Several jet measurements have been performed using data collected during the 2011 and 2012 data taking periods at respectively 7 and 8 TeV proton-proton collision energy by the general-purpose ATLAS experiment at the LHC. These measured are compared to Leading Order and Next Leading Order Monte Carlo predictions. This thesis works focalises in particular on two topics: the measurement of the inclusive double-differential jet cross section, and the separation between jets originated by quarks and those originated by gluons, motivated by its possible use in searches for contact interactions in dijet events. In the first part of thesis, the inclusive double-differential cross section has been measured at √s=8 TeV on low-luminosity runs taken in 2012, as a function of jet transverse momentum in bins of jet rapidity, covering a range of 25 < pT < 134 GeV and |y| < 3.0. Jets are defined using the anti-kt algorithm with two radius parameters of 0.4 and 0.6. The data sample has been collected using two special runs: a no-pile up run, and a low mu run using data-taking periods from A2 an A6. The total luminosity of the no pile-up and the low µ runs is 193.3 nb-1. The reason for using these two runs is to measure the lowpT region for jets, without the very large systematic uncertainties that would be caused by pileup in this kinematic region. This measurement has been merged with the high mu run cross-section measured by Gagik Vardanyan, for the ATLAS publication on the inclusive double-differential cross section measurement at √s=8 TeV. Separating quark-initiated jets from gluon-initiated jets can provide improve the reach of many beyond-the-standard model searches such as compositeness and contact interactions. In order to distinguish quark from gluon jets, a likelihood was built based on the number of charged track in the jet, and on the track width for the analysis of the 2011 dataset. Once jets have been labelled as quark-originated or gluon-originated, dijet events can be labelled as quark-quark, quark-gluon, and gluon-gluon. The detector-level invariant mass spectrum has been measured in bins of y* in 2011 data, and compared to Standard Model QCD or models of contact interactions with different ∧ scales. The tool has been further improved to have a better quark-gluon jet discrimination for the 2012 analysis. Calorimeter-based variables have been added to the track-based ones used in 2011, to extend the rapidity coverage and the discrimination power of the tool. The additional advantage of using 2012 data is the increased luminosity, from the 4.7 ±0.2 f b-1 of 2011 to the 20.3 f b-1 for 2012, allowing the use of data-driven techniques to measure the jet shapes used in the discrimination. As quark and gluon fractions and jet properties are strongly dependent on jet kinematics, all variables are studied in bins of pT and η.


We construct, estimate and explore the monetary policy consequences of a New Keynesian (NK) behavioural model with bounded-rationality and heterogeneous agents. We radically depart from most existing models of this genre in our treatment of bounded rationality and learning. Instead of the usual Euler learning approach, we assume that agents are internally rational (IR) given their beliefs of aggregate states and prices. The model is inhabited by fully rational (RE) and IR agents where the latter use simple heuristic rules to forecast aggregate variables exogenous to their micro-environment. We find that IR results in an NK model with more persistence and a smaller policy space for rule parameters that induce stability and determinacy. In the most general form of the model, agents learn from their forecasting errors by observing and comparing them with those under RE making the composition of the two types endogenous. In a Bayesian estimation with fixed proportions of RE and IR agents and a general heuristic forecasting rule we find that a pure IR model fits the data better than the pure RE case. However, the latter with imperfect rather than the standard perfect information assumption outperforms IR (easily) and RE-IR composites (slightly), but second moment comparisons suggest that the RE-IR composite can match data better. Our findings suggest that Kalman-filtering learning with RE can match bounded-rationality in matching persistence seen in the data.


Achieving high ionic conductivity in solid electrolytes and reducing the interfacial resistance between solid electrolytes and electrode materials are considered to be one of the biggest challenges in developing solid-state batteries. The integration of the high ionic conductivity of inorganic ceramics and the flexibility of organic polymers was attempted to yield a solvent-free ceramic/polymer composite solid electrolyte for Na batteries for the first time. The composite solid electrolytes exhibit a Na+ ion conductivity as high as 2.4 mS cm−1 at 80 °C. Meanwhile, this composite membrane is thermally stable up to 150 °C and maintains the flexibility of polymer electrolytes. The solid-state Na3V2(PO4)3/CPE/Na battery using this ceramic/polymer composite electrolyte exhibits an initial reversible capacity of 106.1 mA h g−1 and excellent cycle performance with negligible capacity loss over 120 cycles.


The purpose of this capstone project is to investigate the following question: How do members of the Baby Boom, Generation X and Millennial generations believe influences and experiences of their formative years impact their workplace attitudes and values? In the U.S. labor force, there are three predominant generations comprising a significant share of the workforce, each unique with their own set of core values that have been collectively shaped and defined by their formative political, cultural, and social experiences. For every generation, there are events and circumstances that mold preferences, expectations, and values that ultimately shape their workplace perspective and expectations. This paper was undertaken to provide a lens into the formative influences of each generation and the subsequent attitudes and values that emerge as a result of these experiences. By understanding the unique influences and motivations of each generation, we can qualitatively assess the research on generational influences on work-related attitudes. This capstone investigates the growing body of research and aligns it to survey data captured by members of each generation in a higher education institution in the Philadelphia area. This exploratory research is valuable for employees, management professionals, and practitioners who want to better understand generational values so they can evaluate their practices in order to communicate, engage, and lead their organizations effectively. Comments Submitted to the Program of Organizational Dynamics, College of Liberal and Professional Studies, in the School of Arts and Sciences in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Organizational Dynamics at the University of Pennsylvania. Advisor: Walter Licht This thesis or dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/od_theses_msod/74 GENERATIONAL FORMATIVE INFLUENCES ON WORKPLACE ATTITUDES AND VALUES


Purpose: Historically, communities have opposed the development of residential programs for adults with psychiatric disabilities. In the last two decades, national and local campaigns have made targeted efforts to improve public knowledge about mental illness, and attitudes and behaviors towards mental health clients. Supportive housing policies have also been revised to better facilitate integration and independence for clients with psychiatric disabilities. Despite these changes, the number of studies on perceptions of psychiatric supportive housing has dramatically declined in recent years. Little is known about how neighbors currently perceive psychiatric housing and neighbors with mental illness, or the role that mental health knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors play in neighborhoods where housing clients live. Methods: Knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of 139 neighbors living in close proximity to psychiatric supportive housing sites were assessed. Follow up qualitative interviews were conducted with 16 neighbors who correctly identified the housing site in their neighborhood to understand the perceived impact of the housing site and elicit suggestions for improving relations between clients and their neighbors. Individual and neighborhood social experiences of neighbors are compared with those of 68 clients living in the referent housing sites. Results: Neighbors had high rates of personal experience with mental illness and were familiar with mental health diagnoses and facts. Neighbors had positive opinions about and neighboring intentions towards neighbors with mental illness. Increased mental health knowledge and close relationships with individuals with mental illness were NEIGHBOR PERCEPTIONS OF SUPPORTIVE HOUSING ii associated with decreased stigma. Being able to correctly identify the housing and population was not associated with differences in opinions about individuals with mental illness. Compared to clients, neighbors perceived the neighborhood as being less safe. Clients were lonelier than their neighbors. Neighbors reported the housing had a positive impact on the neighborhood and had few concerns. They suggested awareness, education, and social contact strategies to improve relations with housing clients. Conclusions: Suggestions for improving client integration and public acceptance of psychiatric supportive housing are discussed, as well implications in light of recent policy changes and ongoing public anti-stigma campaigns. NEIGHBOR PERCEPTIONS OF SUPPORTIVE HOUSING iii


Abstract. During the POLARCAT-France airborne campaign in April 2008, pollution originating from anthropogenic and biomass burning emissions was measured in the European Arctic. We compare these aircraft measurements with simulations using the WRF-Chem model to investigate model representation of aerosols transported from Europe to the Arctic. Modeled PM2.5 is evaluated using European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP) measurements in source regions and POLARCAT aircraft measurements in the Scandinavian Arctic. Total PM2.5 agrees well with the measurements, although the model overestimates nitrate and underestimates organic carbon in source regions. Using WRF-Chem in combination with the Lagrangian model FLEXPART-WRF, we find that during the campaign the research aircraft sampled two different types of European plumes: mixed anthropogenic and fire plumes from eastern Europe and Russia transported below 2 km, and anthropogenic plumes from central Europe uplifted by warm conveyor belt circulations to 5–6 km. Both modeled plume types had undergone significant wet scavenging (> 50% PM10) during transport. Modeled aerosol vertical distributions and optical properties below the aircraft are evaluated in the Arctic using airborne lidar measurements. Model results show that the pollution event transported aerosols into the Arctic (> 66.6° N) for a 4-day period. During this 4-day period, biomass burning emissions have the strongest influence on concentrations between 2.5 and 3 km altitudes, while European anthropogenic emissions influence aerosols at both lower (~ 1.5 km) and higher altitudes (~ 4.5 km). As a proportion of PM2.5, modeled black carbon and SO4= concentrations are more enhanced near the surface in anthropogenic plumes. The European plumes sampled during the POLARCAT-France campaign were transported over the region of springtime snow cover in northern Scandinavia, where they had a significant local atmospheric warming effect. We find that, during this transport event, the average modeled top-of-atmosphere (TOA) shortwave direct and semi-direct radiative effect (DSRE) north of 60° N over snow and ice-covered surfaces reaches +0.58 W m−2, peaking at +3.3 W m−2 at noon over Scandinavia and Finland.


First published more than three decades ago, this reissue of Rachel Carson's award-winning classic brings her unique vision to a new generation of readers. Stunning new photographs by Nick Kelsh beautifully complement Carson's intimate account of adventures with her young nephew, Roger, as they enjoy walks along the rocky coast of Maine and through dense forests and open fields, observing wildlife, strange plants, moonlight and storm clouds, and listening to the "living music" of insects in the underbrush. "If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder." Writes Carson, "he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in." "The Sense of Wonder" is a refreshing antidote to indifference and a guide to capturing the simple power of discovery that Carson views as essential to life. In her insightful new introduction, Linda Lear remembers Rachel Carson's groundbreaking achievements in the context of the legendary environmentalist's personal commitment to introducing young and old to the miracles of nature. Kelsh's lush photographs inspire sensual, tactile reactions: masses of leaves floating in a puddle are just waiting to be scooped up and examined more closely. An image of a narrow path through the trees evokes the earthy scent of the woods after a summer rain. Close-ups of mosses and miniature lichen fantasy-lands will spark innocent'as well as more jaded'imaginations. Like a curious child studying things underfoot and within reach, Kelsh's camera is drawn to patterns in nature that too often elude hurried adults'a stand of beech trees in the springtime, patches of meltingsnow and the ripples from a pebble tossed into a slow-moving stream. "The Sense of Wonder" is a timeless volume that will be passed on from children to grandchildren, as treasured as the memory of an early-morning walk when the song of a whippoorwill was heard as if for the first time.


OBJECTIVES
Many service members do not seek care for mental health and addiction problems, often with serious consequences for them, their families, and their communities. This study tested the effectiveness of a brief, telephone-based, cognitive-behavioral intervention designed to improve treatment engagement among returning service members who screened positive for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

METHODS
Service members who had served in Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom who screened positive for PTSD but had not engaged in PTSD treatment were recruited (N=300), randomly assigned to either control or intervention conditions, and administered a baseline interview. Intervention participants received a brief cognitive-behavioral therapy intervention; participants in the control condition had access to usual services. All participants received follow-up phone calls at months 1, 3, and 6 to assess symptoms and service utilization.

RESULTS
Participants in both conditions had comparable rates of treatment engagement and PTSD symptom reduction over the course of the six-month trial, but receiving the telephone-based intervention accelerated service utilization (treatment engagement and number of sessions) and PTSD symptom reduction.

CONCLUSIONS
A one-time brief telephone intervention can engage service members in PTSD treatment earlier than conventional methods and can lead to immediate symptom reduction. There were no differences at longer-term follow-up, suggesting the need for additional intervention to build upon initial gains.


Many machine learning tasks, such as learning with invariance and policy evaluation in reinforcement learning, can be characterized as problems of learning from conditional distributions. In such problems, each sample $x$ itself is associated with a conditional distribution $p(z|x)$ represented by samples $\{z_i\}_{i=1}^M$, and the goal is to learn a function $f$ that links these conditional distributions to target values $y$. These learning problems become very challenging when we only have limited samples or in the extreme case only one sample from each conditional distribution. Commonly used approaches either assume that $z$ is independent of $x$, or require an overwhelmingly large samples from each conditional distribution.
To address these challenges, we propose a novel approach which employs a new min-max reformulation of the learning from conditional distribution problem. With such new reformulation, we only need to deal with the joint distribution $p(z,x)$. We also design an efficient learning algorithm, Embedding-SGD, and establish theoretical sample complexity for such problems. Finally, our numerical experiments on both synthetic and real-world datasets show that the proposed approach can significantly improve over the existing algorithms.


[1] We are in the midst of a digital revolution. In this "Age of Peer Production," armies of amateur participants demand the freedom to rip, remix, and share their own digital culture. Aided by the newest iteration of file sharing networks, digital media users now have the option to retreat underground, by using secure, private, and anonymous file sharing networks, to share freely and breathe new life into digital media. These underground networks, collectively termed "the Darknet[,] will grow in scope, resilience, and effectiveness in direct proportion to [increasing] digital restrictions the public finds untenable." The Darknet has been called the public's great equalizing force in the digital millennium, because it will serve as "a counterbalancing force and bulwark to


Artiklis kasitlen Lev Tolstoi kunstiteooria retseptsiooni anglo-ameerika esteetikas. Esiteks formuleerin Tolstoi kunstidefinitsiooni ja selle pohimoistete kanoonilise tolgenduse. Seejarel analuusin maaratlust ekstensionaalse adekvaatsuse alusel, keskendudes nii tavaparaste kui voimalike uute etteheidete paikapidavuse uurimisele. Kolmandaks pustitan kusimuse, kas Tolstoi kunstidefinitsiooni kriitika ekstensionaalse adekvaatsuse alusel on uldse oigustatud. Vaidan, et kuigi senistel Tolstoi meta-esteetilise rehabiliteerimise katsetel esineb puuduseid, paljastab Tolstoi kunstiteooria immanentne kriitika – teooria vaagimine eeldustelt, millelt see kritiseerib oponeerivaid teooriaid –, et ekstensionaalsest adekvaatsusest lahtuv kriitika on oigustatud. My article discusses Tolstoy's theory of art in the context of Anglo-American aesthetics. Although Tolstoy's What is Art touches upon a very wide spectrum of subjects (the place of art in the world, justification of sacrifices made for completing art works, criticism of previous theories of aesthetics, especially of the theory of beauty, defining of art as the expression of feelings, judging of art as such based on the religious knowledge of the era, action mechanisms of beauty/pleasure-centred art, consequences, conditions of the value of art, the relations between art and science, etc.), it has mainly been examined from the aspects of judging and defining of art. The article focuses on Tolstoy's definition of art and consists of three notional parts. First, I present the canonical formulation of Tolstoy's definition of art – something is a work of art if and only if the person, who lives through the feeling(s), causes by external signs that the recipients live through the same feelings. I also present the canonical interpretation of its main concepts – the conditions for creation, transmitting and reception. Second, I have an analytical insight into the criticism of the canonical treatment, displaying and commenting on, but also responding and complementing the presented arguments. The extensional adequacy-based analysis of Tolstoy's definition of art shows that although it is possible to eliminate some of the typical criticisms, none of the three necessary conditions was necessary by itself, nor were all three of them sufficient when taken together. As Tolstoy's definition of art has sometimes earned quite serious criticism, then, as my third point, I also examine some possibilities for rehabilitating Tolstoy's theory of art: whether and in what sense can the extensional adequacy-based analysis of Tolstoy's definition of art be justified at all? So far, the attempts of meta-aesthetic rehabilitation of Tolstoy (e.g., Mounce centrism) have not achieved the expected result. Furthermore, the immanent criticism of Tolstoy's theory of art (criticism of the theory, based on the prerequisites it uses to criticize its opposing theories) reveals that the extensional adequacy-based criticism of Tolstoy's definition of art is justified, but it is not necessarily the only yardstick for the theory.


This article examines the carceral imaginaries that emerge from the late capitalist structure of organ donation as an issue of short supply. This piece explores this issue through the lens of spatial segregation, arguing that carceral imaginaries are spaces of luxury where donors are segregated from recipients and are thereby legally murdered. The focus is Ninni Holmqvist's novel The Unit (2008) where the future is structured through gender equality but reproductive normativity. Donors are segregated away in the luxurious unit because they have not repro- duced. Having not produced future generations of labourers, these donors must contribute to the nation by donating their body parts to the reproductive – and therefore productive – members of the nation. Focusing on Sweden's history of eugenics and on gender equality, this article argues that the very space of care, namely the clinic, which facilitates life-saving treatments also subjects whole populations to violence and death through reproductive norms. Finally, it sug- gests that space is both that through which bodies move, but also the body itself. That is, the segregation of the body's parts and the idea that space may be divided by borders are mutually constitutive and found both the restrictions of bodily movement through space and murder as the gift of life.


Search systems are often focused on providing relevant results for the "now", assuming both corpora and user needs that focus on the present. However, many corpora today reflect significant longitudinal collections ranging from 20 years of the Web to hundreds of years of digitized newspapers and books. Understanding the temporal intent of the user and retrieving the most relevant historical content has become a significant challenge. Common search features, such as query expansion, leverage the relationship between terms but cannot function well across all times when relationships vary temporally. In this work, we introduce a temporal relationship model that is extracted from longitudinal data collections. The model supports the task of identifying, given two words, when they relate to each other. We present an algorithmic framework for this task and show its application for the task of query expansion, achieving high gain.


Learning and teaching English language from a distance is considered to be a new initiative in the tertiary level of the education system in Saudi Arabia. This research study
was conducted to explore the e-tutors' perceptions of their roles in a Distance English Language Learning Programme (DLLP) in one of the Saudi universities. It further
inquiries how these perceptions in this specific context of teaching and learning may help their learners take control over their learning.
To fulfill this aim, I adopted an exploratory case study design to gain an in-depth understanding of the topic. Moreover, the following overarching research question was
formulated:
What are the perceptions of e-tutors about learning and teaching processes in the context
of DLLP?
A specific focus of the research was to explore the ways in which the tutors might support their distance learners to be autonomous and attain a level of control over their learning.
Three data collection methods were used, namely document analysis, reflective journals,and semi-structured interviews. A sample of 14 e-tutors was purposely selected from one Saudi university. Content analysis was used to identify critical issues in the collected
documents while a thematic analysis framework (Braun and Clark, 2006) was adopted to interpret the data from the reflective journals and semi-structured interviews. Emerging
themes include some interesting, unexpected issues related to this teaching context, such as the cultural constraints and their impact on e-learning in Saudi universities, and the necessity of the use of L1 by the e-tutors in their teaching of the English language.
This study's findings contributed to developing a framework which helps e-tutors to encourage their distance learners to control and manage their learning of English as a
foreign language in this specific DLLP. It is hoped that such a framework will be beneficial for other e-tutors in similar teaching environments.


BACKGROUND
The nuclear hormone receptor, Farnesoid X Receptor (FXR) regulates the transcription of genes associated with bile acid metabolism and disposition.

OBJECTIVE
This study investigates possible changes in the expression of target genes responsible for amino acid conjugation, i.e., Bile Acid-CoA Synthetase (BACS) and bile acid-CoA: amino acid Nacetyltransferase (BAT). These genes have been shown to be inducible by FXR agonists in rat models, however, to date no studies have been conducted in a human hepatocyte model.

RESULTS
In human hepatocytes, treatment with the FXR agonists GW4064 (1.0 µM) and WAY362450 (0.1 µM) did not significantly induce the mRNA expression of BACS and BAT genes. However, other target genes associated with FXR activation, such as Bile Salt Export Pump (BSEP), Short Heterodimer Partner (SHP), Multidrug Resistance-associated Protein 2 (MRP2) and Multidrug Resistance Protein 3 (MDR3), were upregulated. Interestingly, a follow up study conducted in rat hepatocytes indicated that GW4064 induced the BACS gene while WAY362450 induced the BAT gene, confirming literature results that these genes can be induced in rat.

CONCLUSION
In conclusion, there appears to be some species differences in the activation of FXR target genes.


Previous research has shown that alphasliders are an effective tool for searching an alphabetically sorted list when only limited screen space is available for the graphical user interface. To improve user satisfaction, we propose equipping the widget with a novel text filter to dynamically limit the slider range. In this way, users are supported in locating target items and in identifying records that are missing. The results of a comparative user evaluation run on a personal digital assistant showed that 8 out of 12 participants preferred the filter widget to the classic interface. We further suggest an enhanced alphaslider design to speed up user interaction.


The thesis presented here is intended to demonstrate the value of popular working-class song toward the understanding of ordinary labouring people in 19th century Lancashire, particularly in the cotton trade. The chronology represents three decades of the century spanning a period of growing class awareness, beginning in 1832 when the first Reform
Act was passed and ending in 1862 during the Cotton Famine, which created widespread distress throughout the cotton districts of Lancashire. In order to put this chronology into perspective, it will be necessary to address the years preceding it. Following a General Introduction, the main body of the work will be divided into six Chapters. Chapter 1 will be a review of relevant secondary material. This is a necessary exercise in order to examine the work carried out before this thesis and the material available as a basis for its construction. Chapter 2 is an historiographical overview of class-consciousness,
involving recent debates in social history concerning the relevance of language within historical inquiry. The four Chapters following on from this addresses popular song culture itself. Chapter 3 is concerned with the broadside trade and the Preston printer, John Harkness (whose printed sheets form the principal primary material). It transpires from this study that his business interests were wide and varied. All songs and observations/reports from the time are quoted verbatim throughout the text. Chapter 4 focuses on the subject of locality, namely Preston and the surrounding area. Locality was
a popular theme in broadside culture. Chapter 5 focuses on the representation of politics in ballad texts and reveals a recurrent ideal of patriotism present in popular radicalism, as well as a developing political awareness amongst working people. Chapter 6 is an examination of gender issues portrayed in popular song culture, both in the home and the workplace. The relative lack of study in this area is emphasised. The thesis ends with an Overall Conclusion, which recapitulates and appraises the main points raised in this piece. One of the major findings throughout the work is that this unique material still requires further in-depth exploration and that the piece itself serves as an addition towards this process.


Abstract. The concentrations of neutral and charged sub-3nm clusters and their connection to new particle formation (NPF) were investigated during the PEGASOS campaign (7 June–9 July 2012) at the San Pietro Capofiume measurement station in the Po Valley, Italy. Continuous high concentrations of sub-3nm clusters were detected during the measurement period, although the condensation sink was relatively high (median value 1.1 × 10−2 s−1). The median cluster concentrations were 2140 and 7980 cm−3 in the size bins of 1.5–1.8 and 1.8–3 nm, and the majority of them were electrically neutral. NPF events were observed during the measurement period frequently, on 86 % of the days. The median growth rates of clusters during the events were 4.3, 6.0 and 7.2 nm h−1 in the size ranges of 1.5–3, 3–7 and 7–20 nm. The median formation rate of 1.6 nm clusters was high, 45 cm−3 s−1, and it exceeded the median formation rate of 2 nm clusters by 1 order of magnitude. The ion-induced nucleation fraction was low; the median values were 0.7 % at 1.6 nm and 3.0 % at 2 nm. On NPF event days the neutral cluster concentration had a maximum around 09:00 (local winter time), which was absent on a non-event day. The increase in the cluster concentrations in the morning coincided with the increase in the boundary layer height. At the same time radiation, temperature and SO2 concentration increased, and RH and condensation sink decreased. The concentrations of neutral and charged clusters were observed to have a positive correlation with sulfuric acid proxy, indicating the significance of sulfuric acid for the cluster formation in San Pietro Capofiume. The condensation sink had a negative correlation with the concentration of charged clusters but no clear relation to the neutral cluster concentration. This finding, together with back-trajectory analysis, suggests that the precursor vapors of the clusters and background aerosol particles, acting as their sink, have possibly originated from the same sources, including e.g., power plants and industrial areas in the Po Valley.


We examine the determinants of the choice of private versus public equity as a source of financing. We study private investments in public equity and seasoned equity offerings during 1996 to 2006, and analyze the short term and long term abnormal returns in SEO and PIPE transactions and their determinants. We find that PIPE issues have higher discount than SEO deals based on risk adjusted abnormal returns, however our long run analysis suggests that PIPE issuers outperform SEO firms. We employ a matched sample analysis based on industry, firm size and profitability for PIPE and SEO issues in the USA and document that firms that are more likely to use PIPE tend to be smaller, riskier and high growth companies, compared to SEO issuers. Based on our matched sample analysis, PIPE issuers are less transparent, more cash restricted and facing higher bankruptcy cost at issue than are SEO issuers. Finally, we observe that the issue discounts for PIPEs and SEOs are not different for the matched sample. Therefore when total cost of equity offering is considered PIPE may be a lower cost alternative for firms with certain characteristics than using SEO.


Background Wheezing disorders in childhood vary widely in clinical presentation and disease course. During the last years, several ways to classify wheezing children into different disease phenotypes have been proposed and are increasingly used for clinical guidance, but validation of these hypothetical entities is difficult. Methodology/Principal Findings The aim of this study was to develop a testable disease model which reflects the full spectrum of wheezing illness in preschool children. We performed a qualitative study among a panel of 7 experienced clinicians from 4 European countries working in primary, secondary and tertiary paediatric care. In a series of questionnaire surveys and structured discussions, we found a general consensus that preschool wheezing disorders consist of several phenotypes, with a great heterogeneity of specific disease concepts between clinicians. Initially, 24 disease entities were described among the 7 physicians. In structured discussions, these could be narrowed down to three entities which were linked to proposed mechanisms: a) allergic wheeze, b) non-allergic wheeze due to structural airway narrowing and c) non-allergic wheeze due to increased immune response to viral infections. This disease model will serve to create an artificial dataset that allows the validation of data-driven multidimensional methods, such as cluster analysis, which have been proposed for identification of wheezing phenotypes in children. Conclusions/Significance While there appears to be wide agreement among clinicians that wheezing disorders consist of several diseases, there is less agreement regarding their number and nature. A great diversity of disease concepts exist but a unified phenotype classification reflecting underlying disease mechanisms is lacking. We propose a disease model which may help guide future research so that proposed mechanisms are measured at the right time and their role in disease heterogeneity can be studied.


Novel engineered NanoLuc (Nluc) luciferase being smaller, brighter, and superior to traditional firefly (Fluc) or Renilla (Rluc) provides a great opportunity for the development of numerous biological, biomedical, clinical, and food and environmental safety applications. This new platform created an urgent need for Nluc inhibitors that could allow selective bioluminescent suppression and multiplexing compatibility with existing luminescence or fluorescence assays. Starting from thienopyrrole carboxylate 1, a hit from a 42 000 PubChem compound library with a low micromolar IC50 against Nluc, we derivatized four different structural fragments to discover a family of potent, single digit nanomolar, cell permeable inhibitors. Further elaboration revealed a channel that allowed access to the external Nluc surface, resulting in a series of highly potent cell impermeable Nluc inhibitors with negatively charged groups likely extending to the protein surface. The permeability was evaluated by comparing EC50 shifts calculated from both live and lysed cells expressing Nluc cytosolically. Luminescence imaging further confirmed that cell permeable compounds inhibit both intracellular and extracellular Nluc, whereas less permeable compounds differentially inhibit extracellular Nluc and Nluc on the cell surface. The compounds displayed little to no toxicity to cells and high luciferase specificity, showing no activity against firefly luciferase or even the closely related NanoBit system. Looking forward, the structural motifs used to gain access to the Nluc surface can also be appended with other functional groups, and therefore interesting opportunities for developing assays based on relief-of-inhibition can be envisioned.


In lieu of an abstract, below is the article's first paragraph. In the past few years, a new area of genetics has emerged that has scientists in many other fields intrigued. The discovery of telomeres, the end segments on our chromosomes, and the enzyme that controls them, has evoked an interest in professionals from a wide range of specialties. Articles on the subject have appeared in journals of cell and molecular biology, microbiology, genetics, gerontology, and have even surfaced in the popular media. There is already a wealth of information to be found on the topic, yet there is many times more still to be discovered, in several different fields. Because of the relatedness of this topic to so many areas, telomere biology has almost emerged as a branch of biology in and of itself.


Continuity of services availability is critical in some business types such as banks, hospitals, and military institutions. However, this may be interrupted by either a natural disaster such as an earthquake, volcano, or a tornado. In addition, human negative interference such as hackers or terrorism may expose valuable resources to danger. Moreover, disasters may occur because of a network interruption, system crash, or electricity outage. Therefore, a disaster recovery plan is vital to provide the precautions necessary to minimize the negative effects that may occur as a result of a potential disaster. Many companies in the market provided solutions for disaster recovery to resume operations after a failure with the minimum losses. This paper studies the Cisco ® disaster recovery plan, and then performs a SWOT analysis on the provided solution.


We present here a study about the limitations found when trying to develop an accurate atmospheric particulate matter forecasting model based on real data, and evidence that the time series of fine particulate matter concentration exhibit deterministic chaotic behavior. We have calculated the Lyapunov exponents of PM2.5 time series obtained from measurements from four monitoring stations located in the city of Santiago, Chile, in recent years. Values obtained for the largest Lyapunov exponents turned out to be positive and ranging between 0.3 and 0.5 which, according to the theory of chaos, is a condition for the presence of deterministic chaos and random behavior in time series. Given the shape of decay of autocorrelation functions and values of correlation dimension and Hurst exponents, random behavior can be discarded: we therefore conclude that the series are chaotic and very sensitive to initial conditions. The study presented here can be replicated in other mid-sized cities that present similar situations to the city of Santiago, where complexity of topography, meteorology and seasonal trends favor the generation of high concentration episodes of atmospheric particulate matter and where a reliable air quality forecasting model may be important for environmental management.


The glycosylated protein vasorin physically interacts with the transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-β1) and functionally attenuates its fibrogenic signaling in the vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) of the arterial wall. Angiotensin II (Ang II) amplifies TGF-β1 activation in the VSMCs of the arterial wall with aging. In this study, we hypothesized that a reduced expression of the protein vasorin plays a contributory role in magnifying Ang II-associated fibrogenic signaling in the VSMCs of the arterial wall with aging. The current study shows that vasorin mRNA and protein expression were significantly decreased both in aortic wall and VSMCs from old (30 mo) vs. young (8 mo) FXBN rats. Exposing young VSMCs to Ang II reduced vasorin protein expression to the levels of old untreated cells while treating old VSMCs with the Ang II type AT1 receptor antagonist Losartan upregulated vasorin protein expression up to the levels of young. The physical interaction between vasorin and TGF-β1 was significantly decreased in old vs. young VSMCs. Further, exposing young VSMCs to Ang II increased the levels of matrix metalloproteinase type II (MMP-2) activation and TGF-β1 downstream molecules p-SMAD-2/3 and collagen type I production up to the levels of old untreated VSMCs, and these effects were substantially inhibited by overexpressing vasorin. Administration of Ang II to young rats (8 mo) for 28 days via an osmotic minipump markedly reduced the expression of vasorin. Importantly, vasorin protein was effectively cleaved by activated MMP-2 both in vitro and in vivo. Administration of the MMP inhibitor, PD 166793, for 6 mo to young adult (18 mo) via a daily gavage markedly increased levels of vasorin in the aortic wall. Thus, reduced vasorin amplifies Ang II profibrotic signaling via an activation of MMP-2 in VSMCs within the aging arterial wall.


The study is about the application of fuzzy logic in representing the machinability
data for the turning process. Machining is a very complex process with respect to the
influences of the machining parameters such as cutting speed, feed rate, and depth of
cut. In order to perform a good machining practice the proper selection of the
machinability data, which includes the machining parameters and cutting tools is
very important. Normally, the selection of the machinability data is done by the
skilled machinist. The manufacturer may face trouble without the presence of the
skilled machinists. Thus, there is a necessity to represent the knowledge of the skilled
machinists into model, so that any normal machinists will be able to perform a good
machining practice by retrieving the information which prescribed in the model.
Consequently, fuzzy logic was chosen as a tool to describe the strategy and action of
the skilled machinist.
In this study, two types of fuzzy models for different workpiece material have been
developed, and they are alloy steel and titanium alloys fuzzy models. Both fuzzy
models serve the purpose of predicting the appropriate cutting speed and feed rate with respect to the corresponding input variables. Generally, the development of
fuzzy model involves the design of three main elements, which are inputs
membership functions, fuzzy rules (inference mechanism), and output membership
functions. So far, there is no any clear procedure that can be used to develop these
three elements. Thus, the strategy for generalizing the development of alloy steel
fuzzy model has been suggested. This strategy is useful and less effort is required for
developing a related new fuzzy models.
The design of fuzzy rules is always the difficult part in developing the fuzzy model
due to the tedious way of defining fuzzy rules with the conventional method.
Therefore, a new method of developing fuzzy rules, namely fuzzy rule mapping has
been introduced and implemented. Through fuzzy rule mapping method, the effort
and the time required in developing the fuzzy rules has been reduced. This method
has been applied in the developing the fuzzy model for alloy steel.
All the predicted outputs (cutting speed and feed rate) from the alloy steel (with
general strategy and fuzzy rule mapping) and titanium alloys fuzzy models were
being compared with the data obtained from "Machining Data Handbook", by
Metcut Research Associate, and a good match have been obtained throughout the
comparison. The average percentage errors for alloy steel fuzzy models with the
implementation of general strategy and fuzzy rule mapping are about the ranges of
3.1% to 5.6% and 3.0% to 10.7%, respectively. On the other hand, the average
percentage error for titanium alloys fuzzy model is about 1.8% to 5.1%. These results
have showed that the machinability data information for the turning of alloy steel and titanium alloys can be represented by fuzzy model. Besides that, it has also proved
the feasibility of using the suggested strategy and fuzzy rule mapping method.


This volume is the final output of a project started in 2013 on the occasion of the fortieth anniversary of the Scandinavian Section of the University of Milan. A group of scholars working on different European and non-European cultural and literary traditions come together here to discuss the relationships between their areas of study and the Nordic countries. The range of the contributions expands over time and space, from the Middle Ages to the present day, from Poland in the east to the United States in the west, across various European countries. Through various kinds of expertise and different perspectives, this intercultural discourse deals with diverse themes, including the perception of Nordic culture(s) by foreign writers as well as the image of other cultures in Scandinavian works. In particular, the literary and cultural interchange of models and ideas between the North and other areas is investigated in a number of essays devoted to numerous authors, including, among others, Klaus Boldl, Carmen de Burgos, Carlo Emilio Gadda, Gerhart Hauptmann, Henrik Ibsen, Stieg Larsson, Carl von Linne, Rainer Maria Rilke, J.D. Salinger, Henryk Sienkiewicz, Mme de Stael, August Strindberg, and Tomas Transtromer.


There is a growing awareness that tumor-adjacent normal tissues used as control samples in cancer studies do not represent fully healthy tissues. Instead, they are intermediates between healthy tissues and tumors. The factors that contribute to the deviation of such control samples from healthy state include exposure to the tumor-promoting factors, tumor-related immune response, and other aspects of tumor microenvironment. Characterizing the relation between gene expression of tumor-adjacent control samples and tumors is fundamental for understanding roles of microenvironment in tumor initiation and progression, as well as for identification of diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for cancers. To address the demand, we developed and validated TranNet, a computational approach that utilizes gene expression in matched control and tumor samples to study the relation between their gene expression profiles. TranNet infers a sparse weighted bipartite graph from gene expression profiles of matched control samples to tumors. The results allow us to identify predictors (potential regulators) of this transition. To our knowledge, TranNet is the first computational method to infer such regulation. We applied TranNet to the data of several cancer types and their matched control samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Many predictors identified by TranNet are genes associated with regulation by the tumor microenvironment as they are enriched in G-protein coupled receptor signaling, cell-to-cell communication, immune processes, and cell adhesion. Correspondingly, targets of inferred predictors are enriched in pathways related to tissue remodelling (including the epithelial-mesenchymal Transition (EMT)), immune response, and cell proliferation. This implies that the predictors are markers and potential stromal facilitators of tumor progression. Our results provide new insights for the relationships between tumor adjacent control sample, tumor and the tumor environment. Moreover, the set of predictors identified by TranNet will provide a valuable resource for future investigations. The TranNet method was implemented in python, source codes and the data sets used for and generated during this study are available at the Github site https://github.com/ncbi/TranNet.


How important a part did books play in the lives of successive English monarchs and their families? Besides Alfred the Great, Edward IV, Henry VIII and George III, which kings cared for books? This well-illustrated volume presents a fresh and wide-ranging review of the material and documentary evidence for royal interest in handwritten and printed books. Leading experts offer new perspectives on the part of England's monarchs in the circulation and preservation of texts from Anglo-Saxon times to the present day. Some essays consider individual books or monarchs. Others take a wider view of several centuries of evidence. At the heart of the volume is the remarkable array of royal books held by the British Library, including the Old Royal Library presented to the nation by George II and the King's Library presented by George IV. Contributors: Richard Gameson, Michael Wood, James Carley, Nicholas Vincent, Joanna Fronska, Catherine Reynolds, Scot McKendrick, Kathleen Doyle, John Goldfinch and Jane Roberts.


It is estimated that approximately one million calves die in Australia every year, with the majority unexplained. This thesis reviews losses associated with dehydration-mediated mortality during neonatal life, when there is highest risk of mortality, and reports three studies of neonatal calf dehydration. For 12 neonatal Brahman calves at Spyglass research site (northern forest land type, Queensland), variation in hydration status was investigated (Experiment 1). Change in live-weight from birth was used as the primary measure of hydration. Half of this cohort had low live weight gain between birth and day 3 of life (p = 0.01) compared to calves growing at 0.95±0.24 kg/day from birth. Low growth and associated reduced plasma protein (p = 0.04) in 6 calves indicated reduced colostrum, milk uptake and therefore reduced body fluid replenishment compared to other calves. This positions them at high risk of mortality under adverse environmental conditions. Urea space was tested as a measure of body water; however, percentage body water estimates were unrealistically elevated (> 80% of live weight) and therefore not representative of actual calf percentage body water. Descriptive analysis of risk factors for calf mortality was conducted for 478 and 378 tropically adapted newborn calves, respectively at Spyglass and Brian Pastures (southern forest land type, central Queensland) research sites (Experiment 2). The incidence risk of neonatal mortality in the southern forest of Queensland and northern forest of Queensland was 3.1% and 4.7%, respectively. Some risk factors and the percentage of calves exposed to high mortality risk included: dam body condition score ≤2 (8%), birth weight ≤28 kg (18%), low birth vigour (2%), large udder size (1%), at least two large teats (2%) and poor maternal protectiveness (5%). The low proportion of cows in poor body condition and good nutritional management limited the opportunity for dehydration-mediated neonatal mortality. There were no cases of prolonged heat stress around calving at the level previously associated with foetal and calf mortality. Experiment 2 indicates that low calf mortality may be achieved in any country type, provided that a low proportion of calves are exposed to high risk of mortality. A simple mechanistic model was developed to describe milk uptake volumes and ambient temperature (heat stress) impacts on neonatal hydration. This model provided clarification for the possible risk of dehydration mediated mortality across breeding herds of northern Australia. This thesis demonstrated variation in milk delivery, modelled that low milk delivery is associated with dehydration-mediated mortality and demonstrated that risk of mortality is low at a herd level when the risk factors associated with reduced milk delivery have low frequency.


Many algorithms have been proposed that create a path for a robot in an environment with obstacles. Most methods are aimed at finding a solution. However, for many applications, the path must be of a good quality as well. That is, a path should be short and should keep some amount of minimum clearance to the obstacles. Traveling along such a path reduces the chances of collisions due to the difficulty of measuring and controlling the precise position of the robot. This paper reports a new technique, called Partial shortcut, which decreases the path length. While current methods have difficulties in removing all redundant motions, the technique efficiently removes these motions by interpolating one degree of freedom at a time. Two algorithms are also studied that increase the clearance along paths. The first one is fast but can only deal with rigid, translating bodies. The second algorithm is slower but can handle a broader range of robots, including three-dimensional free-flying and articulated robots, which may reside in arbitrary high-dimensional configuration spaces. A big advantage of these algorithms is that clearance along paths can now be increased efficiently without using complex data structures and algorithms. Finally, we combine the two criteria and show that high-quality paths can be obtained for a broad range of robots.


The serine/threonine protein kinase, Yak1p, functions as a negative regulator of the cell cycle in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, acting downstream of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase. In the present work we report that overexpression of haemagglutinin-tagged full-lengthYak1p and an N-terminally truncated form (residues 148-807) lead to growth arrest in PKA compromised yak1 null yeast cells. Both forms of recombinant Yak1p kinase were catalytically active and preferred myelin basic protein (MBP) as a substrate over several other proteins. Phosphopeptide analysis of bovine MBP by tandem MS revealed two major Yak1p phosphorylation sites, Thr-97 and Ser-164. Peptides containing each site were obtained and tested as Yak1p substrates. Both forms of Yak1p phosphorylated a peptide containing the Ser-164 residue with far more efficient kinetics than MBP. The maximal velocity (V(max)) values of the full-length Yak1p reaction were 110+/-21 (Ser-164) and 8.7+/-1.7 (MBP), and those of N-terminally truncated Yak1p were 560.7+/-74.8 (Ser-164) and 34. 4+/-2.2 (MBP) pmol/min per mg of protein. Although neither form of Yak1p was able to phosphorylate two generic protein tyrosine kinase substrates, both were phosphorylated on tyrosine residues in vivo and underwent tyrosine autophosphorylation when reacted with ATP in vitro. Tandem MS showed that Tyr-530 was phosphorylated both in vivo and in vitro after reaction with ATP. Pre-treatment with protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B removed all of Yak1p phosphotyrosine content and drastically reduced Yak1p activity against exogenous substrates, suggesting that the phosphotyrosine content of the enzyme is essential for its catalytic activity. Although the N-terminally truncated Yak1p was expressed at a lower level than the full-length protein, its catalytic activity and phosphotyrosine content were significantly higher than those of the full-length enzyme. Taken together, our results suggest that Yak1p is a dual specificity protein kinase which autophosphorylates on Tyr-530 and phosphorylates exogenous substrates on Ser/Thr residues.


Learning Objectives: Alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) and delirium tremens (DTs) have been reported as a complication following traumatic injury, at rates of 0.88% and 0.10%, respectively. AWS among trauma patients is associated with an increased length of hospital stay, mechanical ventilation, and aspiration pneumonia. There is minimal literature about the optimal screening tool to predict and stratify trauma patients at risk for AWS. Additionally, there has been increased interest in the use of phenobarbital as a management strategy for AWS. The purpose of this systematic review were to evaluate screening tools to identify trauma patients who are most likely to develop AWS, and assess phenobarbital dosing strategies for prophylaxis of AWS. Methods: A literature search was performed in PubMed/MEDLINE. The initial search yielded 1072 articles from which nonEnglish and duplicate articles were removed. The remaining 974 articles underwent blinded review with an interprofessional team. Twenty articles were included in the final analysis. These studies were assessed for level of evidence using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation tool (GRADE). Results: Twenty articles were included in the final analysis with eleven reviewing tools and nine reviewing phenobarbital dosing strategies. CAGE and brief MAST were the most commonly used questionnaires for adults with blunt or penetrating trauma. Other factors associated with the development of AWS and DTs include male gender, age, and blood alcohol level. Laboratory biomarkers such as elevated AST and MCV are associated with alcohol use among trauma victims. While phenobarbital has been evaluated for management of AWS and DTs, none of the studies utilized phenobarbital in the prevention of AWS or DTs. Conclusions: Further investigation into the predictive ability of a screening tool that combines a short questionnaire, laboratory values, and patient demographics to predict and stratify the risk of AWS and DTs in the adult trauma population is warranted. Additional research is needed to identify pharmacologic strategies for prophylaxis of AWS and DTs.


Model-driven engineering (MDE) is a software engineering discipline which promotes models as first-class entities. It represents a shift of paradigm in software development, from being code-centric to become model-centric. MDE is an attempt to organise modelling, metamodelling and model transformation in a well-structured engineering methodology. This thesis is all about formalisation of MDE-concepts in a diagrammatic specification formalism which we call Diagram Predicate Framework (DPF). DPF provides a formal diagrammatic approach to (meta)modelling and model transformation based on category theory. It is a generic graph-based specification framework that tends to adapt first-order logic and categorical logic to software engineering needs. This thesis is based on a sequence of publications and it is the intended purpose of this thesis to consolidate the present state of development regarding DPF. Some of the foundation for DPF was already under construction before this work was initiated. The main contributions of this thesis are: • An introduction to formal diagrammatic modelling and diagrammatic constraints • A comparison of some of the state-of-the-art modelling languages, techniques and frameworks to DPF • A neat, diagrammatic formalisation of the metamodelling hierarchy as proposed by the Object Management Group • A formal approach to model transformations and to constraint-awareness in model transformation • A formalisation of the fundamental concepts and processes of version control in the context of MDE This thesis is organised as follows. The first chapter is dedicated to introduce MDE, its technological basis and challenges, and to motivate the formalisation approach presented in this thesis. This introduction is meant as a guide for newcomers to MDE, especially for theoreticians. The main part of the thesis details DPF and its formal background. This part is more theoretically oriented, and is meant to elucidate the formal foundation of the DPF framework for software engineers. More precisely, DPF is presented as a formal approach to (meta)modelling, model transformation and version control. The last chapter is dedicated to a discussion of related work, further work and concluding remarks. The content of this thesis is neither purely theoretical nor purely practical; rather it seeks to bridge the gap between these worlds. It provides a formal approach to diagrammatic modelling, model transformation and version control motivated and illustrated by practical examples. We introduce only the theoretical elements which are necessary to investigate, formalise, and to solve the practical problems. More precisely, we explicitly define the formal concepts and constructions needed in order to understand the thesis, such as graph, graph homomorphism, categories, pullback and pushout.


Support vector machines (SVMs) have considerable potential as classifiers of remotely sensed data. A constraint on their application in remote sensing has been their binary nature, requiring multiclass classifications to be based upon a large number of binary analyses. Here, an approach for multiclass classification of airborne sensor data by a single SVM analysis is evaluated against a series of classifiers that are widely used in remote sensing, with particular regard to the effect of training set size on classification accuracy. In addition to the SVM, the same datasets were classified using a discriminant analysis, decision tree, and multilayer perceptron neural network. The accuracy statements of the classifications derived from the different classifiers were compared in a statistically rigorous fashion that accommodated for the related nature of the samples used in the analyses. For each classification technique, accuracy was positively related with the size of the training set. In general, the most accurate classifications were derived from the SVM approach, and with the largest training set the SVM classification was significantly (p < 0.05)more accurate (93.75%) than that derived from the discriminant analysis (90.00%) and decision tree algorithms (90.31%). Although each classifier could yield a very accurate classification, > 90% correct, the classifiers differed in the ability to correctly label individual cases and so may be suitable candidates for an ensemble-based approach to classification.


Under the New Jersey State Constitution as interpreted by the State Supreme Court in 1975 and 1983, municipalities are required to use their zoning authority to create realistic opportunities for a fair share of affordable housing for low- and moderate-income households. Mount Laurel was the town at the center of the court decisions. As a result, Mount Laurel has become synonymous with the debate over affordable housing policy designed to create economically integrated communities. What was the impact of the Mount Laurel decision on those most affected by it? What does the case tell us about economic inequality? This book undertakes a systematic evaluation of the Ethel Lawrence Homes—a housing development produced as a result of the Mount Laurel decision. The book assesses the consequences for the surrounding neighborhoods and their inhabitants, the township of Mount Laurel, and the residents of the Ethel Lawrence Homes. Their analysis reveals what social scientists call neighborhood effects—the notion that neighborhoods can shape the life trajectories of their inhabitants. The book proves that the building of affordable housing projects is an efficacious, cost-effective approach to integration and improving the lives of the poor, with reasonable cost and no drawbacks for the community at large.


The spatial and temporal patterns of distribution of new settlers of 23 species of damselfish (Pomacentridae) within One Tree Island lagoon, southern Great Barrier Reef (GBR) were measured for 3 summers to assess the persistence of spatial patterns of recruitment. Overall recruitment was 3 times higher in 1993/1994 than 1994/1995, and 1.5 times higher than 1999. In general, recruitment decreased towards the lagoon centre, even though habitat availability was not lower there on average, suggesting that most fish settled at outer sites as they were advected from adjacent waters. There was also great variation in numbers of recruits among outer sites. Patterns of recruitment to continuous reef and patch reef habitats also differed among species, suggesting habitat selection at this broad level. For example, Pomacentrus nagasakiensis was primarily found on patch reefs, while P. moluccensis was largely found on continuous reef. One site (Shark Alley) received the highest number of recruits of most species during the study, and this pattern has been observed in studies since 1975. Despite interannual variability in abundance of potential settlers and differences in the habitat preferences of some species, therefore, some sites on the reef can receive relatively high numbers of settlers over decadal time scales. This consistency of spatial pattern may be due to local topography and oceanography at Shark Alley, which appear to favour the input of potential settlers. The availability of live coral may also be important, but species which showed no preferences for live cover also recruited at high levels at this site. The attributes of Shark Alley were compared with those at other sites. Overall, sites that clustered on the basis of oceanographic and habitat features also had similar recruitment, suggesting that these features may be useful in predicting recruitment hotspots on reefs elsewhere.


The transfer of low-carbon technology to developing countries is one of the key means to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in developing countries and therefore a key aspect of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This thesis aims to contribute to the understanding of international low-carbon technology transfer and how it might do justice to the interest of developed and developing countries. The empirical example is the technology transfer approach and its implementation by the Global Environmental Facility, which acts as the financial mechanism of the UNFCCC.

My theoretical framework includes two sets of theories. The first includes theories of international technology transfer. This set explains how international technology transfer may lead to economic benefits on the side of the technology recipient. This theory, however, does not explain how international technology transfer will lead to significant environmental benefits. I therefore included a second set of theories in my theoretical framework. Theories of diffusion of environmental technologies explain how technology might achieve environmental benefits such as the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in developing countries.

A case study was chosen as method. In order to do justice to the research question, the empirical enquiry takes place on three interconnected levels. On the first level, the positions of developed and developing countries on the subject of technology transfer under UNFCCC were established. These serve as additional yardsticks for the discussion of the GEF approach and its outcomes. On the second level, the technology transfer approach of the GEF and the relationship to GEF and UNFCCC on the subject on technology transfer was established. On the third level, the GEF project Photovoltaic Market Transformation Initiative (PVMTI) in India, which follows the GEF approach to technology transfer, was investigated.

The thesis concludes, in relation to the research question, that the current GEF approach to technology transfer is unlikely to achieve the goals of both developed and developing countries. It is able to achieve the goals of developed countries as it tends to prioritise the environmental goals through selected demand side measures that are effective in achieving emission reductions. It is less effective in achieving development goals as international technology transfer is left to the private actor.


Abstract. Historical ecological surveys serve as a baseline and provide
context for contemporary research, yet many of these records are not
preserved in a way that ensures their long-term usability. The
National Eutrophication Survey (NES) database is currently only
available as scans of the original reports (PDF files) with no
embedded character information. This limits its searchability,
machine readability, and the ability of current and future
scientists to systematically evaluate its contents. The NES data
were collected by the US Environmental Protection Agency between
1972 and 1975 as part of an effort to investigate eutrophication in
freshwater lakes and reservoirs. Although several studies have
manually transcribed small portions of the database in support of
specific studies, there have been no systematic attempts to
transcribe and preserve the database in its entirety. Here we use
a combination of automated optical character recognition and manual
quality assurance procedures to make these data available for
analysis. The performance of the optical character recognition
protocol was found to be linked to variation in the quality
(clarity) of the original documents. For each of the four archival
scanned reports, our quality assurance protocol found an error rate
between 5.9 and 17  % . The goal of our approach was to
strike a balance between efficiency and data quality by combining
entry of data by hand with digital transcription technologies. The
finished database contains information on the physical
characteristics, hydrology, and water quality of about 800 lakes in
the contiguous US ( Stachelek et al. ,  2017 , https://doi.org/10.5063/F1639MVD ). Ultimately, this database could be
combined with more recent studies to generate meta-analyses of water
quality trends and spatial variation across the continental US.


This paper examines the role that representatives of the London Missionary Society in central southern Africa during the nineteenth century may have played in the development of geographical debates concerning the long-term desiccation of the African continent. Observations on climate included within missionary documents are used to reconstruct a chronology of intra-decadal climatic variability for the period 1815-1900. This reveals six drought periods and seven wet phases that affected large areas of the region, but identifies no evidence for progressive desiccation. The chronology is then used as a framework within which to view missionary perspectives on drought and desiccation. Major influences upon the development of desiccationist theory appear to include the prevalence of contemporary moral economic explanations of climatic variability, as well as the uptake and acceptance of indigenous understanding of climate change. Significantly, many of the key observations by eminent missionaries used as supporting evidence for progressive desiccation are identified as having been made during periods of severe drought. This is used to suggest that the most widely propagated evidence for desiccation may, therefore, simply be the end-product of periods of short-term drought rather than long-term climatic deterioration.


Well-defined surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) active systems were fabricated by single-crystalline noble metal nanowires. Crossed and parallel nanowire pairs were constructed by using a nanomanipulator to create SERS hot spots in the form of nanowire junction. SERS spectra of brilliant cresyl blue (BCB), p-mercaptoaniline (pMA), and p-mercaptobenzoic acid (pMBA) were observed at the junction of two nanowires. The SERS enhancement and polarization dependence are correlated well with the enhanced electric field intensities calculated by the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method for specific nanowire geometries. These simple and effective SERS active systems have a practical advantage that the hot spots can be readily located and visualized by an optical microscope. These well-defined SERS active systems based on noble metal nanowires can be further developed to find applications in a variety of biological and chemical sensing.


Abstract Copper (Cu2+) ion was determined at micro level by diethyldithiocarbamate (DDTC) spectrophotometry after temperature-dependent solid–liquid separation using N-butyl pyridinium hexafluorophosphate ([BPy]PF6) as a solid solvent and DDTC as an extractant. The results showed that ions can be extracted 100% by DDTC–[BPy]PF6 at pH = 10·20. The extracted species was neutral Cu(DDTC)mCl2 (m = 1) based on slope analysis in the Cu2+–[BPy]PF6–DDTC temperature-dependent solid–liquid separation system. The recovery of Cu2+ extracted into DDTC–[BPy]PF6 can be achieved using 2 mol L−1 HNO3 as stripping agents. Back extraction method was adopted for the detection and quantification of Cu2+ ions using the DDTC spectrometry. The calibration curve was Y = 0·00328 + 0·10279X (correlation coefficient = 0·99922), the linear calibration range was 7·68 × 10−2 0·768 μg mL−1 and the limit of detection was 1·28 × 10−2 μg mL−1 for Cu2+. In this method, the contents of Cu2+ in Tieguanyin tea were determined with relative standard deviations (n = 5) of 2·82% and recoveries in the range of 96·6–108·5%.


ABSTRACT Although melanoma progression and staging is clinically well characterized, a large variation is observed in pathogenesis, progression, and therapeutic responses. Clearly, intrinsic characteristics of melanoma cells contribute to this variety. An important factor, in both progression of the disease and response to therapy, is the tumor-associated vasculature. We postulate that melanoma cells communicate with endothelial cells (ECs) in order to establish a functional and supportive blood supply. We investigated the angiogenic potential of human melanoma cell lines by monitoring the survival of ECs upon exposure to melanoma conditioned medium (CM), under restrictive conditions. We observed long-term (up to 72 h) EC survival under hypoxic conditions upon treatment with all melanoma CMs. No such survival effect was observed with the CM of melanocytes. The CM of pancreatic and breast tumor cell lines did not show a long-term survival effect, suggesting that the survival factor is specific to melanoma cells. Furthermore, all size fractions (up to < 1 kDa) of the melanoma CM induced long-term survival of ECs. The survival effect observed by the < 1 kDa fraction excludes known pro-angiogenic factors. Heat inactivation and enzymatic digestion of the CM did not inactivate the survival factor. Global gene expression and pathway analysis suggest that this effect is mediated in part via the AKT and p38 MAPK/ ERK-1/2 signaling axis. Taken together, these data indicate the production of (a) survival factor/s (< 1 kDa) by melanoma cell lines, which enables long-term survival of ECs and promotes melanoma-induced angiogenesis.


The pursuit of poetry and the new science of the mind were inseparable strands of the seminal work of the late nineteenth-century poet, psychological and psychical researcher Frederic W. H. Myers. An early passion for classical prosody translated in later life into a complex, nuanced poetry devoted to the performative externalization of intense psychological experiences of various kinds. Myers was a founding member of the Society for Psychical Research and co-authored the two-volume study of ghost sightings, Phantasms of the Living (1886). He also conducted extensive research into trance mediumship, telepathy and automatic writing, immersed himself in contemporary continental work on hypnosis, dissociation, and secondary personality and was the first to describe the early work of Pierre Janet and Sigmund Freud in English. This work, in turn, inspired Myers's seminal theory of the subliminal self that profoundly influenced the psychology of William James. Myers described himself as a 'minor poet' and an 'amateur savant', the latter referring to his psychical research. But despite their minor status in the Victorian canon, Myers's poetry provides a unique record of his concept of poetic language as an 'intensification' of private experience, in contrast to the objectivity and empirical drive of scientific language. Myers was deeply influenced by the poetics of Wordsworth and Tennyson. What he admired in particular was their capacity to reinvigorate the classical contours of the poetic line with modern rhythms, metaphors, and motifs capable of rendering the invisible or 'subliminal' aspects of everyday life visible, the most important of these being the laying bare of the mind in the act of dreaming, mourning, reverie, and reflection. Myers's elegiac lyric to Tennyson, for example, written on the occasion of the poet's death, is a self-conscious stylistic homage to Crossing the Bar . The motif of the immortal journey of the soul is infused with Myers's spiritualist faith in the eternal presence of the departed, to quote the final lines of the poem: 'Be stilled an hour, and stir from sleep/Reborn, re-risen, and yet the same.' This resonates with Myers's belief, stated in the prefatory autobiographical fragment that serves as a prelude to this and the following poems, that 'all things thought and felt, as well as all things done, are somehow photographed imperishably on the Universe, and that my whole past will probably lie open to those with whom I have to do'. The proposed article will argue that Myers's poetry and poetics sustains and develops a uniquely nineteenth-century poetic engagement with 'scientific' theories of mind that begins with the Romantics he admired. Poetry created a space for Myers to dramatize the dynamic and evolving dialogue between conscious and unconscious states that extended beyond the confines of the mortal body. Poetic language evoked and explored the mind of the speaker in a dialogic or confessional style, representing a secret history of subliminal thoughts and impulses, rather than prosaically resolving epistemological paradoxes or diagnosing the various crises that haunt the individual psyche. This article argues for Myers as a significant, rather than a minor, contributor to the Victorian poetic figuring of the mind as a 'double' phenomenon, to invoke the terminology of the new mental science.


Abstract. The possibility to calculate linear-source receptor relationships for the transport of atmospheric trace substances with a Lagrangian particle dispersion model (LPDM) running in backward mode is shown and presented with many tests and examples. This mode requires only minor modifications of the forward LPDM. The derivation includes the action of sources and of any first-order processes (transformation with prescribed rates, dry and wet deposition, radioactive decay, etc.). The backward mode is computationally advantageous if the number of receptors is less than the number of sources considered. The combination of an LPDM with the backward (adjoint) methodology is especially attractive for the application to point measurements, which can be handled without artificial numerical diffusion. Practical hints are provided for source-receptor calculations with different settings, both in forward and backward mode. The equivalence of forward and backward calculations is shown in simple tests for release and sampling of particles, pure wet deposition, pure convective redistribution and realistic transport over a short distance. Furthermore, an application example explaining measurements of Cs-137 in Stockholm as transport from areas contaminated heavily in the Chernobyl disaster is included.


This paper investigates the extent to which a biased transmission of educational endowments affects fertility. To this end, we devise a version of Beckerٳ family decision model that takes preference change into account. Specifically, we model education as an instrument that increases the autonomy (to prefer), and autonomy as an instrument of preference-change for household-structures. The empirical validity of the proposed model is examined for the European setting using the European Community Household Panel. In the context of the model, empirical findings imply the following. On the one hand, both preference for quantity and preference for bequest for each offspring (quality) increases with education, while preference for current consumption decreases. On the other hand, education is found to be negatively correlated with fertility, at a decreasing rate. Therefore, the paper provides a useful additional toolkit for public policy evaluation. It explains how public policies oriented toward the guarantee of personal freedoms, such as the expansion of education and autonomy, are likely to guarantee the same freedoms for subsequent generations.


This report describes flight and landing tests made on a group of conventional airplanes. The upward deflection of the elevators was limited to the point where the airplanes could not be made to spin without the aid of power. With the elevator travel thus limited, the airplane in every case had good lateral stability and good aileron effectiveness up to the highest angles of attack which could be obtained in a glide, although this was not true in any case without the limited control. All ordinary flight maneuvers could be performed with the elevator displacement limited, but usually there was not sufficient control to get the tail down for a normal 3-point landing.


Recent changes in the Fungal Code of Nomenclature and developments in molecular phylogeny are about to lead to dramatic changes in the naming of medically important molds and yeasts. In this article, we present a widely supported and simple proposal to prevent unnecessary nomenclatural instability.


Edge sampling is an important topic in network analysis. It provides a natural way to reduce network size while retaining desired features of the original network. Sampling methods that only use local information are common in practice as they do not require access to the entire network and can be easily parallelized. Despite promising empirical performances, most of these methods are derived from heuristic considerations and lack theoretical justification. In this paper, we study a simple and efficient edge sampling method that uses local network information. We show that when the local connectivity is sufficiently strong, the sampled network satisfies a strong spectral property. We measure the strength of local connectivity by a global parameter and relate it to more common network statistics such as the clustering coefficient and network curvature. Based on this result, we also provide sufficient conditions under which random networks and hypergraphs can be efficiently sampled.


The orphan nuclear receptor NR4A2 (Nurr1) constitutively regulates inflammatory gene expression in glial cells by suppressing DNA binding activity of NF-κB. We recently reported that novel 1,1-bis(3'-indolyl)-1-(p-substitutedphenyl)methane (C-DIM) compounds that activate NR4A family nuclear receptors in cancer lines also suppress inflammatory gene expression in primary astrocytes and prevent loss of dopaminergic neurons in mice exposed to 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine and probenecid (MPTPp). In this study, we postulated that the basis for this neuroprotection involves blockade of glial activation and subsequent expression of NF-κB-regulated inflammatory genes. To examine this mechanism, we treated transgenic NF-κB/EGFP reporter mice with MPTPp for 7 days (MPTPp7d) followed by daily oral gavage with either vehicle (corn oil; MPTPp14d) or C-DIMs containing p-methoxyphenyl (C-DIM5), p-hydroxyphenyl (C-DIM8), or p-chlorophenyl (C-DIM12) groups. Each compound conferred significant protection against progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc), even when given after 7 days of dosing with MPTPp. C-DIM12 had the greatest neuroprotective activity in MPTPp-treated mice, and was also the most potent compound in suppressing activation of microglia and astrocytes, expression of cytokines and chemokines in quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) array studies, and in reducing expression of NF-κB/EGFP in the SN. C-DIM12 prevented nuclear export of Nurr1 in dopaminergic neurons and enhanced expression of the Nurr1-regulated proteins tyrosine hydroxylase and the dopamine transporter. These data indicate that NR4A-active C-DIM compounds protect against loss of dopamine neurons in the MPTPp model of PD by preventing glial-mediated neuronal injury and by supporting a dopaminergic phenotype in TH-positive neurons in the SNpc.


This Comment addresses "floors" – minimum substantive international protections, and "ceilings" – maximum substantive international protections, set out in the Berne Convention and subsequent multilateral copyright accords. While much scholarship has addressed Berne minima, the "maxima" have generally received less attention. This Comment first describes the general structure of the Berne Convention, TRIPS and WCT regarding these contours, and then analyzes their application to the recent "press publishers' right" promulgated in the 2019 EU Digital Single Market Directive.

Within the universe of multilateral copyright obligations, the Berne maxima (prohibition of protection for facts and news of the day), buttressed by the TRIPS and WCT exclusion of protection for ideas, methods and processes, should promote the free cross-border availability of facts and ideas, as well as of exercise of the Berne Convention mandatory exception for the making of "quotations" from publicly-disclosed works. Individual Berne countries of origin may protect excluded subject matter or preclude mandatory exceptions in their own works of authorship, but not in foreign Berne works. Nonetheless, member States might be able to elude Conventional maxima by resort to copyright-adjacent sui generis rights, such as the Digital Single Market Directive's new press publisher's right. This Comment considers the extent to which Conventional maxima may nonetheless have a preclusive effect on such maneuvers.


Two recent higher court findings from Austria show how the Austrian National Heritage Agency [BDA] has misinterpreted and misapplied the provisions of § 11 (1) Austrian Monument Protection Law. While the BDA has maintained for decades that consent is required under § 11 (1) for any fieldwork, even surface surveys, regardless of whether archaeology is known, legal challenge has established that neither is the case. Rather, it appears that consent under § 11 (1) is only required where there is evidence that significant archaeology will be found during the fieldwork. Furthermore, § 11 (1) only applies to sub-surface fieldwork or under-water evidence. As a consequence, as many as c.10,000 permits may have been granted illegally, with potentially costly conditions attached. This paper examines the court findings, their consequences for Austrian archaeological heritage management, the reasons why the BDA misinterpreted the law and reflects on the wider implications.


As the global population transitions into a high-energy consumption lifestyle, natural resources are diminishing and pressures on food production systems are intensifying. A growing population and changes in consumption behaviour have seen the emergence of a food economy characterised by large-scale industrial production systems often considered to be environmentally unsustainable, socially unjust, and even exploitative. In addition, these conventional food systems are largely dependent on access to cheap and abundant sources of energy. However, it has become widely accepted that such sources of energy cannot be guaranteed long-term. Therefore, it has been of particular interest among scholars and wider society to explore alternative systems of food provisioning. As part of an alternative food network, farmers markets have been characterised as an outlet for small-scale food producers to re-capture some of the value that is often lost through conventional food systems. Their growing popularity on a global scale shows that significant value opportunities exist as a result of participation. However, while there has been some research on farmers markets within New Zealand, very little has considered value processes within the social phenomena. Described as a shift towards sustainable development, farmers markets provide a useful site for research into understanding sustainable food system opportunities. This research explores an agricultural sector for which little research exists in New Zealand by seeking to investigate value creation within a sample of farmers markets. In order to achieve the objectives of this study, the researcher utilised a qualitative research approach whereby a combination of semi-structured interviews and ethnography was employed. Data was analysed under a social constructivist lens and the findings of the research are presented in narrative form in order to communicate the true perspectives and opinions of those being studied. The research revealed various forms of value evident within farmers market settings in New Zealand and various factors present in its creation. This thesis presents the research and its findings, aiming to further conceptualise farmers markets within New Zealand. In doing so, the research offers small-scale food producers/entrepreneurs and the academic community insight into value processes within farmers markets and thus their true efficacy and merit as part of an alternative food network. The findings of this research can help us to further understand the role alternative food networks play in the food and agricultural sectors and thus help to define more sustainable food system opportunities within New Zealand.


Little bluestem [Schizachyrium scoparium (Michx.) Nash] was the most important dominant species of uplands in the tallgrass prairie. Presently, it is a dominant species, most significantly on coarse-textured soils, in the mixed-grass prairie region of the United States and Canada. This wide geographical adaptation to dry soils suggests little bluestem has potential for biomass production in areas unsuitable for most other grass species in the North American steppe. Primary objectives of this research were to (i) describe the morphology and determine the distribution of biomass among main stem and axillary components of little bluestem, and (ii) determine genetic variation for morphology and biomass production in 'Camper' little bluestem. Morphological analysis was conducted on tillers collected from natural populations in South Dakota and Montana and from swards of Camper and 'Badlands' ecotype in eastern South Dakota. Sixteen genotypes of Camper were evaluated for three years at two locations for determination of genotypic variation for biomass and biomass components. Quadratic models explained relationships between phytomer position and leaf and internode lengths and mass of individual phytomers of natural and selected populations. Genotypic variation occurred for phytomers per tiller, tillers per plant, mass per tiller, axillary branches per tiller, and biomass (range: 102-387 g plant -1 ). However, the correlation between locations for biomass was not significant for genotypes due to genetic variation for phenotypic plasticity. High frequency of survival over two winters for all genotypes indicated Camper has adequate winter hardiness to serve as a source population for cultivar development for biomass in the northern Great Plains.


We address the role of noise and the issue of efficient computation in stochastic optimal control problems. We consider a class of nonlinear control problems that can be formulated as a path integral and where the noise plays the role of temperature. The path integral displays symmetry breaking and there exists a critical noise value that separates regimes where optimal control yields qualitatively different solutions. The path integral can be computed efficiently by Monte Carlo integration or by a Laplace approximation, and can therefore be used to solve high dimensional stochastic control problems.


Various forms of asphalt pavement distress, such as rutting, shoving and bleeding, can be attributed, in many cases, to low air voids in the mixtures during production and placement. The occurrence of low air void contents during plant production may originate as a result of an accidental increase in binder content or mix fines (or both). When low air voids are encountered during production, the specifying agency must decide whether to require the material that has already been placed to be removed and replaced or whether it can be left in place with a reduction in pay. Consequently, the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) initiated this research project to develop a decision-support tool for dealing with such events that is based on projected rutting performance of the pavement system. The study was conducted along three paths. In the first, INDOT sponsored two pavement test sections at the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT) Test Track. The second path involved testing mixes in the INDOT Accelerated Pavement Testing (APT) Facility. In both cases, mixtures were produced in local hot mix plants by either increasing the fines content or the binder content. The NCAT test sections included low void mixes in the surface course only and performance was measured by the progression of rutting. Significant rutting developed in the low void mixes. The results suggested that removal be considered for mixtures with air voids below 2.75% but that no pay adjustment was necessary for air voids above this level. However, the NCAT results were limited to one pavement structure, one set of materials, one climate and low voids in the surface mix only. In the APT, low air void mixtures were placed in either the surface or the intermediate course and different materials were used. The pavement response (permanent deformation of the top pavement layers) resulting from repetitive APT wheel passes was measured using a laser based system. Lastly, a simplified mechanistic analysis, using a software program called QRSS (Quality Related Specification Software) was used in an attempt to simulate the effects of low void mixtures on pavement performance and service life with different materials in different pavement layers and under different traffic loads. The results of these efforts were used along with engineering judgment to formulate the desired decision-support tool.


Who would pay a billion dollars to humiliate America? The time, 1993. The place, Washington DC. Of the adversaries in the Gulf War, the sole survivor is Saddam Hussein. And Saddam is planning a revenge so diabolical that the United States will be left with no choice but to retaliate ...'A fast-moving intrigue ...a cracking good read. This is the first novel I have read by Jeffrey Archer; it will not be the last' - "Mail on Sunday". 'Back in top form ...Archer's imagination at its most sublime ...an entertaining, pacey page-turner' - "Sunday Times". 'Few are more famous than Archer for keeping the pages turning ...an extravagant romp - possibly his best' - "The Times."


Abstract This paper considers the way in which Christian Religious Education (RE) teachers articulate the difficulties and challenges they experience both in school and with their peers as they navigate their way through their Initial Teacher Education. The paper offers a unique exploration of the relationship between elements of the three discourses of faith identity, emerging professional identity and the requirements of a performative teacher training context. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 184 student RE teachers across three universities. It became clear that all students interpreted the Standards and policy guidelines ambiguously, as being value-laden or value-free. The idea of the 'good teacher' as someone who was, by very definition, neutral and objective immediately made the faith position of students problematic. This is a key point in relation to the notion of performativity and education and the disproportionate impact it made on Christian students. It appeared as though many Christian students were concerned to stress that although their faith was personally important for them it was not something that contributed to their understanding of a 'good teacher'.


This thesis is devoted to the investigation of the impacts of fast moving ocean surface waves on the aerodynamics of offshore wind turbines. The impacts of non-locally generated waves (swell) on the Marine Atmospheric Boundary Layer (MABL) and thereby on offshore wind turbine aerodynamics are studied numerically by using Large Eddy Simulations and the Actuator Line Method. The MABL is often interacting with ocean surface waves causing mass, heat and momentum exchange between the air and the underlying waves' surface. Due to this coupling between the MABL and the surface waves, the MABL differs from boundary layer over land. The effects of ocean waves on the MABL are believed to be small and usually taken into account as a roughness height when offshore wind farms are designed. This roughness height is commonly treated either as a constant or as a function of the friction velocity without regard to its dependency on the sea state (i.e. the waves' height, slope and velocity). However, recent field observations and numerical simulations have shown that the impact of the waves, in particularly swell, on the MABL might be stronger than previously assumed. Wave statistics show that the earth's oceans are strongly dominated by swell waves almost all the time. Hence, a better understanding of swell effects on the MABL would provide a valuable information that can lead to improve: the offshore wind turbine design, the layout of offshore wind farms and the accuracy of wind farm power extraction rate estimations. The results presented in this thesis show that the swell impacts on the MABL are significant. By comparing the MABL over moving waves to that over flat surface (calm sea), the effects of swell are isolated from the effects of atmospheric turbulence. The wave-induced stress reduces the total wind stress resulting in higher wind velocity, less wind shear and lower turbulence intensity level. These effects increase by increasing the wave age and/or wave steepness. These modifications in the MABL in the presence of fast moving swells propagating in the direction of the local wind invalidate the use of the Monin–Obukhov Similarity Theory widely used in wind energy applications and indicate that the extrapolation of a wind speed measured at a certain height to another height assuming a logarithmic wind speed profile is questionable in the presence of swell. Moreover, the results show that fast moving waves have pronounced effects on wind turbine aerodynamics. Longer wind turbine wake regions and weaker velocity deficits downstream a stand-alone wind turbine with higher