The action of Corneille's Illusion comique is situated in a cave where a magician produces a play which in turn opens up towards another play inside the first one. Since the action coincides with the duration of the performance it is clear that the author's aim is to show the workings of theatre as such. In this case Corneille produces a parody of existing theatre in order to justify and illustrate dramatic art and while doing so he represents his own conception of what theatre should be as well as searching for a language adequate to this conception. The play then is a prospective parody in the positive sense of the word.
A play by the modern dramatist Anouilh entitled La grotte tempts us to compare the two plays and ask the question why the cave is an apt metaphor for theatrical space. Indeed Anouilh's play is also autoparodical but retrospectively: the author pretends to let his characters, some of which he has already used in previous productions, make his play and thereby incarnate the shadows he himself has dreamed. This comparison illustrates the allegorical meaning of the cavern as a complex space where reality is confronted with its image, where the world appears upside down and in a state of formation. In that sense theatre is an apt and scenic representation of the dramatic nature of the human mind which needs to convey reality to its ideal creations in order to test their validity.


This paper is a critique of the new paradigm in analytic philosophy for investigating the meaning of life, focusing on Meaning in Life as the definitive example. Metz relies upon intuition, and reflection upon recent analytic literature, to guide him to his 'fundamentality theory'. He calls this a theory of 'the meaning of life', saying it may be 'the holy grail'. I argue that Metz's project is not addressed to the meaning of life, but a distinct issue about social meaning; and that by neglecting and sidelining alternative approaches, his results are rendered provisional. I then argue that there are a number of equally legitimate senses of a 'socially meaningful life'; that Metz's exclusive and unjustified focus on only one radically diminishes the scope of his project; and that what remains is undermined by cultural specificity. Finally, I argue that the Kripkean semantics Metz adopts runs counter to his interests.


We explore the effects of a changing terrestrial biosphere on the atmospheric residence time of CO2 using three simple ocean carbon cycle models and a model of global terrestrial carbon cycling. We find differences in model behavior associated with the assumption of an active terrestrial biosphere (forest regrowth) and significant differences if we assume a donor-dependent flux from the atmosphere to the terrestrial component (e.g., a hypothetical terrestrial fertilization flux). To avoid numerical difficulties associated with treating the atmospheric CO2 decay (relaxation) curve as being well approximated by a weighted sum of exponential functions, we define the single half-life as the time it takes for a model atmosphere to relax from its present-day value half way to its equilibrium pCO2 value. This scenario-based approach also avoids the use of unit pulse (Dirac Delta) functions which can prove troublesome or unrealistic in the context of a terrestrial fertilization assumption. We also discuss some of the numerical problems associated with a conventional lifetime calculation which is based on an exponential model. We connect our analysis of the residence time of CO2 and the concept of single half-life to the residence time calculations which are based on using weighted sums of exponentials. We note that the single half-life concept focuses upon the early decline of CO2 under a cutoff/decay scenario. If one assumes a terrestrial biosphere with a fertilization flux, then our best estimate is that the single half-life for excess CO2 lies within the range of 19 to 49 years, with a reasonable average being 31 years. If we assume only regrowth, then the average value for the single half-life for excess CO2 increases to 72 years, and if we remove the terrestrial component completely, then it increases further to 92 years.


Two systems that independently allow the investigation of the response of individual unattached and attached microbubbles have previously been described. Both offered methods of studying the acoustic response of single microbubbles in well defined acoustic fields. The aim of the work described here was to investigate the responses of single attached microbubbles for a range of acoustic pressures and to compare these to the backscatter from unattached single microbubbles subjected to the same acoustic fields. Single attached BiSphereTM (Point Biomedical) microbubbles were attached to polyester with poly-L-lysine. Individual attached microbubbles were insonated at 1.6 MHz for acoustic pressures ranging from 300 to 1000 kPa using a Sonos5500 (Philips Medical Systems) research ultrasound scanner. Each microbubble was aligned to 6 cycle pulse, M-mode ultrasound beams, and unprocessed backscattered RF data captured using proprietary hardware and software. The backscatter from these microbubbles was compared to that of single unattached microbubbles subjected to the same acoustic parameters, microbubbles were insonated several times to determine possible differences in rate of decrease of backscatter between attached and unattached microbubbles. In total over 100 single attached microbubbles have been insonated. At 550kPa an acoustic signal was detected for 20 % of the attached microbubbles and at 1000 kPa for 63%. At acoustic pressures of 300kPa no signal was detected. Mean RMS fundamental pressure from attached and unattached microbubbles insonated at 800 kPa was 9.7 Pa and 8.7 Pa respectively. The ratio between the first two backscattered pulses decreased with increasing pressure. However, for unattached microbubbles the magnitude of the ratio was less than that of attached (at 550kPa mean ratio attached: 0.92 + 0.1, unattached: 0.28 + 0.2). There was no significant difference in the peak amplitude of the backscattered signal for unattached and attached microbubbles. BiSphereTM microbubbles comprise an internal polymer shell with an albumin coating, resulting in a stiff shell. BiSphereTM microbubbles do not oscillate in the same manner as a softer shelled microbubble, but allow gas leakage which then performs free bubble oscillations. The results here agree with previous acoustic and optical microscopy measurements which show that a proportion of microbubbles will scatter and this number increases with acoustic pressure. The lack of difference in scatter between the unattached and attached microbubbles may be attributed to the free microbubble oscillation being in the vicinity of the stiff shell, which may provide the same motion damping to a wall. Second pulse exposure shows that the wall becomes important in the survival of the free gas. These high quality measurements can be further improved by incorporating microbubble sizing to increase the specificity of the comparisons between unattached and attached microbubbles.


Despite improved spatial and spectral characteristics of satellite and aerial imaging systems, land-cover classification is still challenged by a continuously evolving and complex rural and urban landscape conditions resulting from diverse land-use scenarios. Sizes and material composition of impervious surfaces changes greatly from urban to rural areas, leading to varying spectral signatures and ultimately misclassification. This creates a challenge in choosing suitable classification algorithms and image processing methods. In this study, the influence of spatial resolution and land-cover spectral and spatial heterogeneity on accuracy of land-cover classification at a rural-urban interface was examined alongside comparison of Random Forest (RF) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) classification algorithms. Further, the performance of spectral unmixing strategies was tested against standard feature extraction methods, namely, NAPCA and PCA. The results showed a 10 % improvement in classification accuracy from 30 m to 10 m spatial resolution for both overall accuracy and Kappa coefficients, however, relatively high per-pixel class disagreement (39 %) was recorded between the different resolution maps, pointing to the fact that overall accuracy or Kappa coefficients may not capture the spatial resolution effects on classification accuracy results in its entirety. SVM classifier proved superior to the RF classifier with even a relatively bigger margin at the coarser spatial resolution (i.e. 4.9 % and 5.7 % higher accuracy at 10 m and 30 m spatial resolution respectively). Higher classification accuracies were observed for partial unmixing and sum-to-unity unmixing feature extraction strategies at both spatial resolutions relative to the results from PCA, NAPCA and original image data (i.e. 62 %, 61 %, 51 %, 61 % and 59 % respectively for 30 m resolution, and, 67 %, 67 %, 62 %, 65 % and 66 % respectively for 10 m resolution image). It was found that the dominance of unmixing-based feature extraction methods reduced while the standard dimensionality reduction approaches (NAPCA and PCA) made a zero contribution to improving classification accuracy at finer spatial resolution (i.e. 10 m). According to the results of land-cover heterogeneity assessment, more fragmented and spatially diverse landscapes were comparably more spectrally diverse along the rural-urban gradient. A high degree of landscape heterogeneity and lowest classification accuracy was observed in the peri-urban region at approximately 11 kilometers from the very urban area. The findings indicate that landscapes with high PD, LSI, SHDI and low CONTAG have lower accuracy while homogeneous and less fragmented landscapes have higher accuracy. The findings from the study will provide a basis for more accurate time series analysis of land-use dynamics at the rural-urban interface.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the incidence, transition probabilities, and risk factors for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and subclinical OCD in adolescents.

METHOD
A two-stage epidemiological study originally designed to investigate depression was conducted between 1987 and 1989 in the southeastern United States. For the screening, a self-report depressive symptom questionnaire was administered to a community sample of 3,283 adolescents. In the diagnostic stage, the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children was administered to 488 mother-child pairs. Baseline screening and diagnostic data from the first year the subject completed an interview and follow-up diagnostic data from subsequent years were used.

RESULTS
The 1-year incidence rates of OCD and subclinical OCD were found to be 0.7% and 8.4%, respectively. Transition probabilities demonstrated a pattern of moving from more severe to less severe categories. Of those with baseline OCD, 17% had the diagnosis of OCD at follow-up; 62% moved to the referent group. Of those with baseline subclinical OCD, 1.5% had OCD at follow-up and 75% moved to the referent group. Black race (odds ratio [OR] = 23.38), age (OR = 4.02), desirable life events (OR = 0.78), undesirable life events (OR = 1.21), and socioeconomic status (OR not estimable) were significant predictors of incident OCD. Age (OR = 2.30), desirable life events (OR = 0.92), and undesirable life events (OR = 1.13) were significantly associated with incident subclinical OCD.

CONCLUSION
An initial diagnosis of subclinical OCD was not significantly predictive of a diagnosis of OCD at 1-year follow-up. The overall morbidity remained higher at follow-up in the baseline OCD group than in the baseline subclinical OCD group. The baseline subclinical OCD group was more dysfunctional at follow-up than was the baseline referent group. Further research concerning differences in symptomatology and impairment between OCD and subclinical OCD is warranted.


Western Australia has an extensive coastline ranging from the tropical north to the temperate south but, along its length, there are only seven multiple use marine parks and one marine reserve (no take). With the global trend towards the establishment of marine reserves and development in the science of their selection, the opportunity was taken to compare a range of reserve selection methods for Western Australia. Species richness and endemism richness hotspots, biogeographic regions and complementarity analysis were used to determine priority areas for conservation of Western Australian neritic fishes (n= 1 855). There was found to be a general decline in species richness from north to south, with all the species richness hotspots located on the Northwest Shelf. There was no overlap with the species richness and endemism hotspots as the latter all occurred on the south and southwest coasts. The regions highlighted by the biogeographic and complementarity analyses occurred around the entire coastline. However, the complementarity analysis proved to be the most efficient method, as >95% of all fish species could be protected in six, appropriately located, 100 km long sections of coastline. As Western Australia currently has a system of existing and proposed marine protected areas, it was considered pragmatic to include these in the complementarity analysis. This reduced the efficiency and indicated that some of the protected areas may not be well situated for the conservation of neritic fishes. The analysis also highlighted gaps in conservation effort on the Kimberley and south coasts of Western Australia.


Abstract The calculation accuracy of the newly developed 3D discrete ordinates code, Attila, is benchmarked by comparing its prediction to the measured data in two mockups bombarded by 14 MeV neutron source of the FNG facility located at Frascati, Italy. The results are also compared to those based on MCNP Monte Carlo code for the same measured reactions. The experimental mock-ups simulate parts of ITER in-vessel components, namely, the tungsten (W) mockup and the ITER shielding blanket. The first mockup was used to validate W data as a material for plasma facing component. A streaming path was introduced in the second configuration. The objective of this paper is to benchmark Attila code to determine its adequacy for fusion application. Another objective is to compare results based on two distinctive 3D calculation tools using the same nuclear data, FENDL2.1, and the same response function (IRDF-90) for measured data. The results of these comparisons are reported in this paper.


Chinook, coho, and steelhead eggs collected in 2006 from Lake Ontario, L. Erie, L. Michigan, and L. Superior were analyzed by gas chromatography for congener-specific polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and select organochlorine pesticides (OCs). Across lake comparisons for total PCB, total DDT, and total PBDE indicated a consistent trend in contaminant concentrations in which Lake Michigan > Lake Ontario > Lake Erie > Lake Superior. The contaminants Mirex and octachlorostyrene (OCS) were found not to be consistent with this trend, but were instead found to exist in higher concentrations in Lake Ontario in relation to the other Great Lakes. PCB chlorination patterns, as indicated by the average number of chlorines per biphenyl (Avg Cl/BP) were compared within species. The PCB chlorination pattern in chinook eggs was found to be similar for both Lake Michigan (5.47) and Lake Ontario (5.43). The PCB chlorination pattern in coho eggs was notably different in Lake Superior (5.78) than in Lake Ontario (5.41).


The Metropolitan Opera's Live in HD series has sparked interdisciplinary interest in understanding opera in twenty-first-century contexts. This article posits that the Live in HD series creates an intermedial experience for its viewers, one that forms new relationships between operatic performance and audiences through the ongoing intersections of production elements (story, text, music, mise-en-scene , performers) and media-specific concerns (spectatorial gaze, hypermediacy, immediacy, reproducibility, liveness). A reading of act I from the 2009 Metropolitan Opera simulcast of Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann engages the shifting relations regarding the human and the technological as presented to the Live in HD viewer from the vantage point of on, back, beside, in front of, and yet completely discrete from the Lincoln Center stage.

The mediated and mediatized relationships engendered by this constant resituating of the audience create a sense of the familiar rendered strange, of being somehow out of place in one's relation to the stage. Media and performance theory are employed in concert with Freud's influential work on the uncanny to describe this as the "intermedial uncanny": an important aspect of this emergent audience experience.


'It has been said by its opponents that science divorces itself from literature; but the statement, like so many others, arises from lack of knowledge.' John Tyndall, 1874 Although we are used to thinking of science and the humanities as separate disciplines, in the nineteenth century that division was not recognized. As the scientist John Tyndall pointed out, not only were science and literature both striving to better 'man's estate', they shared a common language and cultural heritage. The same subjects occupied the writing of scientists and novelists: the quest for 'origins', the nature of the relation between society and the individual, and what it meant to be human. This anthology brings together a generous selection of scientific and literary material to explore the exchanges and interactions between them. Fed by a common imagination, scientists and creative writers alike used stories, imagery, style, and structure to convey their meaning, and to produce work of enduring power. The anthology includes writing by Charles Babbage, Charles Darwin, Sir Humphry Davy, Charles Dickens, George Eliot, Michael Faraday, Thomas Malthus, Louis Pasteur, Edgar Allan Poe, Mary Shelley, Mark Twain and many others, and introductions and notes guide the reader through the topic's many strands. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.


This thesis explores the social lives of elite Pukhtun women or Bibiane in northern Pakistan, with an ethnographic focus on the enactment of particular life-cycle or gham-khadi ceremonies (funerals and weddings). The widely used Pukhto term ghamkhadi both refers to specific segregated gatherings and designates the emotions of sorrow (gham) and joy (khada) which they elicit. In the local understanding, gham-khadi comprises a system of life, in which happiness and sadness are understood as indissoluble, and are celebrated communally within networks of reciprocal social obligations. Bibiane's social role entails preparation for and attendance at gham-khadi, according to a stylized set of performances thought integral to Pukhtun identity or Pukhtunwali (ideal Pukhtun practices). In this sense, the "women's work" of gham-khadi links with another indigenous term, tieest-ro. ýgar, which I translate as the "work of existence", and through which Bibiane maintain the fabric of life by sustaining social interand intra-family relationships. Ethnographic fieldwork, conducted in Islamabad and the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP or "Frontier") regions of Swat and Mardan between 1996-1998 and 1999-2001, suggests the extent to which Bibiane's sense of their gham-khadi obligations underpins their understanding of their personhood. In the process, the thesis unfolds a Pukhtun construction of work divergent from professionalism or physical labour, in which work produces not things, but social relations and transactions. This thesis, therefore, seeks to contribute to anthropological debate on a number of issues. First, it seeks to establish the distinctive sociality of Pukhtun Bibiane in terms of their participation, within and beyond the household, in gham-khadi festivities, joining them with hundreds of individuals from different families and social backgrounds. Second, the thesis makes a case for documenting the lives of a grouping of elite South Asian women, contesting their conventional representation as "idle" by illustrating their commitment to various forms of work within familial and social contexts. Third, it describes the segregated zones of gham-khadi as a space of female agency. Reconstructing the terms of this agency helps us to revise previous anthropological accounts of Pukhtun society, which project Pukhlunwali in predominantly masculine terms, while depicting gham-khadi as an entirely feminine category. Bibiane's gham-khadi performances allow a reflection upon Pukhtunwali and wider Pukhtun society as currently undergoing transformation. Fourth, as a contribution to Frontier ethnography, the thesis lays especial emphasis on gham-khadi as a transregional phenomenon, given the relocation of most Pukhtun families to the cosmopolitan capital Islamabad. Since gham-khadi is held at families' ancestral homes (kille-koroona), new variations and interpretations of conventional practices penetrate to the village context of Swat and Mardan. Ceremonies are especially subject to negotiation as relatively young convent-educated married Bibiane take issue with their "customs" (rewaý) from a scriptural Islamic perspective. More broadly, the dissertation contributes to various anthropological topics, notably the nature and expression of elite cultures and issues of sociality, funerals and marriage, custom and religion, space and gender, morality and reason, and social role and personhood within the contexts of MiddleEastern and South Asian Islam.


Objectives: Magnesium is the fourth most common cation in the human body, and the second cation to potassium in the intracellular space. It participates as a cofactor of enzymes in the metabolic reactions, creation and utilization of energy and is necessary for the maintenance of electrolyte balance. The body of an adult contains about 0.043% (535-730 mmol) of magnesium, which is the equivalent of about 22-30 g (60% in the bony skeleton, 40% intracellular in muscles and soft tissue, 1% (7.5-10 mmol) in extracellular fluid). The daily requirement of magnesium is estimated at 10 to 20 mmol, i.e. 200-400 mg. As for dosage, the higher the dose, the lower the percentage of absorption from the intestine. Of the recommended daily dose of 15 mmol (365 mg), only about a third is absorbed. The importance of magnesium in pregnancy: implications of a manifest lack of magnesium may include: 1. increased risk of misca rriage – preterm labor (cervical incompetence, premature rupture of membranes); 2. placental insufficiency and fetal hypotrophy; 3. development of maternal gestosis; 4. increased risk of asthma and eczema in neonates. Magnesium sulfate given to pregnant women with threatened preterm labor (23+0 – 30+0) reduces the risk of cerebral palsy in surviving infants. Summary: In cases of threatened preterm labor it is not recommended to administer magnesium sulfate intravenously for more than 5-7 days. This restriction does not apply to the oral application of magnesium.


In the context of this article, access to urgent health care is defined by the patient and carer's needs whenever required and thus includes needs for urgent help both within 'routine' hours and outside of normal hours.

The current systems to deliver urgent or emergency care have evolved over time and are often complex for patients, carers and healthcare providers, with poor knowledge of the available services by all parties. These historic developments combined with some recent well-intentioned service changes have, to date, not delivered the intended benefits. Indeed, the demand for urgent and emergency care is largely predictable for both primary care and secondary care,1 2 and much of the variation relates directly to the healthcare systems we have designed.

'Reforming emergency care'3outlined a blueprint of care that promoted the further development of services including NHS walk-in centres and telephone advice services such as NHSDirect/24. To some extent these have added to the complexity of the system by altering patient flow and access without always capturing local systems and knowledge. Local services have also developed in an ad hoc way rather than follow an integrated plan, partly because of the tension between policies intended to promote integration and those designed to increase patient choice. We have in essence maintained or created multiple access points when the intention was to simplify.

Our current system also controls access to some services and not others, and access can vary by time of day and day of the week. Emergency departments effectively and uniquely provide open access to advice, diagnosis and treatment 24h a day, 7 days …


Mast cells (MC) and peripheral blood basophils (PBB) are well known for their role in the allergic response mediated through high affinity IgE receptors (FceRI). However, these cells can also be stimulated by other non-allergic secretagogues to release their inflammatory mediators. Certain fullerene derivatives (FD) have already been shown to stabilize FceRI-mediated MC/PBB responses, but it is not know if they also stabilize these cells through non-IgEmediated mechanisms. A panel of FD was synthesized and tested for their ability to inhibit non-FceRI mediated release from human MC and PBB. It was found that specifically engineered FD could significantly inhibit calcium ionophore, compound 48/80, somatostatin, and poly L-lysine induced MC degranulation and cytokine production, as well as blunt degranulation and cytokine production from N-formyl-methionine-leucine-phenylalanine (fMLP), poly L-lysine, and calcium ionophore stimulated PBB. The mechanism of inhibition was due in part to the prevention of secretagogueinduced increases in cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and calcium levels as well as the reduced activation of the MAPK signaling intermediates ERK1/ERK2 and LAT. Additionally, preincubation of MC with FD blunted the prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) production upon exposure to inflammatory stimuli. In both cell types, the extent of inhibition of mediator release in response to each secretagogue was dependent on the moieties/side chains attached to the carbon cage. These results further extend the utility of fullerene nanomaterials to control mediator release through non-IgE mediated pathways in MC/PBB.


Sweet potato technologies, like drought resistant varieties and virus cleaned planting material have shown resilience of agricultural systems to climate change related effects. However, adoption of these technologies is very low in Uganda. This study was designed to assess the adoption potential (economic feasibility) of these technologies by rural farm household under climate change conditions. Data were collected from study areas in Kabale and Soroti districts using household survey, focused group discussion and secondary sources. The Tradeoff Analysis, Minimum Data Model Approach (TOA-MD) was employed to estimate the adoption potential of alternative practices under climate change. Results from focused group discussion reveal that farmers have developed different adaptation strategies to climate change such as swamp reclamation, migration to other areas, mixed cropping among others. Access to these technologies was limited and government provision of planting material usually ends up with a few privileged farmers. Results from the model also show that, adoption potential under climate change is high and varies depending on agro-ecological zones, wealth status and opportunity costs of adopting the technology. However, providing free planting material is not feasible and if undertaken, it does not benefit the poor but the rich. We conclude that, adoption of these technologies is economically feasible and recommend that, climate change adaptation policy should target the poor, institutional framework and systems should be strengthen to improve on accountability in the implementation of climate change adaptation strategies of public nature. Measures are also needed to raise returns and reduce the opportunity costs of climate change adaptation strategies. Further research is needed to explore joint adoption of crop technologies that have show resilience to climate related effects.


The current fee-for-service system of paying for health care emphasizes volume and complexity, and often discourages attempts to improve effectiveness and efficiency. This brief discusses several policies that could begin to move away from the adverse incentives embedded in the current system to incentives that encourage better care and better value. The authors believe that U.S. health care would be better and more efficient if the system as a whole functioned the way top-performing providers do, with greater accountability for specific populations and for the totality of care delivered. They argue that the Medicare program is an ideal starting point for delivery system reform.


This paper describes a new technology for the realization of soft, flexible, and robust antennas intended to operate in a harsh environment. One of the main characteristics of the proposed technology is the ease of fabricating antennas in a simple lab environment. The method is based on the use of a silicon-based elastomer, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), for the substrate material, and copper meshes or any kind of perforated metal plates as flexible conductive materials. The initial liquid state of the PDMS allows a lot of freedom in the fabrication process, both from the electrical and mechanical points of view. The electrical and mechanical properties of the substrate can be adjusted by loading the PDMS with inclusions having low or high permittivity and/or density, thus controlling the permittivity and the rigidity. Another good characteristic of the initial low viscosity of PDMS is the possibility of shaping the antennas and substrates in in-house fabricated moulds. Copper meshes or perforated metal structures enable good adhesion between the substrate and 288 IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine, Vol. 55, No. 5, October 2013 conductor, and improve the overall flexibility. Measured results showed good repeatability of the substrate samples, both with or without inclusions. To demonstrate the versatility of the proposed technique, several antenna prototypes were built and characterized. All the antennas were flexible and showed good radiation characteristics. The antennas were exposed to tests such as washing and bending, in order to assess their robustness to environmental changes.


Abstract. This study analyzes the cause of the rare occurrence of a winter hailstorm over New Delhi/NCR (National Capital Region), India. The absence of increased surface temperature or low level of moisture incursion during winter cannot generate the deep convection required for sustaining a hailstorm. Consequently, NCR shows very few cases of hailstorms in the months of December-January-February, making the winter hail formation a question of interest. For this study, a recent winter hailstorm event on 17 January 2013 (16:00–18:00 UTC) occurring over NCR is investigated. The storm is simulated using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model with the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) microphysics scheme with two different options: hail and graupel. The aim of the study is to understand and describe the cause of hailstorm event during over NCR with a comparative analysis of the two options of GCE microphysics. Upon evaluating the model simulations, it is observed that the hail option shows a more similar precipitation intensity with the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) observation than the graupel option does, and it is able to simulate hail precipitation. Using the model-simulated output with the hail option; detailed investigation on understanding the dynamics of hailstorm is performed. The analysis based on a numerical simulation suggests that the deep instability in the atmospheric column led to the formation of hailstones as the cloud formation reached up to the glaciated zone promoting ice nucleation. In winters, such instability conditions rarely form due to low level available potential energy and moisture incursion along with upper level baroclinic instability due to the presence of a western disturbance (WD). Such rare positioning is found to be lowering the tropopause with increased temperature gradient, leading to winter hailstorm formation.


In this paper we present a new extension to proactive routing protocols using a fast mobility extension, FastM, with the purpose of increasing handover performance in Wireless Mesh Networks. With this new extension a new concept is created to integrate information between neighbor wireless mesh routers, managing locations of clients associated to wireless mesh routers in a certain neighborhood, and avoiding packet loss during handover. The proposed mobility protocol is able to optimize the handover process without imposing any modifications to the current IEE 802.11 MAC protocol and use unmodified clients. Results show the improved efficiency of the proposed scheme: metrics such as disconnection time, throughput, packet loss and control overhead are largely improved when compared to previous approaches.


A well-known challenge in learning from click data is its inherent bias and most notably position bias. Traditional click models aim to extract the ‹query, document› relevance and the estimated bias is usually discarded after relevance is extracted. In contrast, the most recent work on unbiased learning-to-rank can effectively leverage the bias and thus focuses on estimating bias rather than relevance [20, 31]. Existing approaches use search result randomization over a small percentage of production traffic to estimate the position bias. This is not desired because result randomization can negatively impact users' search experience. In this paper, we compare different schemes for result randomization (i.e., RandTopN and RandPair) and show their negative effect in personal search. Then we study how to infer such bias from regular click data without relying on randomization. We propose a regression-based Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithm that is based on a position bias click model and that can handle highly sparse clicks in personal search. We evaluate our EM algorithm and the extracted bias in the learning-to-rank setting. Our results show that it is promising to extract position bias from regular clicks without result randomization. The extracted bias can improve the learning-to-rank algorithms significantly. In addition, we compare the pointwise and pairwise learning-to-rank models. Our results show that pairwise models are more effective in leveraging the estimated bias.


Since independence in 1965, Singapore has grown rich by opening its borders and encouraging Multi-National Enterprises (MNEs) to call the small city state home. However, the Asian financial crisis (1997-08), which saw Singapore experience its first significant economic downturn in decades, led to a change in direction with economic public policy being directed towards achieving strategic diversification of the national economy. This paper will examine how the 2007-09 Global finance crisis (GFC) exposed Singapore's uber form of economic diversification financial sector internationalisation, multinational enterprise (MNE) strategic engagement, biotechnology and medical research and so on as being incapable of cushioning the national economy from external shock. The paper highlights how, despite recording record economic growth in 2010-11, the economic vulnerabilities exposed during the GFC will continue have far-reaching implications for the island state's policymakers diversification macro-strategy over the coming decade/s.


Feedback between global carbon (C) cycles and climate change is one of the major uncertainties in projecting future global warming. Coupled carbon–climate models all demonstrated a positive feedback between terrestrial C cycle and climate warming. The positive feedback results from decreased net primary production (NPP) in most models and increased respiratory C release by all the models under climate warming. Those modeling results present interesting hypotheses of future states of ecosystems and climate, which are yet to be tested against experimental results. In this study, we examined ecosystem C balance and its major components in a warming and clipping experiment in a North America tallgrass prairie. Infrared heaters have been used to elevate soil temperature by approximately 2 1C continuously since November 1999. Clipping once a year was to mimic hay or biofuel feedstock harvest. On average of data over 6 years from 2000 to 2005, estimated NPP under warming increased by 14% without clipping (Po0.05) and 26% with clipping (Po0.05) in comparison with that under control. Warming did not result in instantaneous increases in soil respiration in 1999 and 2000 but significantly increased it by approximately 8% without clipping (Po0.05) from 2001 to 2005. Soil respiration under warming increased by 15% with clipping (Po0.05) from 2000 to 2005. Warming-stimulated plant biomass production, due to enhanced C4 dominance, extended growing seasons, and increased nitrogen uptake and use efficiency, offset increased soil respiration, leading to no change in soil C storage at our site. However, biofuel feedstock harvest by biomass removal resulted in significant soil C loss in the clipping and control plots but was carbon negative in the clipping and warming plots largely because of positive interactions of warming and clipping in stimulating root growth. Our results demonstrate that plant production processes play a critical role in regulation of ecosystem carbon-cycle feedback to climate change in both the current ambient and future warmed world.


Dense three-dimensional reconstruction of a scene from images is a very challenging task. In the structure from motion approach one of the key points is to compute depth maps which contain the distance of objects in the scene to a moving camera. Usually, this is achieved by finding correspondences in successive images and computing the distance by means of epipolar geometry. In this Master's thesis, a variational framework to solve the depth from motion problem for planar image sequences is proposed. Camera ego-motion estimation equations are derived and combined with the depth from motion estimation in a single algorithm. The method is successfully tested on synthetic images for general camera translation. Since it does not depend on the correspondance problem and because it is highly parallelizable, it is well adapted for real-time implementation. Further work in this thesis include a review of general variational methods in image processing, and in particular TV-L1 optical flow as well as its real-time implementation on the graphics processing unit.


The science of wellbeing has come a long way from the early days of measuring wellbeing via a nation's GDP, and wellbeing measures and concepts continue to proliferate to capture its various elements. Yet, much of this activity has reflected concepts from Western cultures, despite the emphasis placed on wellbeing in all corners of the globe. To meet the challenges and opportunities arising from cross-disciplinary research worldwide, the Well-Being for Planet Earth Foundation and the Gallup World Poll have joined forces to add more culturally relevant constructs and questions to existing Gallup modules. In this white paper, we review the discussion from the international well-being summit in Kyoto, Japan (August 2019), where nine such additions were proposed and highlight why a more global view of wellbeing is needed. Overall, the new items reflect a richer view of wellbeing than life satisfaction alone and include hedonic and eudaimonic facets of wellbeing, social wellbeing, the role of culture, community, nature, and governance. These additions allow for the measurement of a broader conceptualization of wellbeing, more refined and nuanced cross-cultural comparisons, and facilitate a better examination of the causes of variation in global wellbeing. The new Gallup World Poll additions will be trialled in 2020, with additional inclusions from this summit to be made in 2021.


We present Herschel/SPIRE images at 250, 350, and 500 mu m of NGC 4244, a typical low-mass, disk-only and edge-on spiral galaxy. The dust disk is clumpy and shows signs of truncation at the break radius of the stellar disk. This disk coincides with the densest part of the Hi disk. We compare the spectral energy distribution (SED), including the new SPIRE fluxes, to 3D radiative transfer models; a smooth model disk and a clumpy model with embedded heating. Each model requires a very high value for the dust scale-length (h(d) = 2-5 h(*)), higher dust masses than previous models of NGC 4244 (M-d = 0.47-1.39 x 10(7) M-circle dot) and a face-on optical depth of tau(f.o.)(V) = 0.4-1.12, in agreement with previous disk opacity studies. The vertical scales of stars and dust are similar. The clumpy model much better mimics the general morphology in the sub-mm images and the general SED. The inferred gas-to-dust mass ratio is compatible with those of similar low-mass disks. The relatively large radial scale-length of the dust disk points to radial mixing of the dusty ISM within the stellar disk. The large vertical dust scale and the clumpy dust distribution of our SED model are both consistent with a scenario in which the vertical structure of the ISM is dictated by the balance of turbulence and self-gravity.


There is now overwhelming evidence that regular physical activity has important and wide-ranging health benefits. These range from reduced risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers to enhanced function and preservation of function with age. As a member of the geriatric set, I am personally delighted that there is strong emerging evidence that activity delays cognitive decline and is good for brain health as well as having extensive benefits for the rest of the body. I believe that evidence supports the conclusion that physical inactivity is one of the most important public health problems of the 21st century, and may even be the most important. This is not to deny the relevance of other health issues; and certainly we need to pay much more attention to healthful eating habits, smoking prevention and cessation programmes, and state-of-the art and evidence-based preventive medical care. My overriding concern is that the crucial importance of physical activity is undervalued and underappreciated by many individuals in public health and clinical medicine. Figure 1 presents data that have helped lead me to these conclusions about the importance of inactivity. As I suspect most of you are aware, the attributable fraction is an estimate of the number of deaths in a population that would have been avoided if a specific risk factor had been absent. That is, if all smokers were non-smokers or all inactive persons were getting 30 minutes of walking on at least 5 days of the week. The data in figure 1 are based on follow-up of a large population of women and men in the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study (ACLS). Attributable fraction estimates depend on the strength of association between an exposure and an outcome, and also on the prevalence of that particular risk factor in the population. Figure 1 shows that low cardiorespiratory fitness accounts for about 16% of all deaths in both women and men in this population, and this is substantially more, with the exception of hypertension in men, than the other risk factors. I ask you to consider how often each of these risk factors is evaluated in a typical medical examination, and how often each risk factor is treated if found to be elevated. I have no data, but I wager that the typical physician is 10–50 times more likely to measure cholesterol, blood pressure, and BMI than to measure fitness. Fitness was measured in the ACLS with a maximal exercise test on a treadmill, so this exposure is based on an objective, laboratory measurement. Of course such an exercise test may not be feasible in many clinical examinations, but physicians and other clinicians could at least take a physical activity history and put physical activity on the patient's agenda. Another example of the importance of fitness is illustrated in figure 2. In this study we followed 2316 men with documented type 2 diabetes for an average of 15.9 years, during which time 179 of them died of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The data in figure 2 clearly show a strong inverse gradient for CVD death across fitness categories within each BMI category. Note that the obese men who were moderately/highly fit had less than half the risk of dying than the normal-weight men who were unfit. Every day tens of thousands of patients with type 2 diabetes attend a medical evaluation. How many of these patients have their height and weight measured and their BMI calculated, after which they are assigned to either the normal weight, overweight, or obese category? Conversely, how many of these patients have their cardiorespiratory fitness evaluated, or even have a careful and accurate physical activity history obtained? My guess is that if the physician mentions physical activity it may be ''I think you should take up some exercise, it will help you lose weight''. This is the wrong message. Of course regular physical activity will help with weight management, but the activity will be very important to the patient's health, whether or not they lose weight. As you can tell, I am passionate about the importance of regular physical activity for individuals' and the public's health, and think we must focus much more attention on this issue. Therefore I was delighted when Professor Khan invited me to help coordinate a special issue of the British Journal of Sports Medicine to focus on the topic. He and I have worked over the past few months to recruit an outstanding group of scientists


Hong Kong is one of the international financial centre in the world and its banking industry is an important part of its financial industry. However, the credit quality in Hong Kong banking system had a relatively slight fluctuation in the past few years. Therefore, it is necessary to understand and assess bank efficiency and bank credit risk and thus contribute to the profitability and the future development of Hong Kong banking. This paper will examine the determinations of banks efficiency and credit risk and then further explore that the relationship of both based on past 6-year Hong Kong banks data, separately for three categories, China owned banks, Hong Kong owned banks and foreign owned banks. Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA) will be applied to evaluate bank cost efficiency and Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) approach will be adopted for as a dynamic panel data estimator to estimate the determinants of non-performing loans which based on the hypotheses. The results show that, Hong Kong owned banks and foreign owned banks present a much higher cost efficiency than China owned banks. In addition, macroeconomic factors have no significant effect on bank cost efficiency. But, macroeconomic variables have different degrees of impact on credit risk. Exchange rate had an effect on bank' s credit risk and 'Bad management' hypothesis was verified in China owned banks. Complicated internal banking systems may promote to a stringent loan review system, but may also be one of the reasons for cost inefficiencies. Hong Kong local banks presented the highest level of cost efficiency. However, they might rely on their localization and policy advantages and increase bank exposure with the selection of high riskiness loans and causes a higher level of credit risk and non-performing loans. With regards to foreign owned banks in Hong Kong, no significant listed hypothesis can be employed. But foreign bank could improve cost efficiency in view of individual difference and carry out business along the economy business. In summary, greater market openness, more robust risk management mechanism, more complete cost management system, as well as more sensitive to the market and the macroeconomic might be four dimensions for a more efficient banking industry and declining credit risk.


Background: The importance of early and effective fluid resuscitation in hypovolaemic shock treatment is indisputable. Aim: To examine the effects of fluid replacement via the rectum in an animal model of hypovolaemic shock as a possible life-saving method in situations where veins cannot be accessed quickly. Methods: Rabbits were randomly divided into two groups: a control group of 7 animals and a second group of 10, the fluid replacement via the rectum (FRVR) group. The femoral artery of each subject was catheterised and 15 ml blood was withdrawn over 1 min at 5-min intervals. After reaching a mean arterial pressure (MAP) of 30 mm Hg, additional blood was withdrawn until the MAP dropped to <25 mm Hg, at which time blood withdrawal ceased. At this point, control animals were given no treatment and were monitored for 30 min. The FRVR group, however, was given 0.9% sodium chloride solution (amount equal to three times the amount of blood withdrawn) via the rectum over a 15-min period. The MAPs of both groups were then measured, every 5 min after the start of resuscitation, for 30 min. Results: In the FRVR group, the MAP began to rise significantly after 15 min of receiving fluid per rectum (p = 0.035) and continued to be significantly greater than the control group at 20, 25 and 30 min (p = 0.035, 0.002 and 0.001, respectively). Conclusion: FRVR is a viable alternative for fluid resuscitation in this animal model of hypovolaemic shock. This easy and non-invasive method of fluid replacement may be useful when standard intravenous access is unobtainable, and should be compared with other access routes using varying types and amounts of fluids in future animal studies.


Statistical prediction analysis plays an important role in a wide range of fields. Examples include engineering systems, design of experiments, etc. In this paper, based on progressively Type-II right censored data, Bayesian two-sample point and interval predictors are developed under both informative and non-informative priors. By assuming a generalized exponential model, prediction bounds as well as Bayes point predictors are obtained under the squared error loss (SEL) and the Linear-Exponential (LINEX) loss functions for the order statistic in a future progressively Type-II censored sample with an arbitrary progressive censoring scheme. The derived results may be used for prediction of total time on test in lifetime experiments. In addition to numerical method, Gibbs sampling procedure (as Markov Chain Monte Carlo method) are used to assess approximate prediction bounds and Bayes point predictors under the SEL and LINEX loss functions. The performance of the proposed prediction procedures are also demonstrated via a Monte Carlo simulation study and an illustrative example, for each method.


Green roofing is a best management practice for urban areas where land for traditional stormwater practices is unavailable. However, it is unknown how effective they are at treating stormwater. The two primary research objectives are the following: 1. To develop an effective media for green roofs that will improve roof runoff quality while maintaining the known water retention benefits of green roofs, and 2. To demonstrate that green roofing will generate lesser pollutant loadings into urban runoff than traditional roofing materials. In Phase I (currently ongoing), several green roof media (formulated from commonly-used expanded minerals, stormwater filter media, and organic matter) are being evaluated for their abilities to retain the pollutants from a synthetic acid rain. The samples are being analyzed for metals, nutrients, pH, and conductivity. The hypothesis is that one media will be "better" at pollutant removal and permanent retention. In Phase II, once the optimized media has been selected, it will be fieldtested on a green roof. The water quality of the runoff from the green roof will be compared with the runoff quality from a traditional roof. Field testing will address two objectives: 1. The media is capable of supporting the green roof plants, and 2. The anticipated removals (including water retention) are actually seen in the field. Phase I results on the mineral portion of the future media mix demonstrates all media were able to neutralize the acid rain. Comparing the media for pollutant removal and retention, the expanded shale was best able to retain phosphorus, ammonia, and metals from the synthetic acid rain. Phase I results on the mineral and additive combinations show the expanded shale and granulated activated carbon mix to be the most effective at pollutant removal and retention.


The coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus, has currently a pandemic presentation that requires careful health management that begins with the detection of positive cases Without available specific vaccine or treatments, it is crucial to be able to achieve a rapid and reliable diagnosis The identification of positive cases depends on the correct collection of biological material and subsequent molecular analysis Current international and national guidelines recommend the execution of respiratory tract swabs and updated evidence suggests the usefulness of swabs from the upper respiratory tract, specifically the nasopharyngeal swab However, references regarding the most suitable procedures for infants, children and adolescents are scanty Epidemiological data on Covid-19 paediatric infection are affected by the number and the way in which swabs are performed The paper gives some basic information on how to perform the swabs correctly highlighting paediatric peculiarities, an acronym (ABCD) that helps to remember the main challenges and complications of the procedure, and troubleshooting © 2020 Medico e Bambino All rights reserved


One of the major events in vertebrate evolution involves the transition from jawless (agnathan) to jawed (gnathostome) vertebrates, including a variety of cranial and postcranial innovations. It has long been assumed that characters such as the pelvic girdles and fins, male intromittent organs independent from the pelvic girdles, as well as a regionalized axial skeleton first appeared in various basal gnathostome groups if not at the origin of gnathostomes. Here we describe the first occurrence of pelvic girdles and intromittent organs in the Late Devonian jawless anaspid‐like fish Euphanerops longaevus Woodward (Miguasha Lagerstätte, eastern Canada), associated with a morphologically differentiated region of the axial skeleton. Morphological differentiation of the axial skeleton is also described for the first time in an extant jawless fish, the sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus Linnaeus. Our data indicate that regionalization of the axial skeleton occurred earlier in vertebrate evolutionary history than previously appreciated. This regionalization is coupled with modifications of the appendicular skeleton in Euphanerops. These new observations combined with a new phylogenetic analysis of early vertebrates provide a more precise understanding of how the appendicular and axial skeletons developed and evolved within vertebrate evolutionary history.


Experimenting with mobile and wireless networks is challenging because testbeds lack repeatability and existing simulation models are unrealistic for real-world settings. We present practical models for the physical and MAC layer behavior in mobile wireless networks in order to address this challenge. Our models use measurements of a real network rather than abstract radio propagation and mobility models as the basis for accuracy in complex environments. We develop an adaptive measurement technique in order to maximize the accuracy of our models in dynamic environments. The models then predict the packet delivery, deferring, and collision probability in the same network for an arbitrary set of transmitters. This allows to explore the performance of different network and higher layer protocols in simulation or emulation under identical and realistic conditions. We evaluate the accuracy of our models empirically by comparing them to benchmark measurements. We find that our models are effective at reproducing mobile scenarios in various environments. Across many experiments in realistic environments, we are able to reproduce link delivery probabilities with RMS error below 12 percent, and the simulated throughput of data flows in the presence of interfering transmitters with an error that is below 10 percent.


Answer: Interesting theories deny certain assumptions of their audience, while noninteresting theories affirm certain assumptions of their audience. This answer was arrived at through the examination of a number of famous social, and especially sociological, theories. That examination also generated a systematic index of the variety of propositional forms that interesting and non-interesting theories may take. The fertility of this approach suggested a new field be established called the Sociology of the Interesting, which is intended to supplement the Sociology of Knowledge. This new field will be phenomenologically oriented in so far as it will focus on the movement of the audience's mind from one accepted theory to another. It will be sociologically oriented in so far as it will focus on the dissimilar base-line theories of the various sociological categories that compose the audience. In addition to its value in interpreting the social impact of theories, the Sociology of the Interesting can contribute to our understanding of both the common sense and scientific perspectives on reality.


Computer algebra systems are now ubiquitous in all areas of science and engineering. This highly successful textbook, widely regarded as the 'bible of computer algebra', gives a thorough introduction to the algorithmic basis of the mathematical engine in computer algebra systems. Designed to accompany one- or two-semester courses for advanced undergraduate or graduate students in computer science or mathematics, its comprehensiveness and reliability has also made it an essential reference for professionals in the area. Special features include: detailed study of algorithms including time analysis; implementation reports on several topics; complete proofs of the mathematical underpinnings; and a wide variety of applications (among others, in chemistry, coding theory, cryptography, computational logic, and the design of calendars and musical scales). A great deal of historical information and illustration enlivens the text. In this third edition, errors have been corrected and much of the Fast Euclidean Algorithm chapter has been renovated.


OBJECTIVE: Many surgical procedures are performed to decompress or to stabilise anterior C2. The aim of this study was to analyze the C2 body and the odontoid process (OP) in 80 dry C2 vertebrae from the Turkish population. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 15 parameters were measured using a Vernier caliper accurate to 0.1 mm and a goniometer in 80 dry C2 vertebrae. Parameters include height and tranverse diameter of the OP and the anterior and posterior parts of the C2 body. RESULTS: The anterior height of the OP was 15.5 mm, the posterior height of the OP was 15.4 mm; the anterior height of C2 (body and OP) was 38.7 mm, and the posterior height of C2 was 33.2 mm. The anteroposterior (AP) diameter of the narrowest part of the OP base was 11.1 mm; the largest AP diameter of the middle part of the OP was 11.3 mm. The transverse diameter of the narrowest part of the OP base was 9.3 mm, and the largest transverse diameter in the middle part of the OP was 10.5 mm. The AP diameter of the inferior surface of the C2 body was 15.8 mm and its transverse diameter was 18.1 mm. The height and transverse diameter of the OP-C1 facet were 10.5 mm and 8.8 mm, respectively. DISCUSSION: Our findings are parallel with previously reported results. Measured morphometric data are thought to be helpful for spine surgeons during transoral odontoidectomy and C2-OP fixation procedures. However, because of individual variations, each case should be analyzed radiologically in the preoperative period.


Abstract: Thermal gasification of various biomass residues is a promising technology for combining bioenergy production with soil fertility management through the application of the resulting biochar as soil amendment. In this study, we investigated gasification biochar (GB) materials originating from two major global biomass fuels: straw gasification biochar (SGB) and wood gasification biochar (WGB), produced by a Low Temperature Circulating Fluidized Bed gasifier (LT-CFB) and a TwoStage gasifier, respectively, optimized to energy conversion. Stability of carbon in GB against microbial degradation was assessed in a short-term soil incubation study and compared to the traditional practice of direct incorporation of cereal straw. The GBs were chemically and physically characterized to evaluate their potential to improve soil quality parameters. After 110 days of incubation, about 3 % of the added GB carbon was respired as CO2, compared to 80 % of the straw carbon added. The stability of GB was also confirmed by low H/C and O/C ratios with lowest values for WGB (H/C 0.01 and O/C 0.14). The soil application of GBs exhibited a liming effect increasing the soil pH from ca 8 to 9. Results from scanning electron microscopy and BET analyses showed high porosity and specific surface area of both GBs, indicating a high potential to increase important soil quality parameters such as soil structure, nutrient and water retention especially for WGB. These results seem promising regarding the possibility to combine an efficient bioenergy production with various soil aspects such as carbon sequestration and soil quality improvements.


The use of location information by law enforcement agencies is common and becoming more so as technological improvements enable collection of more accurate, precise location data. The legal mystery surrounding the proper law enforcement access standard for prospective location data remains unsolved. This mystery, along with conflicting rulings over the appropriate law enforcement access standards for both prospective and historical location data, has created a messy, inconsistent legal landscape where even judges in the same district may require law enforcement to meet different standards to compel location data. As courts struggle with these intertwined technology, privacy, and legal issues, some judges are expressing concern over the scope of the harms, from specific and personal to general and social, presented by unfettered government collection and use of location data and how to respond to them. Judges have sought to communicate the scope and gravity of these concerns through direct references to Orwell's dystopia in 1984, as well as suggestive allusions to the "panoptic effect" observed by Jeremy Bentham and his later interpreters like Michel Foucault. Some have gone on to suggest that privacy issues raised by law enforcement access to location data might be addressed more effectively by the legislature.This Article proposes a legislative model for law enforcement access standards and downstream privacy protections for location information. This proposal attempts to (1) articulate clear rules for courts to apply and law enforcement agents and industry to follow; and (2) strike a reasonable balance among the interests of law enforcement, privacy, and industry with the ultimate goal of improving the position of all concerned when measured against the current state of the law.


This paper presents a new adaptive bandwidth allocation scheme to prevent handoff failure in wireless cellular networks, known as the measurement-based preassignment (MPr) technique. This technique is particularly useful in micro/pico cellular networks which offers quality-of-service (QoS) guarantee against call dropping. The proposed MPr scheme distinguishes itself from the well-known guarded channel (GC) based schemes in that it allows the handoff calls to utilize a prereserved channel pool before competing for the shared channels with new call arrivals. The key advantage of the proposed MPr scheme is that it enables easy derivation of the number of channels that needs to be reserved for handoff based on a predetermined handoff dropping probability, without the need for solving the often complex Markov chain required in GC schemes, thus, making the proposed MPr scheme simple and efficient for implementation. This is essential in handling multiple traffic types with potentially different QoS requirements. In addition, the MPr scheme is adaptive in that it can dynamically adjust the number of reserved channels for the handoff according to the periodical measurement of the traffic status within a local cell, thus completely eliminating the signaling overhead for status information exchange among cells mandated in most existing channel allocation schemes. Numerical results and comparisons are given to illustrate the tradeoff.


Chip temperature is increasing with continued technology scaling due to increased power density and decreased device feature sizes. Since temperature has significant impact on performance and reliability, accurate thermal and circuit analysis are of great importance. Due to the shrinking device feature size, effects occurring at the nanometre scale, such as ballistic transport of energy carriers and electron tunneling, have become increasingly important and must be considered. However, many existing thermal and circuit analysis methods are not able to consider these effects efficiently, if at all. This thesis presents methods for accurate and efficient multi-scale thermal and circuit analysis. For circuit analysis, the simulation of single-electron device circuits is specifically studied. To target thermal analysis, in this work, ThermalScope, a multi-scale thermal analysis method for nanometre-scale IC design is developed. It unifies microscopic and macroscopic thermal physics modeling methods, i.e., the Boltzmann transport and Fourier modeling methods. Moreover, it supports adaptive multi-resolution modeling. Together, these ideas enable efficient and accurate characterization of nanometre-scale heat transport as well as chip–package level heat flow. ThermalScope is designed for full-chip thermal analysis of billion-transistor nanometre-scale IC designs, with accuracy at the scale of individual devices. ThermalScope has been implemented in i software and used for full-chip thermal analysis and temperature-dependent leakage analysis of an IC design with more than 150 million transistors. To target circuit analysis, in this work, SEMSIM, a multi-scale single-electron device simulator is developed with an adaptive simulation technique based on the Monte Carlo method. This technique significantly improves the time efficiency while maintaining accuracy for single-electron device and circuit simulation. It is shown that it is possible to reduce simulation time up to nearly 40 times and maintain an average propagation delay error of under 5% compared to a non-adaptive Monte Carlo method. This simulator has been used to handle large circuit benchmarks with more than 6000 junctions, showing efficiency comparable to SPICE, with much better accuracy. In addition, the simulator can characterize important secondary effects including cotunneling and Cooper pair tunneling, which are critical for device research.


In 2005, Ofcom, then telecommunications regulator in the United Kingdom, implemented functional separation of British Telecom plc (BT), separating its wholesale and retail services. BT established a division within the company, Openreach, to provide equal access to its local access network and backhaul products. The tenth anniversary of this regulatory and corporate experiment is an appropriate moment to ask whether functionally separating Openreach from BT benefited consumers. We find that Openreach's creation generated short-run consumer benefits in the form of lower prices but also led to negative long-run effects, which outweighed the short-term price reduction. Our econometric analysis indicates that prices for broadband and residential fixed-line telephone services are lower than one would expect based on prices in comparable countries. However, telecommunications investment, customer satisfaction, and measures of the United Kingdom's global competitiveness in telecommunications have also fallen. In particular, the United Kingdom's investment in next-generation networks is lagging compared with the rest of the world.


Bimetallic PdAu catalysts are more active than monometallic ones for the selective oxidation of alcohols, but the reasons for improvement remain insufficiently detailed. A metal-on-metal material can probe the structure–catalysis relationship more clearly than conventionally prepared bimetallics. In this study, Pd-on-Au nanoparticles with variable Pd surface coverages (sc%) ranging from 10 to 300 sc% were synthesized and immobilized onto carbon (Pd-on-Au/C). Tested for glycerol oxidation at 60 °C, pH 13.5, and 1 atm under flowing oxygen, the series of Pd-on-Au/C materials showed volcano-shape catalytic activity dependence on Pd surface coverage. Increasing surface coverage led to higher catalytic activity, such that initial turnover frequency (TOF) reached a maximum of ∼6000 h−1 at 80 sc%. Activity decreased above 80 sc% mostly due to catalyst deactivation. Pd-on-Au/C at 80 sc% was >10 times more active than monometallic Au/C and Pd/C, with both exhibiting TOF values less than ∼500 h−1. Glyceric acid was the dominant primary reaction product for all compositions, with its zero-conversion selectivity varying monotonically as a function of Pd surface coverage. Glyceric acid yield from Pd-on-Au/C (80 sc%) was 42%, almost double the yields from Au/C and Pd/C (16% and 22%, respectively). Ex situ X-ray absorption near edge structure analysis of two Pd-on-Au/C materials with comparable activities (60 sc% and 150 sc%) showed that the former had less oxidized Pd ensembles than the latter, and that both catalysts were less oxidized compared to Pd/C. That Au stabilizes the metallic state of surface Pd atoms may be responsible for activity enhancement observed in other PdAu-catalyzed oxidation reactions. Decorating a Au surface with Pd generates a catalyst that has the deactivation resistance of Au, the higher glyceric acid selectivity of Pd, and the synergistically higher activities that neither metal has.


We explore implications of the rational theory of momentum and reversal in Vayanos and Woolley (2011) for empirical work and portfolio management. We compute closed-form Sharpe ratios of various implementations of momentum and value strategies, of combinations of these strategies, and for general investment horizons. For plausible parameter values, the correlation between momentum and value returns is negative, momentum exhibits positive serial correlation for short lags and zero for longer lags, and value exhibits positive serial correlation for short lags and negative for longer lags. While the Sharpe ratio for momentum exceeds that of value for short horizons, the comparison can reverse for long horizons.


'In this timely Adelphi book, Jonathan Stevenson reminds us of the size and complexity of the American global footprint, and how foreign-policy imperatives have tended to override pressures to cut back on the number of overseas bases. In today's tense strategic environment, this will most likely remain the case.' Sir Lawrence Freedman, Emeritus Professor of War Studies, King's College London 'Jonathan Stevenson offers an indispensable look at the United States' overseas bases in 2022 and persuasively explains why they remain critical to American strategy today and for the foreseeable future.' Stacie L. Pettyjohn, Senior Fellow and Director of the Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security Overseas military bases have been the bedrock of the United States' ability to project military power, exert political influence and deter potential adversaries since the Second World War. But fatigue with America's 'forever wars', as well as more nuanced financial and strategic reasons, have inclined the public and policy community to favour reducing US global military activities and overseas presence. In this Adelphi book, Jonathan Stevenson argues that this desire does not necessarily translate into sound strategy. Overseas bases are a key element of the reassurance required to resurrect and bolster America's reputation among its allies and adversaries. Meanwhile, strategic imperatives and geopolitical realities impose restraints in every theatre. The fluidity prevailing in the Middle East and Indo-Pacific counsels maintaining forward-deployed forces there at roughly the current level. Russia's confrontational posture towards NATO and invasion of Ukraine, as well as NATO's short- and medium-term reliance on US capabilities, require the American presence in Europe to increase and expand eastward. The US should not commit itself to a foreign policy that is heavy on forward-deployed military power and light on diplomacy. But paradoxically, reducing forward military presence may not be consistent with a policy that is less focused on military power as a means of achieving stability and security.


Capital accumulation and creative destruction is modeled together with risk-averse households. The novel aspect - risk-averse households - allows to use well-known models not only for analyzing long-run growth as in the literature but also short-run fluctuations. The model remains analytically tractable due to a very convenient property of the household's investment decision in this stochastic continuous-time setup.


AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
To explore healthcare professionals' and patients' perceptions of the potential use of a Transition Readiness Scale in cystic fibrosis care. This included an examination of barriers and facilitators to its implementation along with the identification of key items to include in a Transition Readiness Scale.

BACKGROUND
Due to increasing life expectancy and improved quality of life, more adolescents with cystic fibrosis are transitioning from paediatric to adult health care. To assess and correctly manage this transition, a more structured approach to transition is advocated. This can be achieved using a Transition Readiness Scale to potentially identify or target areas of care in which the adolescent may have poor knowledge. These key items include education, developmental readiness taking into account relationships, reproduction, future plans and self-management skills. Existing tools to gauge readiness concentrate mainly on education and self-care needs assessment as their key items. Currently, there is no specific cystic fibrosis Transition Readiness Scale in use in Ireland or internationally.

DESIGN
The study used a descriptive qualitative design.

METHODS
Data were collected using semi-structured interviews (n = 8) and analysed using a thematic approach.

RESULTS
The findings identified the potential benefits of this tool and second the resources which need to be in place before its development and implementation into cystic fibrosis services.

CONCLUSION
Transition Readiness Scales have substantial relevance with cystic fibrosis services emphasising the importance of establishing the necessary resources prior to its implementation. These were identified as more staff, a dedicated private space and staff training and education.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE
Significant resources are needed to fully integrate Transition Readiness Scales in practice. The study findings suggest multidisciplinary collaborations, and patient engagement is pivotal in planning and easing the transition process for adolescents with cystic fibrosis.


The latest batch of numbers from the United States makes for a disturbing read. The growth rate of GDP has been adequate, but the current account deficit was 6.3 percent of GDP in the fourth quarter of 2004, and the terrible trade figures for January and February promise an even bigger deficit in the first quarter of 2005 (BEA 2005). Let no one suppose that this deterioration is a temporary effect that will automatically turn around soon.


University professors encounter more cognitive challenges within the college classroom instructional process than in previous decades. As such, a push for instructional review is echoed on college campuses. This article includes a review of the current literature on cognitive enhancement from the theoretical framework of William Perry's and Jean Piaget's Cognitive State Theory and Lev. S. Vygotsky's Constructivist Theory. Moreover, the article provides an operational definition of development, outlines variables that affect the developmental process, articulates the impact of challenge and support as it relates to development and concludes with a template of cognitive theory for instruction within the college classroom. The university is widely regarded as the place to develop academic skills and to disseminate knowledge (Winston, Banney, Miller and Dagley, 1988). However, universities must accept another responsibility, holistic development of students. Development occurs from scaffolding critical thinking and transforming character. As such, the task for both administrators and educators is to commit to developing students holistically. The point is, learning can lead to development. Therefore, development cannot be separated from its social context (Vygotsky 1977). Such an undertaking requires strategies other than one-to-one intervention provided by counselors-the college classroom. This researcher sought to review the mechanisms and principles of development, the acquisition and processing of knowledge and social interaction as related to enhancing cognitive development in college students via the classroom. Development Development refers to both qualitative and quantitative changes in behavior, physical abilities, social interactions and roles. Most important, development occurs as a consequence of physical maturation or deterioration, influences from the environment, or from an interaction between the current status of the organism and the environment which causes more quantitative shifts in beliefs, values, and attitudes that occur as a person attempts to adapt to the increasingly complex demands of the environment. (Hunt and Schroder, 1961). Developmental psychologists (Neugarten, 1988; Boltes; Reese & Lipsitt, 1980) argue that they are interested in patterns of change in abilities, structures and behavior. On the other hand, social - cognitive developmental theories encompass what others have referred to as the cognitive-developmental and structural-adaptive theories (Piaget, 1970; Perry, 1970; Loveninger, 1976; and Kholberg, 1976). Cognitive - developmental theories focus on orderly changes in reasoning patterns. Reasoning patterns are constructs which act as filters through which an individual ascribes meaning to an event, issue or problem. Furthermore, Touchton, Wertheimer, Cornfeld and Harrison (1977) noted the variables important to developmental change: * Openness to Alternatives Perspectives - respect for others opinions and thoughts. * Analysis - the ability to see more than one perspective. * Ability to assume Responsibility - the ability to accept consequences for decisions. * World-view - how an individual discerns his world. * Semantic Structure - communication styles and thought patterns. * Self Processes - objective assessment of self. * Interpersonal view The individual act with more complexities within his (her)world as variables are integrated. How Development Occurs Agents of Change Adaption is the process by which development evolves. The adaption process is divided into two complimentary parts, assimilation and accommodation. Through this dual process of adaption, the individual creates new structures to deal effectively with his environment. In the process of assimilation the individual actively incorporates features of the external world into his existing structures. …


Policy context Proponents of the Daylight Saving Bill currently under consideration in the UK parliament have hypothesised that extending afternoon daylight would promote child physical activity. Objective To investigate the relative contribution of day length and weather to children's physical activity, and the behavioural mediators underlying these effects. Design Cross-sectional school-based study Setting Hertfordshire, UK Participants 325 children (170 girls) aged 8–11 wore RT3 accelerometers as an objective measure of physical activity (964 days of valid data) and simultaneously completed travel and activity diaries (995 days). Outcome Overall daily physical activity (mean accelerometer counts per minute). Exposures Our main exposure measures were day length, temperature rainfall, cloud cover and wind speed. We also examined the mediating role of time spent in out-of-home play, structured sports and active travel. Results Overall physical activity was higher on long days (≥14 h daylight), but there was no difference between short days (<9.5 h) and medium days (10.2–12.6 h). The effect of long day length was largest between 17:00 and 20:00, and persisted after adjusting for rainfall, cloud cover and wind. Around half this effect was explained by a greater duration and intensity of out-of-home play on long days; structured sports and active travel were less affected by day length. Higher rainfall was associated with lower physical activity in the morning and early afternoon, and this was not explained by participation in play, sport or active travel. Conclusion At least above a certain threshold, longer afternoon/evening daylight appears to have a causal role in increasing child physical activity. This strengthens the public health arguments in favour of daylight saving measures such as those currently under consideration in Britain.


This thesis examines the economic effects of both international and domestic
remittances on Filipino households. The thesis investigates three main research
questions: (1) "Which household characteristics affect the probability and the size of
domestic and international remittances migrant households received?"; (2) "How do
these two sources of remittances Filipino households received affect welfare inequality
at the household level?"; (3) "How do the remittances affect the recipient household's
expenditure patterns, especially educational expenditures?" The data mainly used for
the thesis come from the nationally representative Family Income and Expenditure
Survey (FIES) in the Philippines during the period of 1985-2006.

With regard to the first question, the thesis finds that the levels of receiving
international and domestic remittances are mutually related and reveals that there is a
displacement effect of remittances from abroad on those from within the country.
Furthermore, the thesis also revealed that several explanatory factors such as the welfare
level, the heads' characteristics, the job-related factors, and the regional disparities are
significant to determine both the probability and the size of receiving the remittances.

Regarding the second question, the thesis shows that the receipt of international
remittances could significantly contribute to an improvement in Filipino households'
livelihoods at any welfare level and that it would cause expenditure inequality between
Filipino households to widen over time. In contrast, the receipt of remittances from
within the Philippines did not exert a significant impact on improving the welfare.

As for the last question, the thesis finds that the receipt of remittances from abroad
would increase the budget share for education as well as its absolute value. This result
supports the idea that international remittances could contribute to the future Philippine
economic growth via increase in human capital investment if the country sort out the
issues on brain drain of educated migrants' children.


STUDY OBJECTIVES
To develop clinical guideposts to identify patients with salient nightmare conditions.

DESIGN
Prevalence data from a retrospective chart review on a consecutive series of sleep patients to assess how or whether those with nightmares (1) rank nightmare complaints compared to other sleep complaints, (2) link nightmares to disrupted sleep, (3) report worse sleep symptoms and health outcomes compared to other sleep patients, and (4) endorse criteria for a salient nightmare condition on the Disturbing Dream and Nightmare Severity Index.

SETTING
Two community sleep facilities: private sleep medical center and a hospital-based sleep lab.

PATIENTS
Seven hundred eighteen patients presenting at intake: sleep center (n = 620); sleep lab (n = 98).

MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS
Standard sleep parameters and various health outcomes were assessed with self-report measures. Of 718 sleep patients, 186 ranked a nightmare complaint among their sleep problems, of whom 117 linked their bad dreams to disrupted sleep, suggesting a potential salient nightmare condition. Compared to all other sleep patients, these 117 cases demonstrated consistent significant patterns of worse or more prevalent problems with self-reported sleep indexes, insomnia, sleep quality, sleep-fragmentation factors, sleep-related daytime impairment, psychiatric history, medical comorbidity, and parasomnias. The Disturbing Dream and Nightmare Severity Index identified those with salient nightmare complaints and correlated with worse sleep and health outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS
At 2 sleep medical facilities, 16% of patients presented with an apparent salient nightmare condition, and these patients were identified with simple clinical guideposts, which could be incorporated at intake in various sleep medicine settings.


Introduction: Requirements Engineering process is a crucial phase in software development. In order to achieve a successful design of health information systems (HISs), applying the best methodologies is essential. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to design pediatrics Epilepsy Information System (EPIS) as well as the use of triangulation approach in elicitation and validation of epilepsy information system requirements in its engineering process. Methods: This applied study was carried out in Bandar Abbas pediatric hospital. Triangulation approach based on three different analyses and validation methods in requirements engineering process was applied. To do the triangulation work, as well as designing a usable system, according to the most common User Centered Design (UCD) methods, we use three well-known methodological approaches in UCD: (a) Object-Oriented System Analysis (OOSA); (b) Hierarchical Task Analysis; and, (c) Prototyping. The results of each of these methods were analyzed by selected clinical staff, iterative cycle in models design also continued until lack of need for new changes. Then final results were presented in a general category in the form of triangulation matrix. Results: 55 high-level requirements with minimum information items to store information of hospitalized epileptic patients obtained from multiple methods. The greatest requirements (84) were identified or validated in the OOSA step, some requirements (13) have been identified only in the design and evaluation of prototype. Conclusion: Triangulation approach helped us in confirmation of findings, and finally enhance the credibility of the study. Health informatics specialists should try to use of multiple methods in the early phases of systems design that lead to a rich and comprehensive picture of HIS requirements.


In this paper we describe the design and operating characteristics of a computer-controlled four-roll mill for investigations of particle and drop dynamics in two-dimensional linear flows. The control system is based upon the use of: a video camera to visualize the instantaneous position of the drop or particle; a PDP 11/23 computer, with a pipeline processor acting as an interface between the camera and computer, to calculate the position and implement a control strategy, and d.c. stepping motors to convert an electronic signal to angular velocities of the four rollers. The control objective is to keep the centre of mass of the drop/particle at the centre of the region between the rollers where there is a stagnation point in the undisturbed flow, while maintaining the shear-rate and the ratio of vorticity to strain rate in the flow at fixed values. The resulting system is suitable for studies of: the rotational motions of single solid particles; the deformation and burst of single droplets; or the hydrodynamic interactions of two particles or drops, one of which is held with its centre-of-mass fixed at the stagnation point of the undisturbed flow. In all cases, the flow can be varied from pure rotation to pure strain, and the shear rate can be either steady or changing as a prescribed function of time.


OBJECTIVE To describe a 2-year follow-up of A1C outcomes of a self-regulation intervention for youth with type 1 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A total of 81 youths with type 1 diabetes ages 11–16 years were randomized to usual care versus a diabetes personal trainer intervention consisting of six self-monitoring, goal-setting, and problem-solving sessions with trained nonprofessionals. A1C data were obtained from medical records 2 years postintervention, and ANCOVA adjusting for age and baseline A1C was conducted. RESULTS An overall intervention effect on A1C (8.93% control vs. 8.43% intervention; F = 8.24, P = 0.05) and a significant intervention-by-age interaction (F = 9.88; P = 0.002) were observed, indicating a greater effect among older than younger youths. Subgroup analyses demonstrated no treatment group differences among pre-/early adolescents but a significant difference in A1C among middle adolescents (9.61% control vs. 8.46% intervention; F = 7.20, P = 0.011). CONCLUSIONS Findings indicate maintenance of intervention effects on A1C observed at 1-year follow-up.


Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) is the integration of computation and physical systems that make a complete system such as the network, software, embedded systems, and physical components. Major industries such as industrial plants, transport, national grid, and communication systems depend heavily on CPS for financial and economic growth. However, these components may have inherent threats and vulnerabilities on them that may run the risk of being attacked, manipulated or exploited by cyber attackers and commit cybercrimes. Cybercriminals in their quest to bring down these systems may cause disruption of services either for fame, data theft, revenge, political motive, economic war, cyber terrorism, and cyberwar. Therefore, identifying the risks has become imperative in mitigating the cybercrimes. This paper seeks to identify cybercrimes and risks that are associated with a smart grid business application system to determine the motives and intents of the cybercriminal. The paper identified four goals to mitigate the risks: as business value, organizational requirements, threat agent and impact vectors. We used the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) to determine the importance of the goals that contribute to identifying cybercrime and risks in CPS. For the results, a case study is used to identify the threat and vulnerable spots and the prioritized goals are then used to assess the risks using a semiquantitative approach to determine the net threat level. The results indicate that using the AHP approach to identify cybercrime and risk on CPS provides specific risk mitigation goals.


Background Red blood cell distribution width (RDW), an automated measure of red blood cell size heterogeneity (e.g., anisocytosis) that is largely overlooked, is a newly recognized risk marker in patients with cardiovascular diseases, but its role in persistent viral infection has not been well-defined. The present study was designed to investigate the association between RDW values and different disease states in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-infected patients. In addition, we analyzed whether RDW is associated with mortality in the HBV-infected patients. Methodology/Principal Findings One hundred and twenty-three patients, including 16 with acute hepatitis B (AHB), 61 with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), and 46 with chronic severe hepatitis B (CSHB), and 48 healthy controls were enrolled. In all subjects, a blood sample was collected at admission to examine liver function, renal function, international normalized ratio and routine hematological testing. All patients were followed up for at least 4 months. A total of 10 clinical chemistry, hematology, and biochemical variables were analyzed for possible association with outcomes by using Cox proportional hazards and multiple regression models. RDW values at admission in patients with CSHB (18.30±3.11%, P<0.001), CHB (16.37±2.43%, P<0.001) and AHB (14.38±1.72%, P<0.05) were significantly higher than those in healthy controls (13.03±1.33%). Increased RDW values were clinically associated with severe liver disease and increased 3-month mortality rate. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that RDW values and the model for end-stage liver disease score were independent predictors for mortality (both P<0.001). Conclusion RDW values are significantly increased in patients with hepatitis B and associated with its severity. Moreover, RDW values are an independent predicting factor for the 3-month mortality rate in patients with hepatitis B.


This volume provides a practical answer to, among other questions, Whither public law after the Chicago School'? Using perspectives from American history, economic theory, and legal analysis, the Garvey's take an interdisciplinary approach to U.S. public law and policy--antitrust and regulation--and develop the essential unity of the two major fields based on a clearly written summary of pertinent microeconomic principles. They establish that economic growth has been a primary goal of U.S. public policy throughout the nation's history. The authors provide a thorough critical survey of neopopulism and neoclassicism, the two major post-war impulses in public economic law. An innovative and concrete framework for policy development and for practical institutional reform aimed at improving U.S. industrial competitiveness by improving the capital allocation process is presented here. The highly readable text is complemented by graphics and tables for those who may want a rigorous treatment of economic/legal concepts. The work has been extensively annotated, especially to legal precedents and economic texts. Law school libraries, major public libraries, libraries of law firms, federal courts and superior state courts, as well as university libraries will find "Economic Law and Economic Growth" a necessary addition. This is a volume that can be productively consulted by practicing lawyers and college/university teachers in the fields of antitrust law, regulation--both lawyers and economists, and public policy. An invaluable addition to courses in antitrust and administrative law, economic policy, the regulatory process, economic development/industrial policy, and political economics.


A traditional photonic-force microscope (PFM) results in huge sets of data, which requires tedious numerical analysis. In this paper, we propose instead an analog signal processor to attain real-time capabilities while retaining the richness of the traditional PFM data. Our system is devoted to intracellular measurements and is fully interactive through the use of a haptic joystick. Using our specialized analog hardware along with a dedicated algorithm, we can extract the full 3D stiffness matrix of the optical trap in real time, including the off-diagonal cross-terms. Our system is also capable of simultaneously recording data for subsequent offline analysis. This allows us to check that a good correlation exists between the classical analysis of stiffness and our real-time measurements. We monitor the PFM beads using an optical microscope. The force-feedback mechanism of the haptic joystick helps us in interactively guiding the bead inside living cells and collecting information from its (possibly anisotropic) environment. The instantaneous stiffness measurements are also displayed in real time on a graphical user interface. The whole system has been built and is operational; here we present early results that confirm the consistency of the real-time measurements with offline computations.