Spectral signature, in general, can be defined as characteristics of surface objects of transmission, absorption and reflection of electromagnetic radiation. Spectral signature is expected stable and unique for given surface material. Spectral signature can be graphically represented in two-dimensional space in the form of spectral curves. Spectral signature has been used long time for object detection and classification mostly by spectral matching methods. Spectral matching is time-consuming and requires reference spectra that is not always available in hand. Spectral modulation pattern is a simplified form of spectral curve shapes. We define this pattern by pairwise comparison of reflectance between two spectral bands. The aim of this research is to point out the use of spectral modulation patterns for land cover mapping. The experiment has been carried out with Landsat 8 OLI image data, which has six reflective bands of 30 m spatial resolution. The Landsat 8 OLI is an excellent data source for land cover mapping in both local and global scale. Due to very huge data volume, automated analysis is crucial when we need accomplish land cover maps in a short time. In this paper, the authors introduce the concept to use spectral modulation patterns of spectral signatures for automated interpretation of land cover. The first step in this concept is to understand correctly meaning of each modulation pattern of spectral signatures and their relation to land cover classes. In this study, we use three Landsat 8 OLI images of Vietnam in 2013 and 2014. Ground GPS field photos were collected to support interpretation of land cover. References Canty, M.J., Nielsen, A.A., Schmidt, M., 2004: Automatic radiometric normalization of multitemporal satellite imagery. Remote Sensing of Environment 91.3,  441-451. Duong, N. D.,1997: Graphical analysis of spectral reflectance curve.In Proceedings of the 18th Asian Conference on Remote Sensing, Oct 1997, pp. 20-24. Laborte, Alice G., Maunahan, A.A.,  Hijmans, R.J., 2010:  Spectral signature generalization and expansion can improve the accuracy of satellite image classification. PloS one 5.5,  e10516. Olthof, I., Butson, C.,  Fraser, R., 2005: Signature extension through space for northern landcover classification: A comparison of radiometric correction methods. Remote Sensing of Environment 95.3,  290-302. Ruby, J.G., Fischer, R.L., 2002: Spectral signatures database for remote sensing applications. International Symposium onOptical Science and TechnologyInternationalSociety for Optics and Photonics, 2002. Shaw, G.A.,  Burke, H-h.K, 2003: Spectral imaging for remote sensing". Lincoln Laboratory Journal 14.1, 3-28. Thenkabail, P., et al., 2007: Spectral matching techniques to determine historical land-use/land-cover (LULC) and irrigated areas using time-series 0.1-degree AVHRR Pathfinder datasets. Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing73.10, 1029-1040.


These men ask for just the same thing—fairness, and fairness only. This, so far as in my power, they, and all others, shall have.' Abraham Lincoln

The Department of Health, in conjunction with the Home Office, announced critical changes to immigration rules for international medical graduates from outside of the European Economic Area, which came into force in April.1-3 Until then, rules of immigration in the UK had fostered training of international medical graduates through the proviso of a permit-free training visa. By virtue of the new decree, this training visa will no longer be issued. Instead, overseas applicants will need work permits,4 if they do not have a right to live and work in the UK otherwise. To procure a work permit for an international medical graduate, trusts and deaneries must demonstrate to the Home Office that there are no suitable home-grown graduates available for the post.2 The crux of the problem understandably, lies here; hereafter, an applicant's country of origin and visa status will take predominance over merit and distinctions. Training opportunities for overseas doctors will become limited. What is indeed astounding, is the fact that these substantial changes have been unleashed with little warning and with retrospective effect, and will affect even those in training.

The ruling will expedite recruitment processes, as trusts and deaneries will now sift through a far fewer number of applications. It may also usher in a sense of relief for British graduates, by mitigating the frenzied job situation. For international medical graduates though—many of whom are already facing monetary and emotional hardship—it may be the final nail in the coffin. Entry into foundation programmes for most will remain a forlorn dream. Those already in foundation programmes or senior house officer posts may never make the leap to specialist training. They may suddenly find themselves in a unique predicament with neither post-graduate degrees nor specialist skills. With bleak prospects and without visas, they may be forced to leave the country. It may be particularly disheartening for those doing research (some on an honorary basis), in order to bolster their credentials. Academic distinctions may not lead to interviews and jobs anymore. Their meticulous work of several years duration may never bear fruit.

Certain transitional arrangements have been made for doctors currently on permit-free training. Their current employers will procure a work permit for the remaining period of their employment. However, these candidates will find themselves checkmated by the new ruling when applying for their next training position. For such individuals, the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme,5 which grants right to work in the UK, may provide a solution. But, those qualifying through this programme are only given short-term visas which may restrict them from being considered for long-term training posts. Furthermore, scoring the required points for qualification through this programme, is not easy for the relatively inexperienced. Returning to one's country of origin is another option. If one is indeed determined about specialist training and foreign degrees, migrating to USA or Canada may help realize these ends. Needless to say, both these options will set the clock back by a few years. The final recourse will probably be to settle for non-career grade or other less preferred posts in the UK.

Despite vicious competition in the job market and alarming rates of unemployment among overseas doctors,6 the General Medical Council, for reasons that are enigmatic, has continued to conduct the Professional and Linguistics Assessments Board test; and that, on a rip-roaring scale.7 Has the honourable institution been ignorant of this glut or is it resolute on selling an expensive ticket to fool's paradise? Why did the Department of Health not anticipate this overabundance a few years ago and introduce these measures then, by degrees? It could have spared thousands from this misadventure.

`There are no equal opportunities anymore'—is the quintessence of this unsavoury issue. It is indeed lamentable that Great Britain, the illustrious leader of the Common-wealth, should adopt this stance. Doctors from Common-wealth countries, have been an integral force in the National Health Service for decades. Suddenly, they have been unceremoniously sidelined. The well-being of British graduates certainly needs to be ensured, but not by culling others' careers. Are overseas doctors simply dispensable dogsbodies?

The sword of Damocles already hangs over the heads of international medical graduates in the guise of Modernising Medical Careers.8 The new immigration rules might just terminate their prospects in one swift stroke. Lives and livelihoods will be ruined. Many have already spent a substantial number of years to kick-start their careers in the UK. It will be heartbreaking for them to accept the fact that they may have to relinquish everything and start all over again. Will they ever realize their goals, their dreams? These stringent immigration rules, will leave countless bright young minds to face a grim and nebulous future.


Convolvulus caput-medusae is an endemic plant species of the Canary Islands growing only on Fuerteventura and Gran Canada. Because this species is highly threatened, the till now little known populations of Fuerteventura have been investigated. The population is minimum 50.000 individuals. The size distribution has been investigated by certain parts of subpopulations. The maximum height was 56 cm, the maximum diameter 125 cm. Convolvulus caput-medusaeis associated with other shrubs and subshrubs in communities belonging probably to the class Pegano-Salsoletea respectively to the new class Polycarpaeo niveae-Traganetea moquini. It grows on rocky plateaus covered with a shallow layer of carbonate sand in the Convolvulus caput-medusae - Ononisnatrix ssp. ramosissima community, whereas on steep rocky slopes in direct contact to the sea it grows in the Chenoleo tomentosae-Suaedetum vermiculatae. Both communities are documented by plant sociological releves. The need for further investigations is pointed out.


The arginine vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OT) hormone pathways are involved in a multitude of physiological processes, and their receptor genes (AVPR1A and OXTR) have been implicated in increased partner preference and pair bonding behavior in mammalian lineages. This observation is of considerable importance for understanding social monogamy in primates, which is present in only a small subset of primate taxa, including Azara's owl monkeys (Aotus azarai). Thus, it is the goal of this dissertation to examine the molecular evolution of AVPR1A and OXTR in owl monkeys to better understand how the pro-social behaviors related to those loci may have evolved. However, in order to properly contextualize functional neurogenetic variation related to such sociobehavioral pattterns, it is necessary to first establish the range of molecular variation occurring at non-related genetic loci. To address this issue, we sequenced the entire mitochondrial genome of two species of Aotus (A. azarai and A. nancymaae), and analyzed 39 haplotypes of the mitochondrial COII gene from ten different owl monkey taxa. Next, to understand the recent evolutionary history and genetic structure of our focal owl monkey population, we assessed variation of the mtDNA control region (D-loop) in 118 wild individuals. Furthermore, to establish our knowledge of genetic kinship and individual identity within the wild population, we investigated autosomal variation in the form of 24 short tandem repeat (STR) microsatellite loci. In concert with these analyses, we characterized the molecular features of AVPR1A and OXTR in A. azarai and other platyrrhines through direct sequencing, and demonstrated that there are substantial sequence differences at both loci across primate species. These data provide new clues on the possible basis of pair bonding in New World species, and may help to explain the sporadic appearance of monogamy in this infraorder. Specifically, despite a common molecular origin, we argue that the AVP and OT pathways have evolved in markedly different ways, due in part to their chromosomal locations and their relative proximity to regions of molecular instability. This study reinforces the notion that neurogenetic loci in primates have undergone significant evolutionary changes, and suggests that monogamy has arisen multiple times in the primate order through different molecular mechanisms. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Anthropology First Advisor Theodore G. Schurr This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/489


Successful application of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite reinforcement to wood products requires that a high quality, durable bond be developed between two dissimilar materials. In this study, the adhesive bonding properties of two FRP-wood composite materials were investigated. The newly developed Composites Pressure Resin Infusion System (ComPRIS) was used to produce an E-glass/vinyl ester FRP material directly on a wood surface. The performance of this material was compared to a control system comprised of an adhesive-bonded precured FRP composite sheet. The properties investigated included shear stress and the percentage of wood failure experienced in shear, and the delamination of the FRP-wood interface when subjected to an accelerated-aging test. The results indicated that FRP-wood hybrid composite materials produced by ComPRIS exhibit a shear strength equal to, or greater than, the control methods of reinforced FRP-glulam manufacture, i.e., the bonding of prefabricated FRP composite sheets with an epoxy adhesive. The results of the hygrothermal tests, however, suggest that the vinyl ester bondlines created by ComPRIS are not as durable as other adhesive bonding methods when subjected to repeated wetting and drying cycles. The main cause of this is thought to be the incomplete curing of the vinyl ester resin when allowed to cure at room temperature, and a post-curing procedure or use of a different resin is therefore recommended.


This article challenges the pervasive view that commercialisation of non-timber forest products can (easily) achieve ecosystem and species conservation as well as improving livelihoods. Following a brief review of who and what is involved, it focuses on the main ecological and livelihood risks of unconsidered promotion of NTFP commercialisation, drawing on a wide range of case studies from around the world. It concludes with some recommendations, emphasising the lack of 'magic-bullet' products, and the importance - among other things - of not ignoring national policy, taking an integrated view of the value chain, considering the implications of different production options, and improving both quality and quantity.


Purpose: The objective of this study was to identify possible risk factors associated with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). Methods: A case-control study included patients seen at Rasoul-Akram Hospital ophthalmology clinic. Cases were consecutive patients with confirmed unilateral or bilateral POAG presented during the study period. Controls were a random sample of all other patients aged 30 or more, seen in the same department in the same period who were randomly selected if they fulfilled the inclusion criteria and then matched with the cases by age and sex. Data on demographic, anthropometric as well as medical characteristics were collected from 191 subjects, by interview and medical examination. Results: Sixty consecutive patients with POAG and 131 controls were chosen. Odds ratios (OR) are calculated for the relation between POAG and family history of glaucoma, body mass index, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cigarette smoking, migraine, and refractive error. Chi-square and student t tests were used. Results indicated the following: family history of glaucoma: OR: 35, 95% CI: 4.57-282.43, P<0.0001, hyperopia: OR: 0.432, 95% CI: 0.209-0.893, P=0.021, hypertension: OR: 1.46, 95% CI: 0.78-2.73, P=0.223, body mass index: P=0.378 (student t test) , migraine: OR: 0.46, 95% CI: 0.098-2.23, P=0.507, and cigarette smoking: OR, 1.81; 95% CI, 0.747-4.41; P= 0.184. Conclusion: This study replicated the finding that family history is a major risk factor for POAG (when adjusting for age and sex), while it failed to show that hypertension, diabetes mellitus, myopia, cigarette smoking, migraine, and body mass index to be associated with POAG. It also suggested a protective role for hyperopia in POAG.


This article examines the ways in which integrating a metatheory to guide qualitative interviews supports health theory and the research methodology of interviewing. This study applied Harm Reduction Theory (HRT) as a metatheory to the Reconceptualized Health Belief Model (RHBM) in targeting motorcyclists to practice safety behaviors. After integrating the metatheory with a health behavior theory to develop research questions and frame the interview guide, we recruited and interviewed 37 at-risk motorcyclists. The process of interviewing participants and the results of the study support the integration of harm reduction metatheory to enhance interview methodology as a way to effectively engage participants by building rapport, encouraging participants to apply theory, and empowering them to be open and honest in their responses. This research process highlights ways in which incorporating a metatheory to guide theory diverges from the more traditional, theory-driven approach to interviewing.


Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) of the Okamoto strain exhibit a significant exacerbation in severity of hypertension when fed diets high in NaCl. To examine the hypothesis that abnormalities in the monoaminergic innervation of the hypothalamus and brainstem contribute to the NaCl-induced exacerbation of hypertension, the monoamine and monoamine metabolite contents of specific hypothalamic and brainstem regions thought to be involved in the pathogenesis of hypertension were determined in SHR fed a diet containing 8% or 1% NaCl for either 2 or 6 weeks beginning at age 8 weeks. SHR maintained on the 8% NaCl diet for 2 weeks displayed significant decreases in norepinephrine in both the anterior and posterior hypothalamic regions but not in other brainstem or hypothalamic regions, as compared with animals consuming 1% NaCl. In addition, stores of the principal terminal norepinephrine metabolite 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol were reduced in the anterior hypothalamic region of SHR fed an 8% NaCl diet for 2 weeks. After 6 weeks on the diets, SHR fed 8% NaCl showed small but statistically nonsignificant reductions in norepinephrine stores of the anterior hypothalamic region as compared with SHR fed a basal diet, while WKY fed 8% NaCl had significantly elevated norepinephrine stores in the anterior hypothalamic region as compared with WKY fed a basal diet. There was a significant group X diet interaction (p less than 0.05). After 6 weeks on the 8% NaCl diet, SHR (but not WKY) displayed a significant reduction in norepinephrine content of the posterior hypothalamic region. No NaCl-induced differences in norepinephrine stores were found in the pons or medulla of either strain.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


The emerging Phase Change Memory (PCM) is considered to be a promising candidate to replace DRAM as the next generation main memory due to its higher scalability and lower leakage power. However, the high write power consumption has become a major challenge in adopting PCM as main memory. In addition to the fact that writing to PCM cells requires high write current and voltage, current loss in the charge pumps also contributes a large percentage of high power consumption. The pumping efficiency of a PCM chip is a concave function of the write current. Leveraging the characteristics of the concave function, the overall pumping efficiency can be improved if the write current is uniform. In this article, we propose a peak-to-average (PTA) write scheme, which smooths the write current fluctuation by regrouping write units. In particular, we calculate the current requirements for each write unit by their values when they are evicted from the last level cache (LLC). When the write units are waiting in the memory controller, we regroup the write units by LLC-assisted PTA to reach the current-uniform goal. Experimental results show that LLC-assisted PTA achieved 13.4% of overall energy saving compared to the baseline.


Exergy concept combined with pinch based approach is used for studying the optimal integration of energy conversion systems. The analysis first considers the representation of the hot and cold composite curves of the process and defines the energy and the exergy requirements. Strength of pinch analysis is that system information can be represented using simple diagrams and thus targets for the system under consideration can be readily obtained prior to design. In contrast, the power of exergy analysis is that it can identify the major causes of thermodynamic imperfection of thermal and chemical processes and thus promising modifications can be determined effectively. By combining the strengths of both methods, the proposed method can represent a whole system, including individual units on one diagram, which helps to screen the promising modifications quickly for improving a base case design. This method is Energy Level Analysis. We have developed energy level analysis to energy destruction level as a strategy for energy integration that uses power plant simulation tools to define the interaction between the various subsystems in the plant and a graphical technique to help the engineer interpret the results of the simulation with physical insights that point towards exploring possible integration schemes to increase energy efficiency. In this paper, 1000 MW nuclear steam power plant similar to Bushehr is considered. Simulation of power plant is performed in STEAM PRO software. Computer code is developed to exergy calculation and generation of exergy destruction level representation. In addition, thermoeconomic analysis is performed to generation of other new graphical representation related to exergy destruction that helps us to consider cost rate of destruction in each component.Copyright © 2008 by ASME


Organisms inhabit a variable world. Indeed, the spectacular variation exhibited by natural environments has long captured the attention of biologists, and raises a multitude of questions about how individuals and populations persist when their habitats vary or change. In this thesis, I have used an overarching conceptual framework of different scales of variation – both spatial and temporal – to guide three research foci (connectivity, refugia, and conservation) aimed at better understanding the ways in which animals interact with environmental variation. Australia's aridification forms a dynamic setting in which the continent's interior shifted from the warm, wet climates of 20 million years ago, to its current, arid state; vast, dry places in which freshwater is rare and fragmented. I have capitalised on the modern and historic variation captured in this iconic landscape to gain new insights into the evolution and persistence of part of its desert-dwelling fish fauna: the Chlamydogobius gobies. In taking a molecular perspective (via phylogenetic and phylogeographic investigations; Chapters 2 and 3 respectively), my work has provided a perspective on how arid connectivity underpins fish diversification and persistence. I begin by exploring the origin of the group; a highly resolved molecular phylogeny enabled me to infer evolutionary relationships, speciation patterns, and the environmental drivers that led to diversification of these small, benthic fishes. I focus in on one part of that biogeographic range to explore the genetic structure and phylogeography of C. eremius populations in the artesian springs and ephemeral rivers surrounding the massive salt lake, Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre. There are recurring concepts in results at both coarse (e.g. regional, Chapter 2) and more local (Chapter 3) levels of variation. The existence of permanent water sources in the arid zone is unsurprisingly crucial to fish persistence: it has been a source both of persistence, and the generation of biodiversity. However, these findings also illustrate that species-specific traits (such as the ability to opportunistically exploit temporary hydrological connections) can override or delay the effect of potential terrestrial barriers to dispersal. I build on this context of connectivity and refuge by examining the behavioural responses of contemporary populations and individuals to variable conditions. Here, my experimental investigations of populations in the ecologically disparate habitats of permanent springs and temporary rivers found that despite a complex picture of ecological variation, key components of landscape heterogeneity – hydrological connectivity, and habitat "type" (permanent spring or temporary river) – did indeed predict the behavioural responses of fish, providing insights into how fish exploit diverse habitats (Chapter 4). Finally, at a finer, within-habitat level (Chapter 5), I discovered that individual C. eremius males in either a simple or complex habitat were able to adjust their behaviour with the visual environment, but that mating outcomes were robust to the variation. Overall, my thesis contributes to our understanding of arid zone biodiversity, evolution, and conservation. In a contemporary setting, the findings inform perspectives on connectivity, persistence, and management of threatened desert fishes in isolated relict habitats that are increasingly and urgently threatened by anthropogenic change.


'As the problems raised in this book are fundamental to learning they have a long history of investigation and discussion. In phsycho-analytical practice, particularly with patients displaying symptoms of disorders of thought, it becomes clear that psycho-analysis has added a dimension to problems if not to their solution.'This book deals with emotional experiences that are directly related both to theories of knowledge and to clinical psycho-analysis, and that in the most practical manner.'- Wilfred R. Bion, from the Introduction


A number of authors have identified the determinants of success in international sporting competitions such as the Olympics and soccer's World Cup. This paper serves to update past work on international women's soccer performance given the rapid development of the game over the past decade. We compare the determinants of men's international soccer team performance with that of their female counterparts and find that a different set of variables are important in explaining success for the two genders. While economic and demographic influences hold for both, the impacts of specific political and cultural factors diverge. In particular, Latin heritage predicts men's success but not women's, Muslim religious affiliation reduces women's success but not men's, and communist political systems tend to improve women's performance but reduce men's performance. Several measures of gender equality improve soccer performance for both men's and women's soccer suggesting these indicators of gender equality reflect overall levels of development while other measures of equality, particularly those related to women's access to education, improve women's soccer performance without enhancing men's performance.


The present paper covers the work made in order to be able to perform standard deep water IMO manoeuvring simulations based on a combination of computed and measured hydrodynamic input data. Based on a full set of measured PMM data a reduced test matrix was identified and the standard 10-10 and 20-20 zigzag and the 35 turning circle manoeuvres was simulated. Based on the reduced test matrix all the static PMM conditions were computed with the RANS code STAR-CCM+ in order to obtain the hydrodynamic forces and moments. The computed static PMM data was subsequently used to replace the corresponding measured static PMM data in the simulations. Comparison between the computed and measured forces and moments showed a quite good agreement. Formal verification and validation, taking numerical and experimental uncertainties into account, was made for a selected condition. The result showed that the X-force is validated, while the Y-force and the yaw moment are not. For the simulated manoeuvres, the results also look promising, since reasonable good agreement was found when comparing the simulated turning circle and zigzag manoeuvres, obtained with measured and computed input data.


The Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) is designed to measure the scale of baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) in the clustering of matter over a larger volume than the combined efforts of all previous spectroscopic surveys of large-scale structure. BOSS uses 1.5 million luminous galaxies as faint as i = 19.9 over 10,000 deg2 to measure BAO to redshifts z < 0.7. Observations of neutral hydrogen in the Lyα forest in more than 150,000 quasar spectra (g < 22) will constrain BAO over the redshift range 2.15 < z < 3.5. Early results from BOSS include the first detection of the large-scale three-dimensional clustering of the Lyα forest and a strong detection from the Data Release 9 data set of the BAO in the clustering of massive galaxies at an effective redshift z = 0.57. We project that BOSS will yield measurements of the angular diameter distance dA to an accuracy of 1.0% at redshifts z = 0.3 and z = 0.57 and measurements of H(z) to 1.8% and 1.7% at the same redshifts. Forecasts for Lyα forest constraints predict a measurement of an overall dilation factor that scales the highly degenerate DA(z) and H−1(z) parameters to an accuracy of 1.9% at z ∼ 2.5 when the survey is complete. Here, we provide an overview of the selection of spectroscopic targets, planning of observations, and analysis of data and data quality of BOSS.


AIMS
To design clinical guidelines on timing for replacing peripheral intravenous catheters, in an attempt to decrease complications and lower related expenditures.

BACKGROUND
Intravenous therapy is a common intervention for patients in hospitals and some other clinical settings. However, the currently available international and local guidelines have come under criticism. There is a need to develop evidence-based guidelines to benefit patients as well as to save on the resources of healthcare systems.

DESIGN
A discursive paper.

METHODS
The evidence-based health care of Dawes et al. (BioMed Central Medical Education 5, 2005, 1) was adopted to guide the development of this guideline. Cochrane Library Database was searched with four keywords: (1) Intravenous, (2) Infusion, (3) Infection, and (4) Timing, which identified one systematic review. Guideline on timing for replacing peripheral intravenous catheters was proposed based on the systematic review. Further recommendation for application in clinical settings and quality management are given. An algorithm on the replacement of peripheral intravenous catheters was included.

CONCLUSION
Clinically indicated replacement was suggested over routine replacement because the former results in lower healthcare expenditures without involving any extra risks of complications.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE
These guidelines are simple and easy to follow in a clinical environment. An algorithm is given to enhance the usage of these guidelines by clinicians.


Despite advances in medical science, dialysis treatment for end stage renal disease remains fraught with complications and severely limits the quality and longevity of life in these patients. Renal transplantation allows for an enhanced length and quality of life. Unfortunately the demand for kidneys outstrips the supply and nephrologists have taken to performing transplantation in conditions that were previously thought impossible. Human leucocyte antigen (HLA) antibody incompatible transplantation, a process of transplanting kidneys into recipients who have antibodies against HLA antigen on the donor kidney, has recently become an acceptable mode of transplanting patients who would have previously died whilst on dialysis. Although increasingly successful, the Achilles' heel of this form of transplantation remains acute antibody mediated rejection (AMR), a particularly severe form of rejection.
It is generally accepted that the complement system is intricately involved in the process of acute AMR and, indeed, C4d, a split product of complement factor C4, when detected on renal biopsies in the correct context, is considered by the BANFF classification (an internationally accepted method of classifying renal transplant rejection) to be a hallmark feature of acute AMR. The sensitivity and specificity of this test, however, is increasingly debated and requires an interventional diagnostic test that is not without risk. A "blood" test to detect or predict the onset of acute AMR is not available. In addition, although the complement system is known to be involved in acute AMR, characterisation of the three complement pathways and the degree of their systemic activation has not been fully described. Although the liver is the main source of complement factors in the body, other organs such as the kidney, are capable of synthesizing complement. It is unknown whether the complement factors involved in acute AMR following renal transplantation are of systemic or local origin. It is also not known which renal cell, if any, is responsible for this. Importantly, the first cells to encounter antibodies against antigen on their surfaces, the renal microvascular endothelial cells, have not so far been shown to be able to produce complement factors.
This thesis briefly examines changes in antibody levels during the process of HLA antibody incompatible transplantation, histological features associated with subsequent graft dysfunction and possible serum markers (soluble CD27 and Cd30) that could indicate onset of AMR. Whilst anti-HLA antibody monitoring was found to be useful in the management of patients it was not possible to use levels to predict rejection or accommodation of the graft. No correlation was found between soluble factors CD27 and CD30 and AMR.
The thesis then examines the effect of HLA antibody incompatible renal transplantation on the complement pathways and on the levels of complement factors C3a and C4a. There was no systemic pathway activation in the presence of rejection. Systemic levels of C3a and C4a did not rise with a simultaneous increased level of HLA antibodies or with rejection episodes. Indeed, in patients who did not have an episode of rejection and in those with rejection but no evidence of C4d on renal biopsy, mean C4a levels were significantly lower at 4-6 weeks when compared to those who did have C4d-postive AMR. This points to a role for inhibitory mechanisms in these patients. The thesis also demonstrates the ability of microvascular endothelial cells (including of glomerular origin for the first time) to produce complement C4 on stimulation with gamma interferon and with antibodies against the cell HLA type. Finally, the thesis briefly examines the possible use of a complement inhibitor in the treatment of AMR.


Laser short pulse heating of a multi-layer assembly, which consists of different layer properties, results in a non-similar electron and lattice site temperature distributions in the layers. This is because the differences in the amount of energy transfer in each layer despite the fact that each layer is very thin. Consequently, an investigation into the temperature distribution in the electron and lattice subsystems in each layer is essential. In the present study, laser short-pulse heating of a three layer assembly, consisting of Au-Cr-Cu, is examined. The electron and lattice site temperature rise in each layer is predicted using an electron lattice theory approach. Three-dimensional heating situation is accommodated in the model study. The Seebeck coefficient in each layer is computed and compared with the results of the previously derived equation. It is found that the electron temperature distribution varies in each layer and that this variation affects the lattice site temperature distribution. The lattice temperature distribution in the radial direction is not influenced by the diffusion of energy in the radial direction. Abrupt changes in the Seebeck coefficient across chromium and copper layers are observed.


It is well known that the magnetic and the velocity field fluctuations in the solar wind possess many features expected of fully developed magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence. However, for frequencies higher than 0.1 Hz the situation is different and clear discrepancies have been recently observed with, for example, a steepening of the magnetic fluctuation power law spectrum. In order to give a satisfactory description of the high frequency solar wind it is necessary to adopt a new description like the electron MHD approximation in which the dynamics is entirely governed by electrons. In that context, we review and discuss recent theoretical results obtained in anisotropic whistler wave turbulence for electron MHD in the presence of a strong and uniform external magnetic field. Using helicity decomposition, the wave kinetic equations for energy and magnetic helicity are derived at the level of three-wave interactions between whistler waves. It is shown that nonlinear interactions of whistler waves transfer energy and magnetic helicity mainly in the direction perpendicular to the external magnetic field. The anisotropic turbulence thus generated has exact stationary power law solutions which scale as for the energy spectrum and for the magnetic helicity spectrum. A strong analogy is found with the problem of rotating turbulence for incompressible neutral flows which share almost all the same properties.


The purpose of this systematic review is to review the research that looks at the efficacy of Equine Therapy as it pertains to working with children who have experienced trauma, and the effectiveness of building and repairing relationships. Trauma is recognized as having a devastating impact on the body and the mind of children. Equine therapy is an alternative, newer technique being utilized to help repair the attachment process with this population. The review examined dissertations, meta-analyses, program evaluations studies, exploration studies and journal articles. All participants in the studies had experienced trauma as a child. Initially 40 articles abstracts were reviewed; 18 were excluded and 22 met inclusion criteria. The full texts of these articles were then reviewed. After this review only 9 articles met the inclusion and exclusion criteria for this systematic review. All articles found positive aspects in working with horses and concluded children and adolescents gained skills. With these skills, children and adolescents are able to overcome effects of early trauma and stress related disorders. Implications of Equine Therapy 3


Since the 1970s, social psychology has examined real human behaviour to an increasingly smaller degree. This article is an analysis of the reasons why this is so. The author points out that the otherwise valuable phenomenon of cognitive shift, which occurred in social psychology precisely in the 1970s, naturally boosted the interest of psychologists in such phenomena like stereotypes, attitudes, and values; at the same time, it unfortunately decreased interest in others, like aggression, altruism, and social influence. In recent decades, we have also witnessed a growing conviction among psychologists that explaining why people display certain reactions holds greater importance than demonstrating the conditions under which people display these reactions. This assumption has been accompanied by the spread of statistical analysis applied to empirical data, which has led to researchers today generally preferring to employ survey studies (even if they are a component of experiments being conducted) to the analysis of behavioural variables. The author analyses the contents of the most recent volume of "Journal of Personality and Social Psychology", and argues that it is essentially devoid of presentations of empirical studies in which human behaviours are examined. This gives rise to the question of whether social psychology remains a science of behaviour, and whether such a condition of the discipline is desirable.


Chromothripsis (CTH) is a newly discovered mutational mechanism, which in a single catastrophic event results in localised complex structural rearrangements confined to one or a few chromosomes. After an initial shattering or clustered fragmentation of a chromosomal region, the fragments join together in random order and orientation. During this process some of the generated fragments may be lost. It is not entirely clear which factors trigger the localised fragmentation; however, several mechanisms have been proposed, such as ionising radiation, aborted apoptosis, isolation of chromosome(s) in micronuclei, LINE1-endonucleases, etc. CTH may disrupt multiple genes and/or regulatory regions. When it is incompatible with cell survival, the result should be apoptosis. However, if a cell escapes apoptosis, the extensive genomic rearrangements may have different phenotypic outcomes: cancer (somatic), congenital and developmental disorders (germline), neutral or even beneficial effects.

Key Concepts

Chromothripsis is a phenomenon where multiple localised double-stranded DNA breaks result in complex genomic rearrangements.
Chromothripsis occurs within a single cell cycle.
Ionising radiation, aborted apoptosis, isolation of chromosome(s) in micronuclei and LINE1-endonucleases are proposed to have a role in chromothripsis.
Chromothripsis in somatic cells may trigger cancer development.
Chromothripsis in the germline may result in congenital and developmental disorders.

Keywords:

chromothripsis;
clustered mutations;
single-step event;
structural rearrangements;
repair mechanisms;
micronuclei;
chromosome pulverisation;
LINE-1 endonuclease;
cancer;
congenital and developmental disorders


A dynamic positioning (DP) system for a ROV is being developed in the Automated Underwater Robotics (AUR) laboratory at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). The AUR lab at NTNU has a ROV and a research vessel at disposal for development and testing of the DP system. The DP system is dependent on having a trustworthy and robust navigation system that provides navigational data in order to control the ROV efficiently. Such a system, a navigation computer running a navigation software called Navipac, is currently being provided by a company named EIVA. It is however desirable to have full control over the raw sensor signals at any given time. The exact details about how Navipac process the raw signals is essentially unknown to the user. A navigation system that will replace Navipac is therefore needed in order to achieve a fully standalone system. This will allow tighter integration with the DP system as well as allowing customizations to fit the DP control system needs. A navigation system has therefore been implemented using hardware and software solutions provided by National Instruments. The most important functionality of the implemented navigation program is the providing of the needed navigational data to the DP control system. Additional features such as logging utilities for post processing and a graphical user interface (GUI) for easy operation has also been added to the program. Full scale tests has been performed in the Trondheimsfjord with NTNUs research vessel R/V Gunnerus and ROV Minerva while using the developed navigation system. The tests were successful and the navigation system yielded decent performance. The results however also shows that the performance of the DP system was somewhat degraded compared to when using Navipac for navigation. The degradation in performance was most likely caused by a small delay in the communication between the navigation system and the DP system. Further work should include investigating the cause of this delay closer.


A number of agents with differing selectivity profiles for the non-a2 adrenoceptor binding site (NAIBS), imidazoline preferring receptor (IPR) and a2-adrenoceptor were employed in a series of behavioural and neurochemical experiments to determine a functional role for the former two sites. The highly selective NAIBS ligand RX801 077 produced an increase in rat brain extracellular noradrenaline (NA) levels, as determined by the technique of in vivo microdialysis, which may underlie its ability to produce a discriminable cue in the same species. This increase in NA may be due to a suggested link between the NAIBS and the monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) activity of RX801 077. For instance, the RX801 077 cue was substituted for by the MAOI drugs pargyline and moclobemide, which themselves down regulate NAIBS when administered chronically. RX811 059 substituted for the RX801 077 cue which may be due its ability to stimulate NA release via its activity as a highly selective a2-adrenoceptor antagonist. An effect upon NA output may also explain the ability of RX801 077 to 'mimic' the anti-immobility effect of the antidepressant drug desmethylimipramine (DMJ) in the forced swimming test. Further studies are therefore required to examine a possible role for the NAIBS in the treatment of depression. Discriminable cues were also produced by RX811 059 and the a2- adrenoceptor agonist clonidine, probably as a consequence of their respective ability to stimulate and inhibit NA output via their opposing activity at a2-adrenoceptors. The IPR has been suggested to play a role in mediating the hypotensive effect of clonidine, although a precise role was unable to be established for this site in the present studies due to the unavailability of highly selective IPA agents.


This paper analyzes several mitigation strategies and techniques that could enable delay sensitive applications to work properly over satellite IP networks. A study is conducted on different satellite classes (GEO, MEO and LEO) and the analysis of the current solutions for real-time interactive applications is performed. The great distance from Earth results in an important RTT, which is the main aspect to consider for real-time interactive applications. To date, the multi-layered architecture seems to be the best way to go, since it overcomes the drawbacks of the single layer approaches. This, in turn, creates traffic balancing and quality of service concerns that are also discussed according to the


Research committed by the Langley Research Center through 1995 resulting in the HZETRN code provides the current basis for shield design methods according to NASA STD-3000 (2005). With this new prominence, the database, basic numerical procedures, and algorithms are being re-examined with new methods of verification and validation being implemented to capture a well defined algorithm for engineering design processes to be used in this early development phase of the Bush initiative. This process provides the methodology to transform the 1995 HZETRN research code into the 2005 HZETRN engineering code to be available for these early design processes. In this paper, we will review the basic derivations including new corrections to the codes to insure improved numerical stability and provide benchmarks for code verification.


The Cambridge Companion to Socrates is a collection of essays providing a comprehensive guide to Socrates, the most famous Greek philosopher. Because Socrates himself wrote nothing, our evidence comes from the writings of his friends (above all Plato), his enemies, and later writers. Socrates is thus a literary figure as well as a historical person. Both aspects of Socrates' legacy are covered in this volume. Socrates' character is full of paradox, and so are his philosophical views. These paradoxes have led to deep differences in scholars' interpretations of Socrates and his thought. Mirroring this wide range of thought about Socrates, this volume's contributors are unusually diverse in their background and perspective. The essays in this volume were authored by classical philologists, philosophers and historians from Germany, Francophone Canada, Britain and the United States, and they represent a range of interpretive and philosophical traditions.


Free radicals are substantial elements that take part in proper function of metabolic pathways of human cells and tissues in hydrophobic as well as in hydrophilic environment. Nevertheless overproduction of above molecules causes oxidative stress, a process which is very harmful for lipids, proteins, and others molecules what reduces their normal function. To protect against adverse effects of free radicals and theirs derivatives to human body there is a group of antioxidants divided into enzymatic and non-enzymatic substances. Enzymatic antioxidants are represented mainly by enzymes such as: copper-zinc superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione reductase (GR). Glutathione (GSH), thioredoxin (Trx), vitamins, melatonin, polyphenols, trace elements, albumin, and others function as non-enzymatic free radicals scavengers. This work in a brief way describes properties of chosen representants of non-enzymatic antioxidant system.


This paper presents a reduced switching-frequency active-harmonic-elimination method (RAHEM) to eliminate any number of specific order harmonics of multilevel converters. First, resultant theory is applied to transcendental equations to eliminate low-order harmonics and to determine switching angles for a fundamental frequency-switching scheme. Next, based on the number of harmonics to be eliminated, Newton climbing method is applied to transcendental equations to eliminate high-order harmonics and to determine switching angles for the fundamental frequency-switching scheme. Third, the magnitudes and phases of the residual lower order harmonics are computed, generated, and subtracted from the original voltage waveform to eliminate these low-order harmonics. Compared to the active-harmonic-elimination method (AHEM), which generates square waves to cancel high-order harmonics, RAHEM has lower switching frequency. The simulation results show that the method can effectively eliminate all the specific harmonics, and a low total harmonic distortion (THD) near sine wave is produced. An experimental 11-level H-bridge multilevel converter with a field-programmable gate-array controller is employed to experimentally validate the method. The experimental results show that RAHEM does effectively eliminate any number of specific harmonics, and the output voltage waveform has low switching frequency and low THD.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is a primary determinant of systemic inflammatory response (SIRS) during cardiac procedures. It has been shown in an experimental model that CPB may increase cytokine production. This study aimed at evaluating post-CPB lung cell activation by investigating broncho-alveolar lavage (BAL) cellularity in patients submitted to myocardial revascularization (MR) with CPB.

CASE REPORTS
Participated in this prospective study 3 adult patients submitted to MR with CPB. After general anesthesia induction and tracheal intubation, mechanical ventilation was installed with valve circle system; except during CPB, tidal volume was maintained between 8 and 10 mL.kg-1 with 50% O2 and air. Before aortic unclamping, 40 cmH2O pulmonary inflations were performed. Two BAL samples were collected from all patients at beginning and end of procedure, after anticoagulation reversion. BAL was aspired after 60 mL infusion of 0.9% saline through the bronchofibroscope tube. Material was then referred to laboratorial processing. Analysis has evidenced mean increase in total number of cells from 0.6 x 10(6)cel.dL-1 to 6.8 x 10(6) cel.dL-1 with increased neutrophils from 0.8% to 4.7%; 0.6% to 6.2% and 0.5% to 5.3% for each patient, respectively. There has been increased pulmonary fluid cellularity after CPB.

CONCLUSIONS
Leukocyte inflow is described in different clinical pulmonary inflammatory conditions, such as adult respiratory distress syndrome. It is known that CPB is related to systemic and pulmonary inflammation with increased number of cells after CPB and predominance of macrophages.


Title of dissertation: NONLINEAR CONTROL DESIGN TECHNIQUES FOR PRECISION FORMATION FLYING AT LAGRANGE POINTS Richard J. Luquette, Doctor of Philosophy, 2006 Dissertation directed by: Associate Professor Robert M. Sanner Department of Aerospace Engineering Precision spacecraft formation flying is an enabling technology for a variety of proposed space-based observatories, such as NASA's Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF), the Micro-Arcsecond X-Ray Imaging Mission (MAXIM), and Stellar Imager (SI). This research specifically examines the precision formation flying control architecture, characterizing the relative performance of linear and nonlinear controllers. Controller design is based on a 6DOF control architecture, characteristic of precision formation flying control. In an effort to minimize the influence of design parameters in the comparison, analysis employs "equivalent" controller gains, and incorporates an integrator in the linear control design. Controller performance is evaluated through various simulations designed to reflect a realistic space environment. The simulation architecture includes a full gravitational model and solar pressure effects. Spacecraft model properties are based on realistic mission design parameters. Control actuators are modeled as a fixed set of thrusters for both translation and attitude control. Analysis includes impact on controller performance due to omitted dynamics in the model (gravitational sources and solar pressure) and model uncertainty (mass properties, thruster placement and thruster alignment). Linearized equations of relative motion are derived for spacecraft operating in the context of the Restricted Three Body Problem. Linearization is performed with respect to a reference spacecraft within the formation. Analysis demonstrates robust stability for the Linear Quadratic Regulator controller design based on the linearized dynamics. Nonlinear controllers are developed based on Lyapunov analysis, including both non-adaptive and adaptive designs. While the linear controller demonstrates greater robustness to model uncertainty, both nonlinear controllers exhibit superior performance. The adaptive controller provides the best performance. As a key feature, the adaptive controller design requires only relative navigation knowledge. Analysis demonstrates the ability of the nonlinear controller to compensate for unknown dynamics and model uncertainty. Results exhibit the potential of a nonlinear adaptive architecture for improving controller performance. Nonlinear adaptive control is a viable strategy for meeting the extreme control requirements associated with formation flying missions like MAXIM and Stellar Imager. Mission specific analysis from a systems perspective is required to determine the best controller design. NONLINEAR CONTROL DESIGN TECHNIQUES FOR PRECISION FORMATION FLYING AT LAGRANGE POINTS


Abstract The classical cobweb theorem is extended to include production lags and price forecasts. Price forecasting based on a longer period has a stabilizing effect on prices. Longer production lags do not necessarily lead to unstable prices; very long lags lead to cycles of constant amplitude. The classical cobweb requires elasticity of demand to be greater than that of supply; this is not necessarily the case in a more general setting. Random shocks are also considered.


Severe tropical cyclones are a major cause of episodic mortality for Pacific Island flying foxes (large fruit bats). Many flying foxes starve after forests are stripped of food sources, and hunting by humans may also increase in the post-cyclone period. In December 2001, Cyclone Waka passed directly over the Vava'u Islands in the Kingdom of Tonga, western Polynesia. We visited the islands 6 mo later to survey the flying fox (Pteropus tonganus) population and assess availability of potential food items (fruit and flower) in primary, secondary and plantation forests. Less than 20% of the pre-cyclone bat population (surveyed in 1999–2001) remained 6 mo after the storm. The density of potential food trees in flower or fruit at this time was only 15% of pre-cyclone density, and the main species available were different in the two time periods. The highest density of potential food trees occurred in secondary forest (26 flowering or fruiting trees ha−1) and plantations (23 ha−1); primary forest offered the least food (18 ha−1). Since 65–70% of the land area has been converted to agricultural plantations, this vegetation type had the highest absolute number of food-bearing trees – almost seven times that of primary forest. Flowering coconuts (Cocos nucifera) were the most abundant food source overall and we suggest that this species may be important in sustaining flying foxes following severe storms.


Abstract : This research addressed a critical limitation in the area of computational intelligence by developing a general purpose architecture for information processing and decision making. Traditional computational intelligence methods are best suited for well-defined problems with extensive, long-term knowledge of the environmental and operational conditions the system will encounter during operation. These traditional approaches typically generate quick answers (i.e., reflexive responses) using pattern recognition methods. Most pattern recognition techniques are static processes which consist of a predefined series of computations. For these pattern recognition approaches to be effective, training data is required from all anticipated environments and operating conditions. The proposed framework, Conscious Architecture for State Exploitation (CASE), is a general purpose architecture designed to mimic key characteristics of human information processing. CASE combines low- and high-level cognitive processes into a common framework to enable goal-based decision making. The CASE approach is to generate artificial phenomenal states (i.e., generate qualia = consciousness) into a shared computational process to enhance goal-based decision making and adaptation. That is, this approach allows for the appropriate decision and corresponding adaptive behavior as the goals and environmental factors change. To demonstrate the engineering advantages of CASE, it was used in an airframe application to autonomously monitor the integrity of a flight critical structural component. In this demonstration, CASE automatically generated a timely maintenance recommendation when unacceptable cracking was detected. Over the lifetime of the investigated component, operational availability increased by a minimum of 10.7%, operational cost decreased by 79%, and maintenance intervals (i.e., MTBM) increased by a minimum of 900%.


The interaction between word co-occurrence networks of Dogma and another document is quantified. The structural changes after interaction through overlapping of identical words was measured. A comparison is provided from central and random interaction of artificial networks. The interaction of Dogma with non-encyclicals was generally observed to be farther from central interaction than the encyclical counterpart. Using these, the encyclicals were distinguished from non-encyclical documents. Furthermore, the effect of loss of structure or word order on the network interaction was evaluated. The structural changes for these interactions were found to differ from random interactions due to the effect of word frequency.


After the Proclamation of 1945, the Dutch left Indonesia a problem with the residency status of West Irian. Since the restoration of sovereignty on December 27, 1949, West Irian still in Dutch power. His status will be negotiated within one year of the restoration of sovereignty by the Dutch RIS. After the restoration of the sovereignty of an agreement between the government of Indonesia and the Netherlands to form a Unie Indonesia and the Netherlands. Dutch surrender all of the former colonies, except for Papua. In the liberation of West Irian, a character who is determined to fight West Irian M. Natsir, as the Prime Minister of the Republic of Indonesia after the end of the RIS. Cabinet Natsir given the task, in order to resolve the issue of West Irian before January 1, 1951. The reign cabinet a year to coincide with the transfer of sovereignty, which the West Irian status negotiations to be reopened. This study answers the formulation of the problem, how policy M. Natsir related problems of West Irian, and public response to the policy of M. Natsir. The method used is the method of historical research that consists of heuristics, source criticism, interpretation, and historiography. To resolve this masala, M. Natsir formed a special committee to conduct negotiations with the Dutch. This effort was doomed to failure and cause a motion of no confidence from the various parties, especially the Democratic Youth Union Branch Medan Indonesia, and Sumbawa, and demanded the dissolution of the Cabinet. M. Natsir who eventually resigned on March 20, 1951. Keywords: West Irian, M. Policy Natsir, Mosi not Believe


Methane is a radiatively active, naturally occurring atmospheric trace gas which is thought to account for as much as 19% of the enhanced greenhouse effect. Ice core studies have shown that the atmospheric concentration has more than doubled since pre-industrial times. Wetlands are the largest natural source of atmospheric methane, contributing around 21 % of the annual global flux. The magnitude of various sources of methane is still poorly defined. Stable isotope measurements are increasingly being used to constrain global budgets of atmospheric trace gases because isotopic analysis provides a much clearer picture of global atmospheric chemistry than CH4 concentration measurements alone. Conventional analytical techniques for studying dual stable isotopic composition of methane (δ13C and δD) require prohibitively large quantities of CH4 for analysis. At the Planetary Sciences Research Institute of the Open University, a highly sensitive static mass spectrometer has been developed which uniquely uses CH4 as the analyte. The method requires only 8 ng of CH4 for analysis «10 ml ambient air), making replicated measurements of the isotopic composition of CH4 emissions from wetlands feasible for the first time. Methane emissions from an ombrotrophic mire in Snowdonia have been measured over 2 years, (1995-1997) and analysed for δ17M. Parallel laboratory studies have also been conducted, to constrain the effects of environmental variables such as peat temperature and water table depth. The presence of vascular plants enhanced methane flux. In the field, methane flux showed seasonal variation. Peat temperature and water table depth could account for 68% of this variation. The isotopic composition of methane flux from the ombrotrophic mire also exhibited seasonal variation, with δ17M ranging from -34 to -17‰. The lowest values were observed in summer and the highest in winter. Variations in the isotopic composition of peat water are unlikely to account for more than a 2‰ shift in δ17M. Although there was a strong correlation between peat temperature and methane isotopic composition in the field, peat temperature is thought to be an indirect effect, because in laboratory studies this relationship was absent. There was no relationship between water table depth and δ17M. It was concluded that the seasonal variation in the isotopic composition of methane emission is linked to the plant growth cycle. Comparison of δ17M values determined for methane emissions in Snowdonia with published δ13C and δD data leads to the conclusion that methane is produced mainly by CO2 reduction. Contrasting terrains in a paisa mire in the Arctic region of Finland exhibited methane _ emissions with distinct δ17M values: lakes, +4.8 ±1.2‰; pools, -3.9 ±0.1‰ and hummocks, -28.6 ±5.8‰ .. From these isotope data it was concluded that in pool and lake sediments the methanogenic pathway is acetate fermentation, while in hummocks methane is produced by CO2 reduction. This study is the first investigation of the stable isotopic composition of methane emissions from wetlands in the UK. The data collected in Snowdonia, and in Finland, show the need for systematic, year round isotopic analysis of methane emissions, if isotope data are to be used in constraining the global methane budget.


Humans are able to use nonverbal behavior to make fast, reliable judgments of both emotional states and personality traits. Whereas a sizeable body of research has identified neural structures critical for emotion recognition, the neural substrates of personality trait attribution have not been explored in detail. In the present study, we investigated the neural systems involved in emotion and personality trait judgments. We used a type of visual stimulus that is known to convey both emotion and personality information, namely, point-light walkers. We compared the emotion and personality trait judgments made by subjects with brain damage to those made by neurologically normal subjects and then conducted a lesion overlap analysis to identify neural regions critical for these two tasks. Impairments on the two tasks dissociated: Some subjects were impaired at emotion recognition, but judged personality normally; other subjects were impaired on the personality task, but normal at emotion recognition. Moreover, these dissociations in performance were associated with damage to specific neural regions: Right somatosensory cortices were a primary focus of lesion overlap in subjects impaired on the emotion task, whereas left frontal opercular cortices were a primary focus of lesion overlap in subjects impaired on the personality task. These findings suggest that attributions of emotional states and personality traits are accomplished by partially dissociable neural systems.


By using the Rayleigh–Sommerfeld diffraction formula of the first kind for the two-dimensional case, the impulse response of a thin planar lens is given and the influence of primary aberrations is considered. Respective degrading factors are recognized and a two-dimensional diffraction theory of aberrations in the Seidel approximation is presented. The influence of the material parameters and the geometry of the thin planar lens on the respective aberrations is discussed. The authors show that in several cases, not only spherical aberration but also field curvature is of concern. The thin planar lens as an imaging system and as a Fourier transformer is considered and two apertures—rectangular and Gaussian—are compared.


The author seeks to develop an ethnography that includes researchers' vulnerable selves, emotions, bodies, and spirits; produces evocative stories that create the effect of reality; celebrates concrete experience and intimate detail; examines how human experience is endowed with meaning; is concerned with moral, ethical, and political consequences; encourages compassion and empathy; helps us know how to live and cope; features multiple voices and repositions readers and "subjects" as coparticipants in dialogue; seeks a fusion between social science and literature in which, as Gregory Bateson says, "you are partly blown by the winds of reality and partly an artist creating a composite out of the inner and outer events"; and connects the practices of social science with the living of life. In short, her goal is to extend ethnography to include the heart, the autobiographical, and the artistic text. This article provides a conversation with a student researching breast cancer that introduces issues in heartful autoethnography.


A phase-plane method for providing an interpretation of various transmission control protocol (TCP) flow control mechanisms has been proposed in this paper. The dynamical switching behaviours and stability of TCP congestion control protocols are discussed by using the phase-plane analysis. Via analyzing the mathematical models of the TCP congestion avoidance algorithms, the dynamical behaviour and equilibrium condition can be characterized within the phase plane. Furthermore, two types of design frameworks for the TCP window size adjustment are proposed and analyzed. These two protocols, called Vegas-like TCP Type I and Vegas-like TCP Type II, are designed based on the vector field of dynamical systems and inherit the idea from the standard TCP-Vegas protocol that uses round-trip time as a congestion measure. Type I gives a change in the number of switching dynamics of the vector field, on the other hand, Type II keeps the same number of switching dynamics of the vector field as TCP-Vegas but with a different style in each of switching dynamics. Finally, the performance of the proposed scheme is validated and compared with the standard TCP-Vegas by the simulation study in the network simulator, ns-2.


With the growth in the number of video streaming services, providers have to strive hard to make relevant content available and keep customers engaged. A good experience would help customers discover new and popular videos to stream with ease. Customer streaming behavior tends to be a strong indicator of whether they found a video engaging. Aggregate customer behavior serves as a useful predictor of popularity. We discuss the use of past streaming behavior to learn patterns and predict a video's popularity using tree ensembles.


"There are now about 400 substances that, in various forms and combinations, are used as pesticides. It is feasible to test all of these in the near future for mutagenicity in systems that are simple and precise, and yet relevant to man."Mutation is defined in this book as any inherited alteration in genetic material which in future generations may lead to a wide range of irreversible abnormalities. There is a growing concern that chemical mutagens may not only pose a potential public health hazard, but that some chemicals may constitute as great a risk as radiation--possibly a more serious one. This is the first book to present recently developed mammalian methodologies for evaluating mutagenic hazards of chemicals such as pesticides. The authors explain that in most cases it is not the initial compound but the metabolic products of a pesticide which will cause trouble. The critical needs for metabolic data in toxicologic testing in general and in mutagenicity testing in particular was emphasized by Dr. Joshua Lederberg in a foreword...".we can calculate that at least 25 percent of our health burden is of genetic origin. This figure is a very conservative estimate in view of the genetic component of such griefs as schizophrenia, diabetes, atherosclerosis, mental retardation, early senility and man congenital malformations. In fact, the genetic factor in disease is bound to increase to an even larger proportion, for as we deal with infectious disease and other environmental insults, the genetic legacy of the species will compete only with traumatic accidents as the major factor in health.... Given how many new, suspicious compounds now pervade the environment, we face a formidable task in putting our genetic house in order."This study is based on the Report of the Advisory Panel on Mutagenicity of Pesticides to the Secretary's Commission on Pesticides and their Relationship to Environmental Health. The Panel was composed of internationally recognized authorities in chemical mutagenesis, mutagenicity testing and toxicology. It has been greatly modified since the original HEW report (1969) and includes tabulations and a cross index of 370 pesticides listed by their common names and synonyms, chemical name and formula (illustrated), major uses, and manufacturers. There is also a literature review on mutagenicity of pesticides which includes the name of the pesticide, the organism in which it was tested, assay system, range, effective minimum dose, and biological effect. For example: CAPTAN (orthocide) is used as a protectant eradicant fungicide for fruits, vegetables, and flowers in control of scabs, blotches, rots, and mildews. It is manufactured by Stauffer and by Chevron. When tested in human embryo cells (L-132 cells, range 10 mcg/ml) it effected the inhibition of DNA synthesis.In addition, the book covers structure-activity relations and usage patterns of pesticides, recommends a program for mutagenesis testing, and contains a summary of literature on mutagenicity of pesticides as well as a bibliography on mutagenic and related effects of pesticides and related compounds.


The multipath route establishment uses the method that discovers multiple multi hops communication between source and destination. Multi-path routing can balance the load better than the single path routing in ad hoc networks, thereby reducing the congestion by dividing the traffic in several paths. This research presents a new approach of Multipath Load Balancing with AOMDV routing protocol and Dynamic Queue based congestion control mechanism for avoiding congestion in network communication flows. In this scheme the store and forwarding capability of nodes are enhanced by varying the queue length according to incoming data. The AOMDV protocol performance is also enhanced to increment the link expiration time after failure the current connection establishment in network. The new connection is established according to the new link expiration time value, by that the possibility of link failure in AOMDV is also minimizes. It means the multipath routing performance in this technique has increases the link expiration time with vibrant queue length method. The multipath routing has no doubt better than the unipath routing and balance the load by proving the alternative path if the already established path are congested. But the performance of AOMDV is improves after adding the proposed scheme. The performance of normal AOMDV is measured on the basis of load handling capability of nodes in network and through performance matrices. The simulation of both the routing techniques is done in ns-2 simulator.


Empowerment of nurses in advanced nursing practice begins with an understanding of the current legal status of the advanced nurse practitioner. True empowerment will not occur until the reform regulations needed to expand the role of the advanced nurse practitioner is understood by nurses and measures are taken to begin such reform. In this article, the author reviews the current legal status of advanced nurse practitioners, while projecting the needed reforms that must occur across the country. The aim is to help advanced nurse practitioners undertake measures to ensure that legal empowerment for themselves becomes a reality.


Unregulated groundwater extraction has led to declining groundwater tables and increasing water scarcity in the Indian subcontinent. Understanding how farmers respond to this scarcity is important from multiple perspectives—equity in access, livelihood security and resource sustainability. We present a case from the rapidly urbanizing Arkavathy sub‐basin near Bangalore city in southern India where irrigation is fully groundwater dependent. Using cross‐sectional data from a stratified random sample of 333 farmers from 15 villages, we investigated the factors that determine their choice of crops under conditions of water scarcity and urbanization. Binary logit analysis showed that farmers with a large landholding respond by tapping deep groundwater using borewells. Multinomial logit analysis revealed that access to groundwater, variation in the proximity to the product market (city) and labour availability influence crop choice decisions. We observe that current responses indicate what has been characterized in the literature as chasing strategies. These largely favour well‐off farmers and hence are inequitable. While the choice of water‐intensive crops and unregulated pumping have aggravated water stress, the uptake of water‐saving technologies among irrigated farmers has been low, showing that resource sustainability may not be a concern where non‐farm diversification opportunities exist. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


As digital platforms have become the locus of competition and innovation in the digital economy, it is imperative to understand consumer decisions on adoption and usage. Digital platforms have unique traits, as they are extensible and often mediate between users. These traits may require understandings to move beyond generic (post-)adoption theories. This paper reviews the rapidly growing body of empirical consumer studies on digital platforms in order to identify emerging trends in this field. After a structured literature review, we conduct a network analysis using the hypotheses that are supported in the papers. We find a wide variety of over 130 concepts is considered. Factors from generic (post-) adoption theories are often studied, alongside factors related to the concept of network effects. We find differences between the importance of direct, indirect, local and global network effects. We find that studies pay relatively little attention to characteristics that arise from the extensibility of digital platforms, such as openness, control, security and privacy. We posit that IS researchers have the important task of opening up this black box of digital platform characteristics and theorize how notions of extensibility and generativity affect consumer decisions, going beyond mainstream theories on adoption and continuance.


We, the Soil and Water Conservation Society ("Society"), maintain that natural resources are a nation's heritage. Soil, water, wildlife, and other ecosystem resources must be protected for future generations. Over decades of research and deliberations of researchers, educators, and practitioners, the Society has identified and developed the following principles for conservation on private lands. This paper is a commentary on working lands for the 2018 Farm Bill and is not meant to be an exhaustive synthesis of all principles held by the Society. Here we describe eight Society principles for soil, water, wildlife, and ecosystem conservation to inform future farm bill discussions and guide development and review of agricultural policies and funding. PRINCIPLE 1: AGRICULTURAL SOIL, WATER, AND ASSOCIATED WILDLIFE AND ECOSYSTEM RESOURCES MUST BE SUSTAINABLY MANAGED FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS In 1946 Hugh Hammond Bennett, the Society's founder, stated, "Productive land, therefore, is our base; for everything we do, all we share, even whatever we amount to as a great people, begins with and rests on the sustained productivity of our agricultural lands" (Bennett 1946). Agricultural lands provide food, fiber, and fuel, and if managed with regard to their environmental and social impact, can provide services, such as wildlife and…


Coarse (pebble to cobble sized) clasts on the intercrater plains of the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit landing site exhibit a nonrandom (i.e., uniformly spaced) distribution. This pattern has been attributed to the entrainment and redistribution of coarse clasts during extreme wind events. Here we propose an alternative mechanism readily observable in wind tunnels and numerical models at modest wind speeds. In this process, coarse clasts modify the air fl ow around them, causing erosion of the underlying substrate on the windward side and deposition on the leeward side until a threshold bed-slope condition is reached, after which the clast rolls into the windward trough. Clasts can migrate across an erodible substrate in repeated cycles of trough formation and clast rolling, "attracting" or "repelling" one another through feedbacks between the local clast density, substrate erosion and/or deposition rate, and substrate elevation. The substrate beneath areas of locally high clast densities aggrades, building up a topographic high that can cause clasts to repel one another to form a more uniform distribution of clasts through time. This self-organized process likely plays a signifi cant role in the evolution of mixed grain size eolian surfaces on Earth and Mars.


Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are two of the fastest growing comorbid diseases in the world. A patient without any genetic predisposition to depression can live a healthy lifestyle but develop depression as a result of their environment, such as the occurrence of a traumatic event. This study addresses the question of whether there are any biomarkers in blood that could alert physicians of a patient's susceptibility to comorbid MDD and PTSD. Since the pathophysiology of comorbid MDD is complex, it has been hypothesized that there could be several gene groups acting as biomarkers. Based on existing literature, the genes DICER1, FK506, and MRPS23 are thought to be relevant biomarkers. Using GEO2R, provided by NCBI, we conducted a differential gene expression analysis. We used patient dataset GSE67663, which contained 184 blood samples, including 72 control samples and 112 test samples. The top 253 genes that had p-values from 1.6 x 10^-6 to 3.49 x 10^3 were entered into the STRING database in order to identify common protein interactions. In accordance with the KEGG Ribosomal Pathway, two main gene groups, including those involved in mitochondrial ribosomal translation, were further analyzed for common gene ontology and biological processes. In the end, we found that the Ribosomal Pathway (ID: 03010) contained 29 upregulated genes and is a potential blood-based biomarker. This study has applications to the field of personalized medicine, in which tailored treatments based on biomarkers and one's genome are utilized to identify people at risk for disease.


South Korea's and Japan's telecommunications sectors developed rapidly, especially in high-speed, low-priced broadband. We argue that both countries are engaged in strategic liberalization, fostering competition to reach specific goals. However, different political dynamics pushed their initially similar policy regimes apart. Korea retained its managed competition regime while Japan experienced a regime shift.


OBJECTIVES
We evaluated the impact of a test-to-stay (TTS) program on within-school transmission and missed school days in optionally masked kindergarten through 12th grade schools during a period of high community severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission.

METHODS
Close contacts of those with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection were eligible for enrollment in the TTS program if exposure to a non-household contact occurred between 11/29/2021 and 01/28/2022. Consented participants avoided school exclusion if they remained asymptomatic and rapid antigen testing at pre-specified intervals remained negative. Primary outcomes included within-school tertiary attack rate (test positivity among close contacts of positive TTS participants) and school days saved among TTS participants. We estimated the number of additional school-acquired cases resulting from TTS and eliminating school exclusion.

RESULTS
A total of 1675 participants tested positive or received at least one negative test between days 5 and 7, and completed follow-up; 92% were students and 91% were exposed to an unmasked primary case. We identified 201 positive cases. We observed a tertiary attack rate of 10% (95% CI 6-19%) and 7,272 (89%) of potentially missed days were saved through TTS implementation. We estimated one additional school-acquired case for every 21 TTS participants remaining in school buildings during the entire study period.

CONCLUSIONS
Even in the setting of high community transmission, a TTS strategy resulted in substantial reduction in missed school days in optionally masked schools.


Technical innovations in the last years have decisively changed the ways in which we consume music. The use of the internet has led to an heretofore unknown expansion in the access to different kinds of music. Napster is the slogan which popularized the idea of searching the computer files of millions of computer users through a central server and of downloading a host of music titles in fairly good quality. Other "peer-to-peer"– systems (i.g. imesh) followed. This practice has led to an economic battle in which it is not always clear which side the combatants are on. Net pirates see themselves as a kind of computer vanguard and create a myth of digital heroism for themselves. In the center of this new mythology they place the pioneer, a cultural archetype with deep roots in the mythic history of the American continent and pop culture. This computer pioneer is a fighter for freedom in the name of a just cause. But the once wide gap between pioneers and the mass of average computer users has narrowed over the years. The easy accessibility of music has become part of a popular life-style as people tend to spend more time with the computer in chatrooms and other virtual digital worlds. Playful forms of consumerism are becoming more interesting in this context. It may be argued that Jeremy Rifkin's "age of access" has already begun, the age in which the access to the thing, but not the thing itself is it. In the context of music consumption new processes of a fetishization of technology are taking place. Computer music is cool because of computer streaming techniques – a stance which obviously raises the question whether music is listened to at all. These trends will be discussed in their implications for a further development of music reception theory.


The focus of this thesis are the equilibrium problem under derivative market imbalance, the sequential analysis problems for some time-inhomogeneous diffusions and multidimensional Wiener processes, and the first passage times of certain non-affine jump-diffusions.
First, we investigate the impact of imbalanced derivative markets - markets in which not all agents hedge - on the underlying stock market. The availability of a closed-form representation for the equilibrium stock price in the context of a complete (imbalanced) market with terminal consumption allows us to study how this equilibrium outcome is affected by the risk aversion of agents and the degree of imbalance. In particular, it is shown that the derivative imbalance leads to significant changes in the equilibrium stock price process: volatility changes from constant to local, while risk premia increase or decrease depending on the replicated contingent claim, and become stochastic processes. Moreover, the model produces implied volatility smiles consistent with empirical observations.
Secondly, we study the sequential hypothesis testing and quickest change-point (disorder) detection problem with linear delay penalty costs for certain observable time-inhomogeneous Gaussian diffusions and fractional Brownian motions. The method of proof consists of the reduction of the initial problems into the associated optimal stopping problems for onedimensional time-inhomogeneous diffusion processes and the analysis of the associated free boundary problems. We derive explicit estimates for the Bayesian risk functions and optimal stopping boundaries for the associated weighted likelihood ratios and obtain their exact rates of convergence under large time values.
Thirdly, we study the quickest change-point detection problems for the correlated components of a multidimensional Wiener process changing their drift rates at certain random times. These problems seek to determine the times of alarm which are as close as possible to the unknown change-point (disorder) times at which some of the components have changed their drift rates. The optimal times of alarm are shown to be the first times at which the appropriate posterior probability processes exit certain regions restricted by the stopping boundaries. We characterize the value functions and optimal boundaries as unique solutions of the associated free boundary problems for partial differential equations. We provide estimates for the value functions and boundaries which are solutions to the appropriately constructed ordinary differential free boundary problems.
Fourthly, we compute the Laplace transforms of the first times at which certain non-affine one-dimensional jump-diffusion processes exit connected regions restricted by two constant boundaries. The method of proof is based on the solution of the associated integro-differential boundary problems for the corresponding value functions. We derive analytic expressions for the Laplace transforms of the first exit times of the jump-diffusion processes driven by compound Poisson processes with multi-exponential jumps. The results are illustrated on the constructed non-affine pure jump analogues of the diffusion processes which represent closed-form solutions of the appropriate stochastic differential equations.
Finally, we obtain closed-form expressions for the values of generalised Laplace transforms of the first times at which two-dimensional jump-diffusion processes exit from regions formed by constant boundaries. It is assumed that the processes form the models of stochastic volatility with independent driving Brownian motions and independent compound Poisson processes with exponentially distributed jumps. The proof is based on the solution to the equivalent boundary-value problems for partial integro-differential operators. We illustrate our results in the examples of Stein and Stein, Heston, and other jump analogues of stochastic volatility models.


The Gulf of Lion is an important area of deep convection, where intense winter vertical mixing brings nutrients up from deeper layers, promoting the largest bloom in the Mediterranean at the end of winter/early spring. The DEWEX program conducted cruises in February and April 2013 to investigate the ecosystem level impacts of deep water convection. Zooplankton data were collected through net sampling and imaging with an Underwater Vision Profiler. In winter, low zooplankton abundance and biomass were observed in the Deep Convection Zone (DCZ) and higher values on its periphery. In spring, this pattern reversed with high biomass in the DCZ and lower values on the periphery. On average for the whole area, the potential grazing impact was estimated to increase by one order of magnitude from winter to spring. In April, all areas except the DCZ incurred top-down control by zooplankton on the phytoplankton stock. In the DCZ, the chlorophyll-a values remained high despite the high zooplankton biomass and carbon demand, indicating a sustained bottom-up control. The zooplankton community composition was comparable for both periods, typified by high copepod dominance, but with some differences between the DCZ and peripheral regions. In spring the DCZ was characterized by a strong increase in herbivorous species such as Centropages typicus and Calanus helgolandicus, and an increase in the number of large zooplankton individuals. Our study indicates that the DCZ is likely an area of both enhanced energy transfer to higher trophic levels and organic matter export in the North Western Mediterranean Sea.


A radial gradient-index aplanatic singlet pickup objective lens for the compact disk (CD) system has been designed, manufactured, and evaluated. A plano-convex aplanatic singlet was designed by optimizing the refractive-index coefficients of the gradient-index medium, lens thickness, and one curvature. The necessary ion exchange technology and surface fabrication technology have been developed to successfully fabricate the objective lens. The gradient-index singlet was mounted in a CD player, and tests confirmed that the lens meets the system requirements.


Research philosophy classifications such as ontology, epistemology, and anxiology and their conflicting applications to the 'quantitative-qualitative' debates, are a major source of dilemma to research students in establishing their relevance to subjects areas and discipline. A number of studies have used different descriptions, categorisations and classifications of research paradigms and philosophies in relation to research methods with overlapping emphasis and meanings. This has not only resulted in tautological confusion of what is rooted where, and according to whom; but raises a critical question of whether these opposing views are enriching knowledge or subtly becoming toxic in the field? . This paper puts forth a student voice towards these debates and aims to provoke research advocates from their peripheral standpoint to become concerned about this subtle but deepening concern of students and their future impacts. A concerted effort in this direction should eventually result in the development of a planned, systematic framework and procedure that show some consensus to bail research students from these bewildering classifications and debates. The paper briefly reviews, discusses, and analyses these research philosophy classifications and debates and provides a mapping thereby through literature. Then, assesses how they impact on research students through case studies based on three North West Universities in the UK. Responses were elicited using structured interview questionnaires where students fall into different faculties and subject groupings for comparison purposes. Although the findings paint a grim picture of research, they are not conclusive to all UK students as the sample studied is skewed geographically. Future studies must survey the impact from other geographical locations. It is the conglomeration of these studies that will provide the 'real' magnitude of the impact on research students. This paper contributes to discussions on research methods and calls for a consensus in the field of research.


Passenger safety is the prime concern in modern day vehicles, especially in driverless automobiles. Collision warning and collision avoidance systems are the latest emerging automotive safety technologies that assist the automobiles, especiallsy cars in avoiding accidents. Alarming statistics of accidents and increased number of vehicles on road demands for an intelligent safety mechanism that helps the car in handling a type of immediate precarious situation, specifically a sudden probability of a rearend collision. Accidents due to rear end collision is one of the major problems encountered in cars, because of the ordinary succeeding vehicle, which is not trained to respond automatically and instantaneously to react to sudden halts and other emergency situations. When a car decelerates or halts suddenly by sensing an , the following vehicle tends to collide at the rear as it does not have the knowledge and capacity to respond to this unexpected situation. This results in serious damage to both the vehicles, posing a very big danger to passengers within the vehicles. The solution to this impending danger can be eliminated by extensively employing different electronic sensors and protocols like CAN(Controller Area Network) .The ARM processor keeps a continuous check on vehicle parameters using MEMS sensor and temperature sensor and gas sensor. The CAN controller on receiving the equivalent results, is used to communicate within the car. This avoids collision between the cars.


This paper proposes an edge-based robust RGB-D visual odometry (VO)using 2-D edge divergence minimization. Our approach focuses on enabling the VO to operate in more general environments subject to low texture and changing brightness, by employing image edge regions and their image gradient vectors within the iterative closest points (ICP)framework. For more robust and stable ICP-based optimization, we propose a robust edge matching criterion with image gradient vectors. In addition, to reduce a bad effect of outlier residuals, we propose an improved edge registration problem of 2-D edge divergence minimization in the manner of an iterative reweight least squares (IRLS)motion estimation. To accelerate the proposed approach, a pixel sub-sampling method is employed. We evaluate estimation performance of our method in changing brightness conditions and low-textured scenes. Our approach shows more robust motion estimation than state-of-the-art methods while maintaining comparable accuracy in challenging image sequences at real-time (25 Hz)operation.


A northward trending, fossil dune system (Prospect Hill Formation) extends for ~20 km parallel to the coast north of Saldanha. Fossil eggshell fragments of the giant struthious bird Diamantornis wardi were recovered from three palaeosols in the Prospect Hill Formation. D. wardi has been assigned to the late Middle Miocene (12 to 10 Ma) in Namibia, making this one of the oldest coastal dune systems in South Africa. The aeolianites rest conformably on a +40m boulder beach, equated with the global Middle Miocene high sea level cycle (HSLC) and the latter stages of the +90m HSLC of Namaqualand. The presence of struthious birds and the dune snail Trigonephrus globulus suggests a relatively dry, Mediterranean climate. A younger +25m beach and associated aeolianites are banked up unconformably on the seaward aspect of the Prospect Hill Formation. The zone fossil (bivalve) Donax rogersi relates these deposits to the +30m HSLC in Namaqualand and probably to a Plio-Pleistocene (~2Ma) global highstand. Altimetric discrepancies between the global Mio-Pliocene HSLC in the Western Cape (Varswater and De Hoop Vlei Formations) and Namaqualand suggest crustal subsidence of some 50m along the northern west coast. Comparison of global Middle Miocene sea levels (up to +140m) and the Middle Miocene HSLC in Namaqualand (maximum +90m) yields a similar result. Terrestrial deposits at ~50m below sea level at Noordhoek on the Cape Peninsula are attributed to eustacy rather than tectonism.


We experimentally demonstrate the mechanical tuning of whispering gallery modes in a 40 μm diameter silica microsphere at 10K, over a tuning range of 450 GHz and with a resolution less than 10 MHz. This is achieved by mechanically stretching the stems of a double-stemmed silica microsphere with a commercially available piezo-driven nano-positioner. The large tuning range is made possible by the millimeter long slip-stick motion of the nano-positioner. The ultrafine tuning resolution, corresponding to sub-picometer changes in the sphere diameter, is enabled by the use of relatively long and thin fiber stems, which reduces the effective Poisson ratio of the combined sphere-stem system to approximately 0.0005. The mechanical tuning demonstrated here removes a major obstacle for the use of ultrahigh Q-factor silica microspheres in cavity QED studies of solid state systems and, in particular, cavity QED studies of nitrogen vacancy centers in diamond.


Many believe that the most important result to come out of the last ten years of neural network research is the significant change in perspective in the neuroscience community towards theory of computational neurobiology and functional neuro-models. Arriving on a fast moving train from the other direction is semiconductor technology, one of the greatest technology success stories of all time transistors are now approaching deep submicron (less than 100 nanometers) in size, and we will soon be building silicon chips with over 1 billion transistors. The marriage of these two technologies is creating what Andy Grove (ex-CEO of Intel) refers to as a strategic inflection point. Although previous attempts at merging these technologies were premature, silicon and computational neurobiology are now merging to create an extremely powerful, and radically new form of computation.