequently in nature but possess a variety of potent and valuable biological activities. They are commonly derived from β-hydroxy-α-amino acids, which are themselves privileged chiral building blocks in a variety of pharmacologically and agriculturally important natural products and medicines.
I report the delineation of the entire obafluorin biosynthetic pathway using complementary mutagenesis and biochemical assay-based approaches. As part of this work I have been able to characterise ObaG, a novel PLP-dependent L-threonine transaldolase responsible for the biosynthesis of an unusual nonproteinogenic β-hydroxy-α-amino acid precursor from which the β-lactone ring of obafluorin is derived. Phylogenetic analysis has shed light on the evolutionary origin of this rare enzyme family and has identified further gene clusters encoding putative L-threonine transaldolases. Furthermore, I have been able to biochemically assay an entire intact nonribosomal peptide synthetase that displays a noncanonical domain architecture and is responsible for obafluorin assembly and β-lactone ring formation.
These studies allowed both mechanism- and redundancy-guided genome mining strategies to be developed that might allow the specific targeting of novel chemistry in the uncharted reaches of the natural product world.


When a micrometer-sized fluid droplet is illuminated by a laser pulse, there is a fundamental distinction between two cases. If the pulse is short in comparison with the transit time for sound across the droplet, the disruptive optical Abraham-Minkowski radiation force is countered by electrostriction, and the net stress is compressive. In contrast, if the pulse is long on this scale, electrostriction is cancelled by elastic pressure and the surviving term of the electromagnetic force, the Abraham-Minkowski force, is disruptive and deforms the droplet. Ultrashort laser pulses are routinely used in modern experiments, and impressive progress has moreover been made on laser manipulation of liquid surfaces in recent times, making a theory for combining the two pertinent. We analyze the electrostrictive contribution analytically and numerically for a spherical droplet.


The paper presents a new reinforcement learning mechanism for spiking neural networks. The algorithm is derived for networks of stochastic integrate-and-fire neurons, but it can be also applied to generic spiking neural networks. Learning is achieved by synaptic changes that depend on the firing of pre- and postsynaptic neurons, and that are modulated with a global reinforcement signal. The efficacy of the algorithm is verified in a biologically-inspired experiment, featuring a simulated worm that searches for food. Our model recovers a form of neural plasticity experimentally observed in animals, combining spike-timing-dependent synaptic changes of one sign with non-associative synaptic changes of the opposite sign determined by presynaptic spikes. The model also predicts that the time constant of spike-timing-dependent synaptic changes is equal to the membrane time constant of the neuron, in agreement with experimental observations in the brain. This study also led to the discovery of a biologically-plausible reinforcement learning mechanism that works by modulating spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) with a global reward signal.


Chinese loess is regarded as one of the most detailed and long-term archives of climate on land. However, there is still significant controversy over the deposit9s origin, limiting interpretation of the sedimentological and paleoclimatic mechanisms responsible for its emplacement. Here this is addressed through morphology and the first laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometer (LA-ICP-MS) U-Pb ages of detrital zircons from loess (last glacial age; northern Loess Plateau). These are compared to zircon U-Pb age spectra from desert and sandy lands surrounding the Loess Plateau. Surface samples were taken from the Tengger and Mu Us deserts, as well as the Horqin and Otindag sandy lands. The results demonstrate that zircon U-Pb ages can discriminate between potential source areas and highlight both similarities and differences in age spectra for the desert and sandy land samples. Most significantly, the loess age spectrum shows no single affinity to any of these regions and exhibits zircon ages associated with granitoid rocks representing tectonic events in both west and east northern China. Furthermore, and in contrast to proximal deserts, a significant proportion of zircons from the loess show affinities with rocks cropping out in the Qilian Mountains. The euhedral form of many of these grains further suggests direct transport from these crystalline source rocks, in contrast to previously hypothesized production or storage in deserts. Thus, dust-transporting storms tracked from the west during the last glacial maximum, although this does not explain all the zircon variability and implies multiple sources and storm-track variation over the depositional period.


The room-temperature solvent–solvent extraction (SSE) concept is used for the deposition of hybrid-perovskite thin films over large areas. In this simple process, perovskite precursor solution is spin-coated onto a substrate, and instead of the conventional thermal annealing treatment, the coated substrate is immediately immersed in a bath of another solvent at room temperature. This results in efficient extraction of the precursor-solvent and induces rapid crystallization of uniform, ultra-smooth perovskite thin films. The mechanisms involved in the SSE process are studied further, and its versatility in depositing high quality thin films of controlled thicknesses (20 to 700 nm) and various compositions (CH3NH3PbI(3−x)Brx; x = 0, 1, 2, or 3) is demonstrated. Planar perovskite solar cells (PSCs) based on SSE-deposited CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite thin films deliver power conversion efficiency (PCE) up to 15.2%, and most notably an average PCE of 10.1% for PSCs with sub-100 nm semi-transparent perovskite thin films. The SSE method has generic appeal, and its key attributes—room-temperature process, rapid crystallization, large-area uniform deposition, film-thickness control, ultra-smoothness, and compositional versatility—make the SSE method potentially suitable for roll-to-roll scalable processing of hybrid-perovskite thin films for future multifunctional PSCs.


Column subset selection of massive data matrices has found numerous applications in real-world data systems. In this paper, we propose and analyze two sampling based algorithms for column subset selection without access to the complete input matrix. To our knowledge, these are the first algorithms for column subset selection with missing data that are provably correct. The proposed methods work for row/column coherent matrices by employing the idea of adaptive sampling. Furthermore, when the input matrix has a noisy low-rank structure, one algorithm enjoys a relative error bound.


We consider learning Nash equilibria in two-player zero-sum Markov Games with nonlinear function approximation, where the action-value function is approximated by a function in a Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Space (RKHS). The key challenge is how to do exploration in the high-dimensional function space. We propose a novel online learning algorithm to find a Nash equilibrium by minimizing the duality gap. At the core of our algorithms are upper and lower confidence bounds that are derived based on the principle of optimism in the face of uncertainty. We prove that our algorithm is able to attain an $O(\sqrt{T})$ regret with polynomial computational complexity, under very mild assumptions on the reward function and the underlying dynamic of the Markov Games. We also propose several extensions of our algorithm, including an algorithm with Bernstein-type bonus that can achieve a tighter regret bound, and another algorithm for model misspecification that can be applied to neural function approximation.


ABSTRACT Introduction Atrial septal defect (ASD) is one of the most common congenital heart diseases (CHD) in children and adults. This group of malformations includes several types of atrial communications allowing shunting of blood between the systemic and the pulmonary circulations. Early diagnosis and treatment carries favorable outcomes. Patients diagnosed during adulthood often present with complications related to longstanding volume overload such as pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH), atrial dysrhythmias, and right (RV) and left (LV) ventricular dysfunction. Area covered This article intended to review all aspects of ASD; anatomy, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, natural history, and indication for treatment. Also, we covered the transcatheter therapy in detail, including the procedural aspect, available devices, and outcomes. Expert opinion There has been a remarkable improvement in the treatment strategy of ASD over the last few decades. Transcatheter closure of ASD is currently accepted as the treatment of choice in most patients with appropriately selected secundum ASDs. This review will focus on the most recent advances in diagnosis and treatment strategy of secundum ASD.


From this survey of the literature pertaining to the etiology of dental caries, the procedures for the estimation of caries-inhibiting properties of potentially effective agents and the results attained from these procedures, three major conclusions can be drawn.

1. There is an unfortunate paucity of well-designed, carefully controlled and conducted investigations, especially in the clinical area. Possibly the single greatest need in future studies on caries-inhibiting agents is the development of a dependable chain of sequence from screening procedures in vitro, through laboratory animals to full-scale clinical trials where the incidence of dental caries is the measured parameter. Although this course seems difficult to attain on the basis of the present frustrations with poor correlations between the three stages, the ultimate gain to be attained more than merits the intermediate tribulations.

2. Unquestionably, the consumption of foods and confections with a low rate of oral clearance which contain readily fermentable carbohydrates is one of the primary causes of dental caries in caries-susceptible populations. Major restrictions in the consumption of these materials with the maintenance of ideal oral hygiene can lead to major reductions in dental caries among the most caries-susceptible populations. Unfortunately numerous obstacles stand in the way of the widespread achievement of this goal, among which are individual preferences and biases, economic status of the family, the greater productivity of carbohydrate foods per unit of land, and last but not least, the difficulty in maintaining the interest of the individual in the faithful continuation of prolonged procedures.

3. On the basis of presently available information, the most effective and best substantiated caries-inhibiting agent is the fluoride ion when ingested continuously throughout tooth development and the posteruptive life of the teeth in order that optimal levels of fluoride may be incorporated into the hydroxyapatite lattice. Fluoridation of public water supplies at optimal and carefully controlled levels offers the best available method for the partial prevention of dental caries at minimum cost for the maximum number of the population. Clearly inferior with respect to effectiveness is the topical application of fluorides to the tooth surfaces after eruption, which process is capable of producing modest reductions in the incidence of dental caries.

Clearly subsidiary at present to the above conclusions are several more obscure areas for which much additional data are needed.

1. Although animal studies indicated a high potential for control of dental caries through the use of penicillin and other antibiotics in the diet, dentifrices containing penicillin have in general proven to be disappointing, especially when used without careful supervision. The benefits to be derived appear to be less than the potential hazards of the development of penicillin-resistant strains of microorganisms and of sensitization on the part of the subjects. Tyrothricin, the only other antibiotic known to have been tested in a dentifrice, after indifferent results in the hamster was reported to be moderately effective in one small clinical study.

2. Dentifrices containing low levels of urea and dibasic ammonium phosphate have had little or no influence on caries incidence. On the basis of present data, which are clearly inadequate for a final appraisal, high levels of urea and dibasic ammonium phosphate in dentifrices appear to have been modestly effective in inhibiting carious lesions. Present preliminary studies with sodium N-lauroyl sarcosinate likewise suggest modest reductions in dental caries incidence.

3. Certain nutritional studies after the teeth are developed and fully erupted offer interesting leads. Lysine deficiency in rats results in a high incidence of smooth surface carious lesions but does not appear to have any significant influence on lesions in the occlusal sulci. Provision of L-lysine in the diet, in the drinking water or by intubation caused major reductions in the incidence of dental caries through what appeared to be a systemic pathway rather than through direct oral contact with the tooth surfaces. Likewise supplements

of soluble inorganic phosphates in the lysine-deficient diet of rats caused major reductions in the incidence of smooth surface lesions. Pyridoxine has also been reported in cursory studies to result in reductions in the incidence of dental caries in the hamster and the rhesus monkey. Vitamin D supplementation has been shown to cause modest postdevelopmental reductions in the incidence of dental caries in children. With the exception of the latter studies on vitamin D, the other three trials have been conducted with experimental animals without application to human populations. In addition, the three nutrients studied are not known to be deficient or borderline by current standards in human populations where the incidence of dental caries is high.

4. Observations on the ability of various dietary manipulations, such as natural versus purified diets and varied calcium-phosphorus ratios during tooth development to alter caries-susceptibility suggest that there are other areas of interest than fluoride ingestion that need to be extended in the laboratory and tested in clinical trials.


One of the most important results of hydraulic and hydrological modeling of the urban drainage network is hydrograph estimation. Annual journals on hydraulic and hydrological problems, especially in developing countries, are full of missing data, discrete and continuous gaps in most hydrological data, such as inlet flow and other series of flow data. This is due to reasons such as not registering statistics, deleting wrong statistics, or failure of measuring devices. The present paper attempts to investigate the flow rate of wastewater entering the sewage treatment plant (STP) for pumping station planning. The novelty of the research is using the Monte Carlo method, which is one of the simulators of the effect of the uncertainties in the timing and cost of the project, and Fourier series regression model to randomly generate data. These methods were used to simulate a 1-minute time scale of sewage flow data for Zahedan. Considering the construction of the treatment plant in the last decade, this is the first research with this approach in this treatment plant. The results indicate that, this method has been successful in estimating sewage flow data in the hourly and minute intervals. Finally, 270 days of flow data were obtained from a time interval of one minute with two methods of distribution: Lognormal function and a nonlinear Fourier series. Among these two methods, Fourier series' accuracy was higher in terms of statistical indicators. In this simulation, RMSE, d, CI and EF values for Fourier regression model are 0.29, 0.99, 0.99, and 0.99, respectively.


Palynological investigations of Cenomanian chalks and marls from England Ailbhe Maire Duane The palynological analysis of chalk and marl samples from Cenomanian sections sampled at high resolution has yielded largely diverse and abundant, well-preserved microplankton assemblages. Four sections have been investigated, three from the Dover-Folkestone Warren area, south-east England and the fourth from South Ferriby, South Humberside, north-east England. The dinoflagellate cysts present accord well with previously described Cenomanian microplankton assemblages from western Europe, and are assignable to the established Litosphaeridium siphonophorum Zone of Davey (1970). Full descriptions of all dinoflagellate cyst species found have been included. A new species, Litosphaeridium sp. A is believed to be indicative of latest Cenomanian to earliest Turonian in England. A new status is suggested for Pterodinium cingulatum polygonalis and Palaeohystrichophora pauciestosa is believed to be a junior synonym of P. infusorioides. Dinoflagellate cysts assemblages have been investigated with the purpose of reconstructing the palaeoenvironment of the Cenomanian Chalk Sea. To this aim, samples were prepared qualitatively and quantitatively and data produced from normal logging techniques were investigated using several statistical techniques. Finally, such palynological data were integrated in a multidiscipline geological framework in order to interpret the data further. The application of quantitative preparation techniques has shown that the introduction of an oxidation stage causes mechanical loss of a significant proportion of the palynological residue. A further outcome of such quantitative techniques is the recognition that marl samples consistently yield more abundant palynological residues than do marly chalk and chalk lithologies, based on counts of dinoflagellate cysts per gramme of sediment. Statistical techniques such as diversity indices, cluster analysis and fourier analysis (spectral analysis) were applied to palynological data sets. As a result it is suggested that the percentage presence of certain dinoflagellate cysts species is strongly dependent on lithology and thus allows recognition of the lithological rhythmicity. Other key dinoflagellate cysts species appear to be controlled by palaeotemperature. Palaeohystrichophora infusorioides is therefore recognised as a slightly cooler water cyst (23°C), while Cleistosphaeridium huguoniotii and Cyclonephelium distinctum both are interpreted as being slightly warmer water cysts (25°C). Cluster analysis has successfully identified the existence of two dinoflagellate cyst associations in the Middle Cenomanian, which are linked to the Mid-Cenomanian non-sequence of Carter and Hart (1977) as they occur immediately above and below the non-sequence. Statistical interpretation of the Late Cenomanian dinoflagellate cyst assemblage of South Ferriby confirms that it records stressed palaeoenvironmental conditions.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relation between angiographic embolic endpoints of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) and the survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS
This study was a retrospective assessment of the cases of 105 patients with surgically unresectable HCC who underwent TACE. The cases were classified according to a previously established subjective angiographic chemoembolization endpoint scale. Only one patient had endpoint level I embolization and was excluded from all subsequent analysis. Survival was evaluated with Kaplan-Meier analysis. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to determine independent prognostic risk factors of survival.

RESULTS
The overall median survival period was 21.1 months (95% CI, 15.9-26.4 months). Patients with embolization to subjective angiographic chemoembolization endpoint levels II and III were aggregated and had a significantly longer median survival period (25.6 months; 95% CI, 16.2-35.0 months) than patients with embolization to level IV (17.1 months; 95% CI, 13.3-20.9 months) (p = 0.035). The results of multivariate analysis indicated that all of the following factors were independent negative prognostic indicators of survival: subjective angiographic chemoembolization endpoint level IV (hazard ratio [HR], 2.49; 95% CI, 1.41-4.42; p = 0.002), European Cooperative Oncology Group performance status greater than 0 (HR, 1.97; 95% CI, 1.15-3.37; p = 0.013), American Joint Committee on Cancer stage III or IV (HR, 2.42; 95% CI, 1.27-4.60; p = 0.007), and Child-Pugh class B (HR, 1.94; 95% CI, 1.09-3.46; p = 0.025).

CONCLUSION
Embolization to an intermediate, substasis endpoint (subjective angiographic chemoembolization endpoint levels II and III) during TACE improves survival compared with embolization to a higher, stasis endpoint (level IV). Interventional oncologists should consider aiming for these intermediate, substasis angiographic endpoints during TACE.


Modern society is driven by data. Data storage is practically unlimited with today's technology, and analytical tools make it very easy to find patterns and make predictions in a way that is very useful for private businesses and governments. These uses of digital data also raise considerable privacy issues that are of great concern to consumers. In this article, we present and analyze the results of an extensive survey that we conducted to explore what people know, what people do, and what people want, when it comes to privacy online. Our survey is the first comprehensive examination of the intersection of knowledge and opinions among the survey participants concerning online privacy, law, and the data practices of both the private sector and the government. Our survey results indicate that consumers often want more options than the market gives them. Over 80% of our survey participants, for example, indicated that on some occasion they have submitted information online when they wished that they did not have to do so. One of the possible reasons why consumers still participate in these markets is that they do not have any meaningful alternatives. The private sector currently has very little incentive to provide these alternatives because consumers have been responding to unattractive business practices with complacency. Responses to our survey also indicate a low level of trust of the government as a data collector and data keeper. Our results indicate that significant changes are needed to increase consumer engagement in the online marketplace and improve trust between the government and its citizens. These improvements should begin by empowering users and giving them more control over their digital data, and we present ambitious proposals to this end. The long-term solution that we propose would involve an overhaul of current data privacy laws, and the creation of a profile clearinghouse that would serve a similar purpose as credit reporting bureaus. Through this clearinghouse, consumers could view and challenge most information that private businesses and the government hold about them. Dramatic changes are necessary in order to ensure that consumers can have empowering and engaging experiences in today's world of digital data.


The phony war is over. We enter a crucial final six weeks before the UK's referendum on EU membership. A decision by the British people to vote to leave will alter the course of both British and European history. While this is fundamentally a political choice, economic consequences are rightly central to the debate. In this issue of the Review we bring together some of our colleagues from the ESRC's 'UK in a Changing Europe' programme, from a variety of disciplines, to examine the implications of this decision. We also summarise the National Institute's estimates of the macroeconomic consequences of leaving the EU and compare them to other model based estimates. This exercise is of particular interest since both the wellpublicised HM Treasury and OECD analyses use our global macroeconomic model, the National Institute Global Econometric Model (NiGEM).1


The International Symposium on "Coastal Geotechnical Engineering in Practice (IS-Yokohama 2000)" was held from 20 to 22 September 2000 in Yokohama, Japan and sponsored both by TC-30 of ISSMGE on "Coastal Geotechnical Engineering" and by the Japanese Geotechnical Society (JGS). This symposium attracted 310 participants from many countries and IS-Yokohama 2000 is remembered as a successful event for gathering valuable information and experiences from various researchers and case studies on soft ground engineering technology in coastal areas. During the symposium participants heard invited leading experts present lectures and reports and had a chance to meet with representatives of various research fields of interest. As a fulfilment of the promis made during the symposium, a second volume was produced after the conference with contributed paper of those presentations in keynote addresses, special lectures, project reports and special discussion sessions, with the hope that this will be a valuable reference for engineers, academics, consultants and those who are interested in Coastal Geotechnical Engineering.


In this paper, we derive a new geometrical blind bend scattering model for vehicle-to- infrastructure (V2I) communications. The proposed model takes into account single-bounce and double- bounce scattering stemming from flxed scatterers located on both sides of a curved street. Starting from the geometrical blind bend model, the exact expression of the angle of departure (AOD) is derived. Based on this expression, the probability density function (PDF) of the AOD and the Doppler power spectrum are determined. Analytical expressions for the channel gain and the temporal autocorrelation function (ACF) are provided under non-line-of-sight (NLOS) conditions. Additionally, we investigate the impact of the position of transmitting vehicle relatively to the receiving road-side unit on the channel statistics. Moreover, we study the performance of difierent digital modulations over a sum of singly and doubly scattered (SSDS) channel. Note that the proposed V2I channel model falls under the umbrella of SSDS channels since the transmitted signal undergoes a combination of single-bounce and double-bounce scattering. We study some characteristic quantities of SSDS channels and derive expressions for the average symbol error probability of several modulation schemes over SSDS channels with and without diversity combining. The validity of these analytical expressions is conflrmed by computer-based simulations.


The literature—spanning several recent decades—describes numerous attempts to characterize the efficacy of cumulonimbus "Cb" convection as a pollutant pathway connecting the planetary BL to the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS). The relatively new discovery of wildfires triggering deep convection and Cb formation, referred to as pyrocumulonimbus "pyroCb," has provided a new convective candidate for examination. Previous studies have shown that the pyroCb pathway offers a reinterpretation of supposed volcanic aerosol layers observed in the stratosphere. The community now questions whether this relatively unappreciated phenomenon has been overlooked or imprecisely characterized in published analyses of observed UTLS biomass burning constituents attributed to traditional convection, such as individual Cbs or larger mesoscale convective systems. Here we show that on at least two occasions, a reinterpretation of the literature is required. Both are in the context of coordinated measurement campaigns in summertime Central and North American domains. We provide a strategic review of prior studies and explore three selected works, wherein the pyroCb naturally explains observations of dramatically strong, remote, and high‐altitude biomass burning pollution. We complete our discussion with the implications for including the pyroCb phenomenon in case studies and assessments of the primary convective pathway for smoke particles to enter the UTLS.


Residue storage ponds constructed prior to the 1980s were built to the engineering standards that applied at that time. Clay liners were typically used to provide a barrier to flow of contaminants into the natural groundwater system. More recent storage areas include a composite liner consisting of a clay liner and geomembrane and have a drainage layer placed above the liner to reduce the hydrostatic head. This paper presents the engineering design and planning for the conversion of an older residue storage area which had a natural clay liner only into a dry stacking residue storage area to increase the residue storage capacity within the area and at the same time reduce the potential for long term seepage from the area. Field investigations including Piezo-cone Penetrometer Testing (CPTu) and pumping well tests were undertaken. Monitoring instrumentation including Vibrating Wire Piezometers (VWPs) was installed within the saturated residue materials. Dewatering technologies such as deliquoring bores, wick drains and geosynthetic liners between the older deposit of residue and the dry stack deposit were recommended for the control of pore pressures within the existing pond. Numerical analyses to predict the pore-water pressure build-up at the pond base, the influence zone of deliquoring bores, and predicted differential settlements of the surface were also examined.


There are such persons as liars, damned liars and experts, and there are accountants, bad accountants, and worse accountants. (Debate on the introduction of the Public Accountants Registration Act, New South Wales Parliament, 1944, p. 856) Both the state and the professions have an important interest in safeguarding the quality of service and the protection of the public with respect to the provision of professional services. In the main, the states focus on professional performance and accountability, and the professions emphasise the maintenance of quality and improvement in the skills of members. With respect to the accounting profession the state has taken two basic approaches to improving professional performance and accountability. The first approach, through imposed competencies embedded in various state registration Acts, regulates a minimum level of performance. The second approach addresses the issue of accountability through the imposition of specific standards of conduct, sanctions and reporting requirements ...


Public sector fraud reduces government resources for healthcare, education and welfare. The recent case of the Panama Papers revealed that 12 national leaders are among 143 politicians, their families and close associates from around the world known to have been using offshore tax havens. It is obvious that activities concerning tax have rapidly gained an international dimension both globally and in Europe. A crucial role in communication on tax-related issues between states is played by precision in using terminology, with the choice of the correct equivalents in different languages. It has been pointed out by professionals in the tax field that some major concepts are elusive for the public and specialists alike, such as tax avoidance and tax evasion, or tax minimisation and tax avoidance. The aim of this paper is to offer a trilingual – English, Lithuanian and Norwegian – comparative analysis of the most commonly used terms that denote activities reducing tax liability. It establishes the counterparts of terminology that refer to different categories of activities reducing tax liability in those three languages, discusses synonymy of the terms and their usage in legal acts and media discourse, and offers insights into semantic differences between the terms analysed and their degree of equivalency. The terminology was verified using the multilingual database Interactive Terminology for Europe (IATE) and supplemented using numerous additional sources, such as legal acts, various official documents and media materials. The research focuses on terms ascribed to the three most common types of tax activities (tax planning, tax avoidance and tax evasion/fraud) and the two phenomena of tax shelters and tax havens. The insights offered into usage of the terms, their counterparts in the three languages, their synonyms and semantics are believed to be valuable for efficient professional communication internationally.


In this investigation, refractive indices of a silicon (Si) wafer were measured by low-coherence scanning interferometry adopting the sub-sampling technique to reduce measurement time. Based on Fourier domain analysis method, the sub-sampled correlogram was analyzed and the refractive indices were calculated by the simple refractive index model and curve fitting of the phase extracted from the sub-sampled correlogram. In the experiment to verify the proposed technique, near-infrared light emitted by a super-luminescent diode with 1050 nm center wavelength was used as an optical source because it is partially transparent to an undoped Si wafer. As the result of measuring an undoped double-side polished Si wafer, group and phase refractive indices were successfully obtained with the sub-sampled correlogram, and the deviations from the reference value were within 0.001.


The Tropicana gold deposit (7.9 Moz) is hosted by the Neoarchean, amphibolite- to granulite-grade Tropicana Gneiss. These rocks form part of the Plumridge terrane, a tectonic unit that separates the in situ eastern margin of the Yilgarn craton from Proterozoic elements of the Albany-Fraser orogen, Western Australia, The gneissic host package to the orebody originally constituted a suite of medium-to high-K calc-alkaline and adakitic basaltic to rhyolitic lavas emplaced in a relatively thick crustal continental margin arc. Amphibolitized mafic intrusions have back-arc basin basalt-like compositions consistent with their having formed during extension and incipient rifting of the arc.

Gold mineralization occurs mainly within a sheet-like, syenitic gneiss that ranges compositionally from basaltic andesite to rhyolite, and derived through metasomatism of compositionally equivalent lavas within an interpreted shear zone. Coarse perthite textures in microcline, ruffle exsolution in brown biotite, and occasional pyrite inclusions away from fractures in microcline porphyroblasts indicate that this shear zone predated peak metamorphism.

Relative to the unmineralized host gneisses, the mineralized syenitic gneisses show significant enrichments in S and the ore elements (Mo, Te, Tl, Ag, Au, W and, occasionally, Bi and Sb, but not As, Cu, or Zn), in the K-group elements, and also in P, light rare earth elements (LREE), Th, U, Zr, and Hf. Depletions in most major elements (Si, Ti, Fe, Mg, and Ca), as well as V, Cr, Ni, and Co, are considered to reflect dissolution of relatively low volume mafic phases (hornblende, augite, Fe-Ti oxides) and plagioclase in the protoliths. Some of the distinctive enrichments (P, LREE, Zr, Hf) are linked to volume loss (in excess of 50%) associated with dissolution of silica and concentration of insoluble apatite and zircon in the mineralized unit, but the ore elements and strongly enriched (similar to X10) Th and U were added from the hydrothermal fluids involved.

Exhumation of the Tropicana Gneiss into the upper crust was accompanied by fluid ingress and retrogression. This produced mm-to cm-scale, wavy biotite-pyrite shears, solution seams, and disseminations throughout the syenitic gneiss which were further retrogressed to sericite-chlorite assemblages in places, both of which host most of the gold in the deposit. Thus, although the present deportment of gold is unambiguously associated with the postpeak metamorphic, greenschist-grade retrogression at ca. 2520 Ma, there is compelling evidence that the paucity of quartz and carbonate veining, atypical element enrichments, and sheet-like nature of the Tropicana deposit in part reflect metasomatism associated with a prepeak metamorphic, relatively deep shear zone. At present, we have no direct evidence for the timing of introduction of gold, and a protracted history of gold precipitation, redistribution, and enrichment is implied.


Object detection, is an important element of various computer vision areas, such as image retrieval, shot detection, video surveillance, etc. which require automatic segmentation or location of regions of interest in images which can be further analyzed by more computationally demanding techniques to produce a correct interpretation. This paper explores the possibility of performing this task of object detection in any general environment using the intensity pattern information in individual channels of YCbCr Color space. It was observed that prominent objects could be easily and efficiently detected by the algorithm irrespective of the environment they are kept in. The efficiency of the algorithm boasts the possibilities of further simplistic models for the invigorating task as of image detection for complicated computer vision applications.


The scientific travelogue and colonialism. The expeditions of Oscar Baumann to West and East Africa
Austrian researcher of African culture and history Dr Oscar Bauman undertook several journeys to African countries towards the end of the nineteenth century which he described in several books before he died in Zanzibar at the age of 35. Particularly, in his work entitled In Deutsch-Ostafrika wahrend des Aufstandes published in 1890, he compares and contrasts the politics of colonialism put into practice by Arabs in East Africa with the colonial approach exercised by Europeans in West Africa; he criticizes the slave trade carried out by colonizers in the whole of Africa - especially by Arabs inZanzibar - and the oppression of the local work force. Another considerable topic in Baumann's travelogues is his discussion and criticism of the methods employed by English missionaries and their colonial approach, which according to him are idealistic but not practical. Thus Baumann attacks two significant practices employed by the colonizers in Africa and offers new understandings. Even if Baumann's viewpoints and suggestions, on the surface, seem to be consistent with the norms of humanism, in fact when analysed more closely, it is obvious that they are also compatible with the goals of the new colonial understanding that appeared in the 19th century.


The provision of care in hungary have changed dramatic since the early 90s, due to many factors, including state or state related institutions no longer having a legal mandate for services and new institutions working in different ways. in addition, changes to care have been strongly influenced by socio-economic changes to settlement size, economic participation rates and social relations within and between households. The position paper investigates what is known about these changes focusing in particular on the care offered to very young children, to those at risk of dropping out of school, to elderly care as well as changing arrangements in the balance between work and life. There is evidence from surveys of civil society that local municipalities in hungary are increasingly reliant on civic organizations for the delivery of services, particularly those connected with health and education. There is also greater emphasis on the role of organized citizenry in the rejuvenation of rural settlements. The shrinking of certain social networks caused by factors such as out-migration has increased the numbers of disconnected households. There is an increasing number of elderly who cannot rely on their families nor the local authorities for support and care, and an increasing widespread phenomena of selfwelfare household. The question to further pursue and for policy makers interested in social cohesion to address, is whether these networks constitute a support that can be built upon for other purposes beyond household consumption?


In this article the authors, using psychoanalytic concepts, will discuss the treatment process in a drug-free Therapeutic Community (TC). A TC is a long-term group programme for people suffering from addiction that aims at an identity transformation and a drug-free lifestyle. Although the TC model exists for over 50 years and is applied worldwide, it has always been controversial because of its "totalitarian" approach. Subjects that are under the spell of a drug addiction do not tend to seek treatment for psychological problems. If help is sought, it is usually related to the debts, family problems, prison sentences and so on that are the consequences of addiction. Once the addict has decided to embark on a TC programme, they go through a process of detoxification and enter the drug-free TC peer group. By living together in an environment that is both holding and frustrating, the subject manages to reconnect with his own emotions and thoughts and the process of the becoming of the subject can continue. Affects such as anxiety and anger can be experienced and carried and the mirroring effects of peers provides the material for symbolization. Maintaining the TC values that guarantee a safe environment is essential to this process.


The ribosome small subunit is expressed in all living cells. It performs numerous essential functions during translation, including formation of the initiation complex and proofreading of base-pairs between mRNA codons and tRNA anticodons. The core constituent of the small ribosomal subunit is a ∼1.5 kb RNA strand in prokaryotes (16S rRNA) and a homologous ∼1.8 kb RNA strand in eukaryotes (18S rRNA). Traditional sequencing-by-synthesis (SBS) of rRNA genes or rRNA cDNA copies has achieved wide use as a 'molecular chronometer' for phylogenetic studies 1, and as a tool for identifying infectious organisms in the clinic 2. However, epigenetic modifications on rRNA are erased by SBS methods. Here we describe direct MinION nanopore sequencing of individual, full-length 16S rRNA absent reverse transcription or amplification. As little as 5 picograms (∼10 attomole) of E. coli 16S rRNA was detected in 4.5 micrograms of total human RNA. Nanopore ionic current traces that deviated from canonical patterns revealed conserved 16S rRNA base modifications, and a 7-methylguanosine modification that confers aminoglycoside resistance to some pathological E. coli strains. This direct RNA sequencing technology has promise for rapid identification of microbes in the environment and in patient samples.


This editorial refers to 'Long-term impact of cardiac resynchronization therapy in mild heart failure: 5-year results from the REsynchronization reVErses Remodeling in Systolic left vEntricular dysfunction (REVERSE) study'[†][1], by C. Linde et al. , on page 2592

Device-based treatment of advanced systolic heart failure by cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is a fairly invasive procedure when compared with conservative pharmacological therapy. Despite all efforts to improve the safety, feasibility, and clinical efficacy of the implantation procedure, a small, but not negligible, perioperative risk and the possibility for long-term complications such as device infection and lead dislocation remain. Furthermore, the upfront costs at the time of implantation are comparatively high. However, the large amount of available evidence which has been accumulated over the last two decades from many well-controlled and randomized trials has proven that the procedure is highly cost-effective and efficient in well selected patients.

The stimulus to place an additional pacing lead on the delayed activated left ventricular free wall in patients with left bundle branch block (LBBB) to improve cardiac haemodynamics was based on pathophysiological principles, well-performed animal experiments, and thoughtful clinical observations. However, what initially was meant to be a rescue therapy for end-stage heart failure patients,1,2 has, over time, transformed into a life-saving routine treatment which is now indicated as soon as a patient with depressed systolic function and LBBB develops symptoms of heart failure [e.g. New York Heart Association (NYHA) class ≥II].3 Part of the evidence to support this aggressive therapeutic approach in patients with mild symptoms of heart failure comes from the 12-month results of the REVERSE trial,4 which was the first prospective, randomized trial to include patients with less than NYHA class III–IV. Although the primary endpoint—a composite score of the clinical response of heart failure—failed to reach statistical significance …

 [1]: #fn-2


In the 21st century, there are some competencies that all students must have such as critical and creative thinking, and innovation which is included in Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS). However, the accomplishment of HOTS in Indonesia is still considered low, and reading, mind mapping, sharing (RMS) hasn't been used in improving HOTS. In the RMS model, the students learn to make a mind map that helps them to think and become creative in one activity. Therefore, it is necessary to research about students' HOTS with RMS learning model. This study aimed to see the effectivity of the RMS learning model on students' HOTS in biology. The method used in this research was quasi-experimental with a non-equivalent group design. The sampling technique used in SMAN 1 Ambawang of Kubu Raya Regency was a purposive sampling technique with class XI MIPA 3 as experimental class and class XI MIPA 4 as a control class. The study showed that the RMS learning model was effective (effect size = 0.6 or categorized in medium level) and could give an impact on students' HOTS in learning the material of the human reproductive system. The result of average Gain value to test the impact of RMS towards students' HOTS for class XI MIPA 3 was 45.51 and for class XI MIPA 4 was 38.10. The effectivity of RMS was tested with effect size test and the result showed is 0.6, characterized as medium level.


The use of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data acquired with multiple satellite sensors has become a necessity in research fields such as agriculture, land-use and land-cover change and changes in the natural environment, where fast changes are taking place. A good understanding of these changes is a strong requirement of long-time-series monitoring programmes. In this paper, VEGETATION 10-day composite (VGT-S10) NDVI data with a 1 × 1 km resolution, covering the period from April 1998 to December 2006 and Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) Global Inventory Modeling and Mapping Studies (GIMMS) NDVI data with a 8 × 8 km resolution, covering the period form April 1998 to December 2003 are used. The differences between the datasets were analysed to enable an unbiased comparison between the two datasets and to enable the description of the characteristics of non-system related differences between the NDVI values acquired from the VGT and AVHRR sensors. A correlation analysis was applied to validate a linear relationship between the two types of NDVI products. This study led us to conclude that most of the Chinese land surfaces elicit good linearity between the VGT and GIMMS NDVI values. It also indicated that the correlations partly depend on vegetation density. A pixel-based one-dimensional linear regression was used to describe the relationship between the two datasets. Significance testing demonstrates that the model is valid for most land-cover types occurring in China. Finally, the VGT NDVI covering the period from 2003 to 2006 is converted to the GIMMS NDVI for the same period. A comparison of the trends calculated with the VGT NDVI and the GIMMS NDVI from the period 1998 to 2006 demonstrates the validity of the regression model when evaluated in detail.


Empirical evidence shows local government contracting is a dynamic process that includes movements from public delivery to markets and from market contracts back to in-house delivery.This ''reversecontracting''reflectsthe complexityofpublicserviceprovisionin aworld where market alternatives are used along with public delivery. We develop a methodology to link responses to national surveys and create a longitudinal data set that captures the dynamics of the contracting process. We present a framework that incorporates principal agent problems, government management, monitoring and citizen concerns, and market structure. Our statistical analysis finds government management, monitoring, and principal agent problems to be most important in explaining both new contracting out and contracting back-in. Professional managers recognize the importance of monitoring and the need for public engagement in the service delivery process. The results support the new public service that argues public managers do more than steer a market process; they balance technical and political concerns to secure public value.


We present a new architecture for signed multiplication which maintains the pure form of an array multiplier, exhibiting a much lower overhead than the Booth architecture. This architecture is extended for radix-2/sup m/ encoding, which leads to a reduction of the number of partial lines, enabling a significant improvement in performance and power consumption. We have implemented a pipelined version of the radix-4 architecture in order to reduce both the critical path and useless signal transitions that are propagated through the array. The performance of our pipelined architecture is compared with the pipelined modified Booth. The results we present show that the proposed architecture with radix-4 compares favorably in performance and power with the modified Booth multiplier in the pipelined and non-pipelined approaches.


Query containment and query answering are two important computational tasks in databases. While query answering amounts to compute the result of a query over a database, query containment is the problem of checking whether for every database, the result of one query is a subset of the result of another query.
In this paper, we deal with unions of conjunctive queries, and we address query containment and query answering under Description Logic constraints. Every such constraint is essentially an inclusion dependencies between concepts and relations, and their expressive power is due to the possibility of using complex expressions, e.g., intersection and difference of relations, special forms of quantification, regular expressions over binary relations, in the specification of the dependencies. These types of constraints capture a great variety of data models, including the relational, the entity-relationship, and the object-oriented model, all extended with various forms of constraints, and also the basic features of the ontology languages used in the context of the Semantic Web.
We present the following results on both query containment and query answering. We provide a method for query containment under Description Logic constraints, thus showing that the problem is decidable, and analyze its computational complexity. We prove that query containment is undecidable in the case where we allow inequalities in the right-hand side query, even for very simple constraints and queries. We show that query answering under Description Logic constraints can be reduced to query containment, and illustrate how such a reduction provides upper bound results with respect to both combined and data complexity.


Contrary to the emerging legal advice on the potential role of the European External Action Service (EEAS) and development cooperation under the Lisbon Treaty, this legal brief argues that the stipulations concerning this area contained in the proposal for a Council decision of 25 March 2010 on the EEAS, are entirely consonant with the Treaty. In particular this brief argues that development cooperation is a shared competence and not, as is often argued, an exclusive competence. It is also noted that the Treaty places the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) on an equal footing with other EU external relations policies and brings an end to the default setting of, for instance, EU policy in development cooperation. The legally binding obligation for the Union to ensure consistency between the different areas of external action and between these and its other policies again provides the overarching rationale. Finally, it is observed that the elevation of the eradication of poverty to an objective of the Union in its external action offers far greater leverage for a development perspective in EU external actions, rather than any alleged illegal politicisation of development cooperation.


Far-reaching changes in technology, climate, and global economic integration are transforming the world of work in ways that we do not yet fully understand. Will the swift technological advances of the Fourth Industrial Revolution raise the standards of living for everyone? Or will robots massively displace workers leading to a jobless future where only a few benefit from the fruits of innovation? Will mitigation efforts be able to cushion the adverse effects of climate change, including food shortages and mass migration, which would place extra pressure on urban labor markets? Will countries continue to integrate commercially and financially, fostering growth and employment? Or will trade wars become a norm in a world increasingly fragmented and inward-looking? In sub-Saharan Africa, these uncertainties meet a dramatic increase in population and a rapid expansion in the labor force, which is becoming increasingly urban.


We present an approach of expanding parallel corpora for machine translation. By utilizing Semantic role labeling (SRL) on one side of the language pair, we extract SRL substitution rules from existing parallel corpus. The rules are then used for generating new sentence pairs. An SVM classifier is built to filter the generated sentence pairs. The filtered corpus is used for training phrase-based translation models, which can be used directly in translation tasks or combined with baseline models. Experimental results on Chinese-English machine translation tasks show an average improvement of 0.45 BLEU and 1.22 TER points across 5 different NIST test sets.


The current turmoil in the financial markets raises important questions regarding the risk-taking behaviour of conventional banks and other financial institutions in Western countries. In this context, it is important to compare the risk taking behaviour of conventional banking to that of Islamic banking. Today, Islamic banking is increasingly being scrutinised and compared by investors, depositors and researchers around the world (Muslim and non-Muslim). Because of the differences in the nature of transaction instruments, goals and the obligations between conventional banking and Islamic banking institutions, it is important to differentiate which banking system is more efficient in terms of risk assessment and decision-making on lending. This study aims to identify the similarities and differences between Islamic banking (IB) and conventional banking (CB) systems on issues related to risk taking behaviour and the rationality of lending decision making. Hence, the research question is: How do banking institutions determine and assess risk factors and how do those factors influence the rationality of lending decision policies in conventional and Islamic banking systems?

The main objectives of this study are to investigate the differences between IB and CB in terms of (1) risk-taking behaviour (risk assessment), (2) making rational lending decisions and (3) lending policy effectiveness (banking efficiency). To achieve these objectives, two focus groups––Islamic and conventional banks––in five different countries in the Middle East region (Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Libya) were selected to participate in this study. The study was based on a sample consisting of observations from annual reports and financial statements of 48 Islamic and conventional banks (24 banks each) for the period from 2002 to 2006. The study also utilised a questionnaire survey to collect data from five managers in each bank. Thus, primary and secondary data collection methods were used to obtain the required information for the analysis.

Multivariate and principal component analyses were conducted to evaluate how conventional banking and Islamic banking systems determine and assess risk factors. Furthermore, how those factors influence the rationality of lending decisions was investigated. The results revealed that each of these banking systems performed this function in different ways. The study also contrasts the lending policies and instruments under each system. Results show that risk factors influencing lending decision making are dissimilar between these banking systems. These differences in risk-taking behaviour may contribute banks' efficiency. To investigate this point, the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) technique was applied to banking groups separately in order to isolate technical efficiency scores (large, medium and small banks' categories). The analysis revealed that Islamic banks—with medium and small bank size—operate and allocate their resources with a higher degree of efficiency than all other banking groups. This finding raises some very interesting evidence that may surprise the stakeholders of conventional banks.


Our obtaining the analytical equations for the gravitation of a particular type of mathematical annulus, which we called a 'Special Gravitating Annulus' (SGA), greatly facilitates studying its orbital properties by computer programming. This includes isomorphism, periodic and chaotic polar orbits, and orbits in three dimensions. We provide further insights into the gravitational properties of this annulus and describe our computer algorithms and programs. We study a number of periodic orbits, giving them names to aid identification. 'Ellipses extraordinaires' which are bisected by the annulus, have no gravitating matter at either focus and represent a fundamental departure from the normal association of elliptical orbits with Keplerian motion. We describe how we came across this type of orbit and the analysis we performed. We present the simultaneous differential equations of motion of 'ellipses extraordinaires' and other orbits as a mathematical challenge. The 'St.Louis Gateway Arch' orbit contains two 'instantaneous static points' (ISP). Polar elliptical orbits can wander considerably without tending to form other kinds of orbit. If this type of orbit is favoured then this gives a similarity to spiral galaxies containing polar orbiting material. Annular oscillatory orbits and rotating polar elliptical orbits are computed in isometric projection. A 'daisy' orbit is computed in stereo-isometric projection. The singularity at the centre of the SGA is discussed in relation to mechanics and computing, and it appears mathematically different from a black hole. In the Appendix, we prove by a mathematical method that a thin plane self-gravitating Newtonian annulus, free from external influence, exhibiting radial gravitation that varies inversely with the radius in the annular plane, must have an area mass density which also varies inversely with the radius and this exact solution is the only exact solution.


The lipase catalyzed resolution of several cis and trans 3-aminopyridinylmethyl-4-hydroxypyrrolidines by acylation or hydrolysis has been studied. Some of these pryrrolidines are precursors in the synthesis of selective nNOS inhibitors; for this purpose, the best result is obtained in the resolution of (±)-trans-5via a CAL-A catalysed acylation. The high enantioselectivity of this process allows one to obtain in high yield the optically pure (3S,4R)-configured product that has the correct configuration to complete the synthesis of nNOS inhibitors. The study described here highlights the effect of structural variations remote from the stereogenic centers of the molecule on the reactivity and enantioselectivity of the enzymatic processes.


The present thesis concerns applications of first principles electronic structure calculations in conjunction with methods of statistical mechanics for simulations of transition metal alloys both in the bulk and at surfaces.A fully relativistic generalization of the exact muffin-tin orbitals (EMTO) method has been developed. The method accurately takes into account spin-orbit coupling and allows one to calculate orbital polarization and magneto-crystalline anisotropy in magnetic systems as well as increasing the range of applicability of the EMTO method to heavy elements. A new direct-exchange Monte Carlo (DEMC) method has been proposed, which is capable to tackling effectively statistical simulations of surface segregations in disordered and ordered alloys.The applications of relativistic methods include calculations of spin and orbital magnetization in iron-cobalt disordered and partially ordered alloys, as well as computation of the core-level shifts (CLS) in transition metal alloys. It has been found, that relativistic corrections are important for CLS calculations in 5-d metal alloys. Properties of a Ni monolayer deposited on a Cu surface have been studied. The monolayer is found to be unstable in the top layer, and its magnetization depends greatly on the surface orientation. Two distinct energy levels have been found to exist Co/Cu/Ni trilayers deposited on the (100) Cu surface, which correspond to a completely paramagnetic trilayer and the case when only Ni is paramagnetic.Vacancy ordering in substoichometric titanium carbides TiCx have been simulated. Existence of three ordered phases in the range of carbon concentration x=0.5 ÷1.0 has been revealed and a theoretical phase diagram has been proposed. Surface segregations have been calculated in disordered Ni50Pt50 and Ni50Pd50 as well as in ordered NiPt alloys. Segregation reversal has been observed in the Ni50Pt50 alloy with Pt segregation at the (111) surface and Ni segregation at the (110). In the ordered NiPt alloys segregation behaviour is found to be affected greatly by small deviations from the exact stoichiometric composition in bulk. Surface magnetization in PdV and MoV bcc alloys have been studied. It has been found, that in PdV alloys surface segregations suppress magnetic order at the surface, while in MoV alloys magnetization is substantially enhanced due to the segregation.


This paper observes the change since the 1970s in the proportion of men and women having only one child during their reproductive life, and examines their sociodemographic characteristics. The aim is to explore the significant variables of the complement of the parity progression ratio from first to second birth (1-A1). First, we present the theories, findings and results relating to the single-child family model in Europe. Then, we perform a multivariate analysis with the dependent variable of the model being the fact of not having had a second child ten years after the birth of a first child in stable unions.


Female circumcision is a practice which j.s appalling to many Westerners, yet in cultures where it occurs, it is often considered only a custom. Yet the failure of repeated attempts to eliminate the practice by both Westerners and non-Westerners suggests that female circumcision is intricately interwoven into the social structure of the cultures where it occurs. It would seem that the practice has symbolic meaning and is somehow functional. This research is a comparative theoretical study of the occurrance of and the importance of female circumcision within two different cultures in Africa, the Sudanese and the Maasai.


Abstract To reduce the costs of mitigating greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with the Kyoto protocol, international trades of emissions quotas are allowed. The revenue from the sale of quotas may exceed the sanctions for non-compliance if these penalties are weak or poorly enforced. Under these circumstances emissions trading enables a country to benefit financially through non-compliance. To counter non-compliance due to trading a range of liability proposals have been suggested. Using a simple global model, we analyze the economic and environmental performance of these proposals for the first commitment period. In addition, the proposals are tested for their sensitivity to national circumstances and to market power. We find that penalties are sufficient to deter non-compliance if they are high enough and are effectively enforced. If the non-compliance penalties are weak or poorly enforced, the permanent reserve proposal is best able to ensure compliance by sellers at a cost similar to the competitive market equilibrium. While not sufficient to ensure compliance on their own, eligibility requirements and annual retirement of AAUs equal to actual emissions contribute to compliance at little or no cost. Hence, such provisions could complement other liability proposals.


Climate, sea level rise, and urbanization are undergoing unprecedented levels of combined change and are expected to have large effects on natural resources—particularly along the Gulf of Mexico coastline (Gulf Coast). Management decisions to address these effects (i.e., adaptation) require an understanding of the relative vulnerability of various resources to these stressors. To meet this need, the four Landscape Conservation Cooperatives along the Gulf partnered with the Gulf of Mexico Alliance to conduct this Gulf Coast Vulnerability Assessment (GCVA). Vulnerability in this context incorporates the aspects of exposure and sensitivity to threats, coupled with the adaptive capacity to mitigate those threats. Potential impact and adaptive capacity reflect natural history features of target species and ecosystems. The GCVA used an expert opinion approach to qualitatively assess the vulnerability of four ecosystems: mangrove, oyster reef, tidal emergent marsh, and barrier islands, and a suite of wildlife species that depend on them. More than 50 individuals participated in the completion of the GCVA, facilitated via Ecosystem and Species Expert Teams. Of the species assessed, Kemp's ridley sea turtle was identified as the most vulnerable species across the Gulf Coast. Experts identified the main threats as loss of nesting habitat to sea level rise, erosion, and urbanization. Kemp's ridley also had an overall low adaptive capacity score due to their low genetic diversity, and higher nest site fidelity as compared to other assessed species. Tidal emergent marsh was the most vulnerable ecosystem, due in part to sea level rise and erosion. In general, avian species were more vulnerable than fish because of nesting habitat loss to sea level rise, erosion, and potential increases in storm surge. Assessors commonly indicated a lack of information regarding impacts due to projected changes in the disturbance regime, biotic interactions, and synergistic effects in both the species and habitat assessments. Many of the assessors who focused on species also identified data gaps regarding genetic information, phenotypic plasticity, life history, and species responses to past climate change and sea level rise. Regardless of information gaps, the results from the GCVA can be used to inform Gulf-wide adaptation plans. Given the scale of climatic impacts, coordinated efforts to address Gulf-wide threats to species and ecosystems will enhance the effectiveness of management actions and also have the potential to maximize the efficacy of limited funding.


High-frequency flickering light sources such as pulse-width modulated LEDs can cause image sensors to record incorrect levels. We describe a model with a loose set of assumptions (encompassing multi-exposure HDR schemes) which can be used to define the Flicker Signal, a continuous
 function of time based on the phase relationship between the light source and exposure window. Analysis of the shape of this signal yields a characterization of the camera's response to a flickering light source–typically seen as an undesirable susceptibility–under a given
 set of parameters. Flicker Signal calculations are made on discrete samplings measured from image data. Sampling the signal is difficult, however, because it is a function of many parameters, including properties of the light source (frequency, duty cycle, intensity) and properties of the
 imaging system (exposure scheme, frame rate, row readout time). Moreover, there are degenerate scenarios where sufficient sampling is difficult to obtain. We present a computational approach for determining the evidence (region of interest, duration of test video) necessary to get coverage
 of this signal sufficient for characterization from a practical test lab setup.


For much of the last 30 years, official relations between the united States and Iran have been strained. The most visible indication of this was uS President george W. bush's labeling of Iran as a member of the "axis of evil" in 2002. breaking with the past, the new uS administration is taking a more conciliatory tone. President barack Obama has demonstrated that Washington is willing to open the lines of communication with Iran. This paper seeks to locate the Obama administration's efforts within the history of uS-Iranian relations while also highlighting the contemporary issues that would inform a constructive dialogue, such as the upcoming Iranian presidential elections. Improved dialogue between the two countries could help to improve the situations in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, demonstrating how overlapping areas of interest may provide a new path for uS-Iran relations.


The terrestrial flora and vegetation of Clipperton (La Passion) atoll, a very remote and small (170 ha of land) French island located in the North-Eastern Pacific Ocean, at ca. 1,000 km west of the Mexican coast, have dramatically changed during the past three centuries. This paper, based on historical testimonies, previously published floristic studies, and an extensive plant inventory conducted during the "International Scientific Expedition PASSION 2015", show that the atoll has experienced particularly active and rapid vegetation dynamics with alternating plant cover expansion and regression phases. Our results provide the first comprehensive assessment of vegetation cover and vascular plant species distribution based on georeferenced data and mapped with GIS software, as well as the first record of two newly established non-native weeds. The current composition and abundance of native and alien vascular plant communities (15 species including only 4 native taxa) appear to depend not only on abiotic factors (e.g. substrate and climatic events) but also on biotic interactions with animal communities (e.g. native seabirds and crabs). Anthropogenic activities and disturbances (e.g. coconut palm, pig, rat and weed introductions) that have occurred in the past 100 years have also played an important role in explaining the past and current floristic changes.


Abstract The advent in universities of managerialism with its drive for individual accountability through performance management systems (PMSs) is contentious. With the implementation of a PMS at a South African university, academic heads of department (HoDs) have been key players in the performance reward component of the PMS. This study, following a qualitative descriptive research design based on in-depth interviews, explores a sample of HoDs' experiences and perceptions of the institution's performance reward system. Most of the participants are sceptical of the PMS as they view it as a business-oriented practice that is not compatible with the nature and objectives of higher education institutions (HEIs). They consider the reward strategy not only to have a limited effect in promoting high performance behaviour, but to be a cause of discontent due to implementation inconsistencies, nebulous award criteria, lack of transparency about ratings, and the negligible monetary value of the reward.


This paper explores ways in which ethnographic impact in a large technology corporation is perceived, redefined, and recognized — by both practitioners themselves and corporate stakeholders. The authors trace a history of ethnographic successes and stumbles, and ways they have confronted a strong usability paradigm that has shaped organizational assumptions of impact and value for product research. They then identify ways in which contextual analysis of their own practice in the corporation led to the successful creation of a strategic engagement model for ethnography, resulting in its growing influence. Through critical analysis of the conditions of influence in their own organization, the authors' propose some broader frameworks for ethnographic impact and raise some questions for the EPIC community regarding business value, ethnographic identity, and organizational authority.


Fatigue-crack-growth-rate tests on compact specimens have been made on a variety of materials (2024-T3, 2324-T39, 7050-T7451, 4340 steel, and Inconel-718) over a wide range in stress ratios from 0.1 to 0.9 (and 0.95 in some cases) and several Kmax test conditions. Test data has been generated from threshold to near fracture using the compression precracking constant amplitude or compression precracking load reduction test methods in the threshold regime; and constant-amplitude loading at higher rates. A remote back-face strain (BFS) gage was used to monitor crack growth and to measure crack-opening loads. Local strain gages were also placed along and slightly off (about one-half thickness) the anticipated crack path to measure crack-opening loads. Elber's load-against-reduced-strain method was used to determine crack-opening loads by means of visual inspection (equivalent to a 0 % compliance offset). For a particular material, the BFS and local strain gages produced essentially the same crack-opening loads at low stress ratio (R = 0.1) conditions. But at high stress ratios (R ≥ 0.7) and Kmax test conditions, the local gages produced significantly higher crack-opening loads than the BFS gage in the threshold and near-threshold regimes. Previous research had proposed that high stress ratios (R ≥ 0.7) and Kmax test conditions produce closure-free conditions based on crack-mouth-opening-displacement or BFS gages, and plasticity-induced crack-closure modeling. However, crack closure under high stress ratios (R ≥ 0.7) and Kmax test conditions is attributed to residual-plastic deformations, crack-surface roughness, and/or fretting-debris. From local crack-opening load measurements, the effective stress-intensity-factor range (ΔKeff) appears to be uniquely related to the crack-growth rate in the threshold and near-threshold regimes.


Purpose: Crowdfunding has proved to be an effective way for many technology start-ups worldwide to start or grow their businesses. One of the largest crowdfunding platforms in the world, Kickstarter, claims to have over 700 million dollars pledged to succesfully funded projects. Russian crowdfunding market is relatively smaller in size, but can as well provide another source of alternative finance for technology start-ups. Design/Methodology/Approach: In this article, we analyse empirically the major factors that contribute to technology projects success in crowdfunding. Exploring 832 technology projects posted on two most popular Russian crowdfunding platforms, we use correlation and cluster analysis to highlight the factors explaining fundraising success over failure. Findings: Our results show that an increase in the project funding goal is correlated with a lower probability and extent of success. Practical Implications: Our findings suggest that crowdfunding may play a vital role in financing for a rather limited number of Russian technology start-ups, since the average amounts funded are still too small to be significant for most start-ups. Originality/Value: Issues for further research and discussion are identified including successful and failed projects attributes and backers' motivation.


Background Depression is one of the most common and debilitating non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD). The neurocognitive mechanisms underlying depression in PD are unclear and treatment is often suboptimal. Methods We investigated the role of striatal dopamine in reversal learning from reward and punishment by combining a controlled medication withdrawal procedure with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in 22 non-depressed PD patients and 19 PD patients with past or present PD-related depression. Results PD patients with a PD-related depression (history) exhibited impaired reward versus punishment reversal learning as well as reduced reward versus punishment-related BOLD signal in the striatum (putamen) compared with non-depressed PD patients. No effects of dopaminergic medication were observed. Conclusions The present findings demonstrate that impairments in reversal learning from reward versus punishment and associated reward-related striatal signalling depend on the presence of (a history of) depression in PD.


Objective: This study aims to investigate the antioxidant properties and protective effects of Heracleum persicum (HP) extract in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Material and Methods: Forty-two Wistar albino male rats were divided into six groups including Control (C); Diabetes mellitus (DM); DM+Akarboz 20 mg/kg; DM+100 mg/kg HP extract (HP1); DM+200 mg/kg HP extract (HP2) and DM+400 mg/kg HP extract (HP3). Experimental diabetes was established by a single-dose [45 mg/kg, intra-peritoneal (i.p)] STZ injection. Essential dosages of HP extracts and Akarboz were applied with gastric gavage for 21 day. Results: In histopathological evaluation of the stained liver and kidney sections of diabetic rats showed degeneration and necrosis of hepatocytes, inflammatory cell infiltration and hydropic degeneration and necrosis in tubulus epithelial cells, disorder of glomerular structure and lymphocyte infiltration. These histopathological changes were ameliorated in the HP-treated rats depending on the dose level. Glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPx-1) immunoreactivity was detected in hepatocytes of liver and tubule epithelial cells of kidney. We have shown that treatment with extracts of HP modulates GPx-1 expression in HP-treated rats. STZ-induced degenerative changes in beta-cells caused decreases in the number of functioning beta-cells and insulin immunoreactivity in the pancreas of the diabetic rats. The pancreas of HP-treated rats were improved and the number of immunoreactive β cells were significantly increased. Conclusion: Our data suggests that the STZ-induced immunohistochemical and histopathological alterations could be prevented by HP extract probably due to possess the ability to regenerate β-cells.


The biosynthesis of many eukaryotic proteins requires their transport across the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane. The process can be divided into two phases: (i) a targeting cycle, during which, by virtue of their signal sequences, nascent polypeptides are directed to translocation sites in the ER and (ii) the actual transfer of proteins across the membrane. The first phase has been well characterized, whereas the latter until recently was completely unresolved. Key components of the translocation apparatus have now been identified and it seems likely that they form a protein-conducting channel in the ER membrane. The transport process is similar to the process of protein export in bacteria.


There is a huge demand for high-quality data as education is a key factor in modern societies for individual life courses and chances as well as for economic growth. The need for panel data in case of observational studies is explained by us because describing and testing theories on causes and consequences of educational careers is highly limited using cross sectional data. Consequently a National Educational Panel Study (NEPS) has been established in Germany. Besides the methodological advantages of panel data such an instrument needs a strong theoretical base. We give a short overview on the major topics and characteristics of German longitudinal studies as well as some notes on the situation in other industrialized countries. Considering different strategies used in Germany and elsewhere and the need to provide fast and up-to-date information on educational processes, we opt for a multi-cohort-sequence design. This means, that the NEPS starts with six different cohorts at important stages in the educational career or life course within a small time range and that samples will be refreshed later on. To get detailed information on the learning environments and to capture the infl uences of parallel processes on competence development and educational choices we also survey the parents and the teachers of the minor persons.


Network management represents an architectural gap in today's Internet [1]. Many problems with computer networks today, such as faults, misconfiguration, performance degradation, etc., are due to insufficient support for network management, and the problem takes on additional dimensions with the emerging programmable router paradigm. The Internet Network Management Workshop is working to build a community of researchers interested in solving the challenges of network management via a combination of bottoms-up analysis of data from existing networks and a top-down design of new architectures and approaches driven by that data. This editorial sets out some of the research challenges we see facing network management, and calls for participation in working to solve them.


Timmerman, Kathleen. M.S. Comp Sci., Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Wright State University, 2012. A Hardware Compact Genetic Algorithm for Hover Improvement in an Insect-Scale Flapping-Wing Micro Air Vehicle. Wing and airframe damage to insect scale micro air vehicles potentially cause significant losses in pose and position control precision. Although one can imagine many possible means of adapting the flight controllers to restore precise pose and position control, severe limits on computational resources available on-board an insect sized vehicle render many of them impractical. Additionally, limits on sensory capability degrade any such vehicle's ability to critique its own performance. Any adaptive solutions one would propose to recover flight trajectory precision, therefore, would require a resource light implementation, preferably without need for relatively expensive floating-point operations, along with the capability to assess control quality via relatively infrequent and possibly imprecise point estimates of vehicle pose and position. This thesis will expand on previous work that employed an adaptive oscillator as a component of an altitude controller inside a simulated insect-scale flapping-wing micro air vehicle. In that work, it was demonstrated that an adaptive oscillator could learn novel wingbeat patterns unique to the capability of specific, possibly damaged, wings. These wingbeat patterns would restore the relationships between control outputs and wing motion; and thus; restore correct whole-vehicle action. In that earlier work, the core of the adaptive oscillator was an evolutionary algorithm (EA) that operated as a mutation driven stochastic hill climber. In this work, we explore the use of and the potential benefits of an EA variant that operates as a crossover driven schema/hyperplane sampler. For this work we selected the Compact Genetic Algorithm (cGA), as it possess an efficient hardwarelevel implementation and is clearly a crossover-driven hyperplane sampler. The thesis will present experimental results from which one may assess the relative performance of this style of genetic search as well as speculate upon its potential utility for more complex